I have a potential commission build for a client who wants an AB Class ship but close to 24-26" which sounds like 1/250 scale. Does anyone manufacture (or used to) those? I dont want to build another tiny 1/350 15" ship, nor do I want to fool around with wood, resin, or some Frankenship creation. If there isnt one in plastic, I’ll have to suggest something else.
You might think about the 1/192 model from Bluejacket. It’s got a solid wood hull, which greatly simplifies life, and a lot of multi-media parts. I’ve never built it but I’m willing to bet it is a great model.
Reasonable too at $ 670.00.
The Burkes are eltaively new, at the glacial pace plastic kit makers produce kits.
Larger than 1/350, really the only choice id the Bluejacket kit. (There might be a fiberglass hull for the RC set, which will likely be 1/96 scale).
In 1/350 there are a couple of Burkes available (probably Trumpeter and Academy). There’s also the Iron Shipwright’s kit, but that’s resin multi-media.
And, that’s the list.
Oh, and I’m presuming you mean a generic AB.
If memory serves, there are two “flights” of AB, one lonfger than the other, and, seems like, three Blocks in one and two in the other (but that could be backwards). Specific ships want rather a lot of research to know what is needed.
I believe Dragon has a 1/350.
I’m in the apparent minority that thinks they are pretty ships.
Actuallly it is 3 flights, but only 2 are of interest to a modeler
Flight 1 and Flight 2 are externally similar. The difference is in their electronics, and few if any modelers do that. These Burkes are helo capable but do not have hangar facilities.
Flight 2A Burkes have the same electronic suite as the Flight 2 but have a hangar. This raises the deck aft of the aft stack, but doing so impacts the radar coverage. To fix that the house height was raised by a half a level, raising the SPY-1 antennas. There are also changes to the shrouding on the exhaust stacks
Defensive armament suite has evolved over the service life of these ships. Confirm with references for specific ship and dates
The main gun also changed in later members of the class
A note about Blue Jacket kits; BobSteinbrunn wrote about his award winning Fletcher kit build as the Kidd. The precarved wood hull was oversized by a half inch in all dimensions. He had to correct the hull according to references before beginning the build up. If you go the Blue Jacket route be aware of a possible concern
I’m with you GM, I think they’re handsome ships.
BTW, I don’t consider the 1/350 at 17 inches exactly tiny, not huge to be sure but… My 1/700 JDS Kirishima, which is based on the AB, is tiny.
That’s actually common in carved solid hull kits. That’s to allow you to sand out any tool marks on the hull blank. It also lets the kit makers change the tooling fewer times, too.
There’s also a long-standing debate on hull forms and body diagrams. By long-standing tradition, body plans are to outside of frme, not outside of skin. No one is going to win that debate anytime soon.
The older Model Shipways solid hull kits presumed you would sand the hull down to the body plans provided (so that you could make templates). That presumption also allowed modeler to plank the solid hull. Less needed on a metal hulled kit.
I like them too. I love the raked back lines of the main mast. It sort of reminds me of IJN WWII designs.
I see them fairly regularly when they put into Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station.
But, and Cap’n I’ll trade my Topsiders for your Dixie Cup anytime,
I have found that the body lines in a Model Shipways, Floating Drydock or any other set of drawings do not help me remove wood unless I go through the process of creating section templates.
1/2" inch each way seems like a lot, as was mentioned for the Kidd.
I would make a copy of the deck, put it down over the hull “Buck” or whatever you want to call it, and then shape down and in from that line as one sees fit.
Still a nice way to get a big old Arleigh Burke. The Bluejacket one looks like an early one with the two stack housings and exposed pipes up top.
And the “clipper” bow.
I like the Burkes as well! But, I also liked the Spruance class.
Bill
How about the Ticonderoga class?
Those are pirty.
LoL
Tico is just a SpruCan with more bridge windows and an additional hull section.
Quite nice ships, per my classmates. Not as racy as a Burke, but plenty of ability and room.