In the November 2011 issue, FSM included "a to-do list for scale modelers". This inspired me to build a Christmas gift for my father-in-law. In the 1950s, he served on the USS Marsh, a Buckley-class destroyer which was converted after World War II to a power supply ship.
I build this 1/350 USS Marsh from the Trumpeter USS England DE-635 kit. The kit is very good, but just like the real thing, I had a lot of work to convert it from an World War II-era escort ship to a Cold War-era power supply ship. Major modifications included extending the sound room, removing all 20mm guns, reconfiguring many of the superstructure's decks, replacing the 1.1" guns with quad 40mm Bofors, and of course, replacing the torpedo launcher with the two power reels and transformers that give the Marsh and her three sister ships their unusual appearance. I scratch-built all the modifications with styrene sheet, strip and rod except for the Bofors, which were from Alliance ModelWorks. The railings were scratch-built with .020" styrene rod and 26 gauge brass wire and the rigging was made with smoke-colored invisible thread. The ship was finished using Model Masters enamel. The Neutral Gray, Gunship Gray and Black were all scaled with a little flat white. The post-war USN Decals were from Alliance ModelWorks.
Overall, this was a great experience. It was also the first kit I completed since returning to the hobby this fall. I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Bob