Model Monkey News

[ModelMonkey]

Thanks, Jack!

Best wishes on your Saratoga! That ship is a favorite of many modelers.

[Quaestor]

Steve, my 1\700 Gneisenau 1941 hangar just arrived. It looks fan-tastic!
Looking forward to giving it Jamie's sunlight treatment, while clearing the ways to start my Tamiya kit.

[ModelMonkey]

Steve, my 1\700 Gneisenau 1941 hangar just arrived. It looks fan-tastic!
Looking forward to giving it Jamie's sunlight treatment, while clearing the ways to start my Tamiya kit.

Excellent! Very glad you like it. And if anybody knows anything about Colourcoats, it's Jamie.

Designs in 1/400 and 1/600 scales are now ready, too.
Happy modeling!

[ModelMonkey]

DavidP, today is your day.

We are happy to announce sets of two Nevada class 14"/45 cal. Twin Turrets with barrels are now available.

The models are available in most popular scales.

[ModelMonkey]

Benson-Gleaves class destroyer fans! For those interested in building late-war ships DD-421 - DD-444, a "dog-bone" shaped Oerlikon platform is now available in 1/350 scale for your Blue Water Navy, Cyber Hobby, Dragon and Iron Shipwrights kits.

Our friend Rick E. Davis explains: "One of the more interesting configurations found on the original group of BENSON-GLEAVES class units, DD421-DD444, were the about 16 units that replaced the aft torpedo tubes with a platform for four 20-mm guns....The mod was done either at New York Navy Yard or in theater by USS VULCAN (AR-5) at Oran. This AA armament augmentation was authorized (eight units on 8 March 1944 and another batch of eight in April 1944) for units serving in the Med off Italy to, in part, counter German air attacks/tactics."

Photo courtesy Rick E. Davis.

"Here is the list of units authorized and those known to have the four 20-mm platforms and whether NYNY or AR-5 did the work:
DD-421 BENSON ... NYNY
DD-422 MAYO � NYNY
DD-423 GLEAVES � NYNY
DD-424 NIBLACK � NYNY
DD-425 MADISON � AR-5
DD-426 LANSDALE � AR-5
DD-427 HILARY P. JONES � AR-5
DD-428 CHARLES F. HUGHES � AR-5 likely
DD-429 LIVERMORE � AR-5
DD-430 EBERLE � unknown if and where mod was done
DD-431 PLUNKETT � NYNY
DD-432 KEARNY � AR-5
DD-437 WOOLSEY � NYNY
DD-438 LUDLOW � NYNY
DD-439 EDISON � NYNY
DD-440 ERICSSON � AR-5"

[Rick E Davis]

Also, these sixteen units of the BENSON-GLEAVES class units were authorized to have two single (US Army type) 40-mm guns installed on the main deck between four 20-mm platform and the twin 40-mm mounts on the aft deckhouse. A terrible location with limited arcs of fire, but space was limited on these ships.

It is not clear if ALL sixteen units received the single 40-mm guns and where. Armament Summaries are fuzzy on when they were installed and removed and there are very few photos during the period that these guns were onboard, almost no photos of the units modified by USS VULCAN. Unless there is a real close-up view amidships or an aerial view, it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to see the single 40-mm guns.

The mystery of just where these single 40-mm guns were installed on the BENSON-GLEAVES units, was one of the goals of my research at NARA when I started there back in 2007.

[ModelMonkey]

Thanks to Rick for providing superb references to make the "dog-bone" platform a reality.

In other good news, a Fletcher class late-war AA Deck House is being made available in most popular scales. In larger scales, the railing is included in the design. It is reported that this deck house was installed as part of the late-war, anti-kamikaze modification intended to increase the ships' anti-aircraft (AA) capability. The deck house replaced the forward quintuple torpedo mount on Fletchers. Two Bofors directors were installed on top.

Fletcher details and configurations varied widely. Please consult your references, including the Classic Warships Publishing Fletcher books, to know if this model is correct for your ship.

[ModelMonkey]

Several Fletcher kit fans had asked last year for the late-war AA deck house and complementing quad Bofors tubs and the 40mm ammunition stowage compartments below them. So in addition to the deck house in the post above, here are the tubs and compartments and thank you for your patience! In larger scales, the tubs are outfitted with ammunition racks. Thanks to Rick Davis for providing advice and references.

The model is available in several popular scales.

[ModelMonkey]

USS Texas BB-35 fans! We are happy to announce that an accurately shaped and highly detailed Aft Fighting Top is now available.

The model is available in several popular scales.

[ModelMonkey]

For fans of modern US Navy aircraft carriers, a set of anchors with free-moving shanks for 1/350 scale kits is now available.

[ModelMonkey]

A small but nifty product for fans of the 1/700 scale Tamiya Scharnhorst kit, a replacement barbette for Turret "Bruno" that includes the two dissimilar exterior vent trunks absent from the Tamiya kit. This is a direct replacement for Tamiya kit part A20.

[MartinJQuinn]

The mad scientist of the south strikes again! Genius!

[ModelMonkey]

Thanks, Martin!

Here's a bit more madness for fans of Balao class submarines. A USS Lionfish SS-298 fairwater is now available in several popular scales. We are fortunate that the real USS Lionfish is preserved as a museum ship (boat). The 3D design depicts Lionfish's fairwater as it appeared in 1945 (details are a tad bit different today). These 3D designs are intended to help the modeler build a Balao class boat from a Gato class kit.

A fairwater for USS Balao SS-285 with different features and detailing is available separately.

[ModelMonkey]

Attention Midway class aircraft carrier fans!

Joining a previously available set for the classic Revell 1/547 scale Midway class carrier kits, a set of eighteen 1/700 scale 5"/54 cal. Mk.16 mounts is now available. The set provides enough mounts to portray the ship as commissioned.

The models are available in several popular scales.

[ModelMonkey]

We are pleased to announce a set of Deutsche Kriegsmarine 160 cm Searchlights is now available in smaller scales.

The models are available in several popular scales.

[ModelMonkey]

And in 1/200 scale:

[Aop Aur]

Those searchlights are wonderful!

Aop

[ModelMonkey]

Thanks, Aop!

More coming.

[ModelMonkey]

Happy to announce a set of five, 1/700 scale 18"/50 cal. twin turrets for Tillman "Maximum Battleships" is now available for your IHP resin kit. The IHP kit comes with triple-gun turrets. This product gives the modeler an option to build the model with five 18" twin-gun turrets instead, a variation of the last design.

The "Maximum Battleship" was a group of 1916-1917 super-battleship design proposals developed by the US Navy in response to Congressional pressure. Two of the 1917 designs included 18" guns. Although no ships were ever produced from these designs, the proposals influenced the design of later classes of battleships, and therefore can be considered an important part of US Navy battleship development. The "Maximum Battleship" designs are sometimes referred to as "Tillman Battleships", named for Senator Benjamin Tillman, the main proponent for the development of these designs.

The turret design depicted here is purely speculative. The shape of the gunhouse is based on a Colorado class 16" gunhouse, enlarged to match the barbette diameter of the IHP kit as requested by the customer. The rangefinders were not enlarged. Barrels are also available.

[ModelMonkey]

Happy to announce islands for the Forrestal class aircraft carrier USS Saratoga CV-60 are now being released in several popular scales. First design complete is the island as it appeared circa early 1958, two years after commissioning. Designs for this island as it appeared during the Vietnam War will follow.

For those who like the challenge of 1/700 scale and 1/350 scale conversions, this design can help build a Forrestal class carrier from a Kitty Hawk class kit. The Forrestal class and Kitty Hawk class shared the same hull although the flight deck was configured differently.

For the 1958 island, "Super Sara" served in the Mediterranean Sea that year, embarked Carrier Air Group (CVG) 3 composed of:
- F8U-1 Crusaders of Fighter Squadron (VF) 32 "Swordsmen"
- F9F-8P Cougars of Reconnaissance Squadron (VFP) 62 Det.43 "Fighting Photos"
- A4D-1 Skyhawks of Attack Squadron (VA) 34 "Blue Blasters"
- A3D-2 Skywarriors of Heavy Attack Squadron (VAH) 9 "Hoot Owls"
- F3H-2N Demons of VF-31 "Tomcatters"