By Richard Sliwka
1/350 USS Heermann DD532 (Yankee Model Works)
This the Yankee Modelworks U.S.S. Johnston Fletcher Class destroyer kit built as the Heermann for my wife's brother-in-law, a WWII veteran. He didn't serve on a ship (served on Guam as a torpedo maintenance man). He saw a picture of one of my models and asked if I would build him one. When I asked what type/ship, he said a destroyer as he had tried to get a transfer to one but the navy had other plans. I chose the Heermann.
This is a good kit and relatively easy to built. To make the model more accurate, I relocated the bridge superstructure and the forward 5" gun mount about 3/16" forward and the hawse-hole about 1/4" aft. The lower hull was about 1/4" shorter than the upper so I cut the lower hull into two pieces, matched the bow and stern, and filled the gap with a piece or scrap resin and super glue--worked fine. I added a number of scratch-built details--antennae, brass mast/attachments, 24" search lights. signal lamps, running lights, depth charge davits, etc.
I used L'Arsenal's 20mm guns. 40mm mounts, MK 51 & Mk37 directors/radar, and whaleboats. Tom's Modelworks' SC-2 radar was also used. The model was painted in the Measure 32/24D scheme as worn in the defense of the "Taffy" escort carrier group in October 1944. I used the design sheet for the pattern; but, later looking at a photograph, I discovered the Heermann's pattern was slightly different. That required additional masking and painting. Model Master Marine acrylic light gray (5-L) and Dull Black were used for the hull and Ocean Gray (5-O) and Deck Blue (20B) for the deck. I spent about 125 hours on this build.
In October 2007, I gave the model to my wife's brother-in-law. He was very happy with this gift. That made this "build" very special. As a side note, during the delivery trip from Missouri to the East Coast, I entered the model in the Dayton (OH) Area IPMS contest where it received the "Best of Show'" award.
