Subject: SMML01/08/98VOL258 Date: Sat, 1 Aug 1998 21:54:21 +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: DD1 Bainbridge Paint scheme 2: John Piper, Flower Class Corvettes 3: Re: Potemkin Kit 4: Re: Potemkin 5: Babblings 6: Corvettes - Different Track ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: File corruption problems 2: RE : File corruption problems ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Bruce Buchner Subject: DD1 Bainbridge Paint scheme I finished one last year and after researching a number of sources painted it overall dark green. "American Steel Navy" has a couple photos that are useful for details and in the photos it is not black when seen next to known black objects. In the book it talks about the navy doing tests around the turn of the century and deciding that dark or "Bottle" green was the best night camouflage color for torpedo boats which had to get very close to their targets because of the short range of the torpedoes. I also posted a message on RMS and received a reply from a gentleman who said a friend had built and R/C DD-1 some years back and it had been seen by a former crewman on these boats who confirmed that they had been overall green. Bruce Buchner ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Mr J Owen" Subject: John Piper, Flower Class Corvettes Tim Perry mentioned the John Piper Kits of a Flower Class Corvette and Grey Goose. The corvette, the onlly one of the two which I actually saw,was indeed a beautiful kit. I remember it being well beyond my means as I was an impoverished student. It was to a scale of 1:96 and the majority of the fittings were available seperately through some model shops. Years later when the kits were no longer around I managed to purchase some of the weapons which I made up as models in their own right. These were very advanced for their day being high quality metal castings with etched brass for details such as oerlikon sites etc. I believe that John Piper went on to found the firm Scale Link who produce a wide range of white metal and etched brass vehicles and architectural details in 1:76 and 1:148 scales (OO and British N model railway scales.) Scale Link also produce in 1:32 scale a very comprehensive range of WW1 figures and vehicles , e.g. metal figures with etched brass webbing. For those interested in the larger scales,there is, or was, a firm in the U.K. or Ireland called Dean's Marine which produced a range of ships in 1:96 scale. These included a Liberty Ship and several WW2 and modern British warships. I seem to recall that these were/are fibreglass hulls with plastic superstructures and metal fittings, aimed at the scale radio control market. Perhaps others can provide further information? Meanwhile if anyone finds that John Piper Grey Goose sitting on a shelf...........It's one of the few models which would tempt me to move away from 1:700. Best wishes, Jim Owen,(U.K.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: Potemkin Kit >> Hello, does anyone know of a source in the USA for the Ogonek kit in 1/400 of the Potemkin, I would like to try this kit, also has anyone built it up? How is it? Any real problems? Thanks in advance for any help. << I have built the old Heller release of the Potemkin. Considering it was designed in the early 60s it's a very good kit. The overall fit was good and assembly went without any problems as I recall (I built the kit about 5 years ago). One thing about the kit I remember is how accurate the yardarms and masts were. You will have to taper them down toward the ends, but the way they are hung on the masts is quite accurate. I wish the major model companies would look at this and stop giving us the "Christian cross" mast and yards found in 1/700 scale kits. Most of the smaller parts are a little heavy and need to be thinned down or replaced, but overall an impressive kit once on the shelf. Those rigged masts with stacks on the deck looks cool. I have seen the Russian issue of the kit and the molding isn't as good as the Heller release. Try to find a Heller kit. I'm sure you could get a kit from Pacific Front Hobbies. Every now and then he gets a Heller Potemkin when he buys previously owned kits so keep a sharp eye on his newsletter. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Richa5011@aol.com Subject: Re: Potemkin >> Hello, does anyone know of a source in the USA for the Ogonek kit in 1/400 of the Potemkin, I would like to try this kit, also has anyone built it up? << There are a number of sources here in the US. Bill Gruner at Pacific Front carried them. Squadron Mail Order also had them. >> How is it? Any real problems? << Well, for a 30+ year old Heller kit, it's not bad. The biggest issue is most, if not all of the small parts need to be cleaned up, detailed, and in some cases replaced. The kit cleans up well and looks good when completed. Nat Richards ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Dave Carter Subject: Babblings >> It seems the "F" word (Flower)has been coming up as much as the "Y" word (Yamato). What's all the hype about Flowers? I mean, they were kinda cute, sort of like a children's toy, but as a warship goes they're << To Jeff, You'll have abraded just a few sensitive nerves I suspect!! Of course, re. the Flowers, as any Royal Navy Historian will tell you, some countries (the U.K. in particular) owed their survival in the last war to these gallant little ships and the tough buggers who sailed.. and died, in them... as far as kits go, intetestingly, the WEM 1/700 HMS Bluebell has been our best seller, so those ships certainly inspire something.. besides ugliness, cuteness, prettiness, or whatever character anyone cares to ascribe to them! Food for thought for all. Caroline "Shiphead" Carter/nWMo and WEMblie http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/white.ensign.models ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) Sender: Tim Perry Subject: Corvettes - Different Track Thanks Mike Quan for the dates of the Pipers Flower review, I have just turned out my old magazines and I have located all of these articles, so Colin, if you want photocopies of the other articles, let me know. The price given was £140. I was a trainee manager at the Bristol Branch of Beatties at the time, on about £50 a week. That means, pro rata, this kit would be something like £600 in todays prices. No wonder it didn't sell! I remember John Piper himself bringing a made up example into the shop to drum up some trade. It was a beautiful model, but we certainly didn't place any orders. And as for Jeff Herne calling Flowers butt-ugly, beauty is surely in the eye of the beholder! I like'em, whatever he says.... Tim Perry Bristol, UK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Steven Rogers Subject: File corruption problems Hey Guys, I've had my computer people examine examples of SMML on different days. The capacity of my server is not the culprit. I can down load huge files of various sorts, avi, wav, jpeg, etc. Four of the last five newsletters have come in with header only. Needless to say, this does not make me a happy subscriber. I really could use a SMML fix. In any case, please check your own hardware. It might be useful to poll other subscribers to see if there is a widespread glitch. Knowing this is a free service, I can only ask. Somewhere between the source and destination ( Charlotte, NC - USA ) there is a problem. My techs are sure the files are corrupted before they reach my desktop. Sinking fast, Steven Rogers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From : Greg Lee (Listmaster - SMML) Subject : Re File corruption problems To Everybody, This is the second time Steve has mailed me about this, I have looked into it from my end, he has checked his end, and It just doesn't seem to make sense. Has anybody else experienced this problem? Anybody got any ideas? I know we have some computer wizz's out there. Perhaps somebody could try to re-direct this volume of SMML to steve to see if he receives it. Thanks guys, all help greately appreciated here :-) Greg (Lustmaster Extraordinaire) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume