Subject SMML4/12/98VOL383 Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 21:15:21 +1100 (EST) shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: NS Savannah 2: Re: Copyright 3: RE: Photo copyright 4: Photo Copyright 5: Nagato 6: Followup Request for info 7: "Don't shoot, We're Republicans!" (long) 8: Re: Kit Collectors Clearing House alive and well 9: SURCOUF information requested 10: Concrete + Yorktown = Bad Idea 11: Blue vs. wood decks 12: Re: Top Speed 13: Wem Sheffield, fffffff Force H anyone? 14: FuMO 27 15: Re: Old Kits 16: request for assistance - Vincennes 17: Floquil acrylics, Vincennes 18: Re: USS Vincennes 19: Proposition -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT 2: Ship article index update 3: New U-Boat Videos/1/600 AA Weapons -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Shane & Lorna Jenkins Subject: NS Savannah Hi guys, In regards to the recent thread regarding the Savannah. There is an article on her in the September 1998 issue of Ships Monthly. They visit her where she is laid up. All the best, Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Paolo Pizzi Subject: Re: Copyright >> The question is are these photos public domain? I realize that photos taken either by individuals & publishers will have to get approval. But those taken by navies seem to be a grey area, taken with tax payer money, do they belong to the public? << True in the US, not necessarily in other countries. Oddly, in Britain some navy photos are in the PD and some others are Crown Copyright. Never understood on what basis they fall in either category. Anyway, scanning photos from a magazine is a no-no, get them from the original source. Besides it's dangerous because today just about anybody uses digital watermarks and according to the Berne Convention (International Copyright Agreement) you can't copy a picture off a magazine, even a PD one. Paolo Pizzi http://navismagazine.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: David.Hathaway@Smallworld.co.uk Subject: Re: Photo copyright >> I recently obtained at fairly cheap prices a stack of Warship Internationals with a some very nice colour photos, most of which are copyright by the various navies around the world. The question is are these photos public domain? << If this has been stated before, apologies. Copyyright is there to protect the work of those who place their work in the public domain in print or electronic form from loss of income caused by unauthorised copying and distribution. Unauthorised copying can be viewed as theft. A work does not have to be stated as copyright to qualify for protection though in many countries it is effectively impossible to enforce without it. The convention is to mark a work with the "(C) copyright ...." symbol. The images you mention are copyright of the copyright holder unless explicitly stated otherwise and permission must be obtained to reproduce them. End of story as far as legality goes and I believe this position is now consistent across the "civilised" world. The magazines are also copyright of the publisher so again it is not legal to reproduce them. Where the copyright has expired (time span varies but ususally > 50 years after the death of the holder for individuals - don't know about official bodies or companies) no problem. I would have thought a few letters or phone calls to the PR department of the relevant navy was worth it - I can't imagine them having a problem, the worst they can say is no and the second worst is that they ask you acknowledge the source/copyright. I would always ask myself - would I like someone to rip off some of my work without my permission or would I rather have a polite letter through the post explaining the good reasons for me to let them have permission to do it - before it happened? As I am starting to venture into print this is a subject close to my heart so apologies for the hard and unambiguous stance on this. Regards David -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Caroline Carter" Subject: Photo Copyright Hi Shane, Hmmmm... the taxpayer argument doesn't hold up...when Dave was a policeman he used to arrest taxpayers even though they were paying his wages!! Also, taxpayers' money buys Royal Navy Sea Harriers but they won't let me fly one!! You might be better off putting out a call for folks to send you their personal collections ... this is what others do. Cheers! Caroline White Ensign Models http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/white.ensign.models/jbhood/jbhood.htm For COOL models! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: jakloek@kodak.com Subject: Nagato From: James Kloek Just to complete a story, I finally received my Hi-Mold Nagato from HLJ. I ordered it in August, and it arrived in late November. The U.S. dollar had weakened considerably vs the yen during that time, so it finally cost about $20 more than it would have, had it shipped when I ordered it. The kit arrived via UPS to my door, and there were no added costs for duties, etc, beyond what HLJ charged for shipping and handling. The kit was well worth the wait, it is beautiful. I do plan to build it, not just look at it, and have a color question. In looking at the box art, the aircraft deck is painted what looks to be an IJN linoleum color (reddish-brown). The pictures of Paul Eisenberg's 1/200 Nagato on Warship show this area painted dark gray, although it looks like the brass strips which separate the linoleum sheets are there too. It seems to be dark gray linoleum. Finally, also on the Warship site, the pictures of Jim Gordon's Mutsu show the aircraft deck to be the same gray as the rest of the ship. So, my question is, does anyone have any knowledge or opinions about what color the aircraft deck actually was? Also, were the steel decks the same color as the vertical surfaces of the ship? Is this true in general for IJN ships, or were the steel decks a different color? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Edward F Grune" Subject: Followup Request for info I threw this request out onto the list over this weekend and no one rose to take the bait. So here it goes again ... Does anybody know of a source for 1/700 scale LCM-3's? Does the Skywave JMSDF LST come with them? Does anybody have one that I may borrow from which to pour a mold? Barring that, does anybody scaled drawings of these landing craft? I'm planning on modifying the Skywave AK-99 Bootes to be the AKA-14 Oberon - my father's ship. It carried 8 LCMs and 16 LCVPs. I have a few of the LCVPs from which I'm going to pour molds. Please contact me off the list if you can help. Thanks Ed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: BSteinIPMS@aol.com Subject: "Don't shoot, We're Republicans!" (long) DON'T SHOOT, WE'RE REPUBLICANS! Transcribed by Jerry Proc (From a1993 article by Kit Bonner of the Sacramento Bee) From November 1943, until her demise in June 1945, the American destroyer WILLIAM D. PORTER was often hailed - whenever she entered port or joined other Naval ships - with the greetings: 'Don't shoot, we're Republicans!'. For a half a century, the US Navy kept a lid on the details of the incident that prompted this salutation. A Miami news reporter made the first public disclosure in 1958 after he stumbled upon the truth while covering a reunion of the destroyer's crew. The Pentagon reluctantly and tersely confirmed his story, but only a smattering of newspapers took notice. Fifty years ago today, the "Willie D" as the Porter was nicknamed, accidentally fired a live torpedo at the battleship IOWA during a practice exercise. As if this wern't bad enough, the IOWA was carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the time, along with Secretary of State, Cordell Hull and all of the country's WWII military brass. They were headed for the Big Three Conference in Tehran, where Roosevelt was to meet Stalin and Churchill. Had the Porter's torpedo struck the IOWA at the aiming point, the last 50 years of world history might have been quite different. The USS WILLIAM D. PORTER (DD-579) was one of hundreds of assembly line destroyers built during the war. They mounted several heavy and light guns but their main armament consisted of 10 fast- running and accurate torpedoes that carried 500 pound warheads. This destroyer was placed in commission on July 1943 under the command of Wilfred Walker, a man on the Navy's fast career track. In the months before she was detailed to accompany the IOWA across the Atlantic in November 1943, the Porter and her crew learned their trade, experiencing the normal problems that always beset a new ship and a novice crew. The mishaps grew more serious when she became an escort for the pride of the fleet, the big new battleship IOWA. The night before they left Norfolk, bound for North Africa, the Porter accidentally damaged a nearby sister ship when she backed down along the other ship's side and her anchor tore down her railings, life rafts, ship's boat and various other formerly valuable pieces of equipment. The Willie D merely had a scraped anchor, but her career of mayhem and mishaps had begun. Just twenty four hours later, the four-ship convoy consisting of IOWA and her secret passengers and two other destroyers wasunder strict instructions to maintain complete radio silence. As they were going through a known U-boat feeding ground, speed and silence were the best defence. Suddenly a tremendous explosion rocked the convoy. All of the ships commenced anti-submarine manoeuvres. This continued until the Porter sheepishly admitted that one of her depth charges had fallen off her stern and exploded. The 'safety' had not been set as instructed. Captain Walker was watching his fast track career become side-tracked. Shortly thereafter, a freak wave inundated the ship, stripping away everything that wasn't lashed down, and a man was washed overboard and never found. Next, the fire room lost power in one of its boilers. The Captain, by this point, was making reports almost hourly to the IOWA on the Willie D's difficulties. It would have been merciful if the force commander had detached the hard luck ship and sent her back to Norfolk. But no, she sailed on. The morning of 14 November 1943 dawned with a moderate sea and pleasant weather. The IOWA and her escorts were just east of Bermuda, and the president and his guests wanted to see how the big ship could defend herself against an air attack. So, IOWA launched a number of weather balloons to use as anti aircraft targets. It was exciting to see more than 100 guns shooting at the balloons, and the President was proud of his Navy. Just as proud was Admiral Ernest J King, the Chief of Naval Operations; large in size and by demeanour, a true monarch of the sea. Disagreeing with him meant the end of a naval career. Up to this time, no one knew what firing a torpedo at him would mean. Over on the Willie D, Captain Walker watched the fireworks display with admiration and envy. Thinking about career redemption and breaking the hard luck spell, the Captain sent his impatient crew to battle stations. They began to shoot down the balloons the IOWA had missed as they drifted into the Porter's vicinity. Down on the torpedo mounts, the crew watched, waiting to take some practice shots of their own on the big battleship, which, even though 6000 yards away, seemed to blot out the horizon. Lawton Dawson and Tony Fazio were among those responsible for the torpedoes. Part of their job involved ensuring that the primers wereinstalled during actual combat and removed during practice. Once a primer was installed, on a command to fire, it would explode, shooting the torpedo out of its tube. Dawson, on this particular morning, unfortunately had forgotten to remove the primer from torpedo tube #3. Up on the bridge, a new torpedo officer, unaware of the danger, ordered a simulated firing. Fire 1, Fire 2 and finally Fire 3. There was no fire 4 as the sequence was interrupted by an unmistakable 'whooooooshhhhing' sound made by a successfully launched and armed torpedo. Lt H. Steward Lewis, who witnessed the entire event, later described the next few minutes as what hell would look like if it ever broke loose. Just after he saw the torpedo hit water,on its way to the IOWA and some of the most prominent figures in world history, Lewis innocently asked the Captain, 'Did you give permission to fire a torpedo?' Captain Walker's reply will not ring down through naval history.. although words to the effect of Farragut's immortal 'Damn the torpedoes' figured centrally within. Initially there was some reluctance to admit what had happened or even to warn the IOWA. As the awful reality sunk in, people began racing around, shouting conflicting instructions and attempting to warn the flagship of imminent danger. First, there was a flashing light warning about the torpedo which unfortunately indicated it was headed in another direction. Next, the Porter signalled that it was going reverse at full speed! Finally, they decided to break the strictly enforced radio silence. The radio operator on the destroyer transmitted "Lion (code for the IOWA), Lion, come right". The IOWA operator, more concerned about radio procedure, requested that the offending station identify itself first. Finally, the message was received and the IOWA began turning to avoid the speeding torpedo. Meanwhile, on the IOWA's bridge, word of the torpedo firing had reached FDR, who asked that his wheelchair be moved to the railing so he could see better what was coming his way. His loyal Secret Service guard immediately drew his pistol as if he was going to shoot the torpedo. As the IOWA began evasive manoeuvres, all of her guns were trained on the WILLIAM D. PORTER. There was now some thought that the Porter was part of an assassination plot. Within moments of the warning, there was a tremendous explosion just behind the battleship. The torpedo had been detonated by the wash kicked up by the battleship's increased speed. The crisis was over and so was Captain Walker's career. His final utterance to the IOWA, in response to a question about the origin of the torpedo, was a weak, 'We did it'. Shortly thereafter, the brand new destroyer, her Captain, and the entire crew were placed under arrest and sent to Bermuda for trial. It was the first time that a complete ship's company had been arrested in the history of the US Navy. The ship was surrounded by Marines when it docked in Bermuda, and held there several days as the closed session inquiry attempted to determine what had happened. Torpedoman Dawson eventually confessed to having inadvertently left the primer in the torpedo tube, which caused the launching. Dawson had thrown the used primer over the side to conceal his mistake. The whole incident was chalked up to an unfortunate set of circumstances and placed under a cloak of secrecy. Someone had to be punished. Captain Walker and several other Porter officers and sailors eventually found themselves in obscure shore assignments. Dawson was sentenced to 14 years hard labour. President Roosevelt intervened; however, asking that no punishment be metered out for what was clearly an accident. The destroyer was banished to the upper Aleutians. It was probably thought this was as safe a place as any for the ship and anyone who came near her. She remained in the frozen north for almost a year, until late 1944, when she was re-assigned to the Western Pacific. Before leaving the Aleutians, she accidentally left her calling card in the form of a five inch shell fired into the front yard of the American base commandant, thus rearranging his flower garden. In December 1944, she joined the Philippine invasion forces and acquitted herself quite well. She distinguished herself by shooting down a number of attacking Japanese aircraft. Regrettably, after the war, it was reported that she also shot down three American planes. This was a common event on ships, as many gunners, fearful of kamikazes, had nervous trigger fingers. In April 1945, the destroyer was assigned to support the invasion of Okinawa. By this time, the greeting "Don't Shoot, We're Republicans" was commonplace and the crew of the Willie D had become used to the ribbing. But the crew of her sister ship, the USS LUCE, was not so polite in its salutations after the Porter accidentally riddled her side and superstructure with gunfire. On 10 June 1945, the Porter's hard luck finally ran out. She was sunk by a plane which had (unintentionally) attacked underwater. A Japanese bomber almost made entirely of wood and canvas slipped through the Navy's defence. Having little in the way of metal surfaces, the plane didn't register on radar. A fully loaded kamikaze, it was headed for a ship near the Porter, but just at the last moment veered away and crashed along side the unlucky destroyer. There was a sigh of relief as the plane sunk out of sight, but then it blew up underneath the Porter, opening her hull in the worst possible location. Three hours later, after the last man was off board, the Captain jumped to the safety of a rescue vessel and the ship that almost changed world history slipped astern into 2400 feet of water. Not a single soul was lost in the sinking. After everything else that happened, it was almost as if the ship decided to let her crew off at the end. Bob Steinbrunn Minneapolis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: Kit Collectors Clearing House alive and well >> The KCC was run by a minister in Oklahoma. It might have gone of business. I hope this is of help. << Kit Collectors Clearing House is alive and well here in Edmond Oklahoma. As a matter of fact, John Burns lives only a couple of miles from me. You ought to see this guys collection! He has built an entire room on his house to hold thousands of kits. He still produces a collectors book that has the value of almost every model ever made. It's only $25.00 and it has lots of photos of the kits as well. You can contact John at cheersjwb@aol.com. He also has a great newsletter for those interested in kit collecting. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: BURKE@siena.edu Subject: SURCOUF information requested Fellow SMML'ers, I would like to find some references and particularly some color scheme information on the French submarine "Surcouf". If anyone can provide some book or article references (in any language) I would really appreciate it. Also, if anyone has any experience/opinions on the Heller 1/400 kit of this submarine I'd like to hear from you. You can either reply to the list or directly to me. Thanks in advance. Tim Burke Scotia, NY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Michael C. Smith" Subject: Concrete + Yorktown = Bad Idea I absolutely agree - since the wood decks were already overlaid with asphalt sheeted plywood (this is more or less accurate) why not do the same thing - put essentially a "roof" on the deck, but one that is indistinguishable historically speaking from the deck you removed. You'd also save most if not all of the "original" wood deck underneath. I told Steve Ewing the Texas had a bad appearance and he knows this is a big mistake, but that's what their board opted for. Michael Smith Marshall, Texas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Michael C. Smith" Subject: Blue vs. wood decks I've seen the same glaring light decks on a dark blue battleship (I think it was the new Mexico or Idaho or Mississippi) and I agree that while the decks would fade and weather, surely they wouldn't fade THAT much. My theory is that the decks had been sanded (holystoned I think is the term) prior to being restained. We'd need a WWII sailor to confrm this, and the problem with this theory is that the pictures shown the entire decks this way - I would expect that they'd be redone piecemeal. But maybe not. If anyone hears anything on this, please post. Michael Smith Marshall, Texas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Donna Ogilvie Subject: Re: Top Speed >> I was reading Friedman's US Carriers over the weekend and was also a bit surprised at a passage that described the differences between the designed top speed and the 'realistic' top speed for the Ranger after a month or two at sea. While the Ranger attainted a little over 29 knots on trials, the top speed was reduced to about 23.5 knots due to marine growth. In designing the following Yorktowns, the Bureau of Engineering was pressed for a higher top speed so that even with a dirty hull, the wind over the deck could be kept up around 28-30 knots to be able to launch the heavier planes coming into service. For other capital ships and cruisers, I would assume the same conditions would affect the top speed in the same proportion (about 20% slower). South Dakota class ships had a trial speed of about 27 knots, so would operate at a top speed of about 22. From all this, it seems as if the speed attained on trials is purely for benchmarking. Most publications list a ships top speed as this trial speed, which to me is only half the story. It would be nice to see the speed listed twice- the top trial speed and the true operating top speed (similar to the designed and full-load displacements). << Dear Yohan: Speaking as a former USN Main Propulsion Assistant and Chief Engineer the only reliable gauge of speed is the trial or Measured mile speed. The acclimation of marine growth is not a constant. The growth rate depends on the temp. of the water. If you are in the North Pacific in winter it is almost negligible, on the other hand if you are in the South Pacific or Indian ocean in summer, where I spent most of my career IT IS VERY RAPID and can have a serious effect on speed. Today most ships have there hulls cleaned about every six month, depending on there operational commitments. (I don't know what the frequency was in WWII.)That of course returns the speed to or near her trials speed. Hull cleaning can be done in the water by divers or in dry dock. Another factor is if the ship has been in fresh water between cleanings. Fresh water kills the marine growth and most of it drops off or decays quickly. Hope this helps. Greg Ogilvie Aliso Vijo,Ca. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Douglas Martin" Subject: Wem Sheffield, fffffff Force H anyone? Had a peek at Wems 1/350 Sheffield Truly a wonder kit Caroline, as built by Ian Ruscoe! Only need a Renown, few more cruisers, Ark Royal and Co, and hey presto....Force H makes a comeback......! Also noticed 'Battleships of WW2' by M J Whitley in the shops, not sure about this one, a mere 40 of Lizzies Pounds, maybe an Xmas prezzie seeing as how Fuso is not yet on the shelves.. Caroline, are you attuned to the 'Euro' for pricing in future? Douglas (Scotland) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Robert Lockie" Subject: FuMO 27 There are some plans of various German radars including FuMO 27 in the Conway book 'Naval Weapons of World War Two' by John Campbell, pages 223-224. I think they also appeared in an early issue of Warship magazine but it was easier to find the former on my bookshelf. If you need a copy of the sheets, I can send you one, as I think the book is long out of print and have not seen one for some time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "Michael Quan" Subject: Re: Old Kits >> For a number of years a company called Kit Collector Clearing house produced a catalogue of all plastic kits.It also gave the value of them . I used to own a copy from 1987 but I got rid of it. It would list the years of company's exist and the serial numbers of their kits . The KCC was run by a minister in Oklahoma . It might have gone of business. I hope this is of help. << (Rev) John Burns is the individual behind the Kit Collector's Clearinghouse, and indeed he is alive and still doing well!!!!! He can be reached at 3213 Hardy Drive, Edmond OK 73013. The KCC publication is a bimonthly of ads and info on collectible kits, and for a mere buck, a sample issue can be had. The Collector's Value Guide for Scale Model Plastic Kits is in it's sixth edition and sells for $30 via book rate in the US. No, I am not associated with John other than as an acquaintence here in the Texas/Oklahoma region, but he does offer a very unique product not available anywhere else. Hope this helps. Mike Quan, Garland TX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "ELBERT14" Subject: request for assistance - Vincennes There's a book called "The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal" by Bob Ballard. I got it from Barnes and Noble about nine months ago on their discount rack for almost nothing. It's an excellent source for several ships of the Guadalcanal campaign. There is only one picture of the Vincennes in the book, but it's a good side view shot. In addition, there are several good photos of her sister ship Quincy. You can really do some good detail work from these photos. One of them is even in color. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: Marc Flake Subject: Floquil acrylics, Vincennes I've used the Floquil acrylic equivilents to their Marine colors. To thin for airbrushing, I added either denatured alcohol or the Polly S Thinner. I thin it down to the same consistency as Gunze Sanyo and it reacts the same way. Good Paint. I only wish they had replicated the whole line of Marine Colors. Bob, about the Vincennes. I built the 1/700 Loose Cannon kit and applied the dapple camoflauge she wore in 1942. I found two pictures showing her starboard side. One is on page 46 of "American Cruisers of World War II, A Pictoral Encyclopedia," by Steve Ewing. A bigger picture is on page 246 of "Cruisers of World War II, An International Encyclopedia," by M.J. Whitley. There was no date on the latter picture, but the former was taken at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. As you know, the Vincennes was lost in August. Good hunting. Marc -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: Sanartjam@aol.com Subject: Re: USS Vincennes There seems to be a lot less information on the Vincennes than on, for instance, her sister the Quincy. There is a pretty good starboard side photograph of the Vincennes taken in May of 1942 that you can find in Silverstone's U.S. Warships of WWII, in Whitley's Cruisers of WWII, and Stern's The U.S. Navy in World War II (Warships Illustrated No. 10). I suspect the same photograph is No. N-1828 from Real War Photos. There is another starboard side photograph (almost a starboard bow view) in Richard Newcomb's Savo: The Incredible Naval Debacle off Guadalcanal, and there is a very good aerial view of her (taken in July 1942) in Loxton's The Shame of Savo. I suspect that the aerial view is No. N-1829 from Real War Photos (let me know if you need an address for them). I think the Floating Drydock has a set of plans for the Quincy, but I don't know if there were any differences between the Quincy and Vincennes (other than their camouflage patterns) in August 1942. Hope this helps.... Art Nicholson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: John Snyder Subject: Proposition Those who have attended IPMS contests--even the local ones--regularly see splits in certain categories (1/48 scale single-engine fighters, or 1/35 scale tanks, for instance) that lead to rather interesting head-to-head competition--a whole category of 1/48 Spitfires, or 1/35 Shermans. Such a thing never occurs in ships. I received a call this evening from Mike Davis, a superlative shipmodeler who lives in Dallas. Mike suggested that a bunch of shipmodelers agree to show up at the IPMS/USA nationals in Orlando having built the same type of ship (though not necessarily starting with the same kit). Mike suggested 1/700 destroyers, since that would provide for a small enough model that getting one finished in the next 6 months shouldn't be too much of a chore. FLETCHERs would make a good choice, providing for a plethora of paint schemes, as well as versions up through 1969 in the USN and later in other navies. The RN O class could also work, though not offering quite as many variants. So, I told Mike I'd throw the idea out to the list and seek responses, and then get back to him. I like the idea. It could force a class split in ships, and could also heighten awareness of, and interest in, ships as a modeling subject. Thoughts, folks? John Snyder Snyder & Short Enterprises The Paint Guys -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Greg Lee (Listmaster - SMML) Subject: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT Hi All, Well, I have published 383 Volumes of SMML now. Finally managed to get the archive up (which will be updated and expanded soon) and helped people find answers to a lot of questions they might not have otherwise been able to obtain. I am very happy with what I have achieved, and feel its time to sit back a watch it for a while, so I have very reluctantly decided (after several months of turmoil) to have a break from the SMML Helm for a while, a turn the Con over to My XO, Shane Jenkins. I am in no way retiring from SMML, I will still be involved with any decisions/format changes/refereeing etc.... and will eventually be back at the wheel. For the moment I cant say when, but I will be back. I look forward to contributing a little more, writing a review or two for Warships, Helping Jeff with the archive etc.... And primarily, Building Models again:-) So I will publish tonight 383, tommorow night 384, and Saturday 385, and then after that, please address all replies and future posts to Shane: shipmodels@tac.com.au Adjust your address lists, and could all people/vendors with SMML links (WEM, WARSHIPS ETC....) on their web pages change them over to Shane's Address. Thank you once again to you all - together we have made an indespensible tool to shipmodellers all around the world. Greg Lee (Listmaster - SMML) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ 2) From: Shane & Lorna Jenkins Subject: Ship article index update Hi guys, I'm looking at doing an update to to magazine index of ship articles (shiplist) in the next month or so. And what I would like to do is include online review links in the index seeing as the list is online anyway. Any webmaster who would like to participate please email me with a list of what you have. BTW, the current list can be seen at ModellerAl's site at: http://www.up-link.net/~modeleral/ All the best, Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Caroline Carter" Subject: New U-Boat Videos/1/600 AA Weapons Hi Guys, We have just received the following: CHRONOS Videos PAL format only.. NOT available from us for North American format! GREY WOLVES.. probably the most comprehensive video history available of the U-Boat service in WW2. Outstanding!! Volume One 1939-1941 Volume Two 1942-1943 Volume Three 1943-1945 Each Volume is 14.95, or a boxed set of three 39.50. Deduct VAT at 17.5% of course if outside EC Europe! Big restock on Naval Video Time Capsules Parts 1-10. We've also received the 1/600 Scale Royal Navy AA Weapons.. in relief etched brass, each sheet contains: 3 x 8-Barrelled Pom-Poms, 3 x 4-Barrelled Pom-Poms, 4 x 0.5 inch machine guns.. here are builds of the 1/700 Scale versions by Chris Drage... http://whiteensignmodels.simplenet.com/wembrass/wempe720.jpg http://whiteensignmodels.simplenet.com/wembrass/wempe720a.jpg http://whiteensignmodels.simplenet.com/wembrass/wempe720b.jpg http://whiteensignmodels.simplenet.com/wembrass/wempe720c.jpg Sheet price is 2.95 pounds plus VAT in Europe. One pounds equals about 1.63 dollars U.S. Cheers! Caroline White Ensign Models, http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/white.ensign.models/jbhood/jbhood.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume