USS Hull, DD-945 
by John MacKay 
DD945-001

1/320 USS Hull, DD-945 (Atlantis Toy and Hobby)

I built this model of the USS Hull DD-945 as a Christmas gift for a friend who served aboard Hull in the late 70’s and early 80s.  Once I began work on the kit, I found that many updates were needed to represent the Hull in the selected time frame.  I posted a thread in the Forum showing the construction of the model.

This model is the Atlantis 1/320th reissue of the old Revell Forrest Sherman kit. The kit isn't that bad, considering its age, and I especially like the detailing on the superstructure bulkheads. In my opinion, some parts of the kit require significant changes no matter which ship is represented, though: I cut off the molded railings and replaced them with 1/350th PE from Tom's Modelworks; and the masts were terrible and required significant scatchbuilding. To represent the Hull of the late 70s, I had to modify and add to the superstructure, including rework of the bridge. I chose to replace the bow 5-inch with the 8-inch gun that was tested on the ship during the late 70s. The 8-inch gun is a 3D printed item from Shapeways, installed on a scratchbuilt mount. I used the kit's decals and signal flags for the most part, with the exception of the fantail name, which is a homemade decal, and the flag, which came from Free Time Hobbies because the kit's flag is a 48-star flag.

John MacKay


Gallery updated 3/31/2022

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