Does anyone may a Gearing-class destroyer in any scale?

Okay, strangely enough, after searching for an hour, I found nothing...then, within 5 minutes after I post this, I find the Blue Water Navy web store!  Low-and-behold they list not one, but two Gearing-class ships.

Problem number one solved.  Now for problem number two: my father's ship went through the FRAM upgrade program.  Not only this, but the Gearing class seems to have two different types of FRAM modifications...  FRAM "A" and FRAM "B"...  Below is an explanation taken from GlobalSecurity.org:

FRAM I "A" Ships: Removal of aft Twin 5 inch/38 calibre Gun mount (Mount 53). GROUP A ships also received two MK10/11 Hedgehogs fitted on each side of the bridge at the O-1 level and had the MK-32 triple torpedo launchers aft of the second stack.

Greetings.  I'm here to muddy the water a bit.

JAG Collective does an exquisite 1:700 scale FRAM I Gearing in resin & brass

http://www.jagcollective.com/GEARING.htm

And just to muddy the water further ...

Iron Shipwright makses a 1:350 scale FRAM Gearing in resin & brass

http://www.commanderseries.com/pages/Johnston.html

FRAMing the YMW Gearing would involve not just building the DASH hangar.   It would also involve the deconstruction and reconstruction of a modern bridge house.   You would have to scrounge or scratchbuild the ASROC box launcher between the stacks.    When I FRAMed an old 1:700 Albatross Gearing 12 years ago, resin kits were not widely available.   I was fortunate to be able to use the Pitroad weapon sets and a lot of sprue to make the masts.  

You also need to get in touch with the folks at Battleship Cove at Fall River, MA.   They have the preserved USS Joseph P. Kennedy (DD-850) there.   They sell a soft cover booklet in the gift shop on  the Joe Kennedy with lots of good detail pictures and drawings of her both before and after she received her FRAM.

 

 

EXCELLENT!  Thanks, EdGrune.  I really appreciate it!

Glad to be of help.  

If you are interested in the JAG kit, it can be purchased from suppliers such as Squadron or Pacific Front Hobbies.   IIRC JAG may also sell directly.   I would like to point out one of the features of JAG kits.  They do not supply all the railing you will need if you choose to go all out on the kit.  Additonal brass drives the cost of the kit and they have decided that if you want stock items such as railings you can purchase them separately from Toms, WEM, GMM, Flagship or elsewhere.  They provide only subject unique PE, such as the lattice mast and the gunwales.   Tom Gardner at JAG is a very good person to deal with.

As far as the Iron Shipwright kit, they can be most easily obtained directly from Ted Paris of ISW.  If you prefer a waterline kit - order from Ted and he will short pour you one at a little savings.  If you have never built an ISW kit, they have the strongest customer satisfaction policy in the business - they want you to be satisfied.  Yes ISW kits have bubbles in the bottoms - from the way they are cast.  Fixing them is nothing which an experienced modeler cannot resolve with some putty or CA.  ISW kits provide all the materials you need - no extra railings to buy.   There may even be an extra 5"/38 to do the 3 gun FRAM.  If there is a problem with an ISW kit as you receive it - contact Ted and tell him about it.  He will make it right.   If, while you are making the kit and something breaks or you foul up, call Ted and he will make it right. (Once I drilled through the bottom of the hull and out the deck - I posted to Ted & his partner Jon Warneke and I got 2 replacement kits).   If after 2 years the cat knocks the finished model off the mantle contact Ted & he'll make it right (Yes, that has happened).   Jon & Ted are good people to deal with

 

If you want to go cheap.  Albatross made a 1/700 injection molded Gearing.  I'm not sure, but Skywave may have released one too.  The Albatross kit is the pre-FRAM version.

Bill

wdolson2 wrote:

If you want to go cheap.  Albatross made a 1/700 injection molded Gearing.  I'm not sure, but Skywave may have released one too.  The Albatross kit is the pre-FRAM version.

I disagree with your going cheap assesment.  I went to the Pacific Front online catalog and totaled what I feel is necessary to kitbash a FRAM Gearing using currently available kits & parts.   This is based on what I did to FRAM a Gearing a dozen years ago. 

Skywave Gearing (W32)                          14.00 USD    (basic donor for hull, superstructure & guns)

Skywave Callaghan (W01)                      10.00 USD    (donor of enclosed bridge & tripod mast)

Skywave USN/NATO weapons (SW32)     6.00 USD    (MK32 torpedo tubes & ASROC box launcher)

Gold Medal Models USN Ship PE          12.00 USD    (Radars - to be equivalent to the JAG kit)

Evergreen rod & sheet stock                     7.50+           (build replacement structures & ECM mast)

Decals                                                    ----            (you will have to scrounge)

Research Material                                     -----      

Total                                                             49.50+  USD

On the otherhand the JAG Collective 1:700 scale FRAM Gearing  is 32.00 USD  - includes everything necessary plus decals.   You supply the glue & paint.

If you want to go cheap - go with the JAG.  Its 17+ USD cheaper (and the quality is miles ahead)

One of the common misperceptions is that resin kits are more expensive than styrene.   Qualtiy resin kits supply all the parts you need to complete the model.  You do not need to go purchase aftermarket details.  And JAG has done the heavy lifting for you as far as research.   

Albatross has been out of business for about 10 years.   They were a one-hit wonder with their Gearing/Sumner kit.  Quality-wise they were behind the Japanese waterline consortium of the day.   The shape of the bow is totally wrong & must be reworked.   The bulkhead details are missing.  Comparing their quality with that of the current styrene kits comong out of China - they are light years behind.

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edited by efg

Oops, forgot about the stack caps.  When I did my FRAM Gearing years ago there were no stack caps available.  I scratchbuilt one and made resin castings so that they were exact duplicates.   Nowadays you can get some stack caps off the DML Adams/Cochrane kit.   Add another 10 bucks for that kit or more if you decide to go with the resin casting route.

It is cheaper to go the Skywave route if you want to build a WW II Gearing and you aren't too picky about the final product.  Not every model builder buys all the resin and photo etch sets available for a model.

I agree about the quality of the Albatross kit.  I've seen it and it's not that great.

Bill

I was a quartermaster on USS Theodore E. Chandler DD 717 back in 1974. We had 50 cals on both bridge wings. I don't know how common this configuration was, but it is worth looking into if accuracy is important in this build.