revell 1/144 fletcher

I enjoy the research part before a build. So much to learn . Thanks  Paul

TRACY :

   Hello there . I wish to concur with you on this one .I have this discussion every time I show a civilian or support ship  , or a FLETCHER and or a GEARING .They changed a lot , depending on the yard and any improvements the powers that be wanted . Even the civilian vessels that were armed had varied weapons suites .

    Now the trick is who did what , when and where ? I find that a very fascinating thing in itself .There is some dry reading , but there's a lot with pictures that makes it fun .       Tankerbuilder

losak123

wow ! I guess when the  started kamakazi attacks, it looks like these guys couldnt get their hands on enough bofors sounds like they were mounting them everywhere. thanks for the info Paul L.

Kamikaze's have almost nothing to do with it before January 1945. The Fletchers were built over a period of five years (first laid down in March of 1941, last one finally commissioned in February of 1945) by eleven different shipyards. Each yard did things a little differently, and as time went on, improvements were designed and ordered. Captains themselves couldn't procure 40mm guns - at best we've seen them mount a couple of 20MM guns, and that was usually temporary, until the next time they made it stateside for an overhaul or repair.

If you just want to have a bit of a fun build you  might not want to read into it much, but if your goal is a technically accurate one, you have a lot more reading and research to do. That, in itself, is fun for some, but not for others.

The problem with going the WWII route as mentioned above is that the Fletchers underwent considerable and numerous weapons outfitting changes throughout the war, even losing the forward set of torpedo tubes in favor of two quadruple 40mm Bofors.  You need to be specific about which ship within the round-bridge Fletchers you want to build, and in which battle you wish to depict her, then look at the photos to correctly match the weapons suite. You may have to invest in after-market products in order to get the exact Fletcher you wish to build.

Bill

wow ! I guess when the nips started kamakazi attacks, it looks like these guys couldnt get their hands on enough bofors sounds like they were mounting them everywhere. thanks for the info Paul L.

thanks for takin a min, to give me some info.Constant battle damage being repaired out in Pacific islands was done to get them back out in the fight I would imagine.So Ill pick one and do it up,most likely in the como sceme. Thanks again Paul L.

good stuff thanks

Im am going with the USN WWII version, its in route.Thanks for the reply ,I can see some aftremarket goodies commin too. Thanks again

losak123

im looking into WWII Fletcher that ill be starting soon.Looking on the web the only thing i no 4sure is it had 5x5in main guns.some sites say 5x40mm in twin mounts and some 4.also 7 to 10 20mm or real early models had 4x1.1 in 75 guns.Ten 21in. torpedos in 2mounts. I just ordered the revell kit and want to build DD not DDE . 1942 thru 45 not later version.Any help with early or mid war set up info would be helpful. Thank You for any input Paul L.

Revell makes two versions of the 1:144 Fletcher.    One is a West German Navy - post war with 4x 5-inch gun houses.

The second is a USN WWII  version with 5x 5-inch guns.    Hope this is the one which you ordered.

Out of the box, this kit makes into just a few of the early-war class, and for just a short time period of time,

See the armament page at destroyer history dot org

http://destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/armament/

It describes the  sequence of changes in the armament during thw war. 

Nautilus Models makes a square-bridge conversion and some gun tub options,  but you will need to be prepared to do some scratchbuilding.  

White Ensign makes replacement secondary armament.    G-Factor also makes some

wrong link,..here is the thread I meant...  shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=8105

Losak head on over to Navsource dot com and look up the Fletch,...Many photo's of her during the war years.   Do remember that NO two Fletchers Class DD's ever looked the same due to weapons fit and drydock times.  Many early fletchers had certain guns and such all thru the war that their sisters didnt and were updated....

You will have to pick an exact time period to have an accurate fitout......unless you just go with a generic Fletcher build.

Ive spent the better part of a year on mine and still have details to workout for the time im representing.

There were just too many changes to the ships to have a hard and fast rule as to what they looked like.....some changes to certain ships happened each time they went into repairs at drydock after an attack...so the ship came back on station with a total different look......anyway.......go on over to Navsource and find the year you are looking for.

Also as 1943Mike said......."www.shipmodels.info/.../viewtopic.php"  excellent info on that lengthy thread that will address most any problem or question you could ever ask for or want.

:) have fun with  her....she's a good kit but a little bit soft on accuracy......good luck bro!

Sorry about my previous post - I had the wrong ship!

Here's a link: http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=40032

And, of course, here's a general info link:

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-f/dd445.htm

Mike

I'm not sure if this link would help with the guns but it might prove interesting for you anyway.

www.shipmodels.info/.../viewtopic.php

Mike