Don Macdonald's models

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Don Macdonald's models

Don sends in these images of his USS The Sullivans, and says:

Most of my ships are scratchbuilt or at least 50 to 75 percent scratchbuilt depending on what there is available to me. That is including ships hulls and I work with wood most of the time. Here is just one on my last ships DDG 68 USS THE SULLIVANS - this hull is scratchbuilt, has working guns that go back and forth, complete set of lights, and the rotors on the heli rotate as well. She is almost 5 ft long, one of the biggest in my US fleet.

USS Commencement Bay
1/8 Scratchbuild

This was known as the jeep carrier or baby flat tops. This is completely scratch built including the hull. It has a set of deck lights that look good at night with a set of lights going down something like the real ones used to be. It also has a set of lights in the Island area. It is just under 4 ft long, with a 7 inch wide flght deck.

The real ship was the first of its class and the last of baby flat tops. It was scrapped out at Bremerton Washington in the early 70s.


LSM 45 Scratchbuilt 1/160 Not RC but completely scratch built. This was going to be a RC model but when I got done in this scale it became too small so I now have it as a Static model. Some day I may do one as an RC....well maybe. This is all wood 12 inches long, 2 inches wide. The real LSM 45 is in Omaha Nebraska being restored as a floating museum.


USS Pampanito - SS-383 1/72 Scratchbuilt Just under a little scratch built hull deck conning tower from a set of plans. This is not a diving sub just a good old surface sub, this is about 4 ft long 4 inches wide all wood with glass over it. The real sub is moored in San Francisco Ca.	Here is a shot of 3 of my ships at a museum show The IJN Yamato at one two fifth scale, DD 537 USS The Sullivans and my DDG USS The Sullivans way in back there chasing the Yamato


LST landing ship tank This one is completely scratch built, It is 2 ft long 4 inche wide 3 inches deep just under 1/8 scale


Amsderdam Tug		Part of my fleet on display at a show here in Portland that is held ever year	USS Wisconsin BB-64


USN sub showing deck detail & how she runs


Beginning of conversion to new hull	Completed hull with new add hull in the middle	Extension completed	Guns and deck


Complete ship done and back in water after about 2 months of long hours and a lot of work

Here are some shots of that 1/250 Yamato being converted into the 1/200. I had to cut the ship in half then added new wood and extended it about an other foot or so I had a lot of scratch building to do including picking up another kit for parts to add to the new one, built a new deck. extended the main supperstructor about an inch, Built new main guns, this is the ship that was at the show with along my others before I re-did it , She runs as good as she looks and I am very happy with it it is now about 4 ft long .