1/144 Revell Fletcher Class Destroyer Build (Early)

[les]

The interior shots were really interesting as I've been abooard the USS Kidd. Facilities for the crew were a lot nicer than they were during WWII. The bunks even looked like they were farther apart.

[oneslim]

Thaks Guys, glad to be of help.

Bob W

[Rotorhead]

I have finally made a decision on which ship I will model. USS Fletcher DD-445 with a configuration timeframe of Nov-1942 to June-1943.

2 40mm Bofors mounts.
7 20mm single mounts?
Depth charges...I need to do some research on these.

Here is the configuration I plan March-1943 before returning to the US for refit:


Here is a photo showing the fantail 40mm Bofors:


Here is a photo of the aft raised gun tub that will house the second 40mm Bofors.



I'm still trying to figure out the directors for these Bofors mounts. Rick Davis provided this for the Fletcher:
"FLETCHER and the other early FLETCHERS received the Mk 51 director with their twin 40-mm mounts until the Mk 49 directors became available (in limited numbers and wasn't installed on all ships)."

I'll be back to cutting plastic shortly.

Regards
Steve

[George Creed]

You're the fourth missing in action---hows your ship coming ???

Thanks,
George

[Rotorhead]

Hey George,

I'm MIA in good company. As with the other's I too got sidetracted. The hull is sitting on it's stand high up on a shelf in front of me. I needed a kick to get restarted. I'm thinking about it again.

Thanks for the kick.

Regards
Steve

[les]

I know the feeling. Going through the same problem. Should be back on mine by the end of the month.

[Rotorhead]

Well Les,

I'll tell you what, seeing these recent Fletcher posts coming up again has got my motivation back up some. I just need to get a "section" done and be happy with it and then get moving again.



Regards
Steve

[Dirk]

Steve, that is good news. Looking forward for more of your oil canned Fletcher
Dirk

[les]

Yes, but he started something with that oil canning. I have a friend who everytime I talk to him, tells me that I should do that to mine. I tell him, "No way. You build one and oil can it."

[Secondo]

I red about a promising technique for oil canning on my modelling magazine last month; it was done by a spanish modeler on a 1/48 Shturmovik but I think it's worth a try.
The basic is to distribute a trace of CA glue over the framing, which mean to "redraw" the framing with a web of CA traces; then sand it until it becomes nearly smooth. As CA is harder than plastic, sanding will erode plastic and, with the bas-relief left by CA traces, it should give a nice oil canning.

Now, I think that the succes of this technique depends on the quality of the plastic; if it worked well on Eduard's butter-soft plastic, I doubt that it will work the same on our Revell's glass-hard stuff

However I will give it a try

[les]

Check out Rotorhead's build at the start of this thread. He did it on the 1/44th Fletcher.

[Rotorhead]

The oil canning was a bit slow and time consuming but it was a learning adventure. I practiced different techniques on old aircraft wings and scrap plastic. The hard part was "seeing" just what the real oil canning did to the real steel and how to replicate that to the best of my ability. I have serious doubts about the CA glue technique but it would definately be something to practice before leaping (it just might work) . I built my own template (waste of time), used rough ink erasers..........now that worked somewhat. I finally built a skinny popsicle stick frame for a small strip of fine sandpaper and then worked on each individual "oil can square". My finished product would not have enjoyed a "bare metal" or silver finish. Those dang squares were just too small to get into and keep the "frame area" unsanded.

The 1/144 size of the Fletcher screamed at me to do this. I was driven. When i get done with it and the paint is on it............thats when I'll wish i had cut deeper. I do think that I needed to exagerate my cuts a bit more.

Regards
Steve

[oneslim]

Steve,

Have You seen this....

http://www.modelshipwrights.com/modules ... ad&order=0

Bob W

[Rotorhead]

Hey Bob,

Now i hadn't. I have been waiting for it to get produced. Thanks.

The Fletcher is still on my shelf...waiting. I'm building a semi-quickie 1/32 P-39D to get my Mojo back again. I've been trying new techniques and they slow me down. The "oil canning" was definately a new technique for me and i was fairly happy with that. The hatches and grinding off details wore me down. I needed an old standy to get the juices moving again.

I will be getting a pair of the 40s.

Regards
Steve

[Navy18]

I am considering scaling my first ship model and have always liked the destroyers.... which kit gives the best bang for the detailers buck with this type ship? I am a hardened aircraft builder but want to display a ship; go figure. Thank you.

[les]

Mine is in limbo too. I think with all the time it takes to detail one part, it slows the build time way down. At that point I've worked on a couple of other projects that will finish faster just to see something completed. In the mean time I'm torn between building it as launched or adding the AA fit of a later war Fletcher. The main fear is that as soon as I make that modification, Revell will come out with another one with the mods. I've had it happen before.

[jep1210]

I just got done re-reading this post and was wondering how the project is going. This is a great build.

[BB61]

I just recently (very recently), acquired this kit. I�ve always been a fan of the Fletcher class, and will undoubtedly be using this WIP along with other data I have to build mine, though mine will be mostly OOB I suspect, and a waterline effort to boot. Good job so far, and the reference photos are great.

Regards,

[sweetwater@uci.net]

As a former crew-member aboard USS Fletcher when she was DDE-445 in Pearl in 1958 I'm super-impressed with the work you are ALL displaying here, and the questions being asked to make your builds as accurate as you can. On the oil-canning,, very impressive work, indeed. I'm trying to remember whether there was much of it in evidence on the "overlap" plates on the forward hull at that time.. Not sure if it was because the hull plating was thicker there or not. You guys have obviously studied the builder's plans and can tell me if this was "overplate" or just "overlap" of the forward plates.

I'm just starting work on my Revell kit, but doing the last Fletcher I served aboard, USS TINGEY (DD-539). As she was a "square-bridge Fletcher" I thought I had my work cut out for me.... Now I find that there is an after-market conversion!! Hallelujah! Reason I'm doing the Tingey is I came pretty close to having to swim 200 miles back to California one dark August night in 1963 (8/1/63 to be exact), when USS VAMMEN (DE-644) nearly cut us in half when she lost steering control and rammed us in the forward fire-room. Besides our amazing damage-control teams' heroic efforts to keep us afloat, we were saved by the Chief Engineer's decision to shut down the forward "plant" to re-brick a boiler earlier that day. We were steaming on the "after plant" when the Vammen collided with us and opened up a 4x8 foot hole in the hull. That cold Pacific seawater rushed in on a "dead" plant, and though the lower level of the forward fireroom was already flooded to about 6 feet within the 45 seconds it took for me to run from forward berthing to my battle station there in Damage Control Central, it would have been all over If they'd rammed us in the after fireroom. Super-heated steam and cold seawater would have blown the ship in half and we'd have been in the water and drowning within 30 seconds. Now I just need to figure out if I want my model to depict the ship as she was BEFORE or AFTER the collision..... Decisions, decisions....

[TimW42]

Well...

I'm new here and have just obtained this kit, along with three Eduard detail sets (weapons, general details and railing). I have the aft 40mm gun mount on the way from Nautilus, along with their decals. I'm trying to keep this simple and will do either the Radford, La Vallette or Jenkins.

I have the Lindbergh kit, a bunch of aftermarket and had ambitions of building the Johnston....the amount of scratchbuilding, major modifications and cursing wore me down. The Revell kit looks much easier in comparison!

Not sure I'll try anthing as ambitious as oil canning. I mostly do aircraft and armor, but have done ships from time to time (Revell Snowberry kit a few years ago, with lots of add ons) and this summer the 1/200th Arizona.

Great inspiration here!

Regards,

Tim W.