Calling all Allen M. Sumner-class & Gearing-class DD fans

[Jimmy Conway]

My Meredith is finished:

Hi Kazec, nice model!!!

[Will J]

Thats a very nice model ! I'm scratchbuilding the USS Joseph P. Kennedy in her FRAM configuration as she is today in battleship cove. On that note, which paint color would best suit her grey tone? I tend to use tamiya acrylics.

[Navarone]

Check with Tower Hobbies. They carry Haze Gray paint. That's what I used to paint my USS Zellars FRAM II.

[Seeling]

Now that winter is headed back to Minnesota soon, I am looking at my indoor projects. I was again searching for a 1/350th Gearing so I could make a model of the USS Perry DD-844 around when my dad was on around 1949-50. As posted on some earlier responses, I am thinking of making it in WWII appearance since it does not appear to have been modernized at that time.

The only one I could find was Yankee Model Works on several websites but I think it is resin. It appears to also come with photoetch and some pewter parts.
Anybody ever build this one? If so, what did you think? I have only built styrene in the past and am uncertain about taking the step to resin.

Thanks!
J Seeling

[Thundergrunt]

Hello Fellow modellers!! I am kinda out of place here in this forum of you stellar shipbuilders , as i am a jet guy from ARC, but anyway, my father in law served aboard the USS.Orleck DD-886 Korean War era and the USS. Pasedena. and he is getting up there in in age and after some conversations about his many years in the navy I thought i would build his ships for him as a Christmas Gift, now my ? to all is I am lost beyond words in ship model Buisness , but I would like to buy a 1/700 scale Orleck I belive it was a gearing class. can someone point in the right direction. I have the 1/700 Pasedena already from Midship Models. Thanks in advance.

Eugene

[Cadman]

With the Dragon 1/350 Gearing coming out soon, you could replace the 40 mm guns with Veteran 3" 50's and update the radar to get a USS Orleck.

[Gernot]

Just saw a sample of the Gearing at a hobby store in Tokyo. Absolutely stunning moldings. The major complaint was that glue would not longer drip into any joints---there was no more space to do so LOL. The kit looks like it will sell very very well, including a nice detail set (railings needed separately).

[John Collier]

Would like to make a USS Harry E Hubbard DD-748 during the Korean War time frame for a vet. Have just started some research but if I was doing it in 1/350 would the Dragon Gearing be the way to go as a jumping off point? In 1/700 I'm assuming the Pit Road Sumner is still available? And one last question for NukeMM-did you keep a record of what you replaced/modified/scratch built on your build of the Hubbard? Looks great and a "shopping list" would be a great help. Would really prefer 1/350 but if the Pit Road kit could work without a lot of modifications then maybe that's the way to go. Any help/info., etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks folks.

[Dick J]

In 1/350, the Gearing conversion is definitely do-able. You will have to remove a scale 14' from the hull and from the superstructure between the funnels. (The 5" practice loading machine was below decks on the Sumners.) Then you will have to convert it to the Korean War fit. If you go for 1/700, the Maddox is the better kit. It has the later bridge, while the Sumner kit is the earlier "British bridge" config. However, the Pit-Road has a few issues, most notably in the sheer line on the hull. (It "kinks" rather than curves transitioning from the bow slant-down to the horizontal after deck.)

[John Collier]

Thanks for the heads up re: the Maddox vs the Sumner, Dick J. I guess the Gearing is also possible. Hum-nice to have a choice. Thanks again.

[Cadman]

The major complaint was that glue would not longer drip into any joints---there was no more space to do so LOL.

That may well be my fault. I modified the 3D model to include the interlocking areas like the ones on the Buchanan. I used a zero interference fit to make sure the parts could be assembled without error and assumed the mold maker would adjust accordingly. Ideally all the female openings where the various parts fit should have been increased in size by .001 or so. I will try harder next time to make sure those little details get taken care of. But on the plus side, almost everything is a press fit and you may not even need glue!!!!

[Erik W]

I'd like to convert a Dragon 1/350 scale Gearing to a Sumner class. It seems like a pretty straight forward conversion, just remove a scale 14' right in front of the rear stack. On thinking about it though, since the deck/hull angles toward the bow in that area, when I rejoined the two halves of the hull, the deck halves would no longer be flush. The forward half would be higher. Any suggestions (besides building a Yankee Model Works Sumner)?

Thanks,
Erik

P.S. - Does anyone have any insight if Dragon will be releasing the shorter hulled Sumner or not at some point?

[Dick J]

Since the deck is separate from the hull sides, cut the sides (upper hull part) further aft where the deckline levels off. There is a bottom plate in the hull section, so saw the bottom plate in the forward section some distance up each side. Then trim the bottom plate so the sides can be contoured back to match the after end and the shape of the deck. The deck can be cut somewhere between the stacks. (If the cuts in the sides, deck and superstructure are staggered, the finished model will have more strength.)

[Erik W]

Since the deck is separate from the hull sides, cut the sides (upper hull part) further aft where the deckline levels off. There is a bottom plate in the hull section, so saw the bottom plate in the forward section some distance up each side. Then trim the bottom plate so the sides can be contoured back to match the after end and the shape of the deck. The deck can be cut somewhere between the stacks. (If the cuts in the sides, deck and superstructure are staggered, the finished model will have more strength.)

Dick,

Thanks for the input. I think that would work.

Erik

[oneslim]

Here are three shots of USS Johnston coming into dock at New Orleans in Feburary of '51'. She was acting as plane guard for the USS Monterey as a training carrier. My dad made these while on board. Just found them in an old box of 4x5 negatives that my sister had in the basement fot 40 years.

Bob W

[Rick E Davis]

Nice views, she has been updated with 3-in guns, but still has a pole mast.

[Rick E Davis]

Bob,

I checked and I'll be dang if I didn't have an image from NARA of your father's ship taken about nine months earlier on 4 May 1950 off Boston. She just got one of two twin 3-in mounts (this was an early installation of this new mount on destroyers) and two single 3-in mounts. It appears from your photos that she still only had the one twin mount. That is interesting, I figured she would have gotten the second mount by the time of your photos. The USN was removing quad 40-mm mounts in 1949-50 to save crew manpower and planned to return the mounts in time of war (they did return the mounts during the Korean War), so maybe the same applied to the twin 3-in mounts???

[Jimmy Conway]

Here are three shots of USS Johnston coming into dock at New Orleans in Feburary of '51'. She was acting as plane guard for the USS Monterey as a training carrier. My dad made these while on board. Just found them in an old box of 4x5 negatives that my sister had in the basement fot 40 years.

Bob W

Hi Bob W, these 3 nice photos would be a remarkable contribution to Navsource....what do you think?
Thanks for sharing!
Jimmy

[Rotorhead]

Hey Bob,

The photo of DD-821 docking looks an awful lot like the docks with Chevalier Field at NAS Pensacola FL in the background. That would be where the training carrier would be homeported at the time and would be "parking" to the left of the view in those photos. It looks like that photo was taken from the fantail of that carrier.

GREAT photos.............

Regards
Steve

[oneslim]

Rick,

Great shot of DD821. My Dad was on USS Monterey, I think shooting from the aft flight deck. He was a photographers mate on board for about one year, went ashore in July of 51.

Jimmy,

I only have the three negs of DD821. Just got a HP Scanjet 4050 so I could save Dad's 4x5 negatives. How do I submit them to Navsource? There are maybe twenty shots of Monterey flight ops during Jan. and Feb 1951. Also, about fifty shots of the ship's visit to New Orleans for the 1951 Mardi Gras. And, a set of maybe thirty which show a visit of John F. Folberg, Ass. Sec. of the Navy for Air to Monterey. He was newly qualified for carrier ops to better understand his job.

Steve,

You may be correct, the shots are not labled as to local of DD821. I do know the ones of Monterey docking are New Orleans.


Thanks Guys

Bob Wescott