Future reverse engineering project

C

cmdrted

Active Member
Jul 8, 2004
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Avondale,Pa. USA
Hi Guys, I'm testing a few things out and sorry but this site seems the best forum. Quite a few years back when building ships in 1/400 scale, JSC filled my to do pile , I had a bug to try and design my own. Well I picked a pretty easy US destroyer Escort, as the only reference I had was Destroyer Escorts in action and it had a decent line drawing. The USS Crowley an Evarts class DE was born, scratch built from the waterline up, (Sorry Rob :wink: I cut my teeth on waterline kits and I like placeing them in acrylic water) . CAD designing did not exist for me and after playing with a few programs, I don't think a total design using CAD is in the cards either! The Crowley was a cut and paste using old IBM data card, some typewriter paper, some 1/400 photoetched bits and acrylic artists media for water. The parts were layed out with a ruler, pencil and some 3D imagination. The framework was approximated, and the hull skins were a little trial and lots of error but they sorta fell into place. The paint job is testors and PollyS acrylics, and one of the neatest at the time things was the base. It is card board covered with watercolor paper and painted brown. Anyways the time is right to update this little gem in 1/250 scale using the stuff I learned from all of you guys here. More later.....
 
The reason I call this thread Future reverse engineering, is I have to go back and recall the steps I took to build this ship, and enlarge it to 1/250 and now that I'm much older and somewhat wiser, I want to try to do this on computer so that it can be shared (read foisted) on you guys. Anyways, my project list is starting to gel and this one has been causing an unscatchable itch, along with an aircraft and finishing an almost complete project. (sort of sounds schizophrenic to me but who here doesn't have many irons in the fire!). Here are a few more pics, I'll try to keep the camo pattern, and add the appropriate 1/250 scale details, more latter.....
 
Last of the "before" pics, all topside views. The Destroyer escorts had more depth charge throwers than thier contemporary sister destroyers. I guess thier slower speeds let them loiter in a suspected area and drop more effective depth charge patterns. The early US fleet had a woefully accident prone antiaircraft gun, the 1.1"/28mm chicago piano. I really don't know what the real name of this gun was, it jammed alot, was prone to failures, and needed alot of maintainence to keep it going, what every shipboard sailor wants to do off watch. But for modeling purposes this is a cool looking piece. This gun was later replaced by 40mm bofors guns, and on the Crowley I believe she shipped a twin 40mm, I just don't remember the year.
 
Hi Ted

Maurice is spot on neat build that 8)

Can't wait to see the results of this, even though it does not have a big red bit :lol: :lol:

Go for it mate and have fun.

Rob
 
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