Subject: SMML25/06/99VOL587 Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 23:35:00 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Removing Old Paint 2: Destriero 3: Airfix 1/600 RMS Mauretania 4: Dunkerque and Strasbourg colors 5: Re: Blue Riband 6: Re: GMM needs your help 7: Print legibly 8: Re: GMM needs your help 9: Taubman's Plan Service web site 10: Fighting Lights 11: Re: Helvetia 12: Re: underway replenishment 13: GMM thanks you for all your help! 14: King George V 15: Painting Instructions for landing crafts 16: Re: Heller Scharnhorst 17: Re: Making your own decals 18: Heller Scharnhorst 19: Re: Underway Replenishment 20: Re: Helvetia 21: Re: Sinkex pics 22: Re: Underway replenishment photo 23: Interested in building a DD in 1/96 scale 24: Bad Naval Movie Alert 25: Jim Shirley 1/700 Newport News 26: Looking for books 27: Re: decals 28: Re: ALPS 29: Re: GMM needs your help (unknown address at Flugplatzstr Kehrsatz) 30: Re: ALPS Printers 31: A KILO OF SUBMARINES 32: Re: SMS Konig 33: Printing Decals with the Alps printer 34: Making Decals (in general) 35: 1/128th scale stuff 36: Atkatsuki class destroyer deck coverings 37: IJN DD colours ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Buying 2: New Kits & Stuff Coming Up ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Kelvin Mok" Subject: Re: Removing Old Paint >> I received a question on my webmaster email from somebody asking how best to remove old paint from an injection-molded kit. He knows of the oven-cleaner method, but was wondering about others. I know that this has been discussed in the past and I think should be part of the FAQ that some of you are working on. Any thoughts on alternative paint removal methods? << If the paint is acrylic the solvent for that is alcohol. Methylated spirits - methyl hydride from a paint supply shop is cheap, will do the job and will not damage the plastic. If the paint is enamel, oven cleaner which is a formulation of lye (sodium hydroxide),works somewhat. Watch the process closely as it may damage the plastic. Rinse frequently and apply fresh oven cleaner. I haven't had too much luck as the process is messy and leaves gunk on the most delicate parts. Kelvin Mok (klmok@home.com) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "foeth" Subject: Destriero As far as I know, they have won the ribbon, at least, that's what Kamewa told me on a visit. EJ Foeth ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Les Case" Subject: Airfix 1/600 RMS Mauretania Has anyone seen any of the Airfix 1/600 RMS Mauretanias scheduled for June 99 re-release? Les Case ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Torgeson Roger A KPWA" Subject: Dunkerque and Strasbourg colors There has been two good postings on Dunkerque and Strasbourg colors and the dates which ship wore then. Having both Heller kits, my question is, are there any available paints on the market that are the correct colors or close to them. Roger Torgeson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Rick Lundin Subject: Re: Blue Riband What is the origin of the Blue Riband? What is a Riband anyway? Ribbon I can understand but Riband? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Kristoffer.Lindh@alcatel.fr Subject: Re: GMM needs your help Dear Loren, Helvetia is the latin name for Switzerland and there is a place called Kehrsatz in the canton of Bern with the postcode 3122. So try Switzerland. Good luck, Kristoffer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Print legibly I know everyone who has a mail order business will agree with me here. After reading Loren's plea for help for a complete mailing address, I thought I would post this request. I got a nasty letter from FSM a while back because of a complaint a reader sent in about me. His complaint was I took his cash dollar, but never sent the catalogue. I save all the letters I just can't read and sure enough, there it was. The whole matter was cleared up quickly once I had a legible address. I sent the catalogue with an apology and a suggestion that he print very clearly to prevent such problems in the future. At least once a month I get a catalogue request that is so poorly written I literally have to guess what the complete address is. I've gotten pretty good at analyzing hand writing over the years after watching cop shows. I find what I know is an S for instance in the address and match it to the letter in question and go from there. So PLEASE, print clearly and legibly on all correspondence to me and other mail order firms. I figure out about 98% that way, but every year there are 3 or 4 that get returned because my guess wasn't good enough. From then on this modeler goes around with a chip on their shoulder about my company. You may be able to read your writing but we may not. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Ernst-Bernhard Kayser Subject: Re: GMM needs your help Dear Loren, Finally there is a question that I feel qualified to answer. To my eternal disgrace it is not about ships but anyway. You guessed it. Helvetia is Switzerland - the whole country. I think the old roman name for the country on the stamps is a compromise. After all Switzerland is a multilingual country. People in the eastern part speak German (sort of), in the western part French, in the south Italian and somewhere in the center Raetoromanic. Needless to say Switzerland has a different name in each of these languages. Helvetica therefore is a way out of cultural hegemony of one of these languages over the others. Confusing for outsiders but it works for Switzerland or la Suisse or ... whatever. When you tried to contact your customer by fax I assume you know that you must omit the leading 0 of the long distance code. To connect to the Suisse number 031 / 9616253 from the U.S dial: (long distance) 0 (country code Switzerland) 41 (truncated Suisse number) 31 9616253 And, since I am warmed up now, I toss in a free lesson how to write and interpret Suisse (and also German) addresses Design Modellbau, (Addressee's name - here, a company) Flugplatzstr. 4, (new line, Street address, Street name first, then house number) 3122 Kehrsatz. (new line, ZIP first, then City) Switzerland (new line, Country) I hope this was useful and not too patronizing Greetings Bernhard ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Taubman's Plan Service web site For those of you who don't know Taubman's has a nice web site. Each of his plans has an illustration showing each vessel the plans are for. The web site address is: http://www.modelersboatyard.com/taubmans/taubman1.htm Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Ernst-Bernhard Kayser Subject: Fighting Lights Hi all, I have a question. Leafing through plans I came across thingies attached to masts called fighting lights. They are reminiscent to ordinary traffic lights, a vertical oblong box with three lights on top of each other. I assume they are used as signals but I am not sure. Can someone please enlighten me how they were used and what colors they are? Do all navy ship have these lights? Thanks Bernhard ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Katz, Gene S" Subject: Re: Helvetia The modern name is Switzerland, the Flugplatzstr 4 is the street address and number, and the last number is the postal code (like Zip code) and the town or city. Modellbau could be something like a design studio or model related business. Good luck. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "Fox, John" Subject: Re: underway replenishment There are some illustrations of various unrep rigs in the USN's Bluejacket Manual. Contact me off-list if you would like me to send you some photocopies. It would have to by fax or snailmail as I don't have a scanner. John Fox ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: Loren Perry Subject: GMM thanks you for all your help! I received quite a few responses for my request for help on the Helvetia question posted yesterday. To date, the score is as follows: Switzerland: 6 Sweden: 1 Finland: 1 And despite all your help on the phone number, I cannot get this fellow's phone or fax number to respond no matter what combination I've tried. That includes the 41 and 31 prefixes in the above named countries. BTW, 41 is the prefix for both Switzerland and Lichtenstein. We've shipped GMM products to modelers in virtually every country on earth, including the Sultanate of Oman, Korea, Iceland, and Tasmania, but thus far Lichtenstein is one of the few hold-outs. Not much maritime activity there, I guess. So I'm going to send his order to Switzerland with crossed fingers. According to several of you, Helvetia is an old Latin term for Switzerland, something I didn't know before now. And neither did my postmaster! Thank you Felix, Gordon, Kurt, Art, Jeffrey, Nat, Ken, and Dave! Your time and effort have been very much appreciated. Loren Perry/GMM Hi Loren, Just for the record, as much as they may think they're seperate, Tasmania is still part of Australia ;-)) Regards, Shane ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "chenyangzhang" Subject: King George V Some days back I posted a request for information on the oval shaped hole in King George V's forward HACS tower (was it still there in 1945 or had it been filled in). Does anyone have an answer to this question? Chris Langtree ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "Edward F Grune" Subject: Painting Instructions for landing crafts Hello you SMMLie people I've received a copy of the painting instructions for the landing craft on the USS Oberon (AKA-14). I've included them here. They raise a few questions that I thought I's share with the list to see what you think. {My comments will be in curly brackets} 16 September 1943 {just after the Invasion of Salerno} from: "B" Division Officer {i.e. Boats Division} to: Boat Officers and Personnel Subject: Painting of Boats 1. All LCV(P) shall be painted gray, the same color as the deck of the ship. 2. LCM(3)s shall be painted gray, the same color as the deck of the ship. If boot topping is available it will be used from the water line down covering the hull. 3. The white diamond on sides of boats shall be repainted. 4. The number of each boat shall be painted on the ramp, port and starboard bow and stern just above the water line. The LCV(P)s shall stencil number on the engine hood. signed W.J. Grant, Lieut. (jg), USNR My questions are: 1) Even though there is photographic evidence from other sources that the landing craft were painted the parent ship's hull color, does anyone know if the landing craft involved in mid-to-late war Mediterranean operations were painted deck gray overall for greater camoflage capabilities from air observation? At Sicily and again at Salerno the fleet got hit hard by the Luftwaffe. Or is the LT(JG) mixed up? 2) The instructions say to repaint the white diamond. In the opening scene of Private Ryan one can see a LCVP over Tom Hanks' shoulder which is carrying a white diamond. I had dismissed it as a marking indicating that the boat was carrying Rangers -- which Hanks' character was -- and he also had a diamond on his helmet. Is there any information on the significance of the diamond markings? Are they particular to a fleet/force/group/division? Ed Mansfield, TX ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "Peter Mispelkamp" Subject: Re: Heller Scharnhorst This is an excellent kit, but it does have some problems. First, it does not come with propeller shafts or the supports for the two outside shafts. While her superstructure etc is from her last refit - sorry guys I forget the date and all my reference books are still waiting their turn to be unboxed - her AAA will need to be heavily updated. Does anybody out there have some 1/400 20mm vierlings? Also, be very careful about the fit of the main mast and the catapult - you may have to move the catapult slightly forward if you want it to rotate! I am sure others on the list will be able to fill you in on the other fine points. BTW I modified her funnel ring to accommodate the vierling that was mounted there sometime before the channel dash. There are some excellent camo plans available, my favourites are the Channel dash, and the early 1943 light-gray ends and dark-gray center. Enjoy. I really enjoyed building her and my only regret is that I completed her so many years before PE fittings became available. The only things preventing me from building her again are the thinness of my wallet and the fact nobody has yet bothered to market a set of vierlings for km warships . Peter K. H. Mispelkamp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: John.Kauck@rrd.com Subject: Re: Making your own decals Regarding making your own decals, here is some info I picked up along the way. In fairness credit should go those sited below the methods listed. Hope it helps. John Kauck Making decals is actually a simple three step process. The instant answer, for those who don't read directions is: 1. - coat decal paper with decal film 2. - print art onto coated paper 3. - place another coat of decal film over the printed art work. And now for the details. Materials : The Decal Paper Blank decal paper is basically nothing more than paper with a coating of water soluble glue on one side. The idea is to place the printed art work on the glue side of the paper, so that when the paper is soaked in water, the printed art work slides off the paper and applied to the model. A small remaining trace of glue helps the art adhere to the model. There are various sources of decal paper, most of the commercial supply houses have a fairly high minimum purchase (up to $200 worth) so I'll just mention the two sources that mere mortals can deal with. The first and easiest source is through Walthers. Walthers sells two different sizes of paper. Part number 934-706821 is a package of four 8 1/2 x11 sheets and part number 934-706820 is a package of four 9 x 6 sheets. The larger size costs $7.98 and the smaller size costs $3.98. These sheets work well and although they come pre-coated, they still need a top coat (more on this later). Another source is from Microscale Industries. Microscale sells a line of colored trim film. Trim film is decal paper with a glossy colored coating on it. It's intent is for slicing out strips or other shapes for use where solid patches of color is needed. The trim film comes in many different colors (TF-1 through TF-9 and clear (TF-0). The clear trim film is of interest for decals, about $1.25 per 8 x 5 sheet. This trim film works fine but it does produce a thicker decal. The Walthers paper is better, but the trim film will work in a pinch. Materials : The Decal Film Decal film is a lacquer based, clear flexible paint that is used to make and repair decals. Microscale sells a Liquid Decal Film in a small bottle for about $2.00. A single, one ounce bottle will last about 12 full page sheets. I have used other brands successfully, but most of the local hobby stores stock the Microscale brand. The decal film is used for two purposes. First, the decal film is used to protect the printed art work by sandwiching it between two layers of film, a base coat and a top coat. This layered approach helps hold the art together. Second, the decal film gives the decal paper a surface that the printer toner can adhere to. The Process : Step One - Coat Paper with Liquid Decal Film The first step is to apply a base coat of liquid decal film to the glue-coated (glossy) side of the decal paper. Apply the film to the paper full strength, right out of the bottle with a small, soft brush, 1/4 to 3/8 inch wide brush works fine, what ever will fit into the bottle. There is no need to thin the film or use an airbrush. Coat the entire sheet. The film is a bit thick and it will look terrible as you are applying it. I goes on thick with plenty of brush marks. Fear not, just keep on going. Don't try to work the film excessively with the brush, just a nice even coat. As the film dries in about 10-15 minutes, it flattens out to an unbelievably flat, thin, even coat. I was amazed the first time I used this stuff. One suggestion, write on the back side of the paper to indicate that the paper has been coated. I have had great trouble trying to tell whether or not the paper has a base coat applied (no fooling). I write "coated" on the back just before I coat the decal paper. Clean your brush with lacquer thinner. (Insert legal mombo-jumbo about using nasty chemicals here). Step Two - Print Art onto Coated Paper This process uses a laser printer to apply toner to the decal paper. It must be a laser printer (some printers use LEDs instead of lasers, that's fine), or more specifically, a printing process that applies a powdered toner that is heat fused to the paper. Just print on the decal paper just as you would print on gum-stock labels. The paper is a bit thicker than standard paper so use the straight through paper path if your printer has that feature. If you don't have a laser printer, there are two options. First, many print shops like Kwik Kopy and Kinkos have laser printers you can use. For a dollar or so per page, you can take your file, via floppy, and print your art on your decal paper. Call to find out pricing, computer type (Mac or PC), and applications they have. You may have to convert to a format they can handle or bring your own application. The second option is to print your art work on plain paper using whatever printer you have, and photocopy the art onto the decal paper. Most modern copiers use the same toner process as laser printers. If the copier has the capability to print on transparencies or gum-stock labels, they should take the decal paper also. Just make sure you know what side the copier prints to, I have copied art onto the paper side of the decal paper a few times. No great loss, just flip over and try again. About ink jet printers. I have tried many different brands of ink jet printers, B&W and color, without any success. The problems with the ink jets is that either the ink beads up on the decal paper, or is completely destroyed by the application of the top coat. I don't think the ink formulations have change that much from the last time I tried, but you are more than welcome to try. I have not tried any other printing processes such as thermal wax, dye sublimation, or dot matrix. The thermal wax and the dye sub printers may work if they can handle the decal paper. These printers are very fussy about the paper used. Color Options. The only way I have tried to get color decals, other than the failed ink jet attempts, have been with color copiers. I first printed the color master using the best color printer available to me, a dye sub printer. Some of the newer color ink jet printers are looking pretty good if good paper is used. I then took my color master to local printers to have it color photo copied onto my base coated decal paper. It took seven attempts before I found a copier that could handle the thick decal paper without eating the paper. The copier that finally worked was a Richo NC 8015. Newer copiers are becoming more tolerant of the paper so check with the print shop to see of their printer can handle the thicker paper. Be prepared to scrap a few attempts. The quality of the copies are not as good as my master, or the B&W laser printers, but it can work. There are a new line of color laser printers coming out that should work quite well. I have not gotten access to one of these machines yet, but the process they use is the same as with the B&W copiers, they just run it through the process four times, with four colored toners. Note that the toners used are somewhat translucent, to make viewgraphs work. This means that the decal color will add with the car's background color. What I did was to print a color table on a viewgraph transparancy. I hold this color grid against the model to see what the combination will look like. Here are a few tricks I have used: It is rare that I will use up the entire page on a single print job. No problem, just trim off the used portions and its ready to be used again. The problem is that each time the paper is passed through the printer, it picks up a fine dusting of toner over the entire page. Not a problem if only one or two passes are made, but by three or four passes it becomes noticeable. Different printers may behave differently, and the age and how clean the printer's innards are affect this characteristic. The solution is to limit the use of the decal paper to a single pass through the printer. Try this. First print on plain paper and use this as a guide to determine how much paper is needed. Cut the decal paper to size and print. How well your printer can handle small and odd sizes will determine if this technique will work. Another trick is to first print on plain paper, then cut a piece decal paper to size and tape it to the printed paper. Use either Scotch tape and tape along the edges, or use double-sticky tape and apply under the piece of decal paper. Tape the decal paper directly over the printed image and send the taped assembly through the printer again. This is an great method to print very small jobs. Step Three Apply a Top Coat of Decal Film Over The Printed Art Once through the printer or copier, apply a top coat of liquid decal film over the printed art. You can cover the entire page or just the printed portions. Again, use a brush and smoothly apply over the decals. It is important not to work the brush too much over the printed image or the image will smear. I have found that the color copier made decals tend to smear easier so be extra careful here. I found that brushing in a downward direction relative to the image's final placement on the model when top coating color decals helps. If the image does smear slightly, it will look on the model as if the paint is beginning to run down, as can happen as the car ages. (Sneaky way to hide your mistakes - call it weathering). I made a series of long, narrow decals for a dispatcher's schematic track diagram, 8 inches long and as narrow as 3/8 inch. Such a large decal became difficult to apply to the control panel. I then applied two more top coats of decal film to stiffen the decal. The panels were smooth so I did not have to worry about going over ribs or other details. This made the decal easier to use. Once the top coat(s) have dried, you can now use them just like store bought decals. I use Microscale's Micro Set and Micro Sol solutions as I would for any other decal. I have found that Hobsco's Solvaset (sold through Walthers) is a bit too strong. It will tend to dissolve and smear the toner. If you must use it, dilute it with water, use sparingly, and don't touch it once applied. The toner is a bit stiffer and brittler than commercial decals so it may be slightly harder to lay over tall car ribs. I have found that the color copier toner to be a bit harder to work over car details than the black toner. Give it a try. One of the nice things about this process is that it is fast and cheap, making experimenting easy. I have tried to give you all the knowledge I have acquired. I hope it helps. Charles Linck, ChasRail@aol.com I have made decals the following way: 1. I used CorelDraw3 to set up the design I wanted, then printed color copy onto regular 8.5 x 11 paper. 2. Took print and decal paper (Walthers 8.5 x 11 blank decal sheets) to copy store with Canon color laser copier. Gave both to clerk, explained which side of paper was up. 3. Got copies from clerk, paid, used decals on model car. The only catch is that either the car (or model) is white, or you mount the decal onto white decal paper then transfer the whole thing to your model. 4. Its cheap (about .99 for everything I can fit on that page), and it works. If the copy store clerk sez no, find a place near an art school where they cater to copying onto different paper types. stucker@aslvx1.sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com (Michael Stucker 6/95) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "Humber, Thom" Subject: Heller Scharnhorst Tim, NIP has just released a new book, Battleships of the Scharnhorst Class. I have not purchased it myself, so I am unsure of the level of detail and accuracy of the book. I'll most likely will get this new book to add to my reference library nonetheless. As a sidebar, this book is cheaper through amazon than through the NIP bookstore. (Even for a member) This may be a help in the research part of the model building. Incidentally, my Scharnhorst is waiting in "drydock" along with several others, but I was well pleased with the kit after my initial (Oh, boy I finally got my big package in the mail!!!) inspection. Thom Humber ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: "Richard - Charlotte Marelius" Subject: Re: Underway Replenishment >> I'm in need of a couple decent pictures or diagrams of an underway replenishment (UNREP) operation. I have a few fuzzy photos in my meager reference library, but nothing good enough to effectively model it. The ship in particular I'm wanting to do is the modern New Jersey, but I suppose any good pic will help out. << Kelly, Take a look at U.S. Navy Digital Imagery site at: http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/.www/digital.html There are a number of good unrep photos under the "Surface Ships" heading as well as the "Aircraft Carrier" heading. Some of the shots are "artsy", but there are several good ones as well. I don't recall seeing much detail of connections, etc., if that's what your after, but there are a number of classes of ships represented. Hope it helps... Rick ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: Frederick Wagner Subject: Re: Helvetia Helvetia is the name the Swiss put on their stamps. It is the old Latin name given by the Romans for Switzerland. Regards, Fritz Wagner ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: Gordon Hogg Subject: Re: Sinkex pics A plausible source in my experience is the photo section at NHC (the Naval Historical Center in Washington, DC) at Photo archivists there have been helpful; even though I wasn't looking for the photos of the USS ATLANTA (CL-104) in her final throes as an explosives test ship, there they were in the files. Possibly you would have to search by particular ship; at any rate, the NHC website gives phone numbers and email addresses as well as info on how to procure copies, etc. Good hunting.... Gordon Hogg Lexington, Kentucky USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: Steve Singlar Subject: Re: Underway replenishment photo Kelly, Check out http://www.navsource.org. Paul Yarnell has some Misc. or assorted photos at that site. I believe there are a couple of replinshment photos there. I have several such photos. Now, if I ever get a real PC and a scanner........ From dry New Hampshire, Steve ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: Mike Moreno Subject: Interested in building a DD in 1/96 scale Lets start with my name mike. I'm interesed in building rc destroyers in the 1/96 scale, and need some good feed back, is there anyone out there willing to help a fellow modeler. my e-mail address is: mailto:mmoreno@optonline.net. I'm also looking for Scale Ship Model List or it's members. Thank You USS MORENO ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: "Mike Leonard" Subject: Bad Naval Movie Alert Rented a direct-to-video film call "Countermeasures" that would have to qualify as one of the most laughable would-be thrillers made in recent years. A Grade-Z variation on "The Hunt for Red October" with a budget in the hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars. The plot – if you can call it that – involves a US Navy doctor thwarting the hijacking of a Russian nuclear submarine by a terrorist group. This movie boasts terrible production values (incorrect uniforms, ridiculous sets), lots of bad acting, and a total lack of continuity. The finale was filmed at night on the conning tower of the WW2 era USS Pampanito in San Francisco. Even the deck guns and city lights in the background are visible in these scenes. Truly awful stuff. Mike Alexandria, VA USA (P.S. - Re: The Little Rock/Oklahoma City mixup. I can only plead senility, as yesterday I gained another year!) Hi Mike, Happy Birthday for yesterday & don't worry, senility catches up to all of us at time. Witness the SMML numbering for the last week & I'm only 35 ;-)). Shane ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25) From: "Mike Leonard" Subject: Jim Shirley 1/700 Newport News Can somebody make me a copy of the instructions to this JS kit, such as they may be? I'll pay repro expenses and postage. Thanks, Mike Alexandria, VA USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26) From: Steve Singlar Subject: Looking for books Greetings, Does anyone have a decent and affordable book about the New Mexico class BB's? Myron Smith made several very good BB books, and I was hoping he may have had one I missed. I am also looking for a book called "the Big E and Me". It was written by a former crew member of USS Enterprise CV-6. Thanks from rainless New Hampshire, Steve ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27) From: SantMin@aol.com Subject: Re: decals I've been making my own decals on an ALPS MD1000 for over two years. It's a great little printer (now discontinued for bigger more expensive models) and many can still be found if you shop around. I have also heard of factory refurbs going for around $80.00. While the MD 1000 only hold 4 ribbons, you don't need any more for full color printing and it takes about two seconds to insert a white or metalic ribbon if you need it. It sure is a lot less expensive if you want a printer for decals. Cheers, Bob Santos ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28) From: SantMin@aol.com Subject: Re: ALPS >> for making waterslide decals. There are several models with varying capabilities. The MD1000 and MD1300 are generally used, but can't print white. The MD5000 will print all colors, including white and metallics, in multi pass mode. << This is wrong. The MD 1000 prints white and metalics too, no problem. And it's a lot cheaper. Bob Santos ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29) From: "Hill, David" Subject: Re: GMM needs your help (unknown address at Flugplatzstr Kehrsatz) Searching the internet for <> returns the following address, which appears to be just down the street from your target. I think it's Switzerland, perhaps in Bern, as this entry referred to the University of Bern. If I knew what .ch web addresses referred to that would pinpoint it also. You could email this guy to query the country, or try phoning/faxing your target with the (41) prefix as shown in this entry. Stadelmann, Martin Flugplatzstr. 29; 3122 Kehrsatz Tel. P: ++41(0)31 961'49'10 Email: stadel@sis.unibe.ch David Hill, mailto:davhill@camberley.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30) From: "Steve Sobieralski" Subject: Re: ALPS Printers >> The ALPS printers are frequently used for making waterslide decals. There are several models with varying capabilities. The MD1000 and MD1300 are generally used, but can't print white. The MD5000 will print all colors, including white and metallics, in multi pass mode. << Not true. I have an ALPS MD-1000 which will print both white and metallics with the proper cartridges. It is usually a two-step process and using white decal paper as the background is much easier most of the time. I picked the printer up on sale at COMPUSA about six moths ago for under $200.00. It may have been a clearance deal because I haven't seen any ALPS printers there since then. My first decals were the pirate figures on the funnel of my 1/192 USS Kidd. I scanned the color art work from a book, reduced it, mirrored it for the opposite side, printed and applied them. They look perfect. My second was Gunther Prein's "snorting bull" for the 1/72 Amati U-47 which I printed in white on clear decal paper. Steve Sobieralski ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31) From: Baker Subject: A KILO OF SUBMARINES A local hobby kit distributor has just announced impending receipt of a Dragon kit for a Kilo-class diesel submarine for the price of $9.95. I'd thought I'd seen a note in one of Bill Gruner's catalogue updates to the effect that the Dragon kit had been cancelled. Has anyone any knowledge as to whether the Kilo kit actually exists--and as to which of the several variants of the submarine the kit represents (the Project 636 variant is longer than the Project 877, while export versions of both have a longer casing aft than do units retained for Russian Navy service)? Best/Dave Baker ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32) From: "Robert Writt" Subject: Re: SMS Konig >> There was some talk on this list a few weeks back about a new model in 1/350 scale of SMS Konig...anything new on this?? Is someone out there really going to offer a kit of this battleship or was this just talk? It would be nice to have a couple of them running together, Scheers 3rd battle squadron lives again! << I emailed ICM, the company which is producing the 1/350 WWI German ships "Konig" and "Grosser Kurfurst", and they indicated that these ships will be available towards the end of 1999. Bob Writt ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33) From: Duane Fowler Subject: Printing Decals with the Alps printer Hello All, There are several different Alps printers available which will print decals. These printer use a dry pigment on tape rather than a liquid ink. They can also print metallic colors (Silver, Gold, as well as metallic CYM). The biggest benefit for decals is that they will print white (more on this later). The main three models are the MD-1000 (600 dpi), MD-1300 (600 dpi and dye-sublimation), and MD-5000 (600 dpi, 1200 dpi, and 2400 dpi, dye sublimation option, Mac only Postscript option). Any work well for decals. However, 600 dpi is just barely usable for ship models and tends to leave a noticeable halftone with some colors. 2400 dpi has no noticeable halftone but because of the way that Alps has written there software, it is almost impossible to get a really good red. Well, just consider it an automatic scale effect. And at 2400 dpi, you can still clearly read 6" scale lettering. That is not bad. Now for the bad news. The consumables (ink cartridges) are really expensive and do not last long. White and metalics are the most expensive ($10 each) and only last about 10 pages. Also, Alps has put out several bad batches of white although they will not own up to it. The bad white will not stick to the page. At first I had problems with the small letters and then entire sections started to peel up. After you've had to eat a few dozen pages, this gets really expensive. As far as costs, the printers in the US go for about $300, $400, and $600 respectively. The Mac adapter is another $79. The Postscript option is $200 and the dye-sublimation option for the MD-5000 is $80. So, if you want to get a full function MD-5000 for the Mac, that's almost $900 before taxes. The print cartridges are between $4 to $7 for the colors and black, $6 to $10 for white and metalics, and $11 for the metallic foil (MD-5000 only). These are not printers that you would want to use for every day printing. And for all the people that are still waiting on me to do their decals, I would like to apologies for taking so long. I had quite a few requests in a very short time. I have not been a fast worker in the best of times but I have had to spend a lot of time on the road recently (I am writing this from Korea). Add to that a couple of personal problems and this @$#%!!* white adhesion problem, and, well, I have taken on a bit too much and gotten behind. I am working on everyone's requests and will get them to you. I have finished the 1/350 anti-skid walkways for the Tamiya Fletcher and was going to ship them this week, but I didn't have a chance before I had to leave on this trip. I will make a formal announcement when I return. I have also finished most of the national flags that have been ordered, but again have not been able to print or ship them yet. Best regards, Duane Fowler ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34) From: Duane Fowler Subject: Making Decals (in general) Hello Philip, The problem with inkjets and decal film, as you found out, is that the ink will not adhere. Since the decal film is non porous the ink just beads up rather than soaking in. One workaround for this it to spray the film with a matte coat first. This will create a rougher surface for the ink to stick to. You can use most decal sheets in a color laser printer with no problems - people do it all the time with decent results. The problem with this and with most other printers is the inability to print white. White is usually necessary at least as an undercoat so that the paint on the model does not show through. You can get white decal film, but then you need to trim it really closely. This is OK for large decals with straight lines, but for smaller complex designs it is really a pain. Best regards, Duane Fowler ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35) From: "Suzanne Bolton" Subject: 1/128th scale stuff Hi all, Does anybody know if it's possible to buy 1/128th scalefittings for Japanese ships. In particular I'm after anti a/c guns,machine guns,people and brass etch stuff. With the amazing 1/700 stuff available I would love to see 1/128 drooping chain rails. At present I'm building the Yamashiro and have finished the brdge,funnel and almost the mainmast and so am now looking at detailing but I just haven't the time to scratchbuild now with 3 kids tearing around. Any info is much appreciated. TIA Steve ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36) From: "Suzanne Bolton" Subject: Atkatsuki class destroyer deck coverings Hi all, I'm looking to your mine of info to help me with a problem.I want to build one of the Tamiya Atkatsuki class destroyers but cant decide what colour to do the decks. I have two sets of plans,one by Maru ship showing the Atkatsuki in 1932 with tread plates throughout and no lino, the other by Miyuki showing the Inazuma in 1938 with lino throughout except for a small area on the stern and bow. I have looked through all my books on destroyers and have no deck views of this class but I did find a small drawing of the Ikazuchi in 1934 with lino bow and stern and tread plates amidships in a Polish book by Monografie Morskie on Japanese destroyers 1920-45. So my question is which do you all think is correct? TIA Steve ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37) From: Shane Subject IJN DD colours Hi gang, I got a query from a fellow APMA member that I haven't had time to chase up myself yet. So I thought I'd throw it out to SMML & see what comes up. Thanks, Shane - where it's been raining on & off since Wednesday & it's bloody cold :-(( >> Shane Can you help with more specific colours/FS nos or paint matches (Humbrol?Tamiya etc) for japanese ww2 navy destroyer Shimozuki? Linoleum (light brown) decks Dark grey with blue overall any other painting information details would help as well. I've done a net search but all I found was info on the destroyers I couldn't find anything on colours. TTFN andrewl Reality is for mundanes who can't handle Science-fiction Science-fiction is for people who can't handle anime << ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Jimbo" Subject: Buying I am looking for the following ships can anyone help? Heller large scale sailing ships Heller WWII Warships 1/400 Revell Sailing Ships any scale 14" to 36" hulls Nichimo 1/500 Japanese ships. Thanks in advance Jim ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Bill Gruner Subject: New Kits & Stuff Coming Up There will be some great new kits and accessories announced on our July UPDATE, which will go out about July 15. Here are some previews: 1/700 Scale: Hasegawa IJN CV Zuiho, (Shoho in late summer); Tamiya all-new tooling Shinano; Fujimi 1/700 USS Kittyhawk (all new tooling!)....Samek HMS York and Bismarck, and a new WW 2 German escort; Aoshima Nagato and Mutsu (all new tooling); Skywave S-14 Japanese Army Aircraft Set; Skywave Akitsushima IJN seaplane tender; Waveline WL-92 Conversion kit to update Tamiya new Musashi to '44 last op version; Hi-Mold IJN CV Chiyoda; WSW DKM Light Cruiser Karlsruhe, WW2. ...and maybe a few more surprises. We have: Heller Scharnhorst in 1/400 ; Commanders 1/350 USS Farragut DD-348, and British Hunt class DEs; Nautilus Models 1/480 Revell Yorktown upgrade, Pitroad 1/700 MW-1 German Flak Fortess (resin and white metal - impressive!); Regia Marina Italian BB Roma (all new tooling); Kojinsha Mechanism of IJ BBs, CVs, CAs and DDs (nice reference books, softcover). Coming: Pitroad 1/35 scale hi-tech kit for IJN 25 mm Triple AA Mount. We will also be carrying the Pitroad Imperial Japanese Army 1/35 weapons series, regarded as some of the finest 1/35 models anywhere. Coming: The Long-awaited Classic Warships 1/350 Alaska should be ready. Coming: Commanders 1/192 Panay, and 1/350 Prinz Eugen and a few more surprises! JUST IN: Snyder & Short Royal Navy WW 2 Color Chipcards....And much more! Thanks, Bill Gruner Pacific Front Hobbies http://www.pacificfront.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume