Hi Guys, Hi Catlauncher, Having not yet finished the WEM kit myself, I've still a few trials before me. I can say that the kits' errors are a few too many. It's one of those cases when, "the further into this you look, the more you find that's not correct". That does not mean to say that the kit can't be done accurately, but the fact that DDG-22 was chosen as the named subject above any othe ships in this class, (of 5 late hull versions and the remaining earlier hulls), one might think that DDG-22 is the focus of the manufacturer. I have nothing but respect for WEM, as they've earned their stripes in the Hobby world and in the ship modeler's world particularly. That being said, I did offer, (at one time), to categorize and identify the kits' inaccuracies; should WEM ever entertain the thought of a re-tool or re-issue effort. I was sincerely thanked and told that there wereno future plans to correct/re-tool the kit. I do recall the website showing a needed 25 committed buyers before the kit was to be re-released. That was 5 years ago, and I don't know if they made another 25 kits or not. I got mine from a fellow in Australia on the, "second hand", market for $150. About that same time, ( about 4-5 years ago), ISW released their own DDG-6 kit. They had a monthly special sale on the DDG-6 kit at $129.95, so I had to buy one, and buy one I did. NOTE: Somewhere on this thread, I'm pretty sure there is an unbiased comparison between ISW and WEM's 350th DDG-2 class offerings. The DDG-22 facebook group, (of which I am a member), has the most awesome selection of photos uploaded by the former crewmembers that is really special! I'm not supposed to say this, but the CFA fans are in for a treat soon! That's all I can say for now. Cat, Did you attend the ships re-union when it was in San Diego? That was October 2010. I was a guest of Bill Halvorson, and the ships' reunion association president, (Ron Zorn), lives here in Santee; a mere 2 miles from me. There was a fellow named Mike Doolittle whom posted here a few times, but he has not been back since 2005. We all know how that goes. Cat, Good luck with the building of your, "old grey house"! If you need any help or suggestions with your build, feel free to ask. I have large file size images of my 350th WEM build progress, if you ever want to see them. On this w/s, you have to reduce the size of most images before posting; sometimes compromising the image quality or clarity. Regarding Veteran Models: L'Arsenal USA, (now for a shameless plug), has in stock all of the Veteran Models 350 Modern Warship accessories. They're not yet on the L'Arsenal USA website, but just contact me directly if you're interested. I get Veteran Models stuff from them directly, but so far I have only carried the 350th scale Modern accessories. Melvin of VM is a fair person, and accepted my offer to sell his products at the IPMS National Convention in 2011. We sold a fair amount of VM accessories and we plan to have his entire product line at this years' IPMS Nats in Orlando, FL. L'Arsenal USA will not be the only vendor at the 2012 Nats planning to offer Veteran Models accessories. Brandon Lowe of Pac front / Freetime Hobbies will have them for sale too. Brandon and I will be selling the same items for the same price. Brandon is a good guy too! DDG-22 is a cool subject and the former crewmembers have made me feel like one of their own; even though I never served in the Navy. Cat, if you need help posting progress pics on the "PICTURE POST" > WIP, many of us here can help too. Best wishes from SoCal, Tony Bunch
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