USS Twiggs DD-127 - Revell 1/250

Home	About SMML	Subscribe	Archives	Members models	Links
Model reviews	Aftermarket reviews	Book reviews	Articles	Reference	Update

USS Twiggs DD-127
Revell 1/250

By: Stephen Allen

This is the venerable Revell kit of a four stack destroyer, heavily reworked to represent the USS Twiggs as it appeared in the early 1930s while in use for Naval Reserve training on the US West coast. Twiggs was later one of the 'bases for destroyers' units transferred to the RN, serving as HMS Leamington, was transferred to the Soviet Navy in 1944 and survived on into the 1950s to star in the 'Gift Horse', a movie based on the Campbelltown's role in the St Nazaire Raid.

Appearance details and most photo research were taken from "Flush decks and Four Pipes" by Robert Alden, which is an excellent source of information for the four stack destroyers. Gold Medal Models make a photo-etch set specifically for this kit and this is almost essential if you are going to build a decent flush decker from this kit.

The Revell kit has an inaccurately planked deck (all decks on these destroyers were steel) and a raised hull edge which traps the deck in place. Most details, like guns and boats, are pretty crude as well, the main armament resembling water cannon more than guns! The Revell kit is also based on the original short gundeck Wickes class - it's an oddity but most of the Destroyers Revell has actually packaged the kit as representing (including the USS Ward) are long gun deck units.

To improve the kit I installed a new main deck, removed the raised lip to the hull and cut the anchor 'billboards' into the forward hull. I also added more prominent bilge keels and the reinforcing strip which is a feature peculiar to the flush deck hulls. Deck houses were reworked to accept bridge details from the Gold Medal Models etch sheet designed for this kit, and both armament and boats were replaced with scratchbuilt versions.

The guns are brass and the boats were crash-moulded (using the original kit boats as masters) to be thin enough and deep enough to have some internal detailing including ribs from masking tape. Gold Medal photo-etch provides new boat davits, railing, gun and boat details and depth charge rails. Anchors from the kit were reworked and attached to model railway chain, and propeller guards were detailed as well. I replaced the funnels with lengths of plastic tubing as the kit versions have a very heavy lip that is only typical of mothballed units with protective covers. Lots of structural supports under the boats and deck houses were drilled out, to impart the 'swiss cheese' appearance of these destroyers. Masts are brass tubing and rod, with GMM yards. Rigging is monofilament thread.

Twiggs is painted with Humbrol enamels mixed to match the pre-war deck gray and standard navy gray scheme (this was a pre-WEM colourcoat effort, but the mixes match the S&S paint chips very well), and hull numbers come from a GMM decal set. This is a peacetime destroyer, so the paint is neat and no depth charges are carried in the tracks aft.

With some simple improvements and photo etch this makes up into a very nice replica, and at some not too distant time in the future I would like to build another as either an APD or DMS.