Subject SMML21/12/99VOL766 Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1999 00:07:56 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Revell USS Lexington 2: Re: On the Life-Like 1/350 Missouri 3: A big thank you and greetings 4: Skywave Z-37 Reference Material 5: Revell 1:350 Iowa/Missouri 6: Re: Royal Navy WW2 "Pacific" Paint Scheme Question 7: Fun recycling 8: Conway's 9: UK Tv 10: Re: GMM PE for Revell Essex 11: Great List 12: Re: New Jersey with hangar deck 13: Re: Gun Muzzle Covers 14: Re: Fiber Optics 15: Big E at Midway 16: Re: Spruance masts 17: Which kit? 18: Armored Cruisers (PA Class) 19: Enterprise at Midway 20: Musashi -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: USN Camouflage site -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Poutre, Joseph A" Subject: Re: Revell USS Lexington >> I really do hope that eventually someone will evenutally produce a decent 1:700 SCB-125 Essex again. << Response: JAG may be doing one. From their previous work, this would be a good thing. I'm waiting for their Vietnam-era USS New Jersey, and a couple others they've announced. Joe Poutre -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Poutre, Joseph A" Subject: Re: On the Life-Like 1/350 Missouri >> On the Life-Like 1/350 Missouri: Can anyone tell me anything about this kit? Is it the same as the Revell 1/350 Iowa class? << Response: Yes, I believe this is the same model. I have both, and the parts are virtually identical. However, if you really want a 1/350 Iowa class, get the Tamiya. The Life-like/Revell/Otaki version has much thicker parts, making it harder to put together, clumsier, and heavier. Joe Poutre -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Steve Bolton" Subject: A big thank you and greetings Hi Just to say a big thank you to everyone who helped with info on translating Japanese language books.I really appreciate it.Also,to Derek Wakeman,please pass on my thanks to your friends who also helped. And finally,to all in the odour of Smellies,in case I'm not on line again - MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL !!! Somethings you have to shout out. Best wishes, Steve -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Rick Heinbaugh Subject: Skywave Z-37 Reference Material Does anyone know of any articles written on working with (correcting, converting) the Skywave/ Tamiya German DD kit? Thanks, Rick Hi Rick, If you check out my shiplist at the APMA or ModelerAl's site, you'll come up with following ;-). KMS Z class DD Skywave 1/700 Scale Models International July 1980 pp 380 KMS destroyers Pt 1 Z-1 - Z-16 Plastic ship Modeller 94/1 1994 pp 9 article KMS destroyers Pt 2 Z-17 - Z-22 Plastic Ship Modeller 94/2 1994 pp 18 article KMS destroyers Pt 3 Z-23 - Z-30 Plastic Ship Modeller 94/3 1994 pp 22 article KMS destroyers Pt 4 Z-31 onwards Plastic ship Modeller 94/4 1994 pp 12 I can highly recommend the PSM articles. I used it for my Z class a couple of years ago. They are still, AFAIK available as back issues from the usual suspects ;-). Regards, Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Derek Wakefield Subject: Revell 1:350 Iowa/Missouri Steve Allen mentioned this kit (in reference to the Life-Like kit) Can someone tell me about this kit? I've read/heard about it several times, but have never seen it in shops or listed anywhere. When was it put out? Dasvidanya! _|_o_|_ Derek "Tiger" (/\)akefield /---(.](o)[.)---\ iscandar2@chatter.com o oo O oo o http://www.iscandar-66.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "John Snyder" Subject: Re: Royal Navy WW2 "Pacific" Paint Scheme Question The colors in question were B20 (dark panel) and G45. This was an Admiralty standard scheme. John Snyder Snyder & Short Enterprises The Paint Guys -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Ralph Koziarski" Subject: Fun recycling About a week ago I was cleaning out my closet and began rummaging through my old shoddy looking kits and I decided to do a little bit of boneheaded kitbashing. I felt bad throwing all those old kits out, so I went ahead and took parts from a half finished hornet, and a completed O-class DE which looked like a horse's arse. anywho, these two kits allong with tons of odds and ends from broken airplane and armor kits came together rather nicely into some sort of fictional vessel. It looks like a ship, so I figured why not. See... I freed up some space, got some good scratch building practice, and all those models didnt go to waste, and now I have a pretty good looking tanker/troopship/battlecruiser thingymajig. I call it the HMS Something-or-other. You should try it... it's a good departure from all that serious "my life has no meaning if this isn't 100% accurate" modeling. Maybe we could have some photos posted of results. Then SMML could have it's own fictional fleet to guard our fictional shores. Or maybe I just had too much to drink. Even so... try it. its fun, and strangly rewarding Hi Ralph, Make sure you send some pics of it to the SMML site. It sounds really good. Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Bergschöld Pelle Subject: Conway's Shane and Derek The Conway's All the Worlds Fighting Ships does carry an article about these planned but never realized british cruisers. I can make a write-off and email to whomever interested if you like, but I will not be able to do som before X-mas. On the other hand, I would absolutely like to recommend a purchase for anyone seriously interested in post WWII naval assests. Yes, it it ridiculously expensive (correspondingly 150 USD in Sweden), but it is my most used and beloved paperbrick. It has a notice about anything afloat, and many thing that never even did. A late wish for X-mas, maybe? Best regards P Bergschold SWE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Douglas_J_Martin" Subject: UK Tv Folks: This evening we saw the Secret History prog on UK Tv, regarding the sinking of a Japanese Convoy (inc the Rakuyo Maru) from Singapore containing 2000+ Allied POWs, from the Bridge over the River Kwai, in Sept 1944. 2 survivors, 1 UK, 1 Australian were interviewed, plus sailors form the USS Pampanito (pictured as the preserved sub at SanFrancisco), Sealion II, but not Growler. These 3 subs sank the Japanese convoy, with Pampanito and Sealion picking up survivors a day later - but also leaving several hundred? behind. The Australian was one of those left for another 4 days, until picked up by Queenfish? and Barb?. Obviously very harrowing, but another piece of ill fortune/good fortune all round. Fascinating story, maybe SMMLies visiting the Pampanito will see/hear about this episode on board? A month later the Arisan Maru was sunk by US Subs, with only 8 out of 1800 being saved. I believe there is a website page which tells of the survivors (Dutch) after the sinking of the Junyo Maru, which I thought the program might have been about, when first watching. Douglas (Scotland) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Felix Bustelo" Subject: Re: GMM PE for Revell Essex Derek, I have a review of this set on my website with a scan of the brass. Check out International Maritime Modeling and click under Photoetch Review. http://members.tripod.com/~Febus65/imm.htm Felix Bustelo Webmaster -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Richard Eaton" Subject: Great List Hey guys, Just a few words of thanks for the many responses to my plea of help with the 110' SC. Especially Phil Lord and Matt Prager. I have only been a member for a short while but have learned so much. For those researching German naval topics online, as I have been lately, might I recommend..... Heinz-Gerhard Schoeck's Military Naval Technology Web Site http://homepages.fh-giessen.de/%7Ehg6339/index.htm Regards, Richard Hi Richard, Just had a quick squizz at the site & I agree, it's a great site. Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: New Jersey with hangar deck I saw a model some time back that was designed to depict a theoretical hangar deck with "ski slopes" for Harriers. I know the model was the New Jersey and I believe the scale was 1/900. For that reason alone I didn't buy the kit. I am seriously considering converting the 1/350 Tamiya New Jersey to this hypothetical variant. It's super cool looking with the hangar deck covering the aft capital gun mount and the ski slopes pointing forward. Does anyone out there have that model? I don't care if it's built or not, as long as it's all there so I can scale it. Drawings would be even better, but I'm not holding my breath. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: Mike Connelley Subject: Re: Gun Muzzle Covers Howdy: In the one photo I have of the Yamato which shows this area in sufficient detail, it appears that the arrangement for the secondary's gun muzzle covers is much the same as for the main guns. The arrangement for the main guns is a brass tompion (the "cork") covered with a canvas cover (white in peace time, brown in war according to the Skulski book). All of this begs the question: isn't it inaccurate for all these Yamato models we see to have white blast bags, as well as most any other ship in the IJN during the war? In the well known photo of her being fitted out, I'd say the canvas mussle covers are indeed white. However I can't honestly say that I think the blast bags appear to be white in any other photo, and in the photos during her builders trials (which have the clearest shot of the blast bags for the pictures in the Skulski book) I'd say the blast bags are very clearly not white. Other opinions? Cheers Mike -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: ECammeron@aol.com Subject: Re: Fiber Optics As I recall from my CVN-65 in the 1980s, there is a bit of extra space for a gallery deck. Enterprise has a 25' or 25' 6'" hangar deck. There is more than that between the hangar deck and the bottom of the flight deck. In the 80s I thought of doing that but was talked out of it by a hobby shop owner who said existing lights would eventually melt and warp the plastics. To see all that work melt?!!!??!!. Hurts just to think of it. Eugen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "Michael C. Smith" Subject: Big E at Midway As far as planes on deck, I had the same question, and here's what "A Glorious Page in Our History" has to say. Enterprise laucnhed some CAP fighters, then 37 SBDs at 0706. The first 16 were Scouting 6 SBDs (one of which didn't make it and was struck below) then 18 of Bombing 6, of which 3 didn't make it off. (I know this doesn't add up to 37 - see below). There were 10 F4Fs and 14 TBDs accompanying them, but because of light wind conditions, they were not spotted until the last of the heavily laden SBDs got aloft (they needed the full flight deck to make their runs), and took 20 minutes. The first planes hung around until 0745, when Adm. Spruance sent them off, just as the fighters were starting to take off (so much for a coordinated attack). Here's what Lundstrom's "The First Team" has to say. Enterprise's first deckload consisted of ten F4Fs for CAP, and 33 SBDs for the strike. Hornet, by contrast, had 20 fighters, 34 dive bombers and 6 TBDs at the stern. The number discrepancy may be explained here - Scouting 6 launched 15 of 16, then Commander, Enterprise Air Group McCluskey and his two wingmen, then 15 of 18 from Bombing 6. That's where the 37 comes from. The second deckload was the ten fighters and fifteen TBDs. So there's no indication that there was ever a time during the actual battle that the entire air group was on deck. But wait, what about the Yorktown? According to Lundstrom, as of 0820, Yorktown, (which had decided to launch a partial strike later) had spotted on deck several fighters (probably six) twelve TBDs, and 17 SBDs. Opting for a running rendezvous where the slower planes left first, followed by the faster, Yorktown finally launched the 12 TBDs at 0830, followed by the SBDs, and finally at 905 the six fighters for escort. Six more fighters for CAP followed at 0920. Lundstrom seems to indicate that all (except maybe the last six F4Fs) were on deck at the same time. So this might be the best option for modeling a deckload at Midway. Hope this helps, Michael Smith Marshall, Texas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: Jowfx@cs.com Subject: Re: Spruance masts To add the cross braces to the Spruance's lattice mast, use .025" styrene rod. It takes a lot of cutting but it's the only way to do it. I did it on the masts for my USS Thorn and they came out pretty nice. The real cross brace is really one solid diagonal piece with two smaller diagonal pieces going the other way,to make the "X" so it will look accurate when you do yours like that. The way I did it was to cut and glue (with liquid plastic cement) the first diagonal. Then cut a piece longer than you need for the second diagonal. Make sure you get the angle right where the second meets the first and make sure it it points to the opposite corner. Then just trim a little at a time so it fits into the corner. Don't worry about making a tight fit. You can go back and fill it in with gap filling CA. Then do the same for the other half of the second brace. Just make sure it lines up with the first. It is very time consuming but it really improves the look. Also, on the main mast, there are two braces that are inside the mast. They start on the aft part on the bottom and go up forward under the first radar platform, but do not meet or cross. Hope this makes some sense. Good luck. John Fox -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "jmaze" Subject: Which kit? Greetings SMMLies, Neophyte shipmodeler considering purchase of a 1/350 BB-48 (WV). I find that Iron Shipwrights and Bluewater Navy both make one to this scale. Which kit is best? The ISW kit appears much more affordable, but sometimes ya gets what ya pays for! JohnM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "jmaze" Subject: Armored Cruisers (PA Class) I am looking for help in constructing a model of ACR-5 W. Va. aka Huntington. Don't appear to be any kits of this class. Does anyone know of anything close, that would make a reasonable conversion effort? Or how about plans to use for a scratchbuild? (While I am a neophyte ship modeler, I have plenty of modeling experience, including scratchbuilding.) Any help appreciated. JohnM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: "chenyangzhang" Subject: Enterprise at Midway Hi Marc According to Barrett Tilman (SBD Dauntless Units of World War 2) Enterprises deck strike comprised 33 SBDs (32 attacked the Japanese fleet), 14 TBDs and 10 F4Fs Chris Langtree -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: sarup@cal.vsnl.net.in Subject: Musashi Hi, I was thinking of getting myself a 1/250 Musashi. I forget the make of the kit. Anyway, has anyone built one of these things, and if so, what's the general opinion on it? Best wishes, Arjun Sarup Calcutta -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "John Sheridan" Subject: USN Camouflage site FYI, I have just added a major update to the USN Warship Camouflage site. I have created 2 tables the reference colors used by the USN during WWII. Both of these lists came out of a book I recently found titled: Instructions for Painting and Cementing Vessels of the United States Navy 1943. This list is pretty interesting becuase it lists exterior paint, interior paint, primers, and many other paints used by the USN. So if you always wanted to know what color your interior decks should be, here's a reference guide for you! My site can be found at: http://home.earthlink.net/~jrsheridan/ I will be adding more colors to the lists as soon as I can gather more data. And yes, I will be expanding the site again in the very near future. Comments, corrections, and feedback is greatly appreciated. John Sheridan What I do to Spammers: http://microscale.com/images/N2.jpg I am not a Member of the Lumber Cartel (tinlc) and I am not Unit #631 Last last place on earth I would look for the Lumber Cartel(tm) is http://come.to/the.lumber.cartel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume