Airfix DUKW, 1/76 +++FINISHED+++

[Ray S]

Hello all.

 

I have been trying to get some text done to represent the lettering for the Sefton Life Guard's DUKW's, and here is my feeble attempt!

 

 

This is just a test print at the moment. I have not been able to find the correct font, but size-wise it is not too far out. On the original photograph the style is quite different, and there appears to be some shadow shading, but Microsoft don't give me that option (that I have been able to find, anyway).

 

Here is another image of what I have done, compared to what it should be like:

 

 

All credit for the photograph should go to the person who put this on flickr:-

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/73789322@N04/49881397663

 

@TonyOD, as this would not be a true likeness of the subject as I cannot get the lettering right, would you like me to continue with this in this scheme, or do it as a military vehicle as supplied by Airfix? I am happy to fall in with your choice.

 

That is it for today on this subject, at least.

 

Ray

 

[TonyOD]

15 minutes ago, Ray S said:

@TonyOD, as this would not be a true likeness of the subject as I cannot get the lettering right, would you like me to continue with this in this scheme, or do it as a military vehicle as supplied by Airfix? I am happy to fall in with your choice.

 

I think it would be churlish in the extreme to veto it on those grounds! Fascinating subject that deserves to be built. 

[danbuoy]

Looking good! Excellent colour photo too. Do you know when it dates from? Be nice to find out what happened to both of the DUKWs after they were retired from service. Handy that the yellow stripe fits neatly in between 2 of the ribs on the hull! 

[Bertie McBoatface]

5 hours ago, Ray S said:

 

 

 

I've never been to Sefton but when I look at this photo it seems awfully familiar. Can I have seen a DUKW in civilian hands in Lincolnshire or Norfolk in the sixties? Most likely it's a false memory, a conflation of a lifeboat and a tractor used on a beach somewhere but it tugs on the corner of my mind. Skegness? Cromer? 

 

 

[dnl42]

This look like a fun build, especially its civilian use!

 

What MS SW are you using? Word and Powerpoint do have shadow text. If you're willing to try another type of SW, GIMP (a raster image program) enables shadow text to be created.

[danbuoy]

1 hour ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

I've never been to Sefton but when I look at this photo it seems awfully familiar. Can I have seen a DUKW in civilian hands in Lincolnshire or Norfolk in the sixties? Most likely it's a false memory, a conflation of a lifeboat and a tractor used on a beach somewhere but it tugs on the corner of my mind. Skegness? Cromer? 

 

 

I think it's highly likely you did see one, somewhere like Sheringham or Hunstanton maybe, or at least a similar sort of vehicle. They were used to carry passengers out to coastal ferries, amongst other things. Although not Norfolk or Lincolnshire, there was one used on Eastbourne beach into the 90s.

[Bertie McBoatface]

12 minutes ago, danbuoy said:

I think it's highly likely you did see one, somewhere like Sheringham or Hunstanton maybe, or at least a similar sort of vehicle. They were used to carry passengers out to coastal ferries, amongst other things. Although not Norfolk or Lincolnshire, there was one used on Eastbourne beach into the 90s.

 

I may well find myself looking for a 1/35 scale one then. Thanks.4

 

[Ray S]

7 hours ago, TonyOD said:

 

I think it would be churlish in the extreme to veto it on those grounds! Fascinating subject that deserves to be built. 

 

Thanks for that @TonyOD - I may have another plan, see later in the post!

 

2 hours ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

I've never been to Sefton but when I look at this photo it seems awfully familiar. Can I have seen a DUKW in civilian hands in Lincolnshire or Norfolk in the sixties? Most likely it's a false memory, a conflation of a lifeboat and a tractor used on a beach somewhere but it tugs on the corner of my mind. Skegness? Cromer? 

 

 

 

They are distinctive @Bertie McBoatface, hopefully you did see one! I know what you mean about false memories though. I know the first and only time I have seen one was on a BBC documentary, which was unusual because I hardly ever find stuff on tele worth watching!

 

1 hour ago, dnl42 said:

This look like a fun build, especially its civilian use!

 

What MS SW are you using? Word and Powerpoint do have shadow text. If you're willing to try another type of SW, GIMP (a raster image program) enables shadow text to be created.

 

@dnl42, I have Word, but could not find a shadow suitable, but I don't really know my way around it. I will check out your suggestion. I don't mind if the font is wrong, but the shadow makes the lettering, so to speak, however, see later in the post...

 

... well, here in fact. While looking again on t'web for Sefton Life Guards DUKW, I found this:

 

https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/8810-dukw-sightseeing-tours/page/2/

 

Another yellow/red DUKW, with a much easier font, no shadow shading, and less lettering! This may be the way to go! I will see, after I have had a look at dnl42's suggestion.

 

Thanks all for the comments and advice,

 

Ray

 

 

[Ray S]

10 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

I may well find myself looking for a 1/35 scale one then. Thanks.4

 

 

@Bertie McBoatface, the Italeri 1/35th one was pretty good (says this non military vehicle modeller!):

 

 

It was boxed by Airfix if I remember correctly, and was one of the first models I tried to weather a bit. Judging by the photographs I just popped a link on here for in my previous post, I had better remember the weathering techniques a bit sharpish...

 

I would highly recommend it, (previous caveat allowing)

 

Ray

[danbuoy]

16 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

I may well find myself looking for a 1/35 scale one then. Thanks.4

 

Your only option is the Italeri one (also released by Airfix). Not the easiest of kits to find, plus it annoyingly doesn't include the wheel covers. Surprisingly few plastic kits of the Duck. Italeri also did a 1/72 version. More detailed than the Airfix 1/76 kit, and with more decal options but again, no wheel covers.

[flashlight]

1 hour ago, Ray S said:

 

Thanks for that @TonyOD - I may have another plan, see later in the post!

 

 

They are distinctive @Bertie McBoatface, hopefully you did see one! I know what you mean about false memories though. I know the first and only time I have seen one was on a BBC documentary, which was unusual because I hardly ever find stuff on tele worth watching!

 

 

@dnl42, I have Word, but could not find a shadow suitable, but I don't really know my way around it. I will check out your suggestion. I don't mind if the font is wrong, but the shadow makes the lettering, so to speak, however, see later in the post...

 

... well, here in fact. While looking again on t'web for Sefton Life Guards DUKW, I found this:

 

https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/8810-dukw-sightseeing-tours/page/2/

 

Another yellow/red DUKW, with a much easier font, no shadow shading, and less lettering! This may be the way to go! I will see, after I have had a look at dnl42's suggestion.

 

Thanks all for the comments and advice,

 

Ray

 

 

When you use Word, you may try out "WordArt" - there you can place a shadow to your text wherever you want to.

[Bertie McBoatface]

17 hours ago, danbuoy said:

Your only option is the Italeri one (also released by Airfix).

 

Rather expensive in many places too!

[danbuoy]

36 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

Rather expensive in many places too!

Sadly yes. I'm surprised Tamiya have never released one.

[Bertie McBoatface]

On 1/19/2023 at 3:36 PM, Ray S said:

I popped a load into a 1/72 Twin Otter 

 

That's just brought on a fit of the giggles! 🤣🤣

[Ray S]

3 hours ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

That's just brought on a fit of the giggles! 🤣🤣

 

Oooh, you are awful, but...

 

Ray

 

PS, My two builds for this GB are on hold just for a short while as I finish off another project - I found having three kits on the go was just a bit too much for my (lack of) multi-tasking skills. I will be back soon though, I promise.

[Bertie McBoatface]

20 minutes ago, Ray S said:

 

Oooh, you are awful, but...

 

Ray

 

PS, My two builds for this GB are on hold just for a short while as I finish off another project - I found having three kits on the go was just a bit too much for my (lack of) multi-tasking skills. I will be back soon though, I promise.

 

I understand exactly what you mean. I have six builds on the go myself and those that are pending seem to look at me accusingly. I daren't stop working on the whaleboat though. It would be a shame not to finish it while co-hosting the flipping GB. 

[PeterB]

On 1/23/2023 at 4:14 PM, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

I've never been to Sefton but when I look at this photo it seems awfully familiar. Can I have seen a DUKW in civilian hands in Lincolnshire or Norfolk in the sixties? Most likely it's a false memory, a conflation of a lifeboat and a tractor used on a beach somewhere but it tugs on the corner of my mind. Skegness? Cromer? 

 

 

Possibly the ones I mentioned previously used for trips from one or more holiday resorts - I too though maybe Skegness, and maybe one in red and another yellow? In fact now I think about it I have a faint recollection of an accident report in the papers not all that many years ago when an ancient DUKW got into trouble at the seaside in the UK.

 

Pete

Edited February 4, 2023 by PeterB

[Bertie McBoatface]

9 hours ago, PeterB said:

Possibly the ones I mentioned previously used for trips from one or more holiday resorts - I too though maybe Skegness, and maybe one in red and another yellow? In fact now I think about it I have a faint recollection of an accident report in the papers not all that many years ago when an ancient DUKW got into trouble at the seaside in the UK.

 

Pete

 

The late Queen had a ride around Liverpool Docks in one some time back. That might have been the one that later sank. 

[Ray S]

Hello all, and welcome back.

 

Having just completed HMS Alynbank in another thread, I can now concentrate on this DUKW, which has been rather lonely for too long shut up in it's little box. The first thing I did today was look at my reference photographs for the Sefton Lifeguard's DUKW, and it slowly crept into my brain that the wheel guards were not fitted to these - at least not in the images I have. So it was out with the razor saw and brute force, and pretty quickly, they were off and the remains of the hull cleaned up. Before:

 

 

This was the state of play when I was going to do this one, but then I found the mainly yellow with a bit of red one without the shading on the lettering at this link:

 

https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/8810-dukw-sightseeing-tours/page/2/ and this one does not have the guards, and has easier lettering so this is the one I am going to try to do. I have found an image of the 'cockpit' of a DUKW, and have tried to produce an instrument panel. It may be slightly over-sized, but it is going to stay as it is now:

 

 

I have dry-fitted the steering wheel and it fits, at approximately the correct angle, which is lucky. I have started to make one or two of the ancillary things for the driver's compartment, but will add those when some paint is on. It would have been better if I had done this before building up the hull. Ah well, 'ne comb de plume pas', as Del Boy would say.

 

Hopefully I can concentrate on this as some light relief now before I start a Twin Gotha WWI Bomber build in the 'Not My Comfort Zone' GB in about a month's time.

 

As usual, and advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated, and I will see if I can build this without too many problems.

 

Cheers all, 

 

Ray

[dnl42]

Nice to see this back to the forefront!

 

BTW, the manual for this is TM 9-802, which is available here. Pg 12 (22 of the doc) has an annotated cockpit layout.

[Ray S]

1 hour ago, dnl42 said:

Nice to see this back to the forefront!

 

BTW, the manual for this is TM 9-802, which is available here. Pg 12 (22 of the doc) has an annotated cockpit layout.

 

Thanks @dnl42, and an especial thanks for that link, it will help a lot. I am not going to super-detail, but do just want to liven it up a little.

 

Cheers, Ray

[danbuoy]

Nice to see your Duck back on page 1 of the build threads. That's a nice looking scheme. I really am tempted to do another Airfix DUKW, especially as it was the mid 90s when I previously built this kit. 

 

On the subject of technical manuals, when I was at the Tank Museum last year, I had a quick peruse of the reproduction manuals they had on sale in the shop. Most of them were so dry they made you thirsty just casually flicking through them, but, as I like the DUKW a lot, I ended up coming away with a copy of the Amphibian Truck Company Field Manual which is actually very interesting. 

[RC Boater Bill]

On 1/16/2023 at 6:24 PM, danbuoy said:

Built this kit when I was 14 or 15, having purchased it on a school trip to the Imperial War Museum in London. Happy to say, I still have it! Always fancied having a go at another and doing it in "what if" RNLI or US Coast Guard livery. 

I somehow missed this thread until now - but I’m glad I found it now!    I’ve always been a fan of the DUKW.   “It may not be the prettiest boat on the road, but it is the fastest truck on the water!”

 

FWIW, a DUKW in US Coast Guard livery is not a “what if”…. they were used by the USCG from 1947 - 1970.  Some were stock, others modified with aluminum cabins….   Here’s my 1/72 Italeri kit built as a unit used at Cape May, New Jersey in 1965.

[danbuoy]

6 hours ago, RC Boater Bill said:

I somehow missed this thread until now - but I’m glad I found it now!    I’ve always been a fan of the DUKW.   “It may not be the prettiest boat on the road, but it is the fastest truck on the water!”

 

FWIW, a DUKW in US Coast Guard livery is not a “what if”…. they were used by the USCG from 1947 - 1970.  Some were stock, others modified with aluminum cabins….   Here’s my 1/72 Italeri kit built as a unit used at Cape May, New Jersey in 1965.

Thats nice, and as much as I like a standard military DUKW, its nice to see one in an alternative scheme. I knew the USCG had used some, but I was thinking, if I did a what if scheme, it would be in white, with the USCG blue and red diagonal stripe towards the front. Think that would look really smart, as would an RNLI one in blue and orange, which as far as I can find out would be a total WHIF.

[danbuoy]

Was just browsing ebay for DUKWs, (as you do) and found this;

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354641575684?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=BdylyKWrRU2&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=ynbFiaATSgu&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

Thought it might be of interest.