Subject: SMML05/12/99VOL750 Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1999 00:17:21 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Modelcraft Type VII-C U-Boat 2: WWII in Colour 3: Re: Waterlineing 4: Re: Togo's flagship 5: Re: PE Cranes 6: Stuffing tubes 7: Re: OSA II Soviet Missle Boat 8: Waterline shipmodels in metal - HELP! 9: Seattle hobby and bookstores 10: USS Newport News 11: Re: Seattle Sights 12: WW2 in colour, SMML site 13: Badger ModelFlex paints 14: Just do it 15: Re: Newport News (and missiles??) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Lito626@aol.com Subject: Modelcraft Type VII-C U-Boat At Phil's Hobbies in Dallas the other day I saw a couple of Type VII C U-Boat kits by Modelcraft. I didn't even see a scale shown on the box. Does anyone know anything about this kit, i.e. scale, quality, etc.? Larry Litoborski -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Chris Drage" Subject: WWII in Colour Hi Shane, If the WWII in Colour is the one we saw about a month ago then be prepared to video the wonderful shots of Flower Class corvettes in Prog 1 and a brief few seconds of Rodney amongst footage of the US Navy Pacific offensive!! Apart from those shots and a few of Liberty ships being built there is not much for the ship modeller. Hope your all enjoying spring! Hi Chris, Well, no shots of any ships in this episode, but it looks good anyway. As for enjoying Spring, well we did, but it's now Summer ;-)). Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "David C. Maschino" Subject: Re: Waterlineing Donald writes: >> Does anyone out there have any tips on how to waterline full hull kits both one and two piece. I usually make 1/600 - 1/720 so any mishaps with cutting really show << Consider simply assembling the full hull, rough-cutting *below* the waterline, then sanding the entire assembly over a flat stationary piece of sandpaper (taping it to a glass plate works well). This way you end up with a uniform waterline which eliminates any cutting errors. Of course this method is slower, but more reliable. You just have to be careful to put even pressure on the hull at all times and take care that you don't take off more from one side, or front to back. Aircraft vacuform modellers use this technique all the time to prep fuselages and wings. Hope this helps, David C. Maschino -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Mitsuaki Kubota Subject: Re: Togo's flagship Hello everyone Japanese distributor "Inter-Allied" announced the release of Mikasa (injection moulded) under "Seales Models" label. According to Japanese model magazine, it will appear next january, and 3800 yen. The hull is moulded in two pieces, port and starboard. Although the distributor don't have site, but one of "test-shots" can be seen. http://www2.famille.ne.jp/~kurimata/mikasa00.jpg Inter-Allied have recently released IJN pre-dreadnought Yashima(resin and metal kit) and destroyer Shinonome class and Ikazuchi class(both kits are 2 in 1, metal kits). They also released JMSDF observation ships Akashi and Suma(metal) and icebreaker Shirase(resin and metal). Best regards, Mitsuaki Kubota -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: PE Cranes >> If you are working in 1/350th scale, Call Classic Warships and see if Steve will sell you the Photoetch frets from his USS Salem kit. It has the cranes right on the fret along with all the other goodies. << Toms Modelworks sells a PE cranes set if you wish not to buy the whole CW Salem set. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Kenneth Perry Subject: Stuffing tubes Hello, This question is for anyone who does radio controlled ships. I'm building a ship right now and I'm at the stuffing tube installation. Of course, I have to fill them with grease before assembly. What I want to know is how often do the stuffing tubes usually need to be refilled. I'm asking because the tubes with the kit have no refill tubes and I will have to disassemble the shafts each time unless I make some sort of fill tube. Thanks. Ken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Dave Judy Subject: Re: OSA II Soviet Missle Boat This model was in 1/150 scale, they disappeared about 2 years ago, I heard the molds were aquired by Revell of Germany, But I can not back this up with fact. I bought one of these and the Nanuchka of the same scale, they weren't cheap at about $70.00 bucks apeice. As of late, I haven't seen either of these kits around. I thought they were well moulded and highly detailed, my kits having much photo etch brass detail. The Nanuchka came with either a vacuum formed hull or an injected hull( mine was injected) the Osa II I have has an injected hull, I don't know if these had vac. too! Dave Judy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Jose A. de Franca" Subject: Waterline shipmodels in metal - HELP! When I was a little kid (I'm now 48), I was offered by my father and my uncle a few very fine and accurate waterline shipmodels (built) in metal (around 1400th or 1500th scale), which I still have in my posession. German battlecruisers "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau", HMS "Hood", and a few modern frigates such as the Russian "Skory", the french destroyer "Normand", as well as Hamburg-America Line cargo ship "Krefeld". They are very detailed models, very fine work, and I think they were made by a German manufacturer, although I'm not sure of this. There is only one marking on the base of the models one S, Gothic style, on a shield. I thought these models were discontinued for a long time, but it happens that on a recent trip to Paris, my brother, also a modeller, visited the Musée de Marine (Palais Chaillot), and saw in the Museum's shop about one hundred such shipmodels (naval ships, ocean liners and cargo ships) for sale. He is absolutely sure it is the same brand (he also owns some of these models) but unfortunately could not get any information on them because the shop was already closed, as he was the last visitor to leave the Museum. I would love to know the name of the manufacturer and the way to reach him. Can anybody help me? Jose A. de Franca (Portugal) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Suvoroff@aol.com Subject: Seattle hobby and bookstores As far as Seattle bookstores go, the best military used books are at David Comstock's Bookstore and Bindery in Auburn, about 20 miles south of the city. The selection is excellent but nothing is cheap, so don't come looking for bargains. Seattle's most famous used book store is Shorey's, which you should avoid - their public shelves contain the worst sort of dross. The only hobby shop in Seattle I am familar with is American Eagles, which won't have any thing you can't get anywhere. There is a very good, but small hobby shop in Skyway (Skyway Hobbies) but Emil does not have a lot of ship stuff. Yours, James D. Gray -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Robert OConnor Subject: USS Newport News To everyone who responded- The response to my request for info on the deck of the N.N. was really helpful. My thanks to all of you who helped. FYI, it is a 1/700 Jim Shirley kit I'm building, and while it's not the most detailed kit I've ever built, it's not too bad. Being the only game in town in that scale, I don't have much choice....quick build and very simple. Now to get to that JAG Long Beach,as soon as I put up the tree and hang the lites. I too shot the crap out of the old Revell Arizona, Missouri, and assorted Airfix and Lindberg kits as a misguided youth. While a teenager in Scotland,(my dad was stationed there in 68-70)our local landlord's son, a fellow modeller, and I built like crazy. upon the onset of boredom or damage, we anchored the hapless victims in the shallow end of a sheep watering pond (a very cold swimming hole in the summer), and commenced the carnage.My pump .22 crossman pellet pistol in hand, we "torpedoed" many a victim in that little loch.I've often wondered if the wreckage is still there, or if Andrew's dad made him clean the hulks out of the mud.fun memories!!Lots of fun remembering those days after all these years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Duane Fowler Subject: Re: Seattle Sights Hello John, If you are going to be in Seattle, besides bringing body armor, I highly recommend visiting the US Coast Guard Museum which is right outside the gate of the Coast Guard base. It is small but has some increadible models in there - especially the one of the Eastwind during the war. If you asked nicely, you'd probably be able to get a tour of some of the ships that are in. Coasties can be a real friendly bunch if you act interested. If you need the address, let me know. Best regards, Duane Fowler -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "Douglas_J_Martin" Subject: WW2 in colour, SMML site Shane: If its the same series we got in the UK around Sept, it is a fairly general coverage, but well worth recording. From memory, about 3 progs at 40-50 min. Pics on the new SMML site of HMS Belfast: In retrospect they are similar to the ones on the 'Warship' site, but there are limits to what you can actually photo! If anyone wonders why DJM managed to lop off the front/end/top/bottom etc, the developers gave me a set of 6*4" prints, when compared with the negatives, had been chopped off - apparently, this is normal said the Boots lady.....she showed me the cropping guide, and its even worse when the prints are 7*5 or bigger. I was astonished, why can't they print the whole negative? Anyway, I got the film on Kodak floppy disk, jpgs presented upside down with at least 0.5cm cut off the right hand edge as you view them....was I pleased?? So next time I take photos, I've got to get them 'centrally cropped' at printing, which means 'you need to take a step back Sir.........' Douglas (Still waiting for Warship 1999-2000 to come from the bookshop.........) PS: The SMML site didn't load for some reason....... Hi Douglas, Thanks again for the Belfast pictures. Try the site again, you know what the web is like ;-)). Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: Douglas Bauer Subject: Badger ModelFlex paints Haven't read anything lately regarding the new Badger ModelFlex paints. The marine colors seem to be rather hard to find, at least in my area (San Diego, CA) so I've been ordering them by mail. They airbrush very smoothly with little or no thinning necessary, and if applied carefully by hand, leave few brushmarks. The quick drying time is really nice (although it does have its own drawbacks), especially when it can be accelerated with a hair dryer. The elastic nature of the paint is great for painting P/E railings and ladders, as they can be bent to shape with little or no flaking of the paint. I found one problem with the containers, though. This could be "operator error", I don't know for sure...the paint comes in plastic bottles with a plastic lid and the air seal is paper. It seems that the acrylic paint saturates the paper, and after a few openings and closings of the lid the seal shreds and contaminates the paint. I tried cutting a seal out of a styrofoam egg carton, but it didn't last too long. I finally ended up straining the paint through a piece of pantyhose into a cleaned out glass bottle with metal lid and haven't had any problems since. I'd be interested in hearing any tips or experiences others have had with this new product. Doug Bauer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: Derek Wakefield Subject: Just do it Alright, guys, I know you mean well by the encouragement (and I do appreciate it), but permit me to explain a few facts of life I have to deal with. The only place I have to work on models is our garage (re: my den). My mom is hypersensitive to paints and glues, and the slightest hint of their odor in the air sends her into allergic fits and/or gives her migrane headaches. So doing anything like this in the house is verboten. The problem with the garage is it's uninsulated and non climate controled (save for a heat lamp in the winter and open doors and fans in the summer). The only saving grace it's finished (drywall) with a concrete floor. Likewise, ventilation is not a problem (but dust definitely is). In the winter the temp inside is typically +/- ten degrees (fahrenheit) of the outside temp. The draft around the garage door though can be vicious, but at least I don't have to worry about wind. Back about ten years ago, I tried to build models out here in the winter. One problem should be obvious...my hands tend to cramp and ache, making delicate work almost impossible. Just typing at times can be come a real chore (yeah, my computers are out here too). Likewise, near (and below) freezing temperatures does really funny things to paint. It gets as thick as molasses, it clumps up badly, it doesn't like to dry, and it has a very bad tendency to crackle and frost up (among other things). I've tried thinning it, heating it mildly on a warming plate and using a hair dryer, etc. I did all sorts of experiments, but nothing seemed to work very well. Of course, add to this the fact in the winter, I can't leave the doors/windows open, meaning no ventilation. Just open up a bottle of thinner and there goes a few hundred brain cells. As a result, my building season is pretty much limited to mid-april to late october. Between November and March, the seasonal climates and changes are too dicey to risk a project. Likewise, I'm required to store my supplies out here in the garage, and well...if I don't use them before winter sets in, they're pretty much wasted. Until I have a steady enough job to get my own place, this will be a restriction I can't get around. That said, I have ordered what will be the first project I plan on working on come spring. That being the old Revell 1:400 Mission Capistrano tanker. I've always wanted an oiler (okay, it's a tanker, not an oiler) and I'm not yet experienced enough with resin and PE to try LCPs T-2 kit. As such I thought this would be a good one to try first, and provide a project suitable that I can experiment with some of the new techniques I've been wanting to try. TBK, I'd prefer a T3-S2-A1 type over a T2-S2-A1, since that was the mainstay of the USNs AO force in WWII. I'd love to have a Neosho and Cimmaron in my model fleet. The problem there is I haven't found any models of a T3 in 1:700 to 1:350 scale yet, nor have I found much information on WWII era oilers. I believe there are several books out there on those that served in the Merchant Marine, but not much on USN types. I know the two types look similar, except the T3 is a bit longer and wider, and the T3's had two shafts to the T2's single shaft. Whether a T2 could be converted into a t3 though...??? Yet again, it goes back to a lack of good reference books/plans. That said, I've never had the Mission Capistrano model, nor have I ever seen it out of the box. I only became aware of it when I saw the History Makers re-release back in the 80s (at which time I almost bought it, but didn't have the $25 the shop was asking). The kit I ordered from Hobbyweb ($15 w/S&H) appears to be yet another re-release made in the early ninties in the old 50's era box. I saw another one on ebay the other day listed as an AHI kit (rather than a Revell kit) with the same box art. I dunno, maybe Revell bought the molds from AHI, or sumthing. . As a result though, I'm completely in the dark as to what to expect with this model. The box art shows the ship in a razzle-dazzle scheme, but I don't think any of the Mission cl ships entered USN service until after WWII, so that seems very Odd. It also shows it refueling a generic CV. This again seems odd because I thought the Mission cl ships were tankers rather than fleet oilers. There were some T2-SE-A1's that did serve as oilers during the war, but these apparently differred somewhat from the Mission cl ships. Again, lack of resources, and no histories at the DANFS site doesn't help matters any. What I do know (from Rajendra Datta's list of ship kit reviews at the navismagazine site) is this is one of Revell's infamous flat-bottom boats. No prob....I'm planning on sawing off the bottom and displaying it underway (which gives me a chance to experiment with making water). I suspect to find the pipes and deck fittings molded onto the deck, or absent all together. I'm almost afraid of what I'm going to find there. Until I have it in hand, I have no idea what to expect or plan corrections for, but I have this image in my head of the need for a belt sander and a lot of styrene/brass rod ). I know there's a generic GMM brass kit for the Revell 1:400 merchantmen kits, so that'll help. Again, the box art implies there are gun tubs fore and aft. I can't determine if there are any 20mm's or not. My understanding is they carried 1 5/38 aft (which I could probably replace with an H&K 1:353 scale part), a 3/45 forward, and a number of 20mm's aft. I suspect I'll have to scratch replacements for those (based on my experience with other Revell kits). Of course, I'm not sure if they should have weapons given the Missions didn't enter USN service until after the war (this is getting confusing). The way I figure, the kit is cheap enough for me to use as an experimental test bed without having to worry about really mutzing up the works. I don't want to just break out a kit and build it like I did when I was 10 yrs old (slapping it together without painting it, etc). Besides, I like the research phase as much as I like the building phase, so no loss. Of course, 100% accuracy obviously isn't a must (nor do I think it's possible with a kit like this). I'll probably even do it up in a Ms 32 scheme for the heck of it, again, to get some practice with painting and masking techniques. Not like I plan on taking this to a contest (heh, heh, heh, yeah....riiiight). I'm doing this one for kicks and grins for the most part. The way I look at it, this one kit should provide me with a chance to experiment with most of the techniques I've been wanting to try. Likewise, by waiting until the spring thaw, I have time to do my research, build up a basic tool box, and clean out the garage a bit (so I have room to set up my workbench on a old dining room table that's sitting in one corner (stacked high with stuph that needs to be moved), and gather some scratchbuilding materials (brass rod, sheet styrene, etc) I need to build a model. . If anyone knows of any books, etc that might be able to help me out on this please let me know. For some reason, information on fleet auxilliaries seem to be sorta scarce. Dasvidanya! _|_o_|_ Derek "Tiger" (/\)akefield /---(.](o)[.)---\ iscandar2@chatter.com o oo O oo o http://www.iscandar-66.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: Derek Wakefield Subject: Re: Newport News (and missiles??) >> To convert the kit to the NEWPORT NEWS after the 3 inch guns were removed, superstructure enlarged, and missiles added... << Uh, excuse me, but the Newport News never carried missiles. The Boston and Canberra were single ended missile cruisers, with a trunked stack that made them resemble the later Newport News cl ships, but they were converted from earlier Baltimore cl ships. The mods made to the Newport News to permit her to serve as second fleet flagship included extending the aft portion of her forward superstructure outward on both sides between the forward 3/45 mount and the secondary battery directors. The only 3/45 mounts that remained after the conversion were those on either side of the bridge. According to Janes FS '73, she had an SPS-37, SPS-10 and TACAN on her forward mast ad SPS-8 and SPS-6 on her after mast. This source also states "note elaborate antennae on masts, frcastle, atop turrets, and on stern crane. If I remember correctly, sometime during the 70's there was an accident in the number two main gun turret that resulted in the loss of the center gun. I remember seeing a photo of her in the 77-78 Combat Fleets of the World that showed a plate over the center sleve, and a comment that either the other two guns could not be elevated, or the turret could no longer traverse, as a result of the accident. Which one it was, I can't remember - it's been too many years since I saw the book (lost in a move back in the mid-80s). Given it was the most modernized of the three ships, I believe that was the reason the ship was stricken in '78. Comparatively, if you were to use the CW Salem model, the only change I can tell between the two ships is that the 3/45's on the bow (in a 1949 photo) show the Newport News to have two enclosed (rather than open) Mk-33 mounts. Dasvidanya! _|_o_|_ Derek "Tiger" (/\)akefield /---(.](o)[.)---\ iscandar2@chatter.com o oo O oo o http://www.iscandar-66.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume