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PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 2019 12:51 am 
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I recently got my hands on the Revell 1:144th scale Fletcher kit. Since my father was on the LCS(L)(3)-24 and picked up 42 survivors of the Bush on 6/7 April 1945 I wanted to do the kit as the Bush. I gathered as many photos of the bush as I could... and figured out right away this would not be as straight forward as I thought it would be. First, she had the square bridge and the kit has the round bridge. Secondly, the kit had 20mm guns forward of the bridge on either side of the CIC and #2 5" mount... the Bush had been upgraded with the anti Kamikaze mods by then (for all the good it did her) so I'd need both the forward and midships 40mm mods. The kit also does not have the triangular 20mm mounting on the afterdeck, nor does it have the inner depth charge racks. Needless to say I'm going to be spending a lot of money on upgrades to the kit.

MODEL MONKEY to the rescue!!! I was directed to Model Monkey's website and he had the proper square bridge and square bridge 01 level and CIC I needed as well as a better flat back Mk.37 director. The bridge being hollow with open doors, I will be able to add some interior detail to the pilot house. I'll be ordering again soon to obtain the fore and midships 40mm tubs. Once I start I hope to post my progress here....

Wayne


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 2019 12:52 pm 
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Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2013 11:01 pm
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Location: Detroit area
Ooh, this should be an interesting build to follow...

Good luck! :wave_1: :thumbs_up_1:

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1/350 Trumpeter USS Yorktown CV-10


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 2019 1:33 pm 
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coulterww wrote:
Secondly, the kit had 20mm guns forward of the bridge on either side of the CIC and #2 5" mount... the Bush had been upgraded with the anti Kamikaze mods by then (for all the good it did her) so I'd need both the forward and midships 40mm mods.

I was directed to Model Monkey's website and he had the proper square bridge and square bridge 01 level and CIC I needed as well as a better flat back Mk.37 director.

I think you are working based on a few misconceptions about the configuration. Depending on how much of a "rivet counter" you want to be on this, these conceptions need to be corrected, and a bit of design history is needed.

Early square bridge Fletchers had a broad front on the open bridge. The lower deckhouse sides came forward to the open bridge front bulwark and angled only slightly at the face. Three 20MM were positioned forward of the bridge, one on either side of the O-1 level and one on centerline at the bridge level. Later, 40MM twins replaced the 20MM, but this change was started in 1943 and so was NOT part of the anti-kamikaze upgrade. For most Fletchers, the deckhouse below the bridge was trimmed back and the face of the open bridge was significantly narrowed. This is the "standard" configuration which Model Monkey's parts are designed for.

However, three square bridge Fletchers had a non-standard configuration; Ammen, Mullany and Bush. On these three ships, the original bridge face was not trimmed back and the "tubs" for the MK-51 directors for the 40MM were projections from the forward bulkhead of the open bridge. Model Monkey's pilot house will work as-is, but the deck and CIC part will have to be modified for Bush's unique config. These three ships were some of the earliest to get the 40MM forward and the installation was very cramped. This is probably why later upgrades had the bridge face trimmed back.

One other misconception is about Bush getting the "Kamikaze mod". That official mod program didn't start until after the heavy attacks off Okinawa, one of which sank the Bush. So the good news is that Bush didn't have the quad 40MM amidships, but still had all 10 torpedo tubes. So that makes a few less parts that will have to have expensive upgrades. (But if you somehow have photos showing otherwise, I would be very interested in seeing them.)

Attached is a link to a photo of Mullany, post-war, with most of the visual obstructions forward of the bridge removed. Note the shape of the lower deckhouse (unchanged from the original config). Bush's lower deckhouse would have been the same. http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/pix1/0552835.jpg

The next link is for a view that you probably already have. Note the tubs for the MK-51 directors projecting from the corners of the open bridge face. Also note how wide the space is between the tubs, again unchanged from the as-built config. http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/pix1/0552913.jpg


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 12:16 pm 
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Dick gave a good description of the difference for the three Beth-SF built units that were the first Square-Bridge FLETCHER class units modified with two twin 40-mm mounts replacing the three 20-mm guns forward. Beth-SF had "verbal" approval to install the forward twin 40-mm mounts. However, BuShips knew that the installation would require modifying the bridge front. But the drawings were NOT yet done when these three destroyers were at the Beth-SF yard for Post-Availability overhaul/modification (late June into July 1943). Also, PacFlt had dictated that NO NEWLY BUILT FLETCHER was to be sent to the fleet without this AA upgrade (and the CIC installation which was also being worked on). Beth-SF was given a waiver by MINY (their USN supervisors) to do the install as best they could arrange it to get these destroyers to PacFlt as quickly as possible. Beth-SF "shoehorned" the two twin 40-mm mounts in between the 52 mount and the bridge, which was a tight fit and did restrict the 52 mount. BuShips wasn't happy because this was a non-standard install, but the destroyers were never modified to the standard during WWII and USS BUSH was lost in this configuration.

This sketch and image shows what the original Square-Bridge looked like and what mods were done to get the twin 40-mm mounts installed.

Image

Image

Below are photos of USS BUSH (DD-529) as she appeared after her June 1944 overhaul. Note that USS BUSH has an unique nav bridge front. She never was modified to the Anti-Kamikaze Mod, which didn't exist until April-May 1945. It is up to you as to how much modification to the Revell 1/144 scale kit to be accurate. At this point NO ONE has a 3-D printed or molded bridge for the FLETCHER class with the original Square-Bridge (with three 20-mm guns) or for these three units. Working with the Trumpeter 1/350 scale kit would allow for LESS scratch modification.

Image

Image

Image


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 27, 2019 9:16 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2019 2:37 am
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I noticed the director bulges in the photos I have and was wondering how I was going to add them in... I'll have to think about that one for sure. I do appreciate the photos to help explain the subjects being discussed... I already have all those photos, just not in that size and clarity. If anything, it's worth it if only for having bigger, clearer photos.

It's clear I'm going to need to figure out the director tubs on the bridge level... Everything else is pretty straight forward I think. I already have the Model Monket Square Bridge, the bridge interior fittings such as the Helmsman's station, the engine telegraph, the captain's chair. I had ordered the sky lookout chairs but they were too small to be printed in 1/144th scale so I'll have to do without those. I have the aft triangular shield for the aft 20mm mounts, the Mk.51 directors, the aft 40mm teardrop shields and the radar repeater for the bridge on order. Looking at the kit parts I'm definitely going to have to replace the 600 lb DC racks on the stern as well as add in the midship 300 lb DC racks and K guns. I'm looking at a mix of 20mm and 40mm guns in different elevations as well as adding in the fore and aft 40mm tubs and float baskets and Crew members.

Thank goodness this kit was a gift. It's getting more expensive by the minute! The cost is secondary though as this is being built as a remembrance of the Bush and her crew. My father was one of the LCS(L)'s that picked up 42 survivors from the Bush... so I wanted to do this in honor of the Bush.

Wayne


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