Subject: SMML08/07/99VOL600 Date: Fri, 09 Jul 1999 00:03:01 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Fighting Lights 2: 1/700 BBs 3: HMS Dragon 4: HMS Onslow 5: Sand Pebbles 6: Re: HMS Dragon 7: Re: Fate of the HMS Dragon 8: THE DRAGON AND THE MARDER 9: Re: Help Identifying Model 10: Re: Painting 11: Painting ship models 12: Re: Fate of HMS DRAGON. 13: Fate of the HMS Dragon 14: Re: HMS Onslow 15: Naval plans 16: Re: U.S.S. Panay 17: Re: Panay 18: Re: Sub Props and Secrecy 19: Re: Panay 20: Panay & Sand Pebbles 21: Re: HMS Dragon 22: Good fortune 23: USNI Press Catalogue 24: Re: Publishing posts 25: Heller Blücher conversion. 26: HMS Cossack 27: USS Panay 28: HMS Amazon and Ambuscade 29: Marder vs HMS Dragon 30: Re: Onslow, Marder, Kongo, Algerie Book -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: USS Olympia 2: Tom's Modelworks update 3: Trading Anatomies? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS Hi Gang, Welcome to the 600th issue of SMML. Time for a quick update of subscribers, we now have over 900 subscribers to SMML. So keep up the good work of making this into one of the best modelling lists around. Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Ernst-Bernhard Kayser Subject: Re: Fighting Lights Hi all, SMML is really great! For every question, no matter how bizarre, there are some members who know the answer and are taking the time to type it down. So, my thanks go out to all who have shed light on the use of fighting lights. I feel much better informed now. greetings from Bernhard -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Percy, John" Subject: 1/700 BBs The idea of building representative WW2 battleships from each nation (in whatever scale) is a cool idea. I've always wanted to build a "Battleship history" diorama, ie, a model of each US battleship from WW2 to the present day (and maybe a "future" BB). So, I would need the following classes: Utah, Wyoming, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Tennessee, Colorado, North Carolina, South Dakota, Iowa I would like to do it in 1/700 (Thats a lot of ships for a diorama), and have them all sailing in line abreast formation. Most of these (I think) are available in 1/700 or 1/720, but some I don't know about, in particular the Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, and New Mexico classes. Does anyone know of kits for these in these scales? John Percy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "chenyangzhang" Subject: HMS Dragon Hi John HMS Dragon was hit by a torpedo fired by a one-man midget submarine while lying off Caen. Whitley gives the type as a Neger (displacement 5 tons, 26 x 1.75 x 3.5 feet, 1-shaft electric motor, SHP 12, speed 20 knots, radius 30 miles at 3 knots). It carried a torpedo slung beneath it. The Marder midget submarine was very similar with the added advantage of being able to submerge fully (the Neger couldn't but just ran along the surface). About 300 Marders were built and 200 Negers. HMS Dragon which was serving with the Polish Navy at the time was hit abreast of Q magazine. This blew up and rendered the ship a constructive total loss. She was sunk the next day to form part of the breakwater for Gooseberry harbour. Chris Langtree -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "chenyangzhang" Subject: HMS Onslow Hi Shane The answer is no, HMS Onslow was the same size as the other destroyers of her class. The practice of building slightly larger leaders lasted through the A to I classes but stopped with the Tribals. After this any flotilla leaders had different internal arrangements or longer deckhouses like the J's and K's. Chris Langtree -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "chenyangzhang" Subject: Sand Pebbles If this is the film in which Steve McQueen is shot at the end then I always understood it to be an allegory on the US involvement in Vietnam. Chris Langtree -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Lisa and Bill Wiseman Subject: Re: HMS Dragon While I don't have any direct data on the specific incident, Marders were used as mobile shore batteries. Particularly in the Italian and French theaters. The Marder was equiped with, among other things, the 10.5CM and 12 CM main gun. There were, I'm sure, refits, later in the war, with used "88"'s from disabled tanks and the Wermacht was big on experiments with bigger and better, so, I wouldn't be surprised to find a Marder with a 15 CM main gun. Don't think it would work as the Marders were based on the smaller Panzer Chassis' (PzKpfw II, III 38(t) etc,) and probably couldn't disappate the recoil from the 15 CM. The Marders would line up in the holes between the fixed shore batteries. As the Naval Guns got sighted in on the fixed batteries, the Marders (Bison, Lorraines and even Wespe) would move about confusing the ship fire directors. This may be how the Dragon got hit. She may have gotten in too close and took a lucky round from the Marder. Only a theory, mind you, and I deferr to anyone with direct knowledge of the specific incident. Doc Wiseman In New York where my hygrometer was pinned at 100% for seven straight days with temps over 90 F. Yuck! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Kenneth H. Goldman" Subject: Re: Fate of the HMS Dragon The "Marder" referred to in this case is a slightly larger version of the midget submarine "Neger," which more accurately should be called a torpedo delivery vehicle. It consisted of a G7e torpedo over a G7e torpedo, with a cramped cockpit replacing the warhead on the top torpedo and the weapon slung below. It was aimed by lining up two spikes on the nose with graduations on the perspex dome. If the torpedo failed to release, a not unusual occurrence, there was no way to shut it down, and the pilot either rode to the target or lost control trying to abort. The Neger ran awash while the Marder was able to dive briefly to 100 feet. The perspex domes proved to be wonderful targets for riflemen on moonlit nights. The Polish cruiser DRAGON was so badly damaged on the night of 8/9 July 1944 that she was later sunk as an additional blockship in the Gooseberry Harbor off Sword Beach. You can see my buildup of the 1:35 Verlinden Neger at: http://www.wman.com/~khgold/midget.htm on my website or the entire buildup review article I wrote on the Warship site. Ken Goldman THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER http://www.wman.com/~khgold/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Baker Subject: THE DRAGON AND THE MARDER For the gent who asked what it was that attacked H.M.S. DRAGON, a "Marder" was a class of German midget submarine used in coastal waters and estuaries on the North Sea coast at the end of WW II in Europe. It carried two torpedoes in drop gear. Plans and exhaustive details for the class can be found in the works of Rossler or in the volume of the Groener series dealing with German submarines. I guess you could say that the DRAGON was Mardered . . . (not that it Marders much now). Best/Dave Baker Dave, that was really bad, almost as bad as my jokes ;-)). Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: John Snyder Subject: Re: Help Identifying Model That's an old Aurora kit, very early, and I can't remember the ship name under which it was marketed. The box art showed one of the catapult-equipped FLETCHERs, but as you noted the kit was actually of a SUMNER (though with the catapult that class never carried). Interestingly, there was an unbuilt kit advertised on e-bay 2 days ago, with the minimum bid set at $99.00, so you may have something of some little value. John Snyder Snyder & Short Enterprises The Paint Guys -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Mark L. Shannon" Subject: Re: Painting >> 1) Should I paint the hull or the decks first on my Arizona model? What are the pros and cons here? 2) What are some simple ways to filter paint. My paint has a bunch of tiny chunks in it that clog the airbrush nozzle. << 1) One suggestion I read a long time ago that I found helpful, is to spray the deck first, then spray the hull from a low angle so the deck is "around the corner" from the direction of the spray. You will find that this gives you a clean hull and deck basecoat, then you hand paint the fiddly bits on the deck and the scupper area. If there is an upper level or the bulkheads of one on the deck, this will paint the top and you can paint down the rest of the wall. If you choose your angle right, there is very little left to cut-in between the deck and bulkhead. 2) Make a little funnel with a piece of paper -- I use one of the intermediate size post-it notes -- lightly stretch a double or triple layer of nylon stocking material over lower end, and tape the upper edge of the stocking material by wrapping around. This gives you a mini paint filter that you can pour your thinned mixture through into the airbrush cup. A second option is to buy a paint line filter to fit you airbrush color bottle or cup -- they're reusable but often a pain to clean. Mark L. Shannon The early bird gets the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Bob Pearson" Subject: Painting ship models Greetings all, Granted I have just returned to building ship models, but what I have found that works for me is to airbrush the entire ship in the deck colour (haven't had a wooden deck yet). When this is dry I then airbrush all vertical surfaces FROM SLIGHTLY BELOW. The deck edges mask each horizontal surface from overspray and you can get quite close to the model and almost spray right to the deck/superstructure join. Minor touchup is then required with a fine brush right at the base of the superstructure and on the inside of spray/splinter shields. So far I have been painting after the PE rails are added, but before all main assemblies and fiddly bits are placed on the kit. How do others go about this - I have visions of globs of CA if I try to do the rails after painting, but I suppose that would make painting camouflage patterns easier. Regards, Bob Pearson Managing Editor / Internet Modeler http://www.internetmodeler.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "J. London" Subject: Re: Fate of HMS DRAGON. On July 8, 1944, a month after the Normandy invasion, the Polish cruiser CONRAD (ex-DRAGON) was extensively damaged by a torpedo fired by a German one-man midget submarine known as a Marder (marten). These submarines were a development of the Negers. Some 300 were built. They carried a single T3b electric 1350 kg torpedo which was only slightly smaller than the sub and was slung beneath it. In addition to damaging CONRAD Marders sank three minesweepers, a trawler and three landing craft. Hardly a good return considering the number built! Displacement 5.5 tons; length 27 ft 3 in; 12 shp electric motor giving a speed of 4.2 knots surface and 3.2 knots submerged. (Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare). Mike London -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Mark L. Shannon" Subject: Fate of the HMS Dragon >> I was just flipping through Conway's "All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-46" and noticed a mention on p. 11 that the HMS Dragon "was damaged by a Marder". Could that concievably be a reference to the German self-propelled gun Marder? It seems far-fetched, but I suppose it could happen. Does anyone have other info about this?<< "Marder" and "Neger" were the names of German manned torpedoes/minisubs operational near the end of WWII. I forget which was which and I'm not at my references, but one was a small submersible with a torpedo strapped to each side while the other was a modified torpedo with a small cockpit that had a launchable torpedo carried under the main portion. Mark L. Shannon The early bird gets the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Mark L. Shannon" Subject: Re: HMS Onslow >> Seeing as she was the "Leader" of the O class, was she longer in length from the others in her class like other Flotilla Leaders of earlier classes. I've checked my very limited refs on RN DDs(which include the Alan Raven O-Z Class DD Ensign(?) ) & can't either confirm or deny this theory. Shane - where it's bloody cold << She was the same size as the other "O"-class ships, but her hull was a little differently proportioned. The forecastle break was farther aft than the others and the bridgeworks were a little longer --but this still meant that the radio room had a different relationship to the bridge and mast than the others. The Skywave model actually represents the Onslow more accurately than the others, which need the forecastle break moved forward a bit. There was an article in an old IPMS Quarterly that I'll have to look up for you. Mark L. Shannon -- Where it's bloody hot. The early bird gets the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese. That's right Mark, rub it in. Aw well in a couple of months the shoe will be on the other foot ;-)). Don't worry about chasing up the Quarterly, I have access to all three parts on RN DDs. Shane - where it's still bloody cold & now looking like it's gonna rain all over the weekend :-((. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: CaptainOD@aol.com Subject: Naval plans I am wondering if a series of plans on Naval Weapons and turrets by I believe a Robert Fritz (sp) done in late 60's or early 70's are still available, I used them to build several 1/72 turrets, but have lost them over the years. Thank you Bob O'Donovan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: Steve Singlar Subject: Re: U.S.S. Panay Hi Alberto, "The Sand Pebbles" was thee name of the movie. It was about life aboard a navy gunboat in 1920's China. The gun boat's name was San Pablo (hence the nick name Sand Pebbles). Good flick Good luck with the kit. Steve Pelham, NH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "Craig Brown" Subject: Re: Panay The Steve McQueen movie was "The Sand Pebbles" but I don't remember it as having been the Panay. It was a gunboat of similar size and style I think. Craig Brown -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: Suvoroff@aol.com Subject: Re: Sub Props and Secrecy When I was in the US Navy and worked at a sub tender, my division used to do hull surveys in the drydock as the submarines were being docked. We were also tasked with hanging the tarp over the screw, after some fool volunteered to do it once. In one drydocking, the tarp wound up hanging straight down off the top center blade, which meant it concealed the top blade, and the hub but nothing else. It stayed that way for several days. Frankly, I think this tarp has more to do with the Navy's Passion for Secrecy than any real thought that the Soviets did not already know anything they wanted to know about US props. Anyway, wasn't all this technology sold to them some years ago by a certain foriegn company? Similarly, we were never supposed to tell anyone (especially the taxi drivers) what submarines were alongside the tender, and they were not supposed to show the hull numbers on the sails. But every time their captains went aboard, you could hear the tenders' Public Address system clearly on the public beach, announcing "USS Sam Houston, Arriving", or vice versa, "USS Nathaniel Greene, Departing." So much for secrecy. Yours, James D. Gray -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: Dave Judy Subject: Re: Panay Alberto, I too am awaiting the Panay from ISW, I took some pictures of the Panay model which now resides in the Navy Museum at the Washington Navy Yard at 8th & M st. If you would like I can Email them to you! As far as the movie "The Sand Pebbles", there are differences, The Panay had two stacks vs one in the movie's San Paolo. Other than these the two were similar. Dave Judy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: "Mike Leonard" Subject: Panay & Sand Pebbles Alberto wrote: >> Is there any color photo, besides the one at Warship, of the Smithsonian model on the Panay? Or any other color reference. << It's actually at the Washington Navy Yard, across town a bit. >> I remember a film on the Panay incident, I believe with Steve McQueen, any one recalls the films Name? << "The Sand Pebbles" (1965), but it's not exactly about Panay. There's a great web site at http://www.execpc.com/~cgarcia/index.html for fans of this classic film. Mike L Alexandria, VA USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: "Jean-Cyrille WAAG" Subject: Re: HMS Dragon Hello, In fact, the "Marder" in that case is a human torpedo similar to the "Neger" in use by the K-Verband in the last years of the Kriegsamrine. Regards, Jean-Cyrille -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: "Chris Evenden" Subject: Good fortune Just goes to show that occasionaly Lady Luck smiles on us modellers (particularly us strange ones living in Canberra). At a local club meeting last night I picked up the Ensign and Man 'O War books on the Hunt DEs, Nelson/Rodney, KGV, Elizabeth BBs and County crusiers for $5 each! Chris E Hey Chris, just because I was ducking for cover doesn't mean you can pick up deals like that!!! Aw well, serves me right ;-)). Have fun reading them. Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: Ed Grune Subject: USNI Press Catalogue I received a copy of the US Naval Institute Press Fall 1999 Catalogue yesterday. One of the new books is titled "Admiral Dan Gallery - The life and wit of a Navy original". Some of you may remember Dan Gallery as the skipper of the Guadalcanal when she captured the U-505. He wrote a series of books, well actually they were tall tales and sea stories. I remember reading them as a kid. My favorite story was about the admiral who was riding up front in a transport plane. The aircraft commander left him at the controls to go to the head with the warning not to touch anything. Just as the pilot settled down on the head the admiral spotted the Blue Angels passing by, in inverted flight. The admiral, figuring that he was upside down, tried to roll the transport. I wonder if that was autobiographical? Does anyone else have any rememberences of Dan Galley's stories? Also of note: The USNI catalogue lists the Anatomy -- FUSO as an in stock item. Ed Mansfield, TX Shane - It hasn't reached 100 here yet, but the Heat Index has been over 100 for weeks. I know that its the dead of winter there -- do you have any stories of massive icicles or battles with snow plow drivers yet? Hi Ed, Naw, it doesn't actually snow where I am - just gets cold(for Australia that is), temps around 4-9C at night Vs summer temps of 30-35C. Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: Publishing posts I want it know up front that I will never have a problem with the model cases or any other post of mine to be placed on any other site as long as it is in a constructive venue. After all, that's what this is all about. Just wanted to get that out of the way so I won't have to repeat myself in the future. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25) From: "Peter Mispelkamp" Subject: Heller Blücher conversion. Believe it or not, I did this very conversion well over 15 years ago, and she is still flying her flag defiantly. My Blücher has survived three major moves - but she is starting to show the signs of aging. I am very interested in doing her again, and all things considered it was an easy conversion - especially if you handy with a saw, file and wood-plastic glue. Yes, you will have to cover the bridge - and in these days of superdetailing you will have to research the exact number of windows - I simply cut and shaped a piece of plastic card to make that change. I hope that you are not going to wimp out and leave her with the bow of the Hipper! If you look at good reference sources, you can probably determine where to make the cut, then glue a wedge-shaped piece of wood that is rough-cut to the length and shape you need. Then just file and sand away until you get a proper clipper-shaped bow. Then, you will have to shorten (square-off) the main deck so that it melds with the new bow. Note that you should not use a spare (ha-ha) Prinz Eugen hull as the Prinz was slightly longer! Of course, if none of your friends are members of the scale police, you might just get away with this. I resisted the temptation to do this because I had, er still plan, the to convert my spare Prinz hull into the x-Seydlitz aircraft-carrier project. Also, the shape of the Blücher's funnel cap was closer in shape and height to that of the Prinz. I did use a spare Prinz cap for this step, but I had a devil of a time in making it fit - had to cut away alot of the internal plastic supports. When building either of the Heller Hippers, be very careful about the alignment of the large forward AA director towers - this can be very tricky. Also, the Hipper/Blücher aircraft catapult is not well-located(- Heller's Scharnhorst, and Admiral Scheer also suffer from this problem), the legs of the main tripod mast limits its freedom of maneuver. AA - you will have to add several 20mm singles as she carried 8 when she went down, and you will also want to add a radar "mattress" antenna ("dete geräte") to the rear main gun director. Camouflage: OA light gray, undersides of decks/superstructures dark gray, waterline very dark gray, main decks light wood, and yes - those infamous yellow turret tops. You may want to replace the Kriegsmarine flag as Heller's version looks like a cross between the flags of the German Republic's Reichsmarine and the third Reich's Kriegsmarine. Not sure about the swastikas on the bow and stern, but I added them anyway! Anyway, it is a very worthwhile project and I wish you the best of luck. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26) From: jmaine@golden.net Subject: HMS Cossack Hi all, For an upcoming project I am thinking about a diorama involving the famous action in which the RN destroyer HMS Cossack cornered the Graf Spee's supply ship Altmark in a Norwegian fjord and liberated some 300 British merchant sailors held aboard. My problem is that - like Shane, I guess! - my resources on RN destroyers, and the "Tribals" in particular, are rather scanty (even though the last of the breed, HMCS Haida, is moored in Toronto harbour only some 60 miles from my home). Can anybody out there in SMMLie-land tell me about the appearance of Cossack at this time (February, 1940)? I seem to recall a rather murky shot of Cossack with her bow knocked off in the second battle of Narvik (April, 1940), in which she appeared to have a mid-grey hull and somewhat lighter grey upperworks. Can anybody confirm this, and also the colour of her decks? Any help will be much appreciated! John Maine Kitchener, Ontario Where the ultra-humid heat wave has thankfully passed, and little plastic parts no longer stick to me instead of the ship! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27) From: YngtzPtrl1@aol.com Subject: USS Panay Hello, Not wanting to beat a dead horse, but the Yangtze Patrol is a passion of mine. The USS Panay was bombed and sunk by the Japanese on 12 December 1937. Two USN sailors and an Italian journalist aboard the Panay were killed. The XO of the ship, Tex Anders, is still going strong at 95 years old; he earned the Navy Cross for his actions during the attack. The fictional ship in "The Sand Pebbles" is just that--a fictional ship. It in no way resembles the ship that Richard McKenna modeled it after in his book, the USS Villalobos. The movie prop ship somewhat resembles one of the two smaller gunboats, the USS Guam and the USS Tutuila. However, the resemblance is only superficial at best. As Mr. Schulenberg said, there is probably no one alive (I would omit the probably) more knowledgeable about the Panay than Art Herrick. Art, a master ship modeler, has been seriously researching the Panay for several years. Regarding the engine used in the filming of the movie, I believe this engine is on display in San Pedro with the merchant ship Lane Victory. Sorry for the rambling, Steve Bryson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28) From: Brian Selzler Subject: HMS Amazon and Ambuscade Hello, These two ships built in 1926 were prototypes for evolving a standard destroyer type which became the A to I classes of destroyers for the RN. One was from Thornycroft and other from the Yarrow yard. Is there anyone out there in SMML land who knows the distance from the stems to the foc'sle breaks on these vessels. All I've got to go on are a couple of pics in a Janes reprint which don't give a good side view and some dubious silhouettes from which I estimate the distance anywhere from 105' to 120'. Can anyone narrow it down? thanks, Brian -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29) From: "Pletscher-Lenz-Schneider" Subject: Marder vs HMS Dragon According to Whitley, Cruisers of WW 2, p.77, HMS Dragon was damaged beyond repair by a "Neger" or "Marder". According to Rohwer/Hummelchen, Chronology of the War At Sea 1939-1945, p.288, she was torpedoed on 8 July 1944 by a "Marder". The Marder was an improved Neger. Both were so-called one-man torpedos. They consisted basicly of one torpedo with the warhead replaced by a cockpit and a transparent dome carrying a second, "real" torpedo beneath. While the Neger was only able to sail just submerged - only the transparent dome was above the water - the Marder was able to dive down to 10m although it had to come to the surface to fire its torpedo. So this "Marder" had nothing to do with the self-propelled gun of the same name. Falk Pletscher -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30) From: Sanartjam@aol.com Subject: Re: Onslow, Marder, Kongo, Algerie Book Hi SMML, Regarding the length of the Onslow, the sources I've looked at don't state that she was longer than the other ships of the class. I think there were other differences, however, and would suggest that you look at an article on modeling the O's and P's by Nat Richards in the June 1998 "issue" of Navis. he Dragon was probably damaged not by the "Marder" self-propelled gun of the Wehrmacht, but by a Marder midget submarine/human torpedo of the Kriegsmarine. I have very little information on that Marder, other than it was a two-man submersible version of the "Neger," for which there seems to be a bit more information. As for a bibliography on the Kongo, there was a Warship Profile dedicated to the Kongo, and she is treated in any current work on Japanese battleships or battleships in general of World War II. You might check with Pacific Front Hobbies for the best current source on the Kongo. Thanks to Jean-Cyrille for the information about the new book on the Algerie! Cheers, Art Nicholson Hi Art, et al, thanks for the info on Onslow, much appreciated. Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Shaya Novak" Subject: USS Olympia In stock now at The Naval Base. On sale $16.65 goto: http://www.modelshipbuilding.com Revell USS Olympia 1/240 scale LIMITED PRODUCTION will not be here in the future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Tom & Carolyn Harrison" Subject: Tom's Modelworks update To all SMML members, My web site http://www.tomsmodelworks.com is currently down due to a server problem. As soon as it is back up and running we will have all our brass sets and instructions up for the modelers inspection. As a quick note we are taking in the artwork for several new sets this week. A 1/350 scale detail set for Pit Roads 1/350 I-1 and I-400 Submarine kits, Carrier catwalks (perforated) with rails attached, in both 1/350 and 1/700. A 1/700 Gato sub detail set with includes the brass for the IJN Sub Chaser. 1/700 40MM Pair and Quad rails and shields and if everything goes without any problems the 1/350 & 1/400 KGV detail sets. As a remainder, with the reissued USS Olympia (Revell) hitting the store's shelves this week. Our Olympia detailing set which has over 120 individual parts is available for ($17.00) mention SMML or Warship and you receive free shipping. As each set is put into production I will post a note on the SMML page and our web site. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Michael Quan" Subject: Trading Anatomies? Hello fellow SMMLies! I have an extra (brand new) copy of the latest in the Anatomy of a Ship series - the IJNS Fuso. Is there anyone out there with an extra copy of the Anatomy of a Ship - Yamato that would like to trade? Please email me if you are interested. Thanks. Mike Quan mailto:MnkQuan@worldnet.att.net Garland Texas, where a very dark front blew by today! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume