Subject: SMML07/04/99VOL508 Date: Wed, 07 Apr 1999 23:58:13 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Sheffield Wind Deflectors 2: USS Ranger and P40 markings 3: Ranger – Once and for all...PLEASE 4: Re: 1/700 scale planks 5: Paint Question 6: Re: 1/350 Enterprise 7: Modern RN Colours 8: Re: Wind deflectors on HMS Sheffield, painting 9: Doxford Standard Motorship 10: Re: 1/350 Enterprise 11: Re: Floquil Primer Problem (Or FPP for short) 12: 1/350 Alaska Plans and Accuracy 13: Tamiya Fletcher camo 14: Re: Flying High 15: Yamato 16: Re: Lindberg PT 109 17: Etched parts for Shell Welder needed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: F/S or F/T -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: WRPRESSINC@aol.com Subject: Re: Sheffield Wind Deflectors What black band. Please explain more fully if possible. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "FERNANDO, YOHAN" Subject: USS Ranger and P40 markings Hello, Thanks to everyone for the input on the correct P40 markings for the Ranger. It turns out I have a number of options to choose from between the Ranger's configuration and the P40s' markings. Since I wanted to depict the Ranger before her late '42 refit (how many chances does one have to display quad 1.1's compared to Bofors?), I've decided to display her with the P40's from one of the earlier ferrying trips. I think I have more than enough info from everyone to make them pretty accurate. Maybe I'll try to scan some photos when it's all done and post them somewhere... Yohan Fernando -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Jeff Herne" Subject: Ranger – Once and for all...PLEASE Something I’ve learned about research...NEVER trust a ship reference that talks about non-naval aircraft, and NEVER trust aircraft books when they talk about ships...and ALWAYS confirm your data with multiple sources. On that note I’m going to commit and say that both DANFS is incorrect. Simple timeline: 1 July 1942: 57th FG, Lt. Col. Frank H. Mears Jr., commanding, leaves US aboard USS Ranger. 57th enters combat August 8th, 1942. These are the FIRST P-40s in North Africa. 79 Fighter Group Arrives on Ranger’s next trip, 2 November, 1942. Lt Col. L.P. McGoldrick, commanding. 1st Torch Landings, 0100 hrs, 8 November 1942. Ranger supported these landings with her own aircraft. She then returns to Norfolk for AA refit. She carries the 325th (ah-hem) from the US when she leaves. 33rd Fighter Group arrives aboard USS Chenango, and comes ashore on November 10th & 12th, 1942, after the fighting had ceased. They were scheduled to come ashore earlier, but heavy fighting near Port Lyautey airfield had prevented their departure. 58 of the P-40s arrived safely, another 17 were lost on landing due to the rough airfield, and 1 was lost without a trace. A few days later, Maj. Phillip Cochran arrived with 35 ‘advance attrition’ P-40s from the HMS Archer to replace these losses. Arriving from the US after her refit, this is Ranger’s 3rd trip, the 325th (ah-hem) Fighter Group leaves for bases in Morocco in February, 1943. I used 4 sources for this timeline, all are available, and all concur with each other. AIRCAM # 12: USAAF Fighter Units, MTO, 1942-45 by Christopher Shores 1978 Air Force Colors Vol. 2 ETO & MTO 1942-45 by Dana Bell 1980 Twelfth Air Force Story: Transcripts of the 12th AF History by Kenn Rust. 1975 Torch: Ballentine Publications 1972 My question is: How could Ranger have supported the TORCH landings on November 8 with her own aircraft if she had carried the 33rd and they didn’t depart the ship until 10-12 November 1942??? Ok, so maybe I’m being a nit-picker guys, but hey, can 4 separate sources all be wrong and the all-knowing DANFS be right? BTW, I apologize for typing 352TH instead of 325TH in yesterday’s post. Next time I’ll be sure to type 253nd or “eleventy-second” just get you guys all riled up... Jeff Herne -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: 1/700 scale planks >> To give an indication of the sort of quality that we are looking at, further work for WEM by Brian has included the 1/700 Askold, the 1/700 Chester, << Caroline, I forgot to ask you at the IPMS/USA nationals last year but how on Earth did Brian make those wonderful recessed lines for the planking on the 1/700 Chester kit? I didn't think it was possible to cast such delicate lines, not to mention 1/700 scale! Pre-formed sheet plastic? If this is a trade secret, I understand. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Doremus, Mark" Subject: Paint Question John, This is probably just a stupid FNG question; but, in Measure 21, Overall 5-N, all vertical surfaces -- what are the horizontal surfaces? Are they Deck Blue 20-B or something else? Thanks Mark -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Dave Judy Subject: Re: 1/350 Enterprise Hello Mike, I assume you have the six piece hull, I built this kit about two years ago. You might try laying all the bulkhead pieces end on end on a piece of tape(so they don't shift), then measure the length, compare these to the dimensions of the hull at the hanger deck. Then you'll see what needs to be done! You also might try to dry fit these parts( contact cement or tape ) then lay the deck on to see how the elevator lines up with the bay in the hangar deck!( if you are going to open the midship elevator or stern elevator take your time and be sure, I checked mine 2 or 3 times ) I spent about a month just assembling these six pieces, my string lines would make a spider jealous!! If I can help any more please ask! Dave Judy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Chris Hughes" Subject: Modern RN Colours Hi Shane, Prior to attacking my CVN 65, I decided to have a practice run on something smaller. I'm about to splash paint all over my Revell 1/700 Type 22, slightly modified to depict HMS Birmingham. However, I'm having great difficulty in selecting the correct shades of grey. The colours I most desparately need are the hull/superstructure and deck colours. Ideally, Humbrol or Extracolor shades would be best... I also have a Spruance & OHP on the blocks, to which the same questions may be applied! Can any SMMLies help me out on this one? TIA Chris Hughes PS I haven't had so much fun or such a modelling (eyesight) challenge for ages - I'm hooked! All that etched steel... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Caroline Carter" Subject: Re: Wind deflectors on HMS Sheffield, painting Hi Frances >> Does anyone know if the black band appearance on the bridge wind deflectors on HMS Sheffield, circa 1930s and 40s is painted black, gray, or is the dirty appearance simply the effect of the wind force on the paint? << I am almost certain that the dark appearance of the wind deflectors is solely due to the shadow caused by the fact that the deflectors are recessed into the bridge. The sections of deflector that catch the light in photographs appear to be the same colour as the surrounding paintwork. On page numbers 14 of "HMS Sheffield, Life and Times of Old Shiny" by Bassett, this can be seen fairly clearly. Also check out "Royal Navy in Focus" 1930-1939 for another good pic of the ship in 1938. Regards Caroline and Dave Carter (the 1/700 and 1/350 HMS Sheffield kit instructions maestro) White Ensign Models -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Joanne Sloan Subject: Doxford Standard Motorship I'm building Jim Shirley's Doxford Standard Motorship. Unfortunately, there's nothing in the instructions which names an actual ship of the type. Could anyone name some of the ships of this type, especially those extant during WWII? Better yet, where could I find this information for myself? Thanks, Mark Sloan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: Re: 1/350 Enterprise To the person doing the "Big E" in 1/350, try gluing the photo-etch deck to a piece of 15 or 20 thou. plastic first, then glue that to the deck. Most important! ALWAYS sand both surfaces when gluing photo-etch, it sticks mo better! Good luck. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Mapweasel@aol.com Subject: Re: Floquil Primer Problem (Or FPP for short) I work at a hobby shop myself, and we have received the recall for the "silly string primer". Floquil (Testors) wants all defectives sent directly back to the manufacturer for trade on other items, NOT for more primer. It seems the batch was really screwed up, and they dont have any good primer available. So there will be a shortage for the next few months. A real shame for us all, because its one of the better primers available (when its not streaming all over your finely crfted model). Hope this info helps a bit. Brian Mowery -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: 1/350 Alaska Plans and Accuracy The USS Alaska debate continues. John Warneke has stated that plans that are in the book, "US Battleships" are accurate, then says that we wont ever know because the ship is not around to look at. He also states that these plans in question do match the photos very closely. This is where I disagree completely. When I am about to design a new kit, I will hunt down all the different plans and photos that I can find. I have, I think, all the books with any photos and drawings pertaining to the Alaska. I also found the Bu-Ships plans, and a set drawn by Tom Walkowiak of the Floating Drydock. It took me all of 30 seconds to decide which were the better of the two, or if I needed both. The Bu-Ships drawings are used for general reference, and are usually simplified. The Floating Drydock plans by Mr. Walkowiak are always very detailed and I have used many because of their accuracy. In this case the Bu plans were not only simplified, but had many discrepancies, so many, that I wonder if they were drawn before the ship was built/completed? They definitely DO NOT match the photos that I also obtained from various sources, or any that are published in any books. The FD plans do match very well and show twice as much detail. Sure, the Bu plans resemble an Alaska, but thats not good enough, if you are going to produce a model that sells for $300, or more. You had better get it as accurate as possible. Should both sets of plans be displayed for all to see? Most people just dont have the reference materials to check these things against, so they rely on the manufacture to do it right, myself included. I too built an Alaska a few years ago to the same Bu drawings in 1/700, and it and the Samek kit have the same mistakes, just like the Commanders kit does. I have learned from my mistakes of not getting all the reference that is out there, which is why I it takes a little longer for me to produce a kit. Hope this clarifies the debate Steve Wiper/Classic Warships -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: JVT7532@aol.com Subject: Tamiya Fletcher camo Thanks, the copy arrived today. also thank you for the information regarding the paint colors. Best regards Jon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: Minadmiral@aol.com Subject: Re: Flying High Hi All: An Italian pilot arrived in N.Africa during WWII. He was assigned to take his C.R.42 biplane fighter and attack the British aircraft over Tobruk. He was circling and looking for targets when he spotted 3 British transport aircraft. He very carefully came up behind each one and shot it down. He was so excited! His first 3 kills. He did acrobatics all over the sky till his fuel ran low. Then he headed to the nearest airbase and landed. Before his aircraft stopped rolling he jumped out and ran to the nearest officer. Grabbing the officer, he embraced him and danced around his aircraft. All the while he was proclaming to the sky, "I justa shot a downa 3 British transport planes". After 5 minutes of this he finally stopped to see what the officer had to say. "Bad show, old chap". Chuck Duggie PS- just ordered my next naval modelling project. Does anyone make P.E. parts in 1:6000 scale? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: Senkan@aol.com Subject: Yamato Today is the 54th anniversary of the sinking of the Yamato. If you could today, take a moment and remember that great ship and the brave men onboard her on that last sacrificial cruise. Ken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: DKrakow105@aol.com Subject: Re: Lindberg PT 109 >> Lindberg has re-released their 1/32 scale PT 109 kit. List price seems to be about $100 US, various internet sources have it in the $70 range. << Does anyone remember seeing this kit featured in the movie "Pee-Wee Herman's Big Adventure"? The kit is "proportionally challenged" and the detail on the Revell 1:72nd Elco kit is better. However, I think someone armed with good references and a razor saw could make a decent model out of Lindberg's kit, especially in light of the 1:32nd scale weapons sets that are on the market. In any case, its not worth the retail price of $100, but its a better laugh than Pee Wee's movie. Cheers David Krakow Frankfurt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "James M. Pasquill, II" Subject: Etched parts for Shell Welder needed Can anyone direct me to a U.S. or Canadian supplier that carries the new etching set for Modelcrafts Shell Welder kit. Thanks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Katz, Gene S" Subject: F/S or F/T Following are new in box, complete, and untouched: Airfix KGV 1/600 Aoshimo Atago 1/700 and Takao 1/700 Minicraft Ticonderoga (Class) 1/700 Prefer trades, so what do you have? Regards, Gene Katz -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume