DE KITS

Garth,

Depending on how much you want to trick your model out, personally, I prefer the Trumpeter 1/350 USS England.  The molding is nicely crisp and very little flash.  Gold Medal makes a PE set for her and Master Model makes barrels for the 3/50 in, the 1.1 and makes a complete set of 20mm guns that are tricky at first to build but make into an amazing representation with round barrels.

At this scale the length is 10.5 inches long and 1.25 inches tall.

You can get all these on evilBay.

Steve

Thank you, Steve.

Yeup, I know that Trumpeter kit is da bomb.  

However, in addition to a space wise consideration - I also have a cost one too.  So, Trumpeter is not in the camera shot I'm afraid ....

'Yall know what I mean, Vern?" Ha Ha.

Garth, which de as lindberg makes at least 2 of them at 2 different scales?

Gee, I dunno.................. Whatever one's the wartime DE.

uss delong of the rudderow class is 1/300 scale. uss riley of the rudderow class is 1/535 scale.

I picked up the Delong at a show for $5.

Which one would you suggest?

docidle

Garth,

Depending on how much you want to trick your model out, personally, I prefer the Trumpeter 1/350 USS England.  The molding is nicely crisp and very little flash.  Gold Medal makes a PE set for her and Master Model makes barrels for the 3/50 in, the 1.1 and makes a complete set of 20mm guns that are tricky at first to build but make into an amazing representation with round barrels.

At this scale the length is 10.5 inches long and 1.25 inches tall.

You can get all these on evilBay.

Steve

The Trumpeter kit is outstanding! Coupled with the already mentioned after-market products, you can build an extremely impressive model.  The Lindbergh kit is a fair (at best) rendition of the Rudderow class. That said, I have seen some very impressive models built using that kit as a basis. It just takes a lot of work.

For example, remember the time in which the kit was first manufactured. Radar screens were solid pieces of plastic; in the case of this kit it is like a rectangular blob.  the 5" guns are molded in the gun houses as one piece.  20mm and 40 mm AA guns are quite basic.  Molded-on details can be quite heavy.  This kit was molded as a childrens' toy, but it does have many of the details and has many correct shapes and the profile is accurate.

I have this kit and am planning to do a lot of surgery to improve it.  The Trumpeter USS England is clearly the superior kit and is well worth the money.

Bill Morrison

Garth,

I know exactly what you're talking about in regards to cost!  It has gotten to the point that if you want to do the PE and barrels , etc... that you end up spending more on the aftermarket than on the kit itself.  

The Trumpeter kit makes into a nice model out of the box and I picked up mine for $20 with free shipping on evilBay about five months back.  Otherwise, I would go with the 1/240 scale Revell USS Buckley kit.  It might be old but Mike Ashey did a nice job on her in his book, Building and Detailing Scale Model Ships.  If my memory serves me right, I think he does not use any PE on her at all.  Again, evilBay would be your best bet on acquiring one.

In regards to the Linberg ship, I have never built one or seen one for that matter!

Hope this helps a bit,

Steve

That old Revell kit was a beauty for its day. It was one of the first plastic kits to provide individual guardrail stanchions (and, originally, thread to rig them), and the details extended to the helmets for the guncrews in the gun tubs and a rack of brooms on a bulkhead. I remember it with great pleasure.

Gold Medal Models sells a set of photo-etched parts specifically designed for that kit.

My only issue with the old Revell Buckley and Forrest Sherman class ships was that, if I remember correctly, they have a sailing ship style keel that would be extremely difficult to remove because of the way that it was faired into the bow. That said, I loved these kits.  Granted, they did have detail issues, particularly with the weaponry, but these issues are more easily dealt with than the keel. I have seen many outstanding models made from them.

The December, 1999 issue of Fine Scale Modeler contains a nice article on building and updating a Revell Buckley kit into USS Thomas. In fact, it is the cover story.  This kit might make the best compromise between the three.

Bill Morrison

Belay my last!  I just found photos online of the Revell Buckley kit that clearly shows that the kit does NOT include that sailing ship style keel.  Also, the FSM article that I mentioned is of a conversion of the Revell Buckley into USS Thomas, a Canon class DE.

I am also looking at  an excellent 1/700 USS Buckley by an obscure company called Mars out of China. The parts look remarkably like those found in Skywave kits, so this might be a copy. 1/700 is not my scale, but this kit looks to be quite good.  It has full-hull/waterline option, separate shields for the 20mm guns, and it is finely detailed. Even the cleats are separately molded.

Bill Morrison

Pt,

Have you decided which kit to build?

Bill Morrison

No, not yet Bill.  I'm still out-of-state dealing with my mother's health issues.

I'm sorry to hear about your mother's health issues. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Bill

Thank you, Bill.

I empathize.  I lost my mom on Christmas Day, 2006. I just lost my dad August 20, my first day of school.

Bill

I just received the Revell 1/319 USS Forrest Sherman from eBay, which unfortunately does have that sailing-ship-style keel. It looks like major surgery is in order. Rats!

Bill

Someone explain "sailing-ship-style keel.  I have one I built back in the 70s that I intend to rebuild someday. Is it the bar looking piece running almost the lenth of the bottom? Looks like a little grinding and putty work would fix it. Maybe.  Any ideas on PE like rails, radar etc

Chris,

You just described it.  You are correct by saying that grinding and putty work should correct it, depending on how bad it is. On the earlier releases, it was a thick piece that formed directly off of the cut-water extending to the "stern post".  It would be more difficult to remove given that it formed an integral part of the bow.  The later releases reduced this to a more manageable deformity.

I intend on using 1/350 scale photo-etch railings, radars, etc.  It won't be an exact match, but it will be close.

Bill Morrison

Thanks Bill.  My kit was the John Paul Jones and I think I even have the instruction sheet in a file.  Mid-70s vintage complete with metallic red hull paint and 6' scale waterline boot!  

I thought it might be cheaper to use the kit I have and tear it apart or fix it and add some PE.  I agree that 1/350 would work ok. I prefer to err on the small side.

Looking at my model the keel forms nicely in to the bow, it doesn't start to show till a third or so down. Need to see some plans or a drydock pic.  Of course I will actually have to start the project to do all this and that won't be for a while.

Warshipguy, a FYI ... my mother passed on Saturday.

Garth, please accept my sympathy and prayer for the loss of your mom.

It is esp. Hard at the holidays. My mother in law passed away in December some years and we think about her every year at this time.

Look forward and immerse yourself in the things that give you joy.

I hope you have other family to comfort each other.

My sympathies as well, Garth.  You are in my prayers.

Thoughts and prayers as well  Garth.  I know where you are at right now as my wife passed in Sept.  We go day to day and cope.........

Garth,

You and your family have my sincere condolences and heartfelt prayers.  I hope that she passed quietly and peacefully.  My Dad passed this past August 20, the first day of school in my district.  You have my empathy.

Bill

Pleased accept my deepest sympathy and my condolences.  Only one good thing can be said about the experience of losing a parent: you only have to go through it twice.

Thank you all.