Subject: SMML11/01/98VOL056 shipmodels@tac.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- INDEX 1: Re: Yamato/Modeling tip: wire 2: USS Blenny 3: Re: St Petersberg 4: fiber optics 5: Fiber Optic Strands 6: Re: Fiber Optic Strands 7: B Resina 1/700 HMS Suffolk kit review ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: TANewell Subject: Re: Yamato/Modeling tip: wire As for the remains of the Yamato, I read some postings somewhere (rec.models.scale?) about how the site had been discovered by the Japanese government and is a closely guarded secret as they regard it as a burial/religious site. Probably not a bad policy in light of the looting of the poor old Titanic, altho it also restricts historian-type explorers like Ballard from examining/documenting the wreck. I think that the postings referred to some Japanese-text books that covered the subject... I was working on my Missouri and came across a product that was a revelation to me, altho, since I'm fairly new to ship building, it might be common knowlege to everyone else in the group, I'll pass it along anyway. I was trying to make those ladders that are made up of the individual rungs attached directly to the bulkheads that are found all over the Mo. I was doing this by drilling two holes in the bulkhead and then bending a piece of wire to make a squared-off "U", like this: |_| , then sticking the legs of the U in the holes. I tried to use the smallest piano wire (the stiff stuff) that I could find and found that I could not bend the 2 right angles into the rung, and I would end up with an arc. Some time ago, I had found a spool of "Model Ship Rigging Wire" at a hobby shop and bought it to give it a try. I had found that to get it to strech anywhere close to tight you had to put too much stress on our pitiful little plastic masts...it had obviously been intended for large scale wood ship models. (I've found that "invisible thread" seems to work best for rigging) So I got the spool out and tried it for my rungs...and it works great! You can pull it tight between your fingers and it will stay straight for short lengths, it cuts easily, and, best of all, it is so easy to bend that I can hold it in the tip of my smallest pair of tweezers and bend both sides down to make a perfect little |_| for my ladder rungs. I'm also using it to simulate conduits, pipes, etc. to decorate the undetailed bulkhead walls on my Missouri. I'm not sure of the size of the wire on the spool or the manufacturer, since I threw out the blister pack that the spool came in long ago... Tim Newell ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Ives100 Subject: USS Blenny Ronnie- You need to do your kit either by modifying the Revell Lionfish kit, or by reworking either a BWN or Tom's ModelWorks kit. Also, do you wish to do Blenny in her original Balao class configuration or as the postwar converted Guppy 1A? If you want the original, then you are correct, since Blenny was an Electric Boat Product, you need the downward D limber holes. In Guppy config, these were modified to rectangular freefloods, with the long side vertical. For Guppy configuration, Tom's Modelworks makes a Guppy resin kit in 1:350. It uses the WWII hull, so you have to fill in the freefloods with CA glue. There is a template for the bow, to change it to Guppy configuration, and your choice of 3 sails; EB stepped sail, Portsmouth Stepped sail and "Northern" (no step) sail. Blenny was converted to Guppy at San Francisco, and in my reference (The Fleet Submarine in the US Navy; J.D. Alden), looks like an EB step sail. I've also seen 3 conversions of the larger 1:178 Lionfish into postwar Guppy. Again, depends on what era you want to model. Contact me for further info if needed. Tom Dougherty ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Ron or Julie Hillsden" Subject: Re: St Petersberg Go to http://www.shipbottle.ru/ and follow the links to Artem Popov. Maybe he can help. Everyone else may be interested in looking at this site - it's the foremost Ships-in-a-Bottle site in the world. Ron in Victoria B C ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: John Seay Subject: fiber optics Hi Bill This sounds good to me where do I send the money. >> I'll go half off what stores charge. The thing is, i forgot what they charge, so just make me an offer. Is .20 cents each too much? << I will take 20 ea at 20cent each + shipping John Seay ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Bill & Kaja Michaels" Subject: Fiber Optic Strands I've never used fiber optics in a model....... I assume that each strand is used to "conduct" the light from the source to the destination, such as a porthole. If I'm doing the big Titanic, do I need 200+ pieces to do all the portholes? (I figured I drilled around 300+ holes when I drilled 'em out, but wouldn't light every single one.) I'm also seriously considering only lighting one side of the model. She'll eventually end up on a shelf, so why light the back side? Bill Michaels Acton, Mass, USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Greg (Listmaster SMML - shipmodels@wr.com.au) Subject: Fiber Optic Strands Bill, Light travels and can be directed through Fibre Optic cable, but there is no need to run a strand to every individual porthole, as this would leave you with the undesirable effect of having every lit porthole appearing as a spotlight, because the light doesn't just diffuse at the end of the strand, depending on the strength of your light source and the closeness of the strand end to a solid object, the light is actually thrown out from the cable like a small flash light. The best Idea (IMO) would be to arrange a group of strands, say 12 to start off with, at evenly spaced intervals, at the very bottom of your hull (Below waterline), running midship, and point the ends upwards outboard, so they illuminate evenly throughout all portholes, and simply block off the ones you dont want lit. Temporarily fit your Poop deck, switch it all on to see if you have sufficient light, If not ad more strands and work on placement until you reach your desired effect. Keeping them below water line will keep the brightness even, and not really bright in patches. Also lighting the Promenade A Deck and Boat deck is quiet simple, you just have to think like a chess player, and plan your next three moves in advance (Where to fix a strand end, where to drill a hole to run a strand through to illuminate the deck above etc....) I found with the above decks, It was best to drill a hole in the floor of the larger rooms on that deck, say the First Class Lounges on Promenade Deck A, and mount your strand Flush in the floor, so the light bounces off your walls and ceilings, and lights through-out the deck. Hope this Helps! Greg P.S. Here's a great link : http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/milorg/index.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Rob Mackie" Subject: B Resina 1/700 HMS Suffolk kit review B Resina continues to release impressively cast 1/700 kits of important WW2 ships. Ship modelers will welcome the issuance of HMS Suffolk, a 1/700 County class heavy cruiser. With three prominent funnels, high freeboard, and a symmetrical placement of the 8" main armament, the Suffolk is a stately appearing warship. You can both read the kit review and view photos at Warships, a free web site for ship modelers at: http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/7651/brsuffolk.html Rob Mackie El Cerrito, California WARSHIPS Modeling Allied Navies: 1900 - 1945 http://warship.simplenet.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume