1/350 USS Maddox DD 731

RDT1953 · September 16, 2025, 3:23pm

Hi all - starting a new build here . My late Father in law served aboard the Maddox at the end of WW II . I am converting one of Dragon’s Gearing class kits to a Sumner class by sectioning the hull / deckhouse. The Gearings were essentially Sumner class ships with a 14 foot section added amidship for additional fuel tankage.

I removed a scale 14’ section from the hull and deck . Firstly, the section had to be taken from an area where the breadth ( beam ) would match on both sections. Fortunately there is a long section of the hull with minimal change in beam . Secondly , the sheer height above the waterline had match as close as possible. This dictated that section to be removed was as far aft as possible as the sheer is very straight in this area .

I am surprised that Dragon chose a Gearing rather than a Sumner as there were only a couple of Gearings to see service in WWII as opposed to many Sumners.

More to come…

RT

RDT1953 · September 17, 2025, 8:40pm

A little progress - hull ,deck and deck house sectioned and basic structures built up ..

… and it looks like I have to attempt Measure 32 - 9D dazzle …oh boy..

RDT1953 · September 18, 2025, 9:28pm

Just got these 3D printed figures - will share them with the Buchanan build.

namengr · September 19, 2025, 2:16pm

Is this the older version of the Vietnam War Tonkin Gulf ship? Wayne

RDT1953 · September 19, 2025, 3:40pm

Nope - same ship . There were 3 . The 731 was the last , a Sumner class . My father in law served on the Maddox in WW II.

I think the Maddox had the fleet remodel alterations before the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

Cheers Wayne- RT

Pawel · September 20, 2025, 3:10pm

Hello! Nice work here!

I’d like to build the MADDOX some day, showing her as she looked like on the day of the Tonkin Gulf incident.

I don’t know much about US destroyers, but I know the MADDOX didn’t get the FRAM upgrades. BUT between WWII and Vietnam the armament fit was changed considerably. Apart from a few official US Navy photos I don’t have references good enough to start building.

Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

RDT1953 · September 27, 2025, 9:58pm

The build is progressing with the tedious work of AA weapons. I thought some may find these items interesting meanwhile.

Here is my late father in law John Guld and his brothers in a great wartime portrait - John ( bottom right ) , Jim ( center left) and Joel ( top right ).

Found this paper work in a file cabinet while cleaning out my in law’s house after their passing.

Seems to be a shipboard published newsletter from the skipper -

Several like pages and then a banquet program - I believe these were the sailors killed when a kamikaze struck the Maddox off the Philippines.

Brave souls from the greatest generation - how fortunate we are to have been raised by them .

RDT1953 · September 29, 2025, 3:24pm

Foam base begun - hull traced on surface and mortised with router base on Dremel …

… and various components in primer -

RDT1953 · October 19, 2025, 9:02pm

Dazzle paintwork underway…

RDT1953 · October 27, 2025, 4:42pm

Dazzle done on hull and superstructure - gun houses and a few other bits left to do .

Model_Monkey · October 31, 2025, 12:51pm

Superb.

RedDuster · October 31, 2025, 8:20pm

impressive dazzle,

Cheers, Si

TimReynaga · November 1, 2025, 12:31am

Super job on the dazzle;

It really give a sense of the disorienting effectiveness of this type of camouflage!

RDT1953 · November 1, 2025, 7:55pm

@RedDuster

@TimReynaga

@Model_Monkey

Thanks all for the kind words - very flattering coming from this site’s recognized ship builders .

Here is the base with slight swell ground in with 4” disc grinder and two coats acrylic polyurethane and acrylic gel medium stippling .

And base with base color blue airbrushed on and oak molding around edges.

Mast made up of soldered brass with kit plastic bits and photo etch added..

… and twin 5” mounts and gun director in dazzle..

Next up will be mounting the ship and doing wake .

Thanks for looking !

Cheers RT

RDT1953 · November 10, 2025, 3:46pm

Working in the wake …

Natural Sand medium / acrylic white mix . Bow wave at stem done by wrapping a 3/4 “ dowel with wax paper and painting on 5 minute epoxy. Shape cut out after curing and set in place with PVA .

RDT1953 · November 12, 2025, 9:08pm

Much to my disappointment I have discovered a glaring error on my part . While studying photos for the search light location I realized the Maddox carried an additional quintuple torpedo launcher in the place of the after quad AA mount . I must have looked at this photograph dozens of times while studying the wake and it never sunk in…

so now I am in the process of making another quintuple torpedo launcher out of two spare quad launchers.

Easy enough but the difficulty will lie in removing the aft quad AA gun tub ( which is finished )

I debated on just leaving all alone and living with it but … well … you know how it is .

Ugh !

RDT1953 · November 18, 2025, 12:09am

Oversight corrected.

Quintuple torpedo tubes built . Blast protection structure made of styrene tube . Conical roof turned on lathe and detailed with styrene bits and photo etched ladders. Gun tub sawn away with razor saw and chisel. Deck sanded , repainted and walkway decals replaced.