John W. Tokarewich

Bartlett, Illinois

Revell’s 1/320 scale USS John Paul Jones hit shelves in 1958, but you wouldn’t know it to look at John’s much-improved model. He removed the molded-on railings, life rafts, deck fixtures, and most of the bulkheads. He corrected the masts and installed Gold Medal Models photo-etched metal, Monkey Models gun mounts, directors, and hedgehog launchers. Other additions included flag-bag covers, anchor chain, ship’s bell, scratchbuilt navigation lights, bridge-wing platforms and flying bridge featuring L’Arsenal bridge equipment. The antennas and halyards are fly-fishing line. He painted the Forrest Sherman-class destroyer with Testors Model Master and LifeColor acrylics. John says he built this superdetailed version to appease the modeling gods for the two models of the ship he blew up as a teenager.