Subject: SMML24/07/98VOL250 Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 17:31:43 +1000 (EST) shipmodels@wr.com.au --------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://warship.simplenet.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Skywave Arleigh Burke in FSM 2: humour - Its too dammed cold here ,,,,, 3: Re: 350 scale ladders 4: Acrylics Vs Enamels 5: Let's Sew Some Hulls 6: Re: Decals for 1:700 Models 7: Blue and Doors SMML 22/7/98 8: Small freighter plans 9: Re: Acrylic mixtures ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Re: Inclined ladders with adjustable steps 2: Re: FM Ad (Kirov Battlecruiser) 3: Bananna Boat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Les Dorr Jr." Subject: Skywave Arleigh Burke in FSM Sept. issue of FSM (w/ Titanic on cover) also has a short but useful review of the Skywave 1:700 Arleigh Burke DDG. Worth checking out if you have the kit. Les ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Ritchie_deutag, Colin" Subject: humour - Its too dammed cold here ,,,,, >> 105F and Climbing << I'm sitting in my office, the North Sea is Iron Grey, the wind is gusting 20-30mph, the rain is horizontal, and its less then 50F, I WANT A SUMMER............ Still, thinking about this , rain =no Gardening Therefore more modelling time, so It's an ILL wind I guess Colin ritchie Aberdeen The Frozen North PS: On the topic of decals, My easily deceived boss has just bought, on my recommendation a nice shiny colour Laser printer, anyone had any success running decal film through one of these beast, for the record it's a Tektronix 560, I'm loathed to try it myself since it ain't cheap! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Foeth" Subject: Re: 350 scale ladders >> does anyone know if there is a way to either bend the steps to look real? << For ladders: Cut the ladder in pieces, just above each step. The result is a lot of U-shaped Parts. Drill holes in the bulkhead, and insert. Very unrelaxing, but realistic. Sand after the ladder is finished. For stairs, take a small pair of flat-ended pliers, end start bending. Also very unrelaxing. Second option, glue small pieces of plastic strip (eg. 0.13mm Evergreen) on the etched ladder to simulate steps. This also requires an electron microscope, a liter of black coffee per stair, and valium afterwards. Keep wife and kids at a safe distance. Three dimensional etching is not yet possible, so you have to do it yourself, as far as I know, living on the European continent and such. Evert-Jan Foeth ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Foeth" Subject: Acrylics Vs Enamels I agree with Christian D'Ambra that thinning down acrylics is hard. But, by using an (artist)oil wash plus several enamel/artist-oil dry-brush runs (adding more white at each stage), a single Tamiya color can be used as a base for a much larger range of colors. Sometimes, when using heavy drybrushing, the base-color becomes unimportant (Well, sort of. A green base won't turn bright red by drybrushing). I recently painted a propellor, by dry-brushing gold onto a black base. No black to be seen directly, and the gold has a much flatter finish, than a painted coat (Washed Winstors & Newton's Burned Sienna). I use Humbrol enamels for dry-brushing, available in many more colors than Tamiya acrylics (no Model Master in the Netherlands, as far as I know). A disadvantage is that the color is hard to reproduce afterwards. That is why I write down each unmixed color I used at the various stages of painting. I might add that a wash & dry-brush run adds great depth of color, and better shading that a plain airbrush run. On a lightly weathered model, I mix (when needed) both base and dry-brush color (preferably to the same color). I refrain from airbrushing enamels, because I have to clean my airbrush more often, and then it start to leak paint (Dried paint in my airbrush keeps it airtight. I need a new one) Evert-Jan Foeth ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Norman C. Samish" Subject: Let's Sew Some Hulls Come on guys, I may be dumb but I'm not stupid! Well, maybe a little stupid but not a whole bunch! Even I figured out that the original question about making waterline models out of full hull models had a misspelling when the questioner said "sewing" instead of "sawing." Where I got suckered into the snipe hunt (I'm glad I was able to add joy to your day) was the follow up (by Jim Gordon?). He did a good job of describing in convincing detail the ancient and regrettably lost art of "sewing" ship model hulls, with needles carved from shark teeth and thread made from sea slug intestines. Even if substitutes for these materials could be made with alloy steel and kevlar thread, Gordon advised against attempting to sew the hull because the art of doing so had been lost. Since I'm always interested in a challenge and have some steel needles and kevlar thread, plus a wooden ship model hull to experiment on, I thought I'd see if I could sew some clear plastic sheet to the hull and use the plastic, painted on the back to simulate water, to convert a full hull model into a waterline model. Using a pin vise I drilled a line of thread-diameter holes around the hull at the waterline of the vessel (an old beatup Strombecker battleship). Pairs of holes converged to a "V" inside the wood of the hull. Then, after heat treating the needle I trimmed it to 1/4" long and bent it into a sharp curve. Using this and some pliers I was able to thread the kevlar thread through the "V", thus "sewing" the cloth to the hull. After mounting the hull in a display box and fastening the plastic sheet to the edges of the box, and covering the sewn joint with automobile body epoxy filler, and suitably painting the waterline and the back of the plastic, I ended up with a reasonable simulation of a ship moving through water. An advantage of sewing the plastic sheet to the hull is that it makes a mechanically strong joint that can be readily removed with a razor blade. An advantage of the plastic over glass is that the plastic can be deformed to make waves. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Hess1962@aol.com Subject: Re: Decals for 1:700 Models I heartily second that notion of decals for merchantmen...and would love to see a set in 1:1200. (I'm currently working my way thru Len Jordan's wonderful inventory of merchant ships in that scale and decals would certainly "dress up" the models nicely). For the uninitiated, Jordan resin castings are, simply, superb and if you're ever tempted to work in "one to one hundred" (as Paul J. has it) you'll be amazed by the amount of detail Len packs into one of his little jewels. One of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children (long since retired) Dave Hess, Kalamazoo MI ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Malcolm Batchelor" Subject: Blue and Doors SMML 22/7/98 Brian, It sounds like your friend is going to do a Measure 16 Camo Scheme. What I did (This was before the S & S USN Paint Chips) on my 1/700 USS Winslow in a Ms. 16 was to use Floquil's Deckhouse Blue. It's a light pale, blue that approx. matched my homemade test based on the formula given in The Floating Drydocks USN Camo #1. The Floquil paint just had better consistancy than my test brew did. Maybe someone else has compared the Deckhouse Blue to the Thayer Blue and can give some more input. I hope I have not offended the "Purist Paint Police" with this, but it looks good to me, makes a pretty contrast to all the dark greys and blues in my fleet, and I had fun doing it. Hope this will help. Stuart Batchelor ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: dhjonespsm@juno.com (Daniel H. Jones) Subject: Re: Small freighter plans Jim, The plan in the current issue of Plastic Ship Modeler that you are probably referring to is of a mass produced wooden freighter of 1917 vintage, 218' 10" long. The plan is in 1/700 scale so it may not be detailed enough for your needs. However, check out the latest issue of a model railroad magazine called Mainline Modeler. There is an article (surprisingly with no railroad connection) on the WW I era Laker freighter, very similar to the wooden ship featured in my magazine. The Laker plan is a large fold-out in N scale, very detailed, and the ship type is about the same size as the wooden freighter - just under 300'. They are in fact very similar in appearance. There are some good photos of the ships as well as the excellent set of plans. Another source you might consider is the series of coasters featured in the MAP plans range drawn by P. N. Thomas. He has about a dozen British coastal freighters of various time periods, including some that fall into the size category you are looking for. The plans are well drawn, 1/4" to the foot, with all the detail you could need. Although the subjects are British, some are very similar to American coastal vessels and could be adapted to your purpose. Taubman Plans Service carries this line in the USA. His catalog currently sells for $10.00 and lists virtually every ship plan available. Over half the plan subjects are illustrated. The catalog is quite interesting and very large at 160 pages. His address is: Taubman Plans Service 11 College Drive - #4G Jersey City, NJ 07305 Over the years I have purchased several plans from him. I have found him to be a very reliable source. Since he does not advertise in my magazine, I have no connection with his service other than as a satisfied customer. Daniel Jones Plastic Ship Modeler magazine ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: JGordon262@aol.com Subject: Re: Acrylic mixtures Christian D'Ambra wrote: >> YES I do recommend only using Model Masters paints because they are enamel not acrylics. For those who airbrush, acrylics are a pain because being water-based, they are hard to thin properly. If you're not careful, you end up with a sand paper finish. << Christian, it sounds as if your mixture is too thick, or you are using a substandard acrylic paint range. I use nothing but acrylics, and enjoy excellent results everytime. I use Floquil's Pollyscale range ( $2 per jar). They do not demand exact thinning, and dry to a silky smooth finish, and stick like glue. When thinning (I use a mixture of 20% isopropyl alchohol and 80%water), I add thinner with an eyedropper into the paint jar, and mix. Here's how I know when it is thinned properly: I take a drop of paint on the end of a stick or brush and deposit it near the top of the paint jar and observe it flowing to the bottom. If it takes its time, the paint is too thick, if it runs fast, it is too thin. Properly thinned, the paint will flow down smartly but not too quickly. This is the optimum spray mixture. I even used craft store acrylics for a few years. These cheap, thick paints are designed for brush painting wood and ceramics, but when thinned would airbrush adequately. Their main drawback is a relatively, but quite acceptable, grainy finish due to their course grind of paint pigments. My points are that many kinds of acrylics will work if you experiment with them, and, that $4.00 jars of AccuFlex are not necessary. JG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: Inclined ladders with adjustable steps >> What I want to know is, does anyone know if there is a way to either bend the steps to look real or does Gold Medal or any other company make them already?? << Flagship Models produces a generic rails and ladders set where we feature what we call "3D" inclined ladders. The steps can be adjusted to accomodate any angle. You can download an order form from our web site. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Dave Carter Subject: Re: FM Ad (Kirov Battlecruiser) Hi John, >> Well, it looks like now it is going to make the Russian RKR Kirov - the nuclear powered guided missile battlecruiser. Retails for $94, due in Sept.. << This kit is already available from HP Models and is of an extremely nice quality. Priced at 53.57 pounds (around $86.00), it is a very complete kit... just add your GMM 1/700 Modern Soviet Warship set. Supply is rather slow, but new stocks SHOULD be with us within 10 days. Cheers Caroline "Shiphead" Carter/nWMo and WEMblie http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/white.ensign.models ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Shaya Novak" Subject: Bananna Boat Dear SMMLers, Does any one recall a possible Revell kit of a Bananna Boat. I have a customer looking for one. Contact: mailto:shaya@erols.com Thanks Shaya - Naval Base Hobbies. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume