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by Richard Sliwka |
1/350 USS Sampson DD-394 1943 (Yankee Modelworks)
This is the 1/350 scale Yankee Modelworks' (YMW) kit. Other than adding details-searchlights, signal lamps, target designators, etc., the model was basically built out-of-the-box. I used drawings/photos in Friedman's US Destroyers, Warship Special 2 Super Destroyers, and Floating Drydocks's USN Camouflage as well as the kit's instructions/drawing as my references.
The "build" was straight-forward although, as with YMW's Somers destroyer kit, the molded forward torpedo tube mounting column should be cut-off and moved aft by about 1/8" (if not the tubes will impact the bridge superstructure). L'Arsenal's 5" brass barrels, 40mm twin mounts, 20mm guns, Mk 51 directors, square life rafts, and whaleboat were used. The mast/mast details were scratch-built using brass tubing rods with nylon fishing line (Tippet) used for halyards, radio wires, and support lines. The model was painted in the Measure 16 camouflage scheme using Model Master's acrylic Thayer Blue and White for the vertical surfaces and Poly Scale 20B for the decks. The "build" took about 125 hours.
