Subject: SMML10/03/98VOL114 shipmodels@wr.com.au --------------------------------- INDEX 1: New Jersey antennae 2: Mountbattern Pink 3: More notes on sea bases 4: New Kid in the Bloc 5: COLOR POLICE 6: Coasting Schooner Plans Needed 7: Modeling Water 8: Alreigh Burke questions 9: Re: Aquitania 10: How do you mask the really small stuff? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: LAX ET Subject: New Jersey antennae >> How can these antennae never point straight up? The satellites they are talking to are either: << Very well, then. Let's split hairs. If you are steaming across the equator & just happen to cross under one of four satellites, it will point straight up. There was a constellation of four satellites in near equatorial orbit, with overlapping footprints. They did not talk to each other. It's not very realistic that anybody would see it in this position. Dale G Elhardt Lakewood CA *********NOTE FROM LISTMASTER********** THIS THREAD IS BECOMING IRRELEVANT **************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "John Treadwell" Subject: Mountbattern Pink Hi everyone, I'm new to modelling in resin and have chosen as my introduction Tom's Modelworks HMS Cambeltown ( ex USS Buchanan) as it was at the time of the raid on St Nazire. It struck me as being a relatively easy introduction to this branch of modelling. The instructions refer to Mountbattern Pink being basically Medium Grey with a touch of Vermillion. Has anyone out there got a recipe or guide beyond that. The instructions refer to a paint which I have never heard of in UK as a close approximation to shade. I have the original Warship Profile from 1970s but colour illustration seems to show a mottled effect rather than a solid colour. John Treadwell, England ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Michael Brewin" Subject: More notes on sea bases Alberto Rada asked. >> Mike Brewin mentioned Polly Filla , where can it be found ( I buy most things from mail order ) also to cover it with PVA ? ? ? << Hi Alberto, PVA [ polyvinyl acetate ] comes in a variety of brand names as it is one of the most usefull glues on the market. It is the basic white glue for glueing paper, card, wood and also as an additive for concrete and as a sealant for porous cement floors and many other things. It can be thinned with water and applied with a brush. Once you have glued your model to the wooden base apply the Pollyfilla [a brand name for ordinary house hold filler used in decorating] and simply draw it up with fingers or a tool into waves and troughs. When dry seal it with PVA and then apply your colour and finnishing coats. Best wishes Mike Brewin. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: montreal@usit.net (Jon Warneke) Subject: New Kid in the Block Hi Alberto, and welcome to the wacky world of the shipmodeling arena... >> Thank you Eric Roth for all your tips on masking etc. and I agree completely on the Colors subject, we call them the COLOR POLICE and you have to be very careful as they hide themselves in the most clever disguises, ready to jump on your just finished model and say no no no no that deck should have been " Dutch Boy Cliffhanger Grey" but we have to be kind on >them as they contribute a lot to the hobby. << I really don't know if the chart Jeff Herne and I developed was specifically directed at turning people into the "color police", or is a "clever disguise" to allow Jeff and I to assert some kind of influence over all ship modelers. Rather, we took published reference information, matched available colors to these references, and provided everyone the ability to see what these colors look like. It's up to the modeler to decide to use them. As a judge at shows, I could care less if the colors match exactly since this is modeling, and I'm surely not going to get out a fan card pack and try to ding someone for the shade being wrong (I'll leave that to the Luftwaffe guys). It's up to the modeler to decide what should be done to their model. These colors are a free guide for ship modelers to determine what the colors looked like, and give them some reference other than varying shades of grey to match too. Use the list like you would any other reference you may get. My philosophy on color is this. I can look at two photos of the same ship, taken at the same time, and see two different colors that are supposed to be the same. How can I, or anyone for that matter, determine what is "correct" on a model, and who would be stupid enough to try? The chart you reference was developed as a guide for the modeler, not to give Jeff and I some "superiority" over everyone else. Use it, and have fun. Jon Warneke Iron Shipwrights "Yeah, I want Cheesy Poofs!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Jeff Herne" Subject: COLOR POLICE When Jon Warneke and I released the Royal Navy and USN color matches we were not trying to be 'color police'. We intended this to be a public service to modeling community. These colors were released in 1929 Munsell standard by noted author and naval historian Alan Raven, and most people have no clue what Munsell codes are or who Albert Munsell was. So, if you know what shade 5PB 4.5/1.25 is, then you're one step ahead of the rest of us. It's the code for Royal Navy MS2, a color that was as common on RN vessels as Olive drab was on US aircraft. It's gray, but is it a light gray, dark gray, almost black, or closer to white? Is there a blue tint? The majority of ship modelers have no clue based on the 1929 codes. When we did these matches, we needed a source of chips that were available to everyone, and we wanted to keep it free (we have an issue about keeping things FREE). That's the reason for the Dutch Boy matches. They're well known, readily available in hardware and paint stores, and are constant (according to Dutch Boy, they're all printed in Ohio). We put these matches out to give everyone an idea of what these colors should look like. It has served two purposes, it has helped the neophyte modeler who has no clue what Western Approaches Blue looks like, and it helped those who knew these colors but never had a standard to compare them against. There has never been a color standard, we've had to believe that what the paint companies produced was accurate. If you want to paint your ships in ready-use colors, fine. But nearly every naval ready-use color released by current manufacturers are suspect, some are out-and-out wrong. They are usually relabelled aircraft or railroad colors, since we ship modelers are the minority in the business. Why spend all the time building, researching, scratchbuilding, adding photoetch, building or buying expensive cases or bases, only to paint the ship in the incorrect color? We're not color police, we just want accurate models. There are so many variables in ship modeling, including fading, oxidation, etc., that we just wanted to get these colors close. That is why the colors are in 1:1 perspective, it shows you what the actual color on the full-sized ship looked like. The modeler then adds white for scale effect, another variable. And besides, we did all this research out the goodness of our hearts, we have never asked for compensation of any sort, and we've e-mailed the chart to everyone who has asked for it. Color police... Jeff Herne WR Press, author of Fletcher, Gearing & Sumner Class Destryers in WWII Contributing Editor, 'Warship' http://warship.simplnet.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "James M. Pasquill,II" Subject: Re: Welcome! I am looking for generic New England coasting schooner plans that would show how the planking is typically laid out on the sides, bow, and transom so that I can scribe the appropriate detail into some plastic and resin hulls I am working with. I do not need much detail and don't want to spend a bunch. Can anyone suggest a source or is anyone willing to share a copy of the pertinent parts of a plan with me at my cost? Are there any schooner plans to be found online? Thanks. James M. Pasquill,II ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Jeff Herne" Subject: Modeling Water Alberto, There are all kinds of methods of modeling water, from resins to rough textured shower doors painted blue (I've seen it, it doesn't look bad.) Anyway, I use acrylic gel medium, it's the best method I've found thus far, and is quite simple to use. I wrote an article awhile back that now sits on my now-defunct naval aviation site. It can be reached here: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/2894/water.html On a side note, if anyone wants to be webmaster of this site and run with it, let me know. I hate to see it fall by the wayside, but I just don't have the time to manage it anymore, as you can tell by the last time it was changed (Halloween '97). Jeff Herne WR PRESS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "jim & sherry rich" Subject: Alreigh Burke questions Hi Gang- I'm new to this group, so please bare with me. I was looking to buy a 1/350 Alreigh Burke class ship to go with my 1/350 USS Yorktown (Tico class) Has anybody purchased or built the kits being offered? Forgive me, I don't remember who makes the kits, but I think there are two out there. Any info would be most welcome. Thanks.. Brad ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Joseph W. Divar" <110055.3477@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: Aquitania >> Now back to the Aquitania - R.U. interested? All details on the W.E.M. website. << Yes, but sadly I can not afford it at this time. There are many other esoteric projects lurking out there for me. Most namely a resin T-34C that I need to get my hands on before long. Thank you though for the solicitation. Good luck and I do hope the project gets underway. Regards, Joe & Mary Divar ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Michelle Roth" Subject: How do you mask the really small stuff? > How do you mask the really small stuff? << Hello Greg, I also have the Tamiya 1/350th POW but as yet haven't started to build her. I went down to my work shop and fished her out to look at the deck sections to see how much detail there is molded to the surface. I am blessed with a fairly steady hand (I think...??) and if I were going to paint the deck, I would spray the turret barbettes gray first, then mask them off and spray the deck colour over everything else, (except,perhaps, I would also paint the bow wave deflectors gray and mask them as well, [more about masking these small molded details momentarily]. Then I would use a size 5/0 brush and paint the raised vents etc. freehand. But, this doesn't answer your question!!! Heres what I have done in the past, and I find, if you are PATIENT and CAREFUL, and don't get too discouraged at your first attempts, you can "master" this technique and should be proud of your finished product. I have used this method on my 1/400 scale HELLER Dunquerque and my HELLER Gneisenau with what I thing are very good results. First, airbrush the barbettes, bow wave deflectors, and the molded details the desired colour and let dry at least 24 hrs. Then mask the barbettes with a fairly large piece of recut masking tape, (one side trimmed with an Xacto knife, to remove the "feathery" factory edge) Then, I run a piece of masking tape on a piece of glass, as I have previously mentioned and using a metal straight edge, I cut strips about 1/8" (4mm) wide and then cut them to lengths to suite the circumference or "perimeter" of the little molded piece I want to mask. I make them usually 1 1/2 times longer so the end of the little strip overlaps itself. I then take my #11 Xacto knife and peel the 1/8" strip of tape from the glass and (here's where the patience part comes into play) using the tip of the knife, carefully start the tape at the base of the molding and slowly run the side of the knife against the painted detail, pressing firmly enough to stick the tape to the work, BUT not to hard as to marr the paint. Work around each little corner and do the same on all 4 sides. Same applies to the small round castings for the 5.25 in. barbettes. It is not difficult to master once you give it a few trys. The narrow strips of tape are quite easy to work with and once you get the edge nice and crisp with the thin tape, you can use larger pieces to go from there. Also, the tape should stick quite easily to the part (don't get too much oil from your fingers on it) but after you have successfully wrapped the part to be covered, I go back with the side of my knife and firmly press the tape against the part just to make sure it is adhering. You can make the tape length as long as you like if it makes it easier for you to use. Once all is done and masked to your satisfaction, spray away!! Taping the wave deflectors will be a little more challenging, but the same technique applies. Just start at the front of the deflector where it is nice and smooth and when you get to the back side, where the little vertical stiffeners run down to the deck surface, just use the back side of that Xacto blade to work the strip of tape around those little ridges, keeping the bottom edge of the tape snug to the deck surface. Same for the hose reels. On the Tamiya POW, the anchor chains guides I think would be more easily sprayed after the deck colour. But again, use narrow,recut strips of tape to cover the wooden part against the chainways, then larger pieces of tape to cover the rest before shooting. In no time flat you will develop the hands of a surgeon!!! This will take some practice, but I think you will find the results well worth your time and effort. I have actually cut pieces of tape about 1/16" square to fit into some pretty tiny areas that needed taping. I hope this helps. There must be some other ideas out there. Let's hear 'em!!! Remember to work slowly and TAKE YOUR TIME. If things start going sour, go have a Foster's and come back later. YOU WILL FINISH SOONER IF YOU TAKE YOUR TIME!!! Eric Roth, Minden, Ontario, CANADA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume