Tamiya 1/350 Fletcher

[Model Monkey]

Great discussion here and very good kit to work with.

As Alan P pointed out, the Tamiya kit's 5"/38 single mounts are underscale. As you consider aftermarket items, an additional feature of the ship's mounts may be worth noting:

Of the five 5"/38 single mounts fit to wartime Fletchers, the ships carried two distinct designs of 5" mounts with slightly different gunhouse shapes:

1. three lighter-weight "single knuckle" mounts on top the deckhouses (Mounts 52, 53 and 54)

2. two heavier-weight "double knuckle" mounts located on the main deck in the fore-most and aft-most positions (Mounts 51 and 55).

The heavyweights had additional roof reinforcement to resist the blast of the superfiring lightweight mounts near them. This reinforcement made for an additional bend (bump) in the gunhouse roof that is noticeable in photos and plans. The reinforcement bend is located at the rear of the slot for the gun on the roof.

Compare the gunhouse roof shapes of the two forward mounts, heavyweight "Mount 51" and superfiring lightweight "Mount 52", in the photo of USS Saufley above and USS LaValette below. Mount 51's roof has two bends, or "knuckles". Mount 52 has just one knuckle.