Subject: SMML30/09/99VOL684 Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 00:06:40 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Decal article 2: Re: dazzle camo 3: Re: Info on IJN subs 4: Re: Dazzle Camo (and saluting guns) 5: 20m Oerlikon plans 6: Ship Call Signs 7: Dazzle Camouflage 8: Re: Russian colours 1904/05 9: Conversion for the part numbers on the GMM Bismarck 10: Hood 11: Lady Lex and the Blue Ghost 12: Camouflage 13: Re: USS Lexington CVT-16 14: Fort Drum, Casablanca/Commencement Bay Class, other books (and other subjects!) 15: SAM missle details 16: Re: Dazzle Camouflage Schemes 17: Re: Decal Article 18: Dazzle patterns 19: Re: Alaska Kits 20: Re: GUAM Color/Wedded Bliss 21: 2 Questions 22: Dazzle Camouflage 23: Re: Lady Lex 24: Shane & Lorna's Anniversary 25: THE GREAT HORNED CARRIER MEETS THE MAGNIFICENT OERLIKON 26: Large scale carriers 27: Japanese Ship Model Web Sites 28: Re: World War II AA Armament 29: Russian colours 1904/05 30: New book. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Gene Larson Subject: Re: Decal article Rusty White wrote to SMML: >> For those of you who want to make your own high quality decals, there is an excellent article in the latest issue of FSM. They use the Alps printer you've been hearing about on this list. Check it out. << It is indeed a very informative article, and a lot of detail. However, isn't there a comparable way to do this without buying another printer (Alps) for a few occasional decals? I can see the justification if you need decals daily, or weekly perhaps. It seems like there is no cost effectiveness here. In addition there are suggestions for scanners, fonts, and drawing programs ($100 - $1000). That's a lot of cash when you want a couple of special decals occasionally. Apparently Alps provided a printer free for the article development. What about the rest of the model builders who have to lay out money to do the same thing? What are the alternatives? The blank decal material you can purchase is made for specific methods - are theses only for an Alps? What about my HP 2000 color jet pro series? Gene Larson, Alexandria, Virginia mailto:genenrg@Naut-Res-Guild.org Nautical Research Guild, Inc. http://www.Naut-Res-Guild.org "A non-profit, tax exempt, charitable, educational organization with international membership, dedicated to maritime research and accurate ship model building." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: SantMin@aol.com Subject: Re: dazzle camo Dazzle camo is not meant to "hide" a ship or make it invisible, it is used to confuse one who is aiming at the ship as to what ship, what speed, and even which way it is going. Cheers, Bob Santos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Mark Krywienko Subject: Re: Info on IJN subs >> Does anyone know of a good website for info on Japanese Submarines in WW2? << Hi Joe, You could have a look at http://www.skypoint.com/members/jbp/kaigun.htm#images which contains many details about Japanese ships and Subs of WW2. Regards, Mark Krywiénko -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "John Snyder" Subject: Re: Dazzle Camo (and saluting guns) The 25-words-or-less answer is that dazzle camo schemes were NOT designed to render the ship invisible to the observer. They were designed to break up the ship's outline in order to make it difficult for the observer to tell exactly what TYPE of ship was being viewed, and also to make it difficult to ascertain her course or bearing angle. An effective ASW measure, dazzle schemes were far less effective against aircraft, and the consensus late in the war was that dazzle-painted ships tended to attract kamikazes (which was the reason many Pacific Fleet dazzle-painted ships began to repaint into Ms.21 or Ms.22 late in the war). As for the mention that LEX's saluting cannon resembled 3"/50s, I can state that BAINBRIDGE's, mounted on the midship deckhouse 01 level, also resembled a scaled-down old-fashioned 3"/50. It was, in fact, 40mm; the 40mm magazine was just below my first berthing compartment in the after part of the ship (why the heck did we need a separate magazine for 40mm blank cartridges?). John Snyder Snyder & Short Enterprises The Paint Guys -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "R Lockie" Subject: 20m Oerlikon plans There are plans of several Oerlikons and mounts in the Lambert & Ross series on Allied Coastal Forces of WW2 - I think Vol.2 has the largest number. Alternatively, fellow SMMLie John Lambert has drawings of several for sale, or you might find them in some magazine articles. I have a few but am writing this away from my magazine collection - in any case, most or all are now out of print so your best bet is either of the first two sources. Robert Lockie Cambridge UK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Doremus, Mark" Subject: Ship Call Signs The call sign thread for the Lex reminded me of a question; Is there a reference that has these codes? I'm trying to find the call sign for the USS Johnston DD-55 so I can mount the flags for a little color. Mark Congratulations Lorna and Shane! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Duane Fowler Subject: Dazzle Camouflage Hello Norm, The idea of the dazzle pattern wasn't so much to make the ship harder to see, but to break up it's outline to make it harder to target. To target a ship, you need to know it's distance, speed and direction of travel. During the days before radar targeting the way to do that was with stereo optical range finders. This method (similar to the spit view focusing in a camera) works best if you can spot a distinct vertical surface on the ship. If the outlines are broken up with the dazzle paint it is harder to get the needed information. I am not sure of any statistics from WWII but in WWI the dazzle ships were targeted slightly more often than the grey or other camo scheme ships. However, they were hit much less often than the others. It seems to have worked at that time. Sometimes the camouflage was intended to trick the enemy as in the measure 22 where a false horizon was painted on the ship to make it seem further away or over the horizon. There were also schemes to paint false bow wakes to distort the ship's apparent speed, or as in the case of the Bismarck, a false bow and stern with false wakes. In several instances, outlines of other ships were painted to hide the true identity of the ship. Transports would sometimes paint the outlines of destroyers on their sides to make them seem more protected. There were even some ships with designs to make them seem like they were sailing in the opposite direction than they actually were. The British actually hired professional artists to design their dazzle schemes during WWI. There is an interesting book on the subject called "Liners in Battledress" by David Miller. Best regards, Duane Fowler -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Minadmiral@aol.com Subject: Re: Russian colours 1904/05 >> Wilson (Battleships in Action) describes the Russian ships at Port Arthur as being painted "a dark blackish-brown colour" << Newton McCully, who was at Port Arthur as a USN observer, says PO ships were a "cinnamon brown" and/or a "khaki" color. I`ll dig out the book and give you the exact quotation if you want. Chuck Duggie -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: John Prall Subject: Conversion for the part numbers on the GMM Bismarck Hello, I just received the GMM set for the Academy/Tamiya Bismarck and I noticed that all of the part # labels for the peices to be replaced by photoetch are listed with the Tamiya #'s. So I was wondering if any of you industrial souls cold help me convert the numbers from Tamiya to Academy? I suppose I could do it myself but I am lazy :) Thanks for any help, John Prall P.s. For all you people who have made it through schooling to become mechanical engineers, how in the hell did you make it through Thermodynamics and Desighn of machine elements? These courses are killing me!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "chenyangzhang" Subject: Hood Hi Patrick The colour of the bridge decks of the Hood was dark grey (the Hood site suggests AP507A). For the Bismark I would suggest smokey black Chris Langtree -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "chenyangzhang" Subject: Lady Lex and the Blue Ghost Hi Doc The book mentioned by Rod was written by Steve Ewing. Chris Langtree -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "chenyangzhang" Subject: Camouflage Hi Norman Dazzle schemes originally appeared in WW1 and were intended to confuse U-boats and others as to the heading of the ship. They also made identification of the type of ship difficult by breaking up its outline (or so the theory went). Some of the most spectacular were designed by the artist Norman Wilkinson and they were very much designed for the particular ship which carried them. They were continued with in the second world war though by the end of the war had been displaced by much more simple schemes (BPF standard and Measure 22 for example). The great question is to their effectiveness. I don't think any bomb or torpedo missed a ship due to its camouflage and as you will have seen on this site trying to track down particular schemes is a real bitch. Chris Langtree -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "singlar@pop.ma.ultranet.com" Subject: Re: USS Lexington CVT-16 Doc, I built the Revell Lexington kit in the early 60's. The kit had the angled deck, Hurricane bow, modernized bridge and elevators. The 5" mounts on the flight deck were removed and the only weapons left were 5" guns on the quarters and twin 3" guns on the stern under the flight deck. I don't think it would be too difficult to make this kist appear as the CVT version of Lexington. Also there is a book out about the Lexington, with many photos in her various configurations. It is probably available from the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola or from the Lexington's Ship's Store. I also believe someone was selling one of these recently right here on SMML. Good Luck, Steve Singlar Pelham, NH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Volker Häusler" Subject: Fort Drum, Casablanca/Commencement Bay Class, other books (and other subjects!) Hi Shane, As a new SMMLie this is my first mail to you. Having very recently returned to shipmodelling after a long love affair (that is not over yet) with WW I aircraft models, some of the comments I have to offer may be quite questionable or at least not new to many. Too, I dont know any rules for this forum (are there any?), so I'm maybe mixing up too many things now. Re: Fort Drum and CVE literature Beside "The Concrete Battleship", which is a wonderful little publication, there is also one extremly interesting photo of Ft. Drum in its later days (March 5, 1945, to be precise), being attacked by USAAF B 25's, in L.J. Hickeys "Warpath across the Pacific". I mention this because this book is a perfect, but maybe comparatively unknown source for ship modelers. Basically it is a illustrated history of the 345th Bombardement Group (the famous "Air Apaches") and at the same time one of the best AVIATION books ever published. However, amongst the 100's of photographs one can find in this book are also some of the best detail photographs of IJN warships (usually during their last moments of existence). These were produced using cameras mounted in the B 25 strafers. Some of the subjects you can find in this book are simply unbelievable. The details for IJN escorts and subchasers (for Skywave or Tamiya models) available here are difficult to be bettered. However, a real show-stopper (and one of my future modelling projects) is the IJN Amatsukaze (Kagero class) fitted with a temporary bow. Unfortunately, this book is expensive (but definitly worth the money!) and sometimes the comments to the photos as well as the photos themselves are somewhat shocking (too many deads, too much blood, too much reminding of what we are really modelling). Nevertheless: Try to have a look on this book, if you find it in your bookstore! Looking on the Casablanca and Commencement Bay class CVEs, I made an interesting discovery here in Germany. As stated above, I only recently returned to ship modeling (and basically, my main interest still is WW I aircraft), even though my first model ever was a Revell USS Patrick Henry SSBN build some 30 (!) years ago at the age of nine during a very rainy holiday in Switzerlands Ticino canton (and there's no Swiss navy!). However, beside some 1:700 IJN carriers (plus escorts) build in the mid seventies (it all started with the old Tamiya Shinano), I had little interest in ships and therefore bought nearly no literature in this field. With my renewed interest, this all changed - and just in time, as I found out: The Terzibaschitsch books on US cruisers, destroyers and aircraft carriers are all available now as reprints on extremely favourable prices, which should make them interesting also to those who don't speak german at all. These books are all mainly picture (MANY 100's of them, plus lots of drawings) books with comparatively little text. Too, their main value lies in the easy-to-read charts offering detailed information on armament, electronic outfit, camouflage schemes and task force composition during specific battles (very helpful for my favorite subject: multi ship displays). To give you an idea concerning the prices: Both the cruiser ("Omaha" to "Long Beach") and the destroyer ("Flushdecker to Forrest Sherman") book are available (published by Bechtermünz Verlag) for DM 24,80 (roughly US$ 15.-), while the latest imprint from "Flugzeugträger der US Navy" ("Aircraft carriers of the US Navy"), which now also includes information on all Nimitz class carriers (including 32 colour photographs) sells at DM 79.- (roughly US $ 42.-). This latest edition combines the two volumes on fleet and escort carriers; the original issues were roughly 2.5 times as expensive. However, I could not find any information on the Casablanca or Commencement Bay class rudder layout in that book. On the other hand, I think the price vs. information ratio offered by thes books really is difficult to beat! If someone is interested, I think Ch. Schmidt of Munich should be able to supply copies of all these books. Next point: Modelling projects Having just restarted ship modelling, I'm looking for some information: I want to build some "multi ship displays", all combining CV's or CVL's with their respective escorts. My main problem is to find out a realistic combination of ships for one of my four projects. Basically, I try to combine ships which could be found together at some significant point of time; I hate the idea of accidentally combining (say) an Atlantic Fleet destroyer with an Pacific carrier. I had little difficulties with the first three projects: "Destination Desaster": IJN Taiho, Mogami and Shimakaze in June 44 ( I admit this is not really following my principles, as Taiho belonged to CarDiv 1, Mogami was with CarDiv 2 and Shimakaze with Kuritas group, as far as I know; however, I like these three ships that all would sink in the next 5 monthes, and I use them only as a first exercise, all being rebuilds from models I originally build in the seventies) "Mission beyond Darkness": USS "Belleau Wood" and CL-54 "San Juan" of TG 58.1 at the start of the mission that would lead to Hiyo´s demise "Towards Sunset": IJN Zuiho and Isuzu (modified as an AA cruiser) at Cape Engano, this models and the ones mentioned above also showing the extreme difference in US and Japanese CVL and AA concepts However, the fourth project (working title: "Sea Power for the 21st Century") poses some problems. Here, I want to combine a late Nimitz class CVN (ie, neither Nimitz itself nor Eisenhower or Vinson) with two AEGIS escorts. One should be an EARLY Ticonderogy class cruiser (without VLS - not some many choices here!) and a Burke class DDG. The main reason for this combination is the fact that I do not want to build 2 VLS Tico's, and VLS version is reserved for USS Normandy in a single ship ("strike") display during Operation Deliberate Force (The Bosnia/Herzegovina missions). Now here is my question: Did such a combination ever exist? If yes, which ships were included, when and where? I think this mail has grown much longer than originally intended, so I'll stop now! Volker -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "Raynor Johnston" Subject: SAM missle details Can anyone direct me to good pics of the standard 4 barrel SSM (sam) launchers that i find on my Hatsuyuki class japanese Destroyer cicra 1984. she carries 2 x 4 barrell units. thanks Raynor Johnston (NZ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "The Shannons" Subject: Re: Dazzle Camouflage Schemes In answer to the question of whether these were intended to make the ship harder to see, the short answer is no. Camouflage is defined in military circles as changing the appearance of an object to protect it at its most vulnerable point. By late 1943 the predominance of the US Fleet and the rapid building program made the Navy relish the opportunity for a fight, add to that a feeling that the wake of a ship will always give the game away as far as air detection, and you have the greatest vulnerability coming from submarines. In general terms, the dazzle camouflage patterns were intended to make the individual ship identity harder to discern and to make it more difficult to gauge important attack parameters like course, speed, and range. The patterns in particular were designed to twist the ships course to appear as if it were going away from the observer. Colors were chosen to give a resolution effect at the range that made all the colors blend into one -- dark, medium or light blue-grays resulting. Multiple funnels were to be painted in contrasting colors on the idea that horizon conditions would always make at least one of them less visible, similarly with large structures such as tower bridges. On Saratoga, for instance, bold contrasts were used on that slab of a funnel to break it up the other way. On a closer view, it was also felt there was an advantage to hiding the exact bearing and number of turrets, so they were painted to confuse the eye. Various applications of light paint low on the hul would give false bow wave effects, etc, etc. The disadvantage of the dazzle schemes is that they drew attention to the ship. The whole idea was that the observer knew that an attempt was being made to fool them, but the exact information was still obscured or falsified. Being conspicuous was the last thing you wanted for your ship, especially the carriers as prime targets, when the Kamikaze attacks began. Dazzle was being removed for, typically, Measure 21 overall Navy Blue 5-N about as fast as a paintbrush could be wielded in late 1944 to the end of the war though some battleships retained it longer as a kind of decoy, since they could shrug off the effects better and had much more light and long-range AA cover. Mark L. Shannon The early bird gets the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: Gene Larson Subject: Re: Decal Article Ref my earlier message. I want to clarify something since I sent a cc to FSM. FSM read my message as suggesting that Alps "gave" a computer for the development of the article. I had no intention of suggesting that they received a freebe. If they had, I wouldn't have had a problem. Isn't it standard practice for reviewers to receive the kits, books, etc. free? The point was, can I also borrow one to make decals when I want? I think not. The article only covers the "high cost way to go". The cover says' "Make Your Own Decals". That suggests it is for everyone and within everyone's budget. Therefore, make it for everyone by including, in the same detail, all the options for "making your own decals". Just wanted to clarify. Gene Larson, Alexandria, Virginia mailto:genenrg@Naut-Res-Guild.org Nautical Research Guild, Inc. http://www.Naut-Res-Guild.org "A non-profit, tax exempt, charitable, educational organization with international membership, dedicated to maritime research and accurate ship model building." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "Jeff Herne" Subject: Dazzle patterns Norm, Dazzle patterns were used extensively during WW1, and again during the WW2. Their use can be logically connected to several factors. The most obvious is the breakup of the outline of particular vessel. By utilizing multiple colors, a ship's outline can be altered drastically at a variety of distances. Ship identification obviously plays a big part in determining whether an enemy vessel will engage, not to mention determining a vessel's offensive or defensive capabilities. Imagine the consequences of a Japanese destroyer misidentifying a US heavy cruiser, or, on the other end of the spectrum, consider yourself a lucky cruiser commander if you're misidentified as a battleship and a superior enemy withdraws... Another factor is course deception, a factor which largely determines whether or not your vessel is struck by a shell or torpedo. By utilizing sharp angles, it can also effect optical ranging. A perfect example are the anti-range finding baffles that were fitted to funnels of warships during WW1. By 1944, the Japanese surface vessel threat had largely disappeared, but the Kamikaze had required rethinking about camouflage. With the thought of engaging surface vessels, dazzle camo provided crews with a sense of security, albeit largely unproven, that their ships were harder to hit. But when your primary threat comes from aerial attacks, dazzle pattern ships are highly visible. From sea level to approx. 60 degrees over the target, the lighter colors of a dazzle measure, 5-H, 5-L, and 5-P, are quite obvious from the air. By removing dazzle patterns and reverting back to Ms.21 and 22, ships went from camouflaging identities and course deception to trying to be invisible. This change, too, was largely unproven, as ships underway tend to throw a highly visible wake which renders Ms.22 or 21 largely ineffective from the air. If you really want to get into the effectiveness of dazzle patterns and the history behind it, I recommend 2 sources, Alan Raven's 5 part series, Development of Naval Camouflage, printed in last year's Plastic Ship Modeler magazine. Contact Dan Jones at mailto:dhjonespsm@juno.com for back issues. The other source should be available by mid-2000, it will be a book on USN camo practices from yours truly...in the meantime, you're in the best possible place for info, from the likes of the staff at WR Press, John Snyder, and numerous others. It seems everyone has a specialty... Best, Jeff Herne Hi all, I heartily concur with Jeff's recommondation. The camo series by Alan Raven is outstanding (although it can put you to sleep at times ;-) ). Also the earlier issues on German camo are also worthwhile as well. Regards, Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: Alaska Kits At the risk of starting a battle, any opinions as to which of the 2 Alaska 1/350 kits is the better one?? Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: "Katz, Gene S" Subject: Re: GUAM Color/Wedded Bliss Re: color was dull black according to my Floating Drydock camo sheet, and my uncle, a radarman 2nd class and plankowner, on the Guam. Off Okinawa, they wanted to paint the whole ship dull black because of kamikaze night raids!! Re: glad you spent the time celebrating with a great lady, Shane, but does your wife know?? Ooops, she does now, mate! :-) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: Joe Costanzo Subject: 2 Questions While working on an Engineering course project the other day, I was messing around with a hot glue gun, and noticed that the glue stretches quite easily. I had intended to add some more rigging to my USS St Louis, (in a dorm, one must always be resourceful) so I gave it a shot and it worked quite nicely. Instant stretched sprue! No messy heating or messing with consistencies required. The catch, unfortunately, is that even a small gun is tough to get into tight areas. Any suggestions on using this technique? My second question is directed to JAG collective. I'm impressed with their offerings in an often neglected area of naval history, post World War 2, with the impressive Long Beach, FRAM Gearing DD and upcoming 50's vintage Essex. I'm wondering if you guys are planning a release of the Boston class CAG conversion. If you are, I assure you I'll be placing the first order! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: "James Kloek" Subject: Dazzle Camouflage Dazzle camouflage was not necessarily meant to hide or conceal a ship. Rather it was intended to confuse the observer about the ship's true range, bearing, and speed. Before radar was a shipboard fixture, fire control was done optically. In other words, in order to hit another ship with guns or torpedoes, you had to correctly estimate the target's range, bearing, and speed relative to your own. And you did this by visual observation. You then had to calculate where to shoot your weapons so that your ordnance and the target would arrive at the same place at the same time. Dazzle schemes were designed to break up the silhouette and general appearance of the ship, and to make the estimation of range, speed and bearing difficult. Dazzle schemes were not effective against aircraft or radar, which is why they eventually disappeared. I wrote an FSM article last year on painting dazzle schemes, and the editors added a very nice side bar about this, including some good artwork showing how different a ship looked at a distance painted in a dazzle, or in a one color scheme. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: Lisa and Bill Wiseman Subject: Re: Lady Lex Thanks to all who responded. I ordered the kit form Shaya over at Naval Base yesterday. The project is a gift for a friend. His wife asked me to build Lexington as she appeared in the mid seventies. My friend was on the flight deck as an ordinanceman/ firefighter. I have been told the Lex kit suffers from the wrong modernization 27C vs 125 (or vice versa) and has the wrong cats but I think I can get around that. Again thanks to everybody who responded. That's why I look forward to the list every day. Doc Wiseman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: Mike Settle Subject: Shane & Lorna's Anniversary >> Shane - celebrating 9 years of wedded bliss with a most charming lady today ;->> << Congratulations! Mistress Lorna certainly has to be a very tolerant and understanding lady. :-) Mike Settle I am not agent #1908 of the non-existent Lumber Cartel (tinlc)tm Hi Mike, That she is. Heck she even puts up with all the SMMLies as well ;-)). Shane - where it's fast approaching shorts weather again ;-))))). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25) From: Dave Baker Subject: THE GREAT HORNED CARRIER MEETS THE MAGNIFICENT OERLIKON Received a very recent bow-angle photo of CONSTELLATION today for use in the next COMBAT FLEETS; she still has one catapult horn, but it is aligned with one of the angled-deck catapults (can't tell which, as the photo was taken from below). For the fellow looking for 20-mm mount drawings, he needs to know which Mark and Model, for there were at least 24 different mounts used (although, in fairness, the most common where the early Mk 4 with "solid" truncated cone foundation, the single Mk 10 with a tripod, and the twin Mk 24, also with a tripod. Late in the war, of course, many single and nearly all twin 20-mm mounts were also equipped with Mk 14 lead-computing sights, which further changed their appearance. The Floating Dry Dock has, I believe, plans for many of these mounts, taken from the 1945 BUORD GUN AND TURRET CATALOGUE, a wonderful great thick, thumping catalogue of dimensional, weight, and performance data for everything from 20-mm mounts right through 16-in battleship mountings, and complete with a drawing for each and every one of them; I've been trying to get ANY publisher interested in reproducing it in toto for years but am always told that it would appeal only to the dreaded lowlife sort of customers known as the "buffs." Try Norman Friedman's U.S. Naval Weapons from the USNI Press, another superb source of information on U.S.N. weapons from WW II to whenever it was that it was published (over a decade ago). By the way, Oerlikon Buhle's gun manufacturing division was just sold to Rheinmetall of Germany. End of an era, etc. Sigh . . . Dave -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26) From: KDur597268@aol.com Subject: Large scale carriers Hi folks - Well, we're slowly getting there establishing a chapter on USS Hornet (CVS-12). Approved, and piping aboard Nov.5. The chapter, and ship modelers in general who are interested, will most likely have the opportunity to build large carrier models for some of the larger ships' associations on board that can afford them. Most of them I think will be Essex-class, both axial and angled decks. Now I seem to remember that Tom's is working on a 1/350 Essex (Tom, could you email me off-list with details, ETA? etc.) What I'd like to know is are there any others, say even in 1/192 or odd-scales? Have any of you experience building this sort of model? Basically, what are we up against here? I'm getting myself up to speed on the various Essex-class "boats," but I sure would appreciate feedback. And help! And how are plans for the SMML conference developing? We won't be able to host an IPMS Region IX contest until 2002, but if the list thing flies - - maybe before then we could host such a thing. Ken Durling -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27) From: Michael Eisenstadt Subject: Japanese Ship Model Web Sites Folks: Just one addition to yesterday's submission about Japanese ship model related web sites. Probably the best links page I've come across yet is the one on the Solid Casting home page. Use it as a launch pad for surfing Japanese ship model related web sites. The URL is: http://www2.wbs.ne.jp/~s-c/sc_lnk.html Enjoy! Mike Eisenstadt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28) From: PulligS@aol.com Subject: Re: World War II AA Armament Is there a study of the increase of effectiveness in our 5"/38 with the change of directors and or the proximity fuses. I understand the 4.5 was better than the 5.25 was it mechanical, mobility, rate of fire, shell , all the above or other things? The Jap. 5" was good but how was its kill rate vs our 5"/38? Same type of questions about the auto. weapons. Sam Pullig -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29) From: "Pletscher-Lenz-Schneider" Subject: Russian colours 1904/05 Russian warships (of the early 1900 years) had different paint schemes, dependent on what fleet they were attached to. Up to 1903, the Pacific Fleet's standard scheme was - White hull and upperworks, - Yellow funnels with black tops In 1903 it was changed to - Olive.grey overall (sometimes also described as blackish.brown) Some ships may have had grey funnels for some time in 1904. The Baltic Sea's Fleet's paint was - Black hull and upperworks, - Yellow funnels with broad black tops. Up to 1903, ships in the Black Sea probably had the same white/yellow paint scheme as those in the Pacific. The 2nd Pacific Squadron which fought in the Battle of Tsushima was recruited from the Baltic Sea's Fleet and had retained their black/yellow paint scheme. Ships of the Black Sea's Fleet were painted - Black hulls, - White upperworks, - Yellow funnels with black tops. These were the standard schemes, but there were some variations. The Coastal Defence Battleships, for example, had the Baltic Sea's scheme but the upperworks above 01 deck level painted white. Also the main gun turrets were white, except those of GENERAL-ADMIRAL APRAKSIN which were black. My guessing for equivalent Humbrol tones would be: Hull black - 85 Hull white - 41 Yellow - 69 This is, of course, only guessing, no more. Falk Pletscher -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30) From: Damian Pliszka Subject: New book. Hi all, There is new book from AJPress (Poland). It's new series called "Battles and Capmaings", title "Operation Rheinubung". As usually dozens of great photos (Bismarck, Prinz Eugen and British ships), drawings, maps, damage schemes... Polish text of course. Greetings Damian Pliszka Slupsk, Poland -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume