Subject: SMML13/01/98VOL058 shipmodels@tac.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- INDEX 1: B-Resina Suffolk 2: Necessary to thin acrylic paint for brush painting? 3: Re: B-Resina 4: Fibre Optics Techniques 5: Re: Yamato/Modeling tip: wire 6: Task Force 72 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: montreal@usit.net (Jon Warneke) Subject: B-Resina Suffolk There has been some disinformation spread about the ability of "controlled shrinkage" within the resin industry, and it needs to be disspelled. The resin which is used for these "kits" is a resin that shrinks approximately 10% to 15% per cast, and when it comes out is very porous (has a lot of air bubbles). If B-Resina is actually using this to create kits, then they would have to be spending far more time filling these pockets than it would take to actually build a pattern. Also, each cast would require a new RTV mold to make the next size down, which would add to the expense of the kit, and since the shrinkage is not exact, it might just be too much of a chance to get an exact size of 1/700 from a 1/600 kit. And all of this fails to take into account a very inportant factor. For the resin to cure into the proper shape, it needs to remain in contact with the mold, and obviously that's impossible if the resin shrinks. Here's the likely scenario with these kits. They have taken an old Airfix kit and "remastered" it down to 1/700 scale. This is common with a lot of kits, and would replicate the same faults in the original. The likeness of the waffle patterns mentioned in the review is more than likely due to the original part being modified to fit onto a smaller pattern. And also there is a statement to be made about "non-shrink" resin. The most common resin used in casting today is Cavalier 36XXX, which has a shrinkage rate of about .001%. What causes parts not to fit properly in the shrinkage of the RTV used in the molds, which will vary from mold to mold about 1% to 2% depending on the size. If B-Resina is actually "shrinking" an Airfix kit, this is how it would more than likely be done, but would take about 10-12 molds to get it down to the proper size (1/600 -> 1/700 = 15% smaller). Jon Warneke Iron Shipwrights REDBOZO6 sends ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "John L." Subject: Necessary to thin acrylic paint for brush painting? Hi, Is it necessary to thin the acrylic paint (Tamiya) before brush painting? Thanks. John ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Michael Eisenstadt Subject: Re: B-Resina Graham: Regarding your unfortunate experience with B-Resina kits: don't damn the entire produce line because of your experience with the Iron Duke. I guess the quality of whatever B-Resina kit you buy depends largely on the quality of the Airfix or Matchbox kit B-Resina is using as a master. I am building their HMS Belfast and I am quite happy with it--its a real nice kit, though I must say it required some work to bring it up to standard. The quality of the casting is spectacular, but there were some inaccuracies inherited from the Airfix kit that needed to be addressed (the rounded bow, the heavy-handed catapult, the inaccurately recessed weather doors shielding the torpedo tubes, the lack of detail by the hangar doors, the slightly misaligned ship's bridge, and the poorly cast 4" guns), but the amount of time and effort required to fix these inaccuracies is still much less than required to clean up, accurize, and build a conventional kit. If you're not a stickler for accuracy, you can build the Belfast out of the box in a few evenings. If you are a stickler for accuracy and detail (as I am) you can still build her in relatively short order, compared to a conventional kit. (By the way, I should mention that every Waveline and Doc Modell kit I have built needed to be corrected and accurized to some extent or another.) I guess the accuracy of the B-Resina kit depends on which ship in the product line you're interested in. While the kits based on earlier Airfix releases may suffer in this regard, I heartily endorse the Belfast, since the Airfix kit it is based on is basically a good kit, and since the corrections should not take a lot of time. HMS Repulse should also build into a fine model, given the quality of the original Airfix release--if the laudatory reviews of the original Airfix kit published years ago in Scale Models International (September 1983 and January 1992) are accurate. Keep these thoughts in mind when considering purchasing one of B-Resina's products, and don't necessarily be deterred by your experience with the Iron Duke. Yours truly, Mike Eisenstadt ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Michael Kear Subject: Fibre Optics Techniques I am very interested in fibre optics, having used them in several of my ship models. The advntages of fibres include: You can get fine points of light in places where you wouldn't be able to put a bulb. They are cold, so you don't have to worry about distortion from the heat of a bulb You can put the bulb somewhere else where its accessible, and have the fibre permanently installed If you put the tip of the fibre close to a heat source, such as a soldering iron, the end will glaze over and form a small bulb, simulating small scale light bulbs, and spreading the light emerging from the fibre somewhat. If you leave the end of the fibre straight, and just polish the end, you will get a very straight source of light, visible in some cases only from directly end on. I have seen flourescent lights simulated with fibres too, where you just gently scrape some of the coating off in a stripe along the fibre, light will escape. You generate the light with any light source, but car taillight bulbs are great if you have a 12 volt system. You can bring dozens of fibres down to a single bulb and light all over your model with the one bulb. Or you can drill a hole in a LED and push the end of the fibre into that. LED's have the advantage too of instant light generation minimal heat generation and lower power consumption. I saw some new pure white LEDs last month at a regatta for Task Force 72, and these are an innovation indeed. Until now, LEDs were only available in Red, Green and Yellow. But these LEDs burned pure white. They were quite large ones, simulating helo deck landing lights and floodlights, but fibres could be used to make small white pinpoints. If you're interested, I operate a small net business selling scale model ship supplies, and we're shortly to introduce fibre optic starter kits and lengths of fibre in various diameters. These will be available from our web site, and shipped anywhere in the world. More information as it is available. Cheers, Mike Kear Webmaster: Task Force 72, Australia's Radio Controlled Warship Modellers http://www.healey.com.au/~mkear/tf72.htm AFP Models - 1/72 warship hulls, kits, fittings and accessories http://www.zip.com.au/~mkear/AFP_Catalogue_Master.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Michael Kear Subject: Re: Yamato/Modeling tip: wire Tim, This is a nice tip. Does anyone else know what this wire is? It sounds like it would be good for simulating the ships guardrails where the prototype has wire cable stretched between the stanchions rather than welded rail. Cheers, Mike Kear -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------- From: Greg (Listmaster - SMML) Subject: Task Force 72 Mike, AH HA!!!! I didn't realise you were on the list - WELCOME!!!!! I have been snooping around your page quiet extensively lately, And I would gladly never purchase another model again if I could just get me one of your 1/72 HMAS Anzacs! Russ French's HMAS Arunta is truly a masterpiece, and a perfect example of how far you can take these fine "Semi-Kits" (For those who don't know - these kits come with a fibre-glass hull, and the more intricate parts, and the rest is up to the modeller, they are a great introduction to scratchbuilding, and are aimed at the R/C market, I guess you could "Static" build one, but WHY? When you can take it out once a month and conduct excercises and manoevers with the rest of the 1/72 Navy, OH YEAH!:-) I would love to have a look at some of these kits, I am not far from you, so is it possible to arrange for me to pop over and have a snoop? (once you put one in my hands, its gonna be hard for me to leave without it:-) Are stanchions for the railings available? Once again - Welcome! Greg (Listmaster - SMML) BTW, I was wondering how you attach the fibre optic strands to the globe, I found everything I tried Melted with the heat? I ended up building small "Breathing" light boxes around pilot globes? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume