by Don RC
1/125 USS Laffey DD-724 (Lindberg Conversion)
Well I got a little bored a few months back and decided to do another conversion.
I took a Fletcher class destroyer and changed it to a Summer class, USS Laffey DD-724. Laffey is now a floating museum at Patriots point in Mount Pleasant, SC.
My ship is done the way she looked when she was first built back in 1943, before any of the updates.
I took the Lindberg Blue Devil hull and started from the deck up. The Blue Devil kit was in bad shape, but I was able to use a lot of the parts from the kit. Some of her is scratch built, including the main 5 inch guns and superstructure as well as the decks.
I plan on setting her up as a working RC ship model as time goes on. Right now she has a pair of small 6V motors that comes with the larger 1/32 Lindberg kit PT 109. I will add a small 6V Gel battery and a Futaba 2 channel radio.
The rails are Plastruct HO rails, #90681 and ladders #90671. I used Model Master paints, and Testers plastic Tube Glue.
The props are stock from the kit. For the most part the running gear is stock, except for some brass parts.
I got the plans from Windjammer Arts up in Bremerton, Washingtion. George is great to deal with, I have been dealing with him for many years and have always been treated well.
I have plans of putting it in the pond come this spring. Still working on some of the RC setup.
The ship took about 3 months to build, working on and off when I had the time.
I had fun doing all of the changes needed. It was different to work in the smaller scale like this one .
If any one has any questions about this model or any others I have done get back in touch. Always willing to answer questions,
