In looking at photos of JOHNSTON and sisters built at SeaTac, I think they had canvas covered rails around the searchlights and waist Mk 52 directors. The only yard photos I have any of this group is of MORRISON (DD-560) taken in February 1945 and hers are definitely canvas covered. I don't think any FLETCHER had solid bulwarks around the searchlights ... could be wrong since I'm going on memory. Some FLETCHERS did have solid bulwarks installed around the Mk 51/49 directors, but it doesn't appear to be the case on SeaTac built units. They tried to save weight as much as possible, plus with the floater nets often stored on the backside of the director platform, rails made more sense for access.
There were some variations in the platforms, particularly during the introduction of the waist twin 40-mm mounts. From photos, at least one East Coast builder tried to just use the aft stack searchlight platform for the 40-mm directors and had to "square-off" the platform by cutting the outer edges back. But, these BIW plans seem to be the most common version.
The General Layout drawing.
Sorry, the original production drawing of the searchlight platform apparently didn't digitize very clearly, making it difficult (or flat-out impossible) to read the dimensions. But, here is the platform shape as best as I could upload it.
Rick E Davis wrote:I got a request for plans of the Stack Platforms.
There were some variations in the platforms, particularly during the introduction of the waist twin 40-mm mounts. From photos, at least one East Coast builder tried to just use the aft stack searchlight platform for the 40-mm directors and had to "square-off" the platform by cutting the outer edges back. But, these BIW plans seem to be the most common version.
The General Layout drawing.
Rick
Below is a 4x6 print made from a slide,then Android to the bucket.
DD 520 .....its 1943 ....could be from the yard availabilty in Oct/43 when she got her forward 40mm and other mods
Last edited by Brad Isherwood on Sun Dec 11, 2011 4:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Is there a accurate profile of Fletcher in her MS 12 mod scheme? The Tamiya artwork looks off in some areas. Going by pictures I have seen I can make out most of the demarcation lines on the hull, just a couple vague areas to me on the port side but a lot of hard to define spots on the port superstructures.
Are you looking for a 'diagram' of the pattern or images of specific areas? If you are looking for images ... which specific areas do you need?
Floating Drydocks FLETCHER Class E-Book has a diagram (they copied it from somewhere, but I can't recall where else I saw this pattern before) that sure looks like FLETCHER's pattern she wore from completion until about the end of August 1942. Also, "Warship Perspectives; Fletcher, Gearing & Sumner class Destroyers in World War Two" book has a diagram of FLETCHER's Ms 12mod scheme. Gator has 1/350 scale and 1/144 scale masks for the Ms 12mod ... https://www.whiteensignmodels.com/c/Gat ... sks/581/3/ ...
Rick E Davis wrote:CWatson,
Are you looking for a 'diagram' of the pattern or images of specific areas? If you are looking for images ... which specific areas do you need?
Rick,
Pictures are fine, I am brush painting the pattern.
The area I am have trouble making out the pattern's demarcation lines is mostly on the port side,from the the main deck to the deck the torpedo tubes are mounted, between the second to third turrets. I see parts of a pattern but the area is so busy in the shots I have seen.
Question, I am building a 1/144 Fletcher and am doing the JOHNSTON during her torpedo run. The railings from Eduard are too high, and even the kit stanchions are too high to place the tubes at 90 degrees. When DD's fired torpedos did they drop the rails in order to fire?
I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for. Your wording seems to ask "when" they would lower the stanchions ... that would be whenever they were ordered to do so. Probably a normal procedure prior to going into battle. The stanchions were hinged and could be lowered to the deck, but I have seen the stanchions also just removed altogether, at least in yard photos. Finding a "close-up" photo of a destroyer firing torpedoes and showing the stanchions, is not easy. But here are a couple of yard photos.
This image shows stanchions both lowered and removed on USS O'BANNON (DD-450) during her fitting out.
This image shows torpedoes being loaded on USS SIGSBEE (DD-502) after completing her overhaul.
This image shows the stanchions "neatly" lowered on the brand-new USS SHIELDS (DD-596).
Thanks Rick, your photos are always invaluable. I meant the locations of the removed railings, I'll have to figure out where to cut the PE rails. Thanks again.
Thanks to the great input I received from this site, (in fact this thread!) I just finished the second of my 5 Fletchers! This is the Spence DD-512, just the hull numbers and flags to go on.
Build thread is HERE (offsite) for top tips on converting the stock Tamiya 1/350 kit into a late-war round-bridge Fletcher.
Photos taken with mobile phone, hence the washed out appearance:
Just looking at it again, it appears I'm missing a second, lowered torpedo crane aft, and the stbd torpedo director on the bridge. Some, perhaps even all of the scratchbuilt conversion items are approximations and may not look exactly or even approximately right. As for any others - shout em out if you see em!
Just opened the box of Fletcher #3 this morning - the Revell 1/144 version, which I'm building as the 1942 Fletcher DD-445, as commissioned. It should keep me busy for a while....!
Al
Last edited by Landlocked on Mon Jan 30, 2012 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
KevinH wrote:Al, I'm currently building the 1/144 as the JOHNSTON (maybe 50% complete). Are you getting PE sets for it? If I can be any help just let me know.
That would be very helpful to see as I have another one to do as the Van Valkenburgh. I've got the Eduard sets for this one, and the Nautilus one for the Van. I like the Eduard railings, but I probably won't use the main deck ones as the do-it-yourself ones look better in this scale.
For the Van, I also have two of WEM's 40mm twins, with three more to come - they are very well produced if a little expensive. I also got the Nautilus square-bridge conversion, which is nice with a few rough edges in the casting. If you know of any other products that could help with the conversion if you are using any, please let us know!
I got the Tom's 1/144 depth charge racking. Might be something to look into. The set has early and late racks, storage racks, and K-gun racks. I also got the square bridge conversion and the Eduard PE set.
Still on my list to obtain: Nautilus 5" turrets and whale boats, BKM brass 5" barrels, and the G-Factor 40mm guns (5).
I decided to go with the G-Factor guns instead of WEM because the Mk51 directors are not included with the WEM guns.
I also got 1000 1:150 figures from evilbay, I figure I will be able to use 100 of them for the crew.
Well I just received the G-Force 1/144 40mm twin Borfors from Sprue Brothers (sorry all had to get the last 5)
I am very impressed. The quality of the guns and mount are amazing. The Mk51 directors look much better than the kit parts as well. One question, what is the best way to attach white metal parts together?
If anyone needs, I have 4 of the 20mm guns and mounts that I am not using.
I just started Tamiya's 1/350 Fletcher, and have a build thread started. This is my FIRST ship model, after returning to modeling via an armor side trip.
I want to paint it the mottled camo depicted on the box top, but Tamiya's painting instructions appear to be designed to conceal rather than reveal what colors go where. Can anyone point me to a decent plan view of this scheme so I can tell what color goes where, deck color, etc? Tamiya's mess is just a rainbow of slightly different grays that for whatever reason I cannot decipher. I have looked at the archived build here to try to resolve this, but am still confused as to horizonatal versus vertical and whether the two tone camo is the same 2 colors on the superstructure and turrets as it is on the hull, the Tamiya instructions are driving me crazy.
Thanks.
Bill
On the Bench-
FIRST Ship Model, 1/350 Tamiya Fletcher, GMM PE, Alliance Resin Turrets. Keel scheduled to go down 2/2012
Some FLETCHERS did have solid bulwarks installed around the Mk 51/49 directors, but it doesn't appear to be the case on SeaTac built units. They tried to save weight as much as possible, plus with the floater nets often stored on the backside of the director platform, rails made more sense for access.
