Subject: SMML28/4/98VOL163 shipmodels@wr.com.au ============================================================================ MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re; NEED SOME HELP!! 2: DIY Photoetch 3: RMS Titanic: How accurate are these sources? 4: Re: HMS Hood. 5: Konishi 1/200 6: More Iron Duke Questions 7: Re: James Gray's request for 1:1200 boats 8: Re: US Navy Colors WW2 ============================================================================ MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: SHIP MDLR Subject: Re: NEED SOME HELP!! >> Getting ready to build Tamiya KGV. Need advice on assembling deck sections. How can I eliminate seams without destroying plank detail? Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. << Michael, An easy way to remove seams without damaging the surrounding detail is to apply the putty as you normally would. Once dry, use a soft cloth (like a diaper) and denatured alchohol and rub the putty away. Only denatured alchohol will dissolve putty. Just wipe back and forth along the grain of the deck. It will naturally smoothe out and fill the seam. Rusty White ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: SHIP MDLR Subject: DIY Photoetch >> Can anyone give me a source for the mylar layered film which is used for dry photoetch? The only one I have been able to track down sells it in 50 foot rolls. << I buy mylar all the time. Check the yellow pages for architectural supply houses. If that fails, call any architectural firm in the book and they will tell you where they get thiers. Mylar comes in several precut sizes. I buy 11x17 in a pack of 25. Also use double matt (matt finish on both sides)mylar made for ink pens. Rusty White Flagship Models ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Colm O'Leary" Subject: RMS Titanic: How accurate are these sources? >> This topic has probably been discussed to death before, but I only now purchased the Academy Titanic in 1/350. I was wondering how accurate the box cover picture is? And also, how accurate is the Titanic used in the film? In both cases I'm only after information regarding the basics like colour, window positioning, gold line positioning between the black and white on the hull side. (Is this line gold? It looks more yellow to me...) << Hi Lee, Well the picture on the box is quite accurate as far as colour is concerned. The "Gold" stripe was about three rivets high (about half the size of one of the large portholes on C deck) so very thin on the model. I would use a yellow rather than a gold because on the ship it doesn't look like a metallic finish. There are a lot of problems with this kit of course. Two missing anchors, assorted missing skylights and vents, bollards in the wrong places or just missing. These are the very visable ones although there are more subtle ones. The worst of these is the C deck portholes are in the wrong positions. The bottom of them should be lined up with the bottom of the C deck promenade windows near the stern. On the model they are aligned with the top of the promenade windows. Not a great problem in itself but a real pain if your going to light the kit and you have the deck lying right behind the portholes. To my cost, I learned this when I'd drilled out all of C deck on the Port side. My advice would be to make a template with something like acetate and then fill the shallow holes, sand smooth and use the template to drill out new ones. But if you just want a nice display model you don't need to fix any of these things. It'll still be unmistakably the Titanic. The Titanic used in the film is very accurate. Scale is a bit off though according to the makers. The interiors are almost perfect too. Hardly any jarring mistakes. You could do a lot worse than use the book about the film as a reference!!! Hope this is some help. CJ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Herron, Chris H" Subject: Re: HMS Hood. Well, I stand corrected! Apologies for the error with the Hood photo everyone! I still think an interesting photo all the same! Chris. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Fredrik Tholander" Subject: Konishi 1/200 I saw some nice looking 1/200 JMSDF vessels. The pictures said the were from a Konishi Ltd. I tried to find any information about the company or the models but didn't find anything at all. Are they the same ships that Nichimo has made? Or is it a new company name? were can I find them and how much do they cost? Would appreciate any help on this subject. Cheers, Fredrik Tholander ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Ian K Wilkins Subject: More Iron Duke Questions Hi! First of all I'd like to say thanks to everyone who replied to my questions last week on how to add rivets in 1/600 scale - an amazing variety of approaches. Also thanks for the info on boat colours. However, now I have a new question. I'm making my Iron Duke in her 1921 appearance when she still carried flying off platforms on B and Q turrets. The drawings I'm using show these platforms on profile view only so I can't determine their plan shape. I do have an overhead photo of HMS Tiger showing the shape of the platform (a rectangle with a wing either side at the aft end) and that it had a large letter "T" (T for Tiger) painted on to it. Does any one know exactly what shape the platforms on Iron Duke should be, and more importantly whether they would have had any code letters painted onto them? I currently assume she would have had the letter "I" painted on, but any info at all would be greatly appreciated. Ian Wilkins ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: b29@ix.netcom.com Subject: Re: James Gray's request for 1:1200 boats Some boats can be obtained from HR Products, in McHenry ILL., but my prefence is to cast my own. GHQ has some very nice boats that come with their 18th c. 1:1200 models. I have made copies of those, and others by using latex moulding material. I then cast my parts in resin, rather than metal. It's easy to use and I've had great luck with it. Check out the photo of the USS MISSISSIPPI at http://warship.simplenet.com. The ships' boats are resin copies. Paul Jacobs 1250 Warship Editor ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: John Snyder Subject: Re: US Navy Colors WW2 At the risk of being called the Color Police [then again, maybe I am--historic paint analysis/color analysis is a major part of my historic preservation business ;^) ], let me just throw in a caveat. While I haven't tested the Floquil mixes suggested, I have three decades of experience in custom painting model railroad equipment that causes me to be wary of Floquil. Don't get me wrong--I'm not Floquil-bashing; I like their product as far as ease of use, pigment size, etc. goes. However, their color consistency often leaves a good deal to be desired (I well remember batches of "Caboose Red" that should have been termed "Caboose Pink", and similar other color problems). What may in fact be an accurate mix/match formula today may not be tomorrow. So, get a good handle on what the actual color should be, then mix accordingly. I know, I know, paints varied according to who was mixing them, they weathered, etc. But there was a standard that was aimed at for the fresh paint, and there's no reason we can't aim at that too as an accurate starting point, and then adjust for scale effect and weathering from there. After all, most of us wouldn't just blow off equipment or rigging inaccuracies--why should we do so with colors? John Snyder ============================================================================ End of Volume