The Ship Model Forum

Greetings all,

I thought I'd share with all of you my latest project; USS Walke DD-416 in 1/144 scale. I have always really liked the looks of the Sims Class DD's and finally decided to take the dive; besides, I need a break from Fletcher project....change of view so to speak. Anyway, frame is 3/16"(4.7mm) thick airplane plywood and then covered with 3/32"(2.4mm) spruce strips.

My plan is to present the model as the original appeared on 15 November 1942 at Guadalcanal when she was lost. That means I'm going to attempt a Ms12mod scheme and I'm thinking of attempting a little hull weathering, we'll see when I get to that point.

(sorry for the messy background, my work bench isn't always that messy)

_________________
Bruce
OSC USN-Ret


Currently on the building ways:
1/144 USS Stevens DD-479
1/144 USS Cook Inlet AVP-36
1/144 USS Walke DD-416
1/144 USS Preble DDG-46

Welcome aboard and an interesting project! I am sure you will find an attentive audience and perhaps some useful resources as well!

Cheers: Tom

excellent built so far
looks like you are a destroyer man

Bruce,

Your build is coming along nicely! I'm curious as to what you are using for your props, shafts, and 5" mounts.

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Thank you, gentlemen,

Mike, over the course of my 22years in the canoe club I served primarily on destroyers. Did a couple of stints on other types as well, confirming for me that real fighting sailors serve on cans! (that's guaranteed to start a fight!! )

Hank, the shafts are brass tubing that I cut and formed into shape. I've learned over the years to make these items fairly stout, so they don't "accidently" get damaged. The screws are some products of G-Force I picked up off of Ebay that are actually for the Revell 1/144 Fletcher. I'm guessing that the Sims used very similar screws and so they will suffice for this build. The 5" mounts you see are from our own esteemed Model Monkey. All the other 3d printed items you see in the pictures are of my own development.

The model originally was intended to be a waterline so I could put it in a seascape. But the hull was turning out so nice that I changed my mind and decided to do the entire hull and work up a plan B for the model.

_________________
Bruce
OSC USN-Ret


Currently on the building ways:
1/144 USS Stevens DD-479
1/144 USS Cook Inlet AVP-36
1/144 USS Walke DD-416
1/144 USS Preble DDG-46

Bruce:

Pleased that you have gotten into your own 3D development! We were guessing you were using Fletcher props as those were most easily available. The waterline styrene band, besides for plating, makes sense if you added onto a waterline edition. Hank is plugging away on a 1:144 of the Stoddard he served on during Vietnam and is printing many parts for his conversion of the Revell kit. I am guessing that Walke didn't have Bofors, just Orlikons at the time of her loss?

Cheers: Tom

Hey Tom,

The Fletcher screws made sense, as far as I could tell the measurements between the Fletcher screws and the Sims screws were fairly close. I think the there was some variance in the dunce cap, but the blades were almost the same.

The strips represent the hull planking. I picked up a plan book on the Sims class a number of years ago from the Maryland Silver Company when they were still in business. Studying the hull plating drawings, I noticed that the is a very distinct overlap plating that is quite apparent in pictures. So, I tried to reproduce the effect. I think when the hull is painted, and some weathering applied that it'll all work out.

USS Walke, as fair as I can discover, at the time of her loss had six of the 20mm Oerlikons aboard; two in the tubs forward of the bridge structure and then four in the interesting clover leaf cluster atop the aft deck structure. I picked up some of Black Cats offerings when they first were released, and I hadn't gotten a 3d printer. Here's what they look like sitting in the aft tubs.

_________________
Bruce
OSC USN-Ret


Currently on the building ways:
1/144 USS Stevens DD-479
1/144 USS Cook Inlet AVP-36
1/144 USS Walke DD-416
1/144 USS Preble DDG-46

Bruce:

Those look good, I've variously printed the Orlikons in 1:192; 1:133 and 1:120. Paint always makes everything look better! At least you don't have to come up with any 1.1's. You ability to print the plethora of small items, unique to these ships will be a great aid!

Regards: Tom

Wow. That is some beautiful build.

Really fine work. Look forward to more.

_________________
Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Where did you get the white hat?

Tom

Sorry for the late reply; had a little computer problem.

Tom I picked that white hat up a few decades ago in a railroad shop. I think he's HO scale as he measures out on this model at roughly 6'-3"(1.9m). I have found a dealer on Shapeways that sells crewmembers in 1/144. Here's a trio skylarking on the torpedo deck of my Fletcher project.



I have started adding a few figures to each model, primarily because there's a good number of people that have never ever seen a sea-going vessel, let alone in this case a Fletcher or Sims class destroyer. They have no point of reference as to the size. So, I will add crewmen randomly just to give a visual reference. My USS San Franciso in the modeler's gallery had 18 figures aboard.

_________________
Bruce
OSC USN-Ret


Currently on the building ways:
1/144 USS Stevens DD-479
1/144 USS Cook Inlet AVP-36
1/144 USS Walke DD-416
1/144 USS Preble DDG-46

Bruce:

Figures look good, faded dungarees and all. I saw on the net somewhere (file sharing site) that a guy had .OBS files for sale of a PT boat crew in something like 1:45. The could be resized and are wearing battle gear, Kapok's, helmets etc. Some could be used to man the 40's and 20's with the officers on the bridge. A little pricy at $45 and not sure how well they will print at 1:120.

Is the Fletcher from the kit or are you scratching it as well?

Cheers: Tom

I wish I knew a program that I could design my own figures. I have ideas of different poses that would be nice. One of these days.

The Fletcher project was actually started about a year before Revell released their 1/144 Flecther kit. It's the USS Stevens DD-479 as she appeared in May 1943 just prior to deploying to the Pacific. The project has taken so long due to research of the catapult crane and the catapult. The model is a scratch build; I did get my 3d printer in time to allow me to print the crane, which quite frankly would have been a bear to build up.





3d crane


cheers,

_________________
Bruce
OSC USN-Ret


Currently on the building ways:
1/144 USS Stevens DD-479
1/144 USS Cook Inlet AVP-36
1/144 USS Walke DD-416
1/144 USS Preble DDG-46

Bruce:

Very nice! I hand built the cranes for Alaska (2) in 1:192. Styrene strip and sprue. In the past I hav built such items from paper formed into angle irons. The 3D version is quite nice and much better! As the catapult Fletchers were just a couple of units I can see where the crane might have needed some serious research. Unfortunately for the pilot, a Destroyer isn't big enough to lay down much of a slick for recovery.

For the padeyes on the bow for hanging painting stages etc. I have used on my APA (1:120) fine brass wire, bent into a tight radius curve with one long and short leg. This necessitated drilling only one hole. I do like the way wooden hulls drill!

The 3D modelers of figurines are impressive!

Cheers: Tom

nice job and the hull is awesome

Bruce:

Is the mast on the Fletcher printed? I had good luck (learned the hard way) by printing the masts hollow and quite thin and reinforcing with piano wire. I printed the arms hollow and separate and in the case of the LSM and ARL ran a piano wire all the way through. This resulted in a thin but pretty solid mast unit.

So far I haven't tackled aircraft or boats to much extent. I did as a tour de force of blind persistence, so a pretty decent run of LCVP's for ARL and APA and also a decent 26' MWB resulted. Unfortunately my design program (free) is very good at many things, but compound curves of boat hulls isn't one of them. For Alaska, Hank Strub donated Missouri Catapults and Aircraft, which are the only remaining commercial parts.

The base, with representations of keel blocks looks very classy.

Best regards: Tom

Tom,

Not printed. It's a wood dowel that has been turned to size. The Fletcher was originally going to be R/C so I wanted everything to be solid, the mast is wood so I can drill into it to anchor things. The SG antenna, yard arm walks, and mast ladder are 3d printed though.

I have two 26'MWB printed up and ready to be shipped. For my AVP project, I have a 32' aircraft fueling boat, and a 40' personnel launch already modeled that will be printed in addition to another pair of 26' MWB.

Thanks, on the base, there's a clear case cover that goes over the base to try and cut down on some of the dust.

_________________
Bruce
OSC USN-Ret


Currently on the building ways:
1/144 USS Stevens DD-479
1/144 USS Cook Inlet AVP-36
1/144 USS Walke DD-416
1/144 USS Preble DDG-46

Bruce:

I undestand about RC solidity. I at one time I was going to RC my Missouri (1:192) but my soon to be EX tossed out the RC gear when I was away. I ended up building a far more detailed static model out of it which wouldn't survive RC handling. I have turned wooden masts and yards and have always like the ease of drilling them for attachments.

Your Fletcher is a very convincing representation of an unusual variant. I am sure the followup will be equally impressive!

Cheers: Tom

Bruce:

I admired your painted swabbies and they add a lot of interest. I found a set of downloadable .stl files of a 10 man PT crew that can be scaled to whatever you want, size wise (Aretjaol) and I trial printed some of these in 1:120 and am looking for suggestions on painting these tiny figures as to paint colors etc.

Cheers: Tom