SPA Modeler

Yes Revell also did a few 1/720 ship kits, aside from all of their more numerous box scale types. I remember a straight deck Essex class carrier that was released as several ships of the class:Essex, Franklin, Intrepid… USS Alabama/USS Massachusetts, USS Arizona/USS Pennsylvania, Prinz Eugen/Hipper/Blucher, and HMS Ark Royal with a Tribal Class destroyer. They also did the pre- SLEP “beehive” island version of the CVN-65 USS Enterprise and a few different named releases of the Tarawa class LHAs. There may have been a few others, but I remember building all of those.

Then you know exactly what I’m talking about. I did the Intrepid carrier and vaguely the Ark Royal. I think my sis did the Ark Royal when we were kids. Although she mostly built car kits, an occasional aircraft, rarely armor and ships.

Yeah, I think I built all the Revell box scale ships, all the Prinz Eugen class cruisers, the Ark Royal and the Tribal-class, a couple Tarawa class ships and at least one Franklin-class carriers, if not two.

Last night, I started working on the Tamiya 1/350 scale USS Fletcher. I’m only going to go so far because this ship is a WW2 destroyer. My plan is to convert this to USS Wadleigh - a ship my dad served on when he joined the Navy in 1957. The Wadleigh is a Fletcher class destroyer so this is a good base start for me.

However... there have been modifications done to her by the time my dad served on her that I’m aware of - she is a 4 gun destroyer from the original 5 gun armament and has a square bridge.

I have posted inquiries over at modelwarship forums and they were helpful. I’ve looked in Nav source website and could not find a good profile images (side, front, rear, and top). I even tried finding sort of USS Wadleigh club site but came up with none. Other sites pertaining to the Wadleigh basically had past shipmates listings or reunion links. None of them seem promising to what I’m looking for.

I did send an inquiry email on reference pictures and updated modifications made to her around the time dad served on her in 1957. Hopefully it will yield a response of sort.

I had folks direct me to a couple aftermarket sites - Model Monkey and Shapeways for square bridge products.

Another possible way for me to achieve this is get the Trumpeter 1/350 USS The Sullivans destroyer kit. This kit has the square bridge I need and swap it to the Tamiya Fletcher kit.

Well it looks like you've been getting SOME mojo back!

Mine's completely gone at the moment. For whatever reason, I just don't have that DESIRE to sit down and work on a model. I've put in a order for ANOTHER mojo builder that's winging it's way from Poland...



It's completely the WRONG scale for me but it's a DORA!

WOW! Never thought I'd see you build a 1/72 kit John.

I know! It's' a desperate attempt at getting myself back on the modeling bench. I really want to. I think I NEED to since my time is otherwise spent on the couch scrolling through useless Youtube videos or playing Toon Blast on phone. Yes, Toon Blast. We'll just have to see...

Ah Yeah - that's not good!

Build something different and fun. I lost my Mojo last year and then got the Gundam out and I've gotten it back.