1:350 USS THE SULLIVANS DD-537

The destroyer The Sullivans in 1:350 scale

An injection-molded plastic kit of the American destroyer with hull number DD-537 in 1:350 scale from Trumpeter. The subject is a unit of the Fletcher class, the most numerous and most widespread American destroyer class of the Second World War.

The real subject

The name of the ship recalls the five Sullivan brothers, who died together in the sinking of the cruiser USS Juneau in the autumn of 1942. Their fate led the US Navy to reconsider the practice of brothers serving on one ship. The ship entered service in 1943 and in the Pacific she carried out the typical duties of a destroyer: escorting fast strike groups, providing an anti-aircraft screen, patrol work and the rescue of downed airmen. After the war she served in the Korean War and in the years that followed. Today she is preserved as a museum ship in New York State. The Fletcher class can be told by its smooth flush deck without a raised forecastle and by the single-gun mounts forward and aft.

Building and painting tips

Destroyers are slender, so it pays to give attention to the straightness of the hull: after gluing the halves together, sand the hull and straighten out any bow. American camouflage finishes of the war years were complex and differed markedly from one year to the next, so pick a particular period and stay with one scheme. Spray the transitions between the camouflage fields with an airbrush at low pressure or over a raised mask.

Who the model is for

• For collectors of American destroyers of the Second World War
• For anyone interested in the Pacific campaign and escort vessels
• For modelers who want to try a more complex camouflage scheme
• For builders with basic experience of ship models

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.