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General Ship Modeling
Discuss modeling techniques, experiences, and ship modeling in general.
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Building the Dragon 1/350 USS Gearing (1945)
warreni
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Posted: Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - 07:25 PM UTC
'ere we go 'ere we go 'ere we go..

Roll up roll up to see a build of a subject you don't see built too often, Dragon's 1/350 USS Gearing (1945) using a Big Ed detail set just for fun!

Here are some piccies!





And now the contents of the Big Ed set..













And the contents of the kit box



Aaaand that's it for now...

Might even get to start tomorrow..

Cheers
Warren




TimReynaga
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Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 12:44 AM UTC
You are right, Warren, for some reason we don't see these beautiful Dragon Gearing kits built very often. I'll be following this one for sure!
rolltide31
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Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 12:48 AM UTC
Warren,

Nice choice. I think I have this in my stash, will be following with interest!!

Dave
Quincannon
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Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 03:50 AM UTC
Warren: In building the Dragon Gearing, fun is not the word that immediately comes to mind. It can be a real chore, but the finished product is also inspiring.

A question then a recommendation.

Are you building it as Gearing, or one of her many sisters? I mention this because for the early Gearings there were a lot of small differences that need to be thoroughly researched, Issues like, for instance, did the ship in question have single or twin 20mm's mounted

Any Gearing Class build should in my opinion begin with a thorough review of the late Robert Sumerall's "Sumner-Gearing Class Destroyers". The book is still available from the Naval Institute, in Annapolis, Maryland, but you should also be able to find it at your library or through inter-library loan. The effort in obtaining this book will be well worth your while.

My reference library is extensive on USN ships, especially of this era. Should any question arise, where I may be of assistance, feel quite free to ask.

Like the others I will be watching this one grow in your capable hands.
matt
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Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 04:04 AM UTC
My Dad served on the USS Myles C. Fox, a gearing class Destroyer... Bought this kit for me to build. Problem is he served on her in the 1960's.... the only accurate kit is the 1/700 scale from The JAG Collective that happens to be in the FRAM II trim that matches when he served. Ironically I'd bought one, but haven't gotten around to building it yet.
Removed by original poster on 10/31/18 - 17:45:27 (GMT).
Quincannon
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Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 05:47 AM UTC
Matt: Fox was a Gearing DDR, and both the Dragon Knox and Chevalier would be a good place to start for a Fox as commissioned.

Iron Shipwrights makes a 1/350 Johnston. If you check out their website and click on Johnston, you will see this kit done up as none other than the Miles C Fox in the FRAM I refit.
RussellE
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Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 08:28 AM UTC
got my ticket!
warreni
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Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 08:56 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Warren: In building the Dragon Gearing, fun is not the word that immediately comes to mind. It can be a real chore, but the finished product is also inspiring.

A question then a recommendation.

Are you building it as Gearing, or one of her many sisters? I mention this because for the early Gearings there were a lot of small differences that need to be thoroughly researched, Issues like, for instance, was the ship in question have single or twin 20mm's mounted

Any Gearing Class build should in my opinion begin with a thorough review of the late Robert Sumerall's "Sumner-Gearing Class Destroyers. The book is still available from the Naval Institute, in Annapolis, Maryland, but you should also be able to find it at your library or through inter-library loan. The effort in obtaining this book will be well worth your while.

My reference library is extensive on USN ships, especially of this era. Should any question arise, where I may be of assistance, feel quite free to ask.

Like the others I will be watching this one grow in your capable hands.


Thanks heaps for that. I am pretty laid back about exact details on ships but will definitely keep you in mind if I have any questions.

Cheers
Warren
warreni
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Posted: Saturday, November 03, 2018 - 09:29 PM UTC
Welcome to the first actual build installment.

Of course with a ship this detailed there is no way you could build it without instructions. Whether or not you choose to follow those instructions is entirely up to you but Dragon would have you build lots of fiddly little assemblies before you start on the hull etc. Seems pretty sensible to me and like all Dragon instructions I have seen they could best be described as 'busy'. This is Step one...



and a closer view..



If you are not paying much attention you can miss out whole assemblies very easily.

For some reason Dragon have decided economise on their instructions and you get a scabby A4 sized sheet as shown on the left.



I go to the Eduard website and download and print the ones there which are nice and colourful and very much easier to read.

Unfortunately there are many tiny plastic parts that are just too small to manipulate even using fine tweezers. An example are the ammo drums on the 20mm cannons. Once you remove them from the sprue they become impossible to clean up properly so I gave up and built the cannons sans magazines.



There are a number of other PE and plastic bits that are just too small so the parts will just have to do without them. Luckily there are only 10 of these, not 57 like the USS North Carolina.

Here are some photos showing the duel 39mm Bofors..







Then it was on to the 5 in turrets which were not too jard..



Then another assembly I have no idea what it is supposed to be..



I got a few other things done but forgot to take photos of them.

That's it for now

Warren
RedDuster
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Posted: Saturday, November 03, 2018 - 10:02 PM UTC
Nice start Warren.

I do like these big destroyers, and I love the dragon kits, but only after I have finished them.



Cheers

Si
TimReynaga
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Posted: Sunday, November 04, 2018 - 03:18 AM UTC

Quoted Text

...Then another assembly I have no idea what it is supposed to be..

Hi Warren, Great work so far! It looks to me that the fitting may be Dragon's take on a Mk. 51 gun director.
JJ1973
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Posted: Sunday, November 04, 2018 - 06:57 AM UTC
Warren,

nice choice, very interesting subject! And a good and Warren-like quick start!

Count me in for that, even though I might not be the busiest commenter these weeks...I still enjoy your work!

Cheers,
Jan
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Posted: Monday, November 05, 2018 - 05:43 AM UTC

Quoted Text

It looks to me that the fitting may be Dragon's take on a Mk. 51 gun director.


It's actually a sky Lookout station. I have a page with some information on early versions here. Later versions also had a dial/wheel build in that would give bearings and the upper arms in the PE I believe are for azimuth.
RussellE
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Posted: Tuesday, November 06, 2018 - 12:22 AM UTC
Nice progress so far Warren!

Yup, Dragon are known for their fiddly bits.

Can you please ask a moderator to get rid of that apostrophe from your title though? It's stopping email notifications going out
warreni
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Posted: Tuesday, November 06, 2018 - 10:06 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Nice progress so far Warren!

Yup, Dragon are known for their fiddly bits.

Can you please ask a moderator to get rid of that apostrophe from your title though? It's stopping email notifications going out


Please do that mate...
d6mst0
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Posted: Tuesday, November 06, 2018 - 11:35 AM UTC
You think there are a lot of assembly in each step wait until you run across the part you can't identify because it is not labeled, the drawing is poor or they are showing you to install it on the part, but on the backside of the part in the drawing. When you look on the backside of the piece there is no indication of where the part may attach to.

Their Scharnhorst kit had a few of those. I lucked out with a good photo and strong magnifying glass.

Mark
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warreni
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Posted: Saturday, November 17, 2018 - 10:13 AM UTC
Hi all,

I finally got a bit of time to do some construction of the Gearing. I am still on Page 1, Step 1 of the admittedly confusing instructions. It is very easy to overlook things but if you mark stuff off as you go you are fine.

First up I decided to exchange the plastic radar aerial for PE from the Eduard kit.



After one or two bends, and the inevitable breaking of the PE part, I used the plastic part as a mould for the PE..





I then used a piece of brass rod behind the screens to glue the two pieces together. Then I added the Dragon PE sides to the aerial and found it was way aver-size to actually fit in the mount. All that fiddling and now it doesn't even fit the mount... I went back and added the sides to the plastic one and continued...

Next I glued the two plastic pieces together to make the radar hut and added the Eduard antenna mount to the roof.



Then I added the antenna and mount..



And finally that was Step 1 all done! Next Step, a lot of stuff for the mail deck and actually glueing the main deck in place. First up the depth charge droppers. Glued the two halves together gazing in awe at the Dragon moulding..



Then I formed up the Eduard PE to put on the mount and thought to myself, wait a sec, this adds no detail at all to the mount. I changed my mind at that point and am going with the plastic part.





Then it was off to the paint booth to spray the Lifecolor 20D deck blue on the decks, surprisingly..



I gave them another coat this morning and that is the state of play at the moment.

Cheers everyone
Warren
RedDuster
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Posted: Saturday, November 17, 2018 - 08:18 PM UTC
Hi Warren,

Nice progress, pity about the etched radar scanner, it does look a bit odd though.

The depth charge rack mouldings look pretty good without any etch.

Cheers

Si
d6mst0
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Posted: Saturday, November 17, 2018 - 11:30 PM UTC
Warren,

I think you are a victim of Murphy's law on how a 'thought to be' simple task refuses to be simple. I can assemble a large radar piece requiring complex folds but couldn't get a 90 degree bend correct on a railing installation to align up correctly, go figure.

I could go either way with the depth charge racks. The kit supplied rack looks fine and I bet will pop with the proper paint and weathering finish.

Mark

StephenLarsen
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Posted: Sunday, November 18, 2018 - 12:37 AM UTC
Nice work!

The Dragon depth charge racks are nicely molded.
RussellE
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Posted: Sunday, November 18, 2018 - 10:26 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Nice progress so far Warren!

Yup, Dragon are known for their fiddly bits.

Can you please ask a moderator to get rid of that apostrophe from your title though? It's stopping email notifications going out


Please do that mate...


have asked

Looking good btw!
warreni
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Posted: Sunday, November 18, 2018 - 08:36 PM UTC
Thanks everyone.

Some more progress. I started on the hull and painted the upper part Haze Grey. Then I attached the prop shafts and rudders.





Next up I went to attach the very fiddly prop guards and discovered there are no plastic alternates to the PE. Luckily they supply moulds for you to bend them around, but as usual the Dragon instructions are wrong..



The instructions guide you to sprue D for the moulds as you can see above, but they are actually on F...





Unfortunately this is pretty common for Dragon. You would think pre-production reviews would pick these things up but unfortunately they don't ever seem to.

Oh well, that's it for the moment

Cheers
Warren

RedDuster
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Posted: Sunday, November 18, 2018 - 09:01 PM UTC
Hi Warren,

The old Dragon instructions up to their tricks again.

Nice progress though.

Be careful about the requested adjustment to the title, or the apostrophe police will be after you!!




Cheers

Si
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