Subject: SMML11/08/98VOL268 Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 19:59:07 +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: Re: USS Portland, Aircraft Query. 2: Re: USN CGNs 3: Viking Models 4: RE: Plastic Injection Kits 5: Re: ship plans 6: New Tamiya Yamato 7: Re: Photo Mystery 8: Fletcher Kits 9: CB-1 USS Alaska 10: Re: USN CGNs 11: 1:350 USS Ohio 12: Wish List for ships 13: Tim Perry's comments re: scratchbuilding 14: 1/192 boats 15: Re: Airbrush masking 16: Prettiest ship Awards 17: Waterlining full hull models ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: The Festival of the Sea 2: **** Ship list upgrade**** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Mr J Owen" Subject: Re: USS Portland, Aircraft Query. Have any contributors to SMML accurate information on the type of aircraft carried by USS Portland from 1940 onwards but particularly in 1942? Can anyone say with certainty whether or not one or two aircraft would have been carried? I have very little printed information on US aircraft so a name, e.g. 'Kingfisher' would be useful as well as an alpha-numeric designation if possible. Thanks for any help, Jim Owen(UK). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: drwells@hogpa.ho.att.com (David R Wells) Subject: Re: USN CGNs >> Does anybody know of any models of ANY USN CGNs? I have found some instructions for the fitting of weapons systems for a California on the back of a Skywave box of modern US weapons, but nothing apart from that. I am mainly interested in good old plastic, preferably 1:700 scale. Treasury does not permit the funding of fleet expansion in 1:350! << The only injection molded plastic CGN model I know of is the old Aurora Bainbridge, (DLGN-25, later CGN-25) It's in 1/600, (as Aurora surface ships usually were) and like many kits of that era, is not that accurate below the waterline. It does have the SQS-23 dome on the bow, but it's still pretty boxy below the waterline. Above the waterline it's not bad, although the molded-into-the-deck railings don't help matters. Since it's an Aurora, it's pretty hard to find these days. David R. Wells ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Tom Eisenhour Subject: Viking Models Ed Grune wrote: >> I was at the Ft Worth IPMS show today and I had a chance to speak with the people of Viking Models. They are working on a 1/700 Texas and a 1/700 New York. << I also attended the show and had the opportunity to meet and talk with Dan Joplin. What a great guy! I leaned on him pretty hard to do a Type VII-C U-boat in 1/200 with several tower variations. I also suggested a Gato/Balao in the same scale, but according to Burl's post, it sounds like that may be covered in the near future. Ed, was that your beautiful USS Winslow? Tom Eisenhour ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Pacific Front Hobbies Subject: RE: Plastic Injection Kits Thanks to all who responded to the inquiry about your desires for new injection kits of ships & subs. I will pass them along to the manufacturer. Keep the suggestions coming, especially if you haven't responded yet. This is an informal poll, but it might help in the manufacturer's future decisions. Maybe also other manufacturers will see this poll and get the hint..... Thanks, Bill Gruner Pacific Fronty Hobbies ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Vimieraa@aol.com Subject: Re: ship plans Am trying to obtain a detailed set of offical plans of any one of the following four Tribal class ships as they appeared in WW two: (i) Athabaskan (ii) Haida (iii) Huron (iv) Iroquois I understand that the Canadian Archives holds ship plans but so far I have been unable to make contact with them. Can anybody help? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "FERNANDO, YOHAN" Subject: New Tamiya Yamato Ben wrote: >> Given that there was much wrong (it appears!) with the older 700th kit, should I assume that Tamiya's larger version is also incorrect? << I don't think there was that much 'wrong' with the old 1/700 kit in terms of accuracy. The bow shape is the big change. The problems with the older kit were mostly lack of detail and simplified features. While I have never seen the 1/350 kit in person, the photos in the Tamiya catalog seem to show that it looks very nice. I havn't heard any gripes from people about it. And while I'm writing, does anyone know where the DE that used to be with the Intrepid was moved to? Last time I was there (2 years ago), it was being restored and I was looking forward to seeing how it came out. Yohan Fernando ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Paolo Pizzi Subject: Re: Photo Mystery Paul Jacobs wrote: >> I need help getting the correct identification for a photo for a diorama. The photo in question is of the French CL LAMOTTE PICQUET, and shows it anchored in port. Three warehouses are visible in the background. One has large lettering on it which says GENERAL MOTORS, CHINA, INC. Another has lettering that says HOLT'S WHARF. I am trying to determine what port this is. The photo appears in WARSHIP INTERNATIONAL, 1980, No.1 at page 17 and is identified as a U.S. Navy photo, NH 54929. WI states the photo shows the ship on Feb. 27, 1937 at MANILA. The same photo appears in the MARINES EDITIONS book about the French 8000 ton cruisers, and says the photo was taken Feb. 27, 1936 at HONG KONG. Can anyone confirm the location? << I'd bet on Hong Kong for a couple of reasons: 1. I don't see why GM China would be in the Philippines 2. The cruiser was homeported in French Indochina and would often be sent to HK to "show the flag" and look after the numerous French interests. Yes, she could be in Manila on a port visit, but that's less likely. Paolo Pizzi http://navismagazine.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Duane Fowler Subject: Fletcher Kits In responce to Al Evans' question about Fletchers: >> 1. Recommendations are building the hedgehog or aftermarket parts. << I made my own out of styreen. It's mostly a box with posts so it's not difficult to manufacture. I haven't found any 1/350 aftermarket available. >> 2. Are there other Fletcher kits besides Tamiya << There is the Lindberg "Blue Devil Destroyer" at 1/125 but the kit is so bad that I wouldn't wish it on anybody but Jeff Herne ;) (He actually built one). There are several 1/350 resin kits available. Blue Water Navy makes several versions priced at US$84. >> 4. Recommendations on a compressor for a Badger II air brush suitable for hobby use. << I use a Craftsman 5HP compressor with a 25 gallon tank. A bit of an overkill, but I also use it for working on the car, painting the house and several other jobs. Regards, Duane Fowler ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Jens H. Brandal" Subject: CB-1 USS Alaska I stumbled across a kit from a Czech resin manufacturer called Samek Models of the USS Alaska in 1:700. I'm not an expert on the Alaskas, so I don't know how well it measures up to scale accuracy, but the moulding quality is absolutely first class. True, there are a few air bubbles, and some of the gun shields on the main deck (or whatever they're called in real life) suffer, but the two vents on the funnel are perfectly shaped - and they're less than half a millimetre in diameter! The kit does come with photoetched brass (by Eduard) for the anchors, chains, cranes, catapults, radars and 20mm guns, but no railings or stairs. The only things you will have to make yourself are the secondary armament gun barrels and some masts, but they are shown full size on the assembly drawing that reminds me of building Airfix' Tirpitz and Bismarck 25 years ago - same style without the words. Anyway, the instructions also include a painting plan depicting the Alaska in 1944 for both sides and the top, and that puzzles me: I though there were three tones to the dazzle pattern and not two; Haze Grey and Dull Black (apparently a very dark grey). The middle of the deck is given as deck tan - weren't the decks painted in the dazzle pattern as well? As you see, I am not an expert on US Navy camo patterns, but the quality of the castings and the appearance of the ship made this a "must have"... Jens ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Michael Quan" Subject: Re: USN CGNs >> Does anybody know of any models of ANY USN CGNs? I have found some instructions for the fitting of weapons systems for a California on the back of a Skywave box of modern US weapons, but nothing apart from that. I am mainly interested in good old plastic, preferably 1:700 scale. << Stuart, as far as I know, in 700th, you have no injected plastic kits. Revell used to have the USS Long Beach in a large, box scale. However, in 700th resin there are available: Sealine SL-06 CGN-9 Long Beach Waveline WL-71 CGN-36 California Sealine SL-11 CGN-38 Virginia I am also unsure, but think that at one time, there were also available: CGN-25 Bainbridge & CGN-35 Truxton by Pitroad in resin. Check with Pacific Front Hobbies for these items. cheers ...... Mike Quan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Lawrence Tam Subject: 1:350 USS Ohio Hi, I just got the 1:350 scale DML U.S.S. Ohio from the hobby store and I am wondering if anyone have any advice on building this boat? Is there any inaccurcy in the model? Any detailing sets? Thanks for any response. Lawrence Tam ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Mark Knowlton Subject: Wish List for ships Well, I might as well jump into the fray. 1/700 Pearl Harbor Battleships 1941 and also 1945. CA Baltimore CA San Francisco CA Brooklyn 1/350 Add my vote to the Essex! Definitley needed. CA Baltimore CA Cleveland CA Brooklyn USS Pennslyvania 1945 USS Arizona 1941 IJN Battleships Any or all IJN Cruisers IJN Destroyers IJN Carriers especially Akagi This list should bankrupt any company. My vote for prettiest ship: Alaska Class Battelcruisers. Mark Knowlton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: Douglas Bauer Subject: Tim Perry's comments re: scratchbuilding I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Perry's comments on wishlists...why don't people start scratchbuilding ships and parts instead of waiting for manufacturers to produce them. RTV and resin are readily available - so start casting your own parts. Ship plans are available too, for most classes of vessels. I think most people are somewhat reticent to scratchbuild because it looks so daunting; but remember, plastic is cheap and so what if the first 20 attempts don't turn out right, keep trying until you get it right. Doug Bauer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: Burl Burlingame / Pacific Monograph Subject: 1/192 boats Gosh, so much interest in these fleet boats. The 1/192 Gato/Balao/Guppy boats are by Tom's Modelworks and will be out before 1999 is in. Tom's 1/350 Gato/Balaos are real nice, so I'm expecting a REALLY nice model in 1/192... Burl Burlingame Pacific Monograph, 1124 Kahili Street, Kailua HI 96734 A historical interpretation company. Visit our web site at http://www.PacificHistory.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: Les Pickstock (Les Pickstock) Subject: Re: Airbrush masking This must be one of the trickiest problem concerning warship modelling, just be thankful that it a painted deck and not wooden. I use one of two methods but I'am not claiming that these are the only ways of doing it. 1) Spray the entire model the lighter shade and then paint the deck with a brush. I prefer a chisel shaped brush and use the square end to paint into the corner of bulkhead and deck. 2) Paint the deck colour first and then spray the lighter shade onto the model from just below the level of the deck angling the airbrush upwards slightly. This produces a paint shadow at deck level which has to be touched in by hand, again with a fine brush and a steady hand. Both of these method obviate the need to mask. I would recommend that you do not mask over P/E detail as they have a nasty habit of coming off with the masking. Also try and paint as much of the detail seperatly. And last ,but not least, warning circles transfers become a great deal easier to put down if you lay them onto transfer film and then put them into place on the model, cutting the tranfer film to fit around any moulded detail. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: Shane & Lorna Jenkins Subject: Prettiest ship Awards My nomination for beautiful ship awards go to the following: HMS Hood Fischer's cats Bismarck class BB's Scarnhorst class BB's Hipper class CA's RMS Queen Elizabeth 1 & 2 SS France Cutty Sark Now to start a new thread. What's your favorite reference(apart from SMML of course) for your favorite ship. On the other hand what ship would you like references for & what would it contain? Shane Jenkins APMA 630 (Committee member) IPMS(NSW) 2093 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: Shane & Lorna Jenkins Subject: Waterlining full hull models Hi all, What is your favorite method for waterlining full hull kits. The reason is I intend to start building the Airfix HMS Iron Duke shortly & I don't want a full hull model(and yes I will be looking at Ian Wilkins build article at Maritime Minitures) Thanks in advance Shane ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Dave Carter Subject: The Festival of the Sea We got an E-Mail from Tim Stoneman today re. the Festival of The Sea at Portsmouth.. this is one event which anyone with even a passing intetest in things maritime MUST try, come hell or high water, to get to. It takes place on the August Bank Holiday at the end of August from the Friday through to the Monday night and part of Portsmouth, together with the Naval Museum, will be segregated from the rest of the town... the FoT Sea in Bristol 2 years ago attracted 250,000 people, and the Portsmouth event will be far larger, so book your tickets and accommodation well in advance! The Festival of the Sea homepage is at: http://www.portsmouth98.co.uk/fest.html and outlines some of the stuff going on... I NEED that digital camera! This will probably be your only chance (unless you serve on one!!) to get aboard an Invincible Class Carrier, RN destroyers, minehunters, and stuff from visiting navies as well... we've booked for 4 days..... Cheers Caroline and Dave Carter White Ensign Models, Bookmark us for regular updates http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/avenue/xdt22/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Shane & Lorna Jenkins Subject: **** Ship list upgrade**** Hi guys, I just recieved my latest PSM & I thought I might update the magazine list after I finished reading it. There will be approx 40-50 updates. Now, if any of you have any ideas of how to update the list, please contact me. Also if you have any magazine articles you would like included, please send them to me. I would especially like the UK(IPMS) & US(IPMS) guys to send me listings(or in fact any other club magazine). Also could anyone who gets the UK(IPMS) magazine could you please send the correct details for the following articles which I've listed below, I need the issue No & year for these articles/reviews: HMS King George V Battleships 1937-45 by Ian Day (at least 2 parts) HMS U Class DD conversions by Ian Day HMS Tiger conversion by Richard Farrer & Ian Day HMS Queen Elizabeth class BB 1916 by Ian Day HMS Agincourt conversion by Ian Day IPMS(US) USS Gato Combat Models by Charles Davenport (at least 3 parts) The above articles were published in the last two years. Also any reviews from the above mags would also be appreciatted. Seeing as I'm learning as I go along, one idea I had was to update at least 4 times a year after I recieve the latest PSM & any additional updates will occur when I get at least say 50 additional articles/reviews, any ideas? I hope to hear from you soon: Shane ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume