Subject SMML24/10/99VOL708 Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 01:22:52 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Ticonderogas and Security 2: FSM wants ship model photos 3: Porthole Recovery 4: Revell FDR kit 5: WR Press - Trivia 6: IPMS(UK) Nats best model in show 7: Royal Navy Paints 8: Roll Models 9: Re: Submarine Pennants 10: Re: Trivia 11: Detaching PE from sprue 12: Fletcher/Sumner Class 13: USS Ward and PC461 14: Re: SMS 15: Card Models 16: Lindberg Cleveland cl Model 17: Announcement: Next BIW Launch -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: 1/400 KGV set 2: Model Expo RN Paints 3: 1942 USN Officer Uniform for Sale -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Michael Kear Subject: Ticonderogas and Security I'm really intrigued to hear about the attitude to security around the Ticonderogas. There are several Ticonderogas in Task Force 72 as I'm sure many of you know. And we've sold 1/72 kits of them all over the world - to at least 12 countries now. It's interesting that the USN attitude to cooperation with modellers seems to change as the ships move around. For example, one modeller in Germany was permitted to wander about (accompanied by a rating) with his camera, snapping at anything outside the ship's skin for as long as he wanted. They just asked him not to take pictures of the antennae up the mast. (He faithfully refrained from taking these pictures, but regrettably when he saw the prints of his pictures of the mast structure .. uh oh! some antennae were in there! He's promised to eat the prints after he's finished his model) Yet when that same ship got home to her home port in Virginia, another modeller - a US citizen too - was not permitted off the main deck, and could only take pictures of things on that deck. There was no material alteration to the ship in between times - she'd only ended her tour in Europe and come home. The two guys went aboard only 3 weeks apart. The only conclusion we can come to is that the USN thinks foreign spies are less of a worry than US spies. However, between all the modellers who've gone aboard Ticonderogas that we know of, there can't be a feature outside the ship's skin that hasn't been photographed several times. Another amusing incident was when our group went aboard USS Mobile Bay when she was in Sydney a couple of years ago. We'd organised the visit well in advance, and had explained in writing why we wanted to come aboard - namely to take pictures to model the ship from. When we arrived at the ship there were 20 of us, all toting cameras and bags of film. We were shown to the foredeck where the XO stood on the VLS silos and gave us a lecture about not taking pictures of certain things - a depressingly long list - and not going above deck 01. Then the CO arrived to welcome us aboard. To the XO's consternation, the CO told us he was a modeller himself and we were free to go anywhere on the ship we liked, look at anything we wanted, and take as many pictures as we like ... except no photos inside, and no going inside without an escort. We chuckled as we snapped away, and the XO seethed - but very politely. Cheers, Mike Kear Task Force 72 - Australia's Warship Modellers AFP Models - 1/72 warship kits on the net. http://www.afp.zip.com.au/models.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: FSM wants ship model photos While speaking to the folks at FSM the other day, the magazine itself entered in the conversation. They said that they would like to have more ship model photos for their reader gallery. I know for a fact they do pay for photos used there, although I can't remember how much. So, if you guys want your moment in the spotlight, send them some photos of your ship projects. The more ships I see in those pages the better I like it. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Alan Salas" Subject: Porthole Recovery Hello Everyone I recently received a resin kit of a British cruiser which displays a ton of portholes. I was thinking of using a very small drill to make them a wee bit more pronounced. The problem is that the portholes are barely discernable while looking at the kit in any light. Is there any way to highlight these features so I don't get lost in the process? I can't ignore them because even through paint they will barly show and the actual ship (County Class, WWII) actually had them. Alan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: CBNJBB62@aol.com Subject: Revell FDR kit Hi Guys Is Revell going to reissue the Franklin Roosevelt kit again? Also the first warship with radar was the Destroyer USS LEARY DD-158 in 1937. Sincerely, Craig Bennett -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "John Rule" Subject: WR Press - Trivia >> What was the first ship to be fitted with radar. << The first ship fitted with radar, albeit of a primitive sort, was the Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Saltburn, which was so fitted in 1936. I guess an apt description of eagerly awaiting the issue of upcoming volumes on RN camouflage would be "ravenous". John Rule -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "graham" Subject: IPMS(UK) Nats best model in show Hi just got in from the UK IPMS Nationals, best in show went to a 1/128th scale HMS SOMALI. Awesome:) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "John Rule" Subject: Royal Navy Paints I noted that Model Expo is carrying a line of paints for Royal Navy ships of WWII. Has anyone seen them?. Has anyone used them? Can anyone comment on their accuracy? What type of paints are they? I am hoping they are new and are following up on the release of the S & S paint chips. The paints are called Shipways. Any responses would be welcome. On this note, I purchased a set of RN paints a number of years ago but on receiving them was sorely disappointed, as it appeared that the people who produced them thought that the number in the paints B5 and B6 was a measure of reflectance which meant that to the eye the two colours were identical. I never used any of the paints as a result, feeling that I could not trust them. With luck through this wonderful SMML medium I can predetermine whether they will be worth purchasing. John Rule -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "sctrtrash" Subject: Roll Models My apologies to Fernando Yohan. I mistakenly read his heading under the Roll Models Alert. As a Caveat to this "thread". Roll Models also donated many ship models in various scales to the Twin Cities Squadron, U.S. Naval Sea Cadets youth program, of which the Kids both, male and female, made the models, displayed them, and learned a little about the history of their parent service. Mark Krumrey New Richmond WI -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Mackenzie Gregory" Subject: Re: Submarine Pennants With the Russian Convoy PQ17 in 1942 were two British Submarines they were designated P614, & P615. This of course was the convoy that was decimated after the then First Lord at the Admiralty Admiral Sir Dudley Pound sent off his infamous signal "Convoy is to scatter." Hope this helps a little. Mac.Gregory. AHOY As I Saw It. Naval Reminiscences. http://members.tripod.com/the_porthole -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: dhjonespsm@juno.com Subject: Re: Trivia >> What was the first ship to be fitted with radar. << Ok, I'll bite. HMS SALTBURN - installed in December, sea trial on Dec. 15, 1936. Do I get a cookie? Dan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Denis & Marilyn Campbell Subject: Detaching PE from sprue I built the SK2 radar for my 1:350 Missouri today, from GMM's PE set and detaching those small pieces posed a problem (for me, anyway). So I pulled out a set of micro-chisels which I had bought from Micro-Mark for use in making miniature furniture (one of my other hobbies) and used the straight blade chisel (about 1/16") and it was amazing - a slight bit of pressuere and it cut right throught with a slight "ping" and I was able to remove the rings etc with no sprue on the edges. Much easier and better than a single-edge razor blade or a sprue cutter or small scissors (either of which, I think, would have mangled the pieces). Thought I would pass this along for what it's worth. Denis Campbell Avon MA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: CAPTNWED@aol.com Subject: Fletcher/Sumner Class Hi All My wifes uncle has asked me to build a model of the ship he served on durng the WW2. It was the USS Ross DD 563. a Fletcher/Sumner class. (I've heard of a Gearing/Sumner but never a Fletcher/Sumner ???) He was aboard from its commisioning, 2 - 21 -44, until it was mothballed at San Diego in May 1946. He was discharged June 3rd of that year. I would like to do this in 1/700. Does anyone make a kit of this particular class? and is there a site anyone could suggest for reference etc. (My stuff is mostly carriers) I'd appreciate any info, ideas or suggestions. Thanks in advance John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: Lisa and Bill Wiseman Subject: USS Ward and PC461 I just picked up the Commanders/ISW PC 461 Sub Chaser and the WSW USS Ward APD-16. Any recommendations on reference material? Tried the web and got two real grainy pix of the Ward as DD139. Floating Drydock lists plans for APD but I know there were many ship classes converted to APD. Can't find any reference to the PC 461 just a small blurb in an old copy of "Ships and Aircraft of the US Fleet". Any help would be greatly appreciated. Doc Wiseman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Michael D'Silva" Subject: Re: SMS Hi Shane, I would like to thank all SMMLies who answered the query on what SMS stands for. I have since "established" that it is "Seine Majestaet Schiff". The direct translation in English is "His Majesty's Ship" i.e. the Kaiser. This has been confirmed by an Austrian relative who happens to speak German quite fluently. Once again, thanks to all who came forward with replies that helped put me on the right track. Michael -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: Derek "Tiger" Wakefield Subject: Card Models For kicks and grins (and out of curiosity) I dropped by the http://www.digitalnavy.com site to see these card-stock ship models. I remember having seen a paper model of the Northhampton back in the early 80s in a model magazine. That was impressive, so was sorta curious as about how they may have evolved. . All I've got to say is...I can't believe that 1/250 USS Arizona is made out of paper. WOW! And at $25, I'm supremely tempted to get one just for the novelty of having one (and to see if I can get it to look that good). I had to send a pic of that to my bud who's a Pennsy fan. Given his main preoccupation is model railroading, I thought that might be something he'd be more likely to be interested in. Does anyone here have any experience building these kits. For that matter, how difficult is it to design your own. I admit, they aren't quite as nice as plastic kits, but I've got a "what if" project based on an actual ship I've been wanting to build. To accomplish this with plastic, I'm looking at a very complex and time consuming scratchbuild project. Given what I've seen here, the card-stock option might be an easier way to go about doing this. Dasvidanya! _|_o_|_ Derek "Tiger" (/\)akefield /---(.](o)[.)---\ iscandar2@chatter.com o oo O oo o http://www.iscandar-66.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: Derek "Tiger" Wakefield Subject: Lindberg Cleveland cl Model Does anyone know if anyone still carries (or if it's even still in production) the old Lindberg 1/600 (approx) Cleveland cl kits? I used to have one in HS, and I saw one someone did up as the Miami at a website recently. The one I had was marketed as the USS Manchester. Always got a chuckle at the box art (which I still have lying around here somewhere) because it shows the ship fighting off Zeros. The irony of this being the fact that the Manchester wasn't commissioned until after the war! As crude as that kit was, seeing the way the modeler fixed it up reminded me just how sound that old kit was. I kept it up until '90. When I moved to Dallas in '85 I left most of my remaining ship kits (including my old Revell Angled Deck USS Hornet, USS Pittsburg, USS Boston, and USS Arizona - all built during HS). I didn't have space for them at the time, but I didn't want to throw them away either. So, except for the Boston, I gave them all to our neighbor's son. As crude as they were, he was going nuts over them (most notably the Hornet). Naturally, he saw them as toys, but his Mom (who was also supremely appreciative of my gesture) recognized the difference and took measures to make sure they remained on his bedroom shelves (much to his chagrin). Now I wish I'd kept that Cleveland and Pittsburg. Oh well...maybe I can find another one of the former kits lying around somewhere. Dasvidanya! _|_o_|_ Derek "Tiger" (/\)akefield /---(.](o)[.)---\ iscandar2@chatter.com o oo O oo o http://www.iscandar-66.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: Steve Singlar Subject: Announcement: Next BIW Launch Bath Iron Works HOWARD (DDG 83), BIW Hull 469, will launch 20 November 1999. High tide on the Kennebec at Bath is at 9:54 AM, so the ceremony should start around 8 or 9 AM, and the ship to slide around 10am. CHURCHILL (DDG 81) should be at the north end of the yard, in a good spot for photography, and HOWARD will be moored at the finger pier following the launch. This is a good chance for a low-attendance launch, where you might actually get close enough to see the ship. The next two launches - the final ones off the ways - will certainly be very big events... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Tom & Carolyn Harrison" Subject: 1/400 KGV set Something new in 1/400 Scale from Tom's Modelworks Set # 4007 King George V (Radar's, rails, cranes etc.) $25.00. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "John Snyder" Subject: Model Expo RN Paints I see that Model Expo is advertising a line of 22 RN WW2 paints, obviously based on our RN Set 1. I wondered whey they only ordered one of each set after the IPMS Nationals at Orlando. Presumably we can now look forward to an extensive line of USN and IJN colors as well. Obviously, any manufacturer could have done the same thing with our chips, but I certainly wish we'd charged them retail rather than dealer price. We hope that modelers will continue to buy our chip sets. Remember, they will ALWAYS provide accuracy, and will not be subject to the vagaries of changes in paint batches, or to the discontinuance or changing of paint lines by manufacturers, and will allow the modeler to mix and match using one's favorite brand or type of paint (personally, I don't care for acrylics). Remember who did the research by which others are profiting. John Snyder Snyder & Short Enterprises The Paint Guys (Who are having second thoughts about future releases) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: GrafSpee34@aol.com Subject: 1942 USN Officer Uniform for Sale Hi Still thinning out my archive. If anyone would like a very nice WWII period US Navy officer's white top visor cap and two tunics, all from the same man, please have a look at http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=186560625 Makes a very nice addition to a USN model ship collection, and relatively inexpensive. Thanks for looking Dave -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume