The Ship Model Forum

Good evening everyone. Longtime reader, first time posting.

I have always loved the look of the Leahy class cruisers and I was stationed on the USS Dale from 1987 to 1989. Always thought she was a beautiful ship.

I have always built plastic model kits, but now that I am retired, I am giving scratch building a shot.

So, since there are no Leahy kits around, Dale will be the perfect project.

I am planning to build it as a waterline model. To me, ships just look more normal when they are sitting in water.

I am building the hull structure in foam, and then will cover with styrene and then use styrene for the superstructure.

Hope to include lighting features and some movement, probably the SPS 48 E and SPS 49 V 5 radars

Hopefully I have attached a couple of photos correctly so that you can see the initial hull structure.

Lincoln B

Look forward to learning as I go and would love any advice / assistance / help during the build.

Good choice for a model. At 1:48 it will be pretty big! Lot of opportunity for detail.

Phil

thanks. I figured it would be easier on the eyes to work at this scale. .

First update. I've been working on the side plating for the bow section.

The Leahy's had a pretty unique bow with the main deck plating being close to vertical.

I think I've captured it.

This will all be plated over with 2 layers of .010 inch styrene.

The one picture shows my completed 1/350 USS North Carolina next to the bow to give some perspective.

working on building a "temporary" superstructure.

using plans based on the original 1964 Dale, but updating to 1989.

Using the temporary superstructure of model out the various updates over the years.

Then will start the permanent superstructure in styrene.

still making progress.
figures out how to connect the two sections of full.
have completed overlaying the .03" plastic sheeting on the bow section.
Started work on the stern section.
Working on mockups of superstructure.

got my first order of leds to begin experimenting with.
need to figure out the jackstaff and flagstaff lighting before starting to secure the main decks.

Looks really sharp! Great subject as well.

Looking forward to more updates.

nice crisp job

here are a couple of pictures of the forward missile house.

Still working on finishing up the hull plating but wanted to start a smaller project.

This is just the basic shell. Still plenty of details to be added.

here's an update on the build.

Hard to tell but i've completed adding 2 layers of .030 inch styrene to the sides and most of the deck of the forward section.

The aft section only has the 2 layers of styrene on the hull sides.

Also made some substantial progress on the forward superstructure, and added some details to the forward missile house.

Also did a rough draft of a 3D printed forward missile launcher, just to check the deck spacing and the size.

First, I apologize for the pictures. i've tried several times to get them to rotate, but no luck. If anyone can tell me how to correct, please do. Thanks in advance

Hey everyone. Been a hectic month but have made some progress on the Dale.

i've been working on the forward superstructure and the bridge interior. Got to use my 3D printer to make some of the bridge equipment.
also worked on constructing the two macks and getting the exhausts in the correct place.

Slowly but surely moving ahead.

Looking at working on the SPG-55s or the SPS-48E next.

swodawg wrote: Wed Dec 31, 2025 3:55 pm First, I apologize for the pictures. i've tried several times to get them to rotate, but no luck. If anyone can tell me how to correct, please do. Thanks in advance

You can retake the photos in landscape format. This forum's software is too old to understand the little bit of code that's embedded in modern cameras that tells it which way is "up", so it defaults to showing images in the camera's "base" orientation, which is landscape.

great. i will make sure i try that next time.

I presume you preview it on your computer & if so, how do they show, normal as in proper or same as on this site. I use "windows photo viewer" to look at pictures saved on my computer & use it to correct the picture rotation so that it looks correct & it saves it automatically to that correct rotation when I click to view another picture.

thanks. i did go in and rotate them and resaved them but it still went back to the wrong orientation.

did you delete the ones on this site then reloaded the corrected versions back onto this site like these?

no. they just seemed to correct themselves.