Subject SMML25/12/99VOL770 Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 00:49:57 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Happy Holidays 2: Seasons greetings 3: THE SEASONS GREETINGS 4: Re: Y2K compliance of Commanders Kits and Seasons best 5: Ships on Display 6: Re: Revell-Germany 1/72 Flower Class Corvette, 1/350 New Jersey 7: Dreadnought Era Railings 8: Re: Nautical Nomenclature 9: German Translation 10: Re: Revell 1/72 Flower Class Corvette, 1/350 New Jersey 11: Re: Nautical Nomenclature: 12: Re: Y2K Compliance 13: Brittanic Movie 14: Re: Y2K Compliance? 15: Re: Paint colors in WWII (esp Pearl Harbor) 16: USS Yorktown 17: USN nomenclature query 18: Nautical Nomenclature 19: Navel observation 20: Re: Paint Colors in WWII 21: Nautical Terms. 22: Re: Paint Colors in WWII 23: Re: PA Class Armored Cruisers 24: Nautical Nomenclature 25: IPMS San Diego -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: New Kits by Classic Warships 2: New Books from Classic Warships 3: New 1/700 Kit from Classic Warships 4: 54 mm Higgins Boats (or LCVPs) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Ed Grune Subject: Happy Holidays To the SMMLies. I'd like to wish all the friends I've made through the List a happy holiday season and hope that they have a healthy and productive New Year. I'd also like to thank Shane and Lorna for putting up with our lunacy and putting together what is, IMO, the best modeling newsletter around. Keep up the good work. Ed Mansfield, TX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Chris Drage" Subject: Seasons greetings Hi gang, A HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND MERRY MILLENIUM to all SMMLies everywhere. May your modelling exploits exceed your wildest dreams in K2K! Regards, Chris He tao rakau e taea te karo, tena he tao kupa kaore e taea te karo......(Te Reo Maori) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "margaret keel" Subject: THE SEASONS GREETINGS TO ALL SMELLIES, WHEREVER YOU ARE AND IN PARTICULAR SHANE AND LORNA. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BETTER NEW YEAR. EVERY GOOD WISH. John Lambert from a wet and windy Bedfordshire, England. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: Y2K compliance of Commanders Kits and Seasons best >> Commanders Series Models/Iron Shipwrights and Tom's Modelworks have been working dilligently for the past few months on a very extensive project that we feel can be disseminated to the public. Through our extensive and rigorous testing, which included setting our computer clocks forward, rebooting with modified dates, and watching dates change, we are now able to conclude that all of our pattern making, photoetch design, casting, packaging, and kits are Y2K compliant. This means that at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2000, no matter where in the world, you will still be able to build a Commander Series, Iron Shipwrights, or Tom's Modelworks kit, or use a Tom's Modelworks photoetch fret, without suffering from any Y2K related failures. This includes not only a temporary shortage of parts, but also any resin or brass thinking that the year is now 1900, that the technology for it's presence doesn't exist, and the product evaporating into thin air. << Actually I'm a bit disappointed to hear this. I had a few Commanders kits carefully placed hoping that at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, they would revert to pre-1900 era dreadnaughts!! Oh well . . . ... Season's greetings and best wishes to everyone on the list - one of the best and mst helpful in all of cyberspace. Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Rod Dauteuil Subject: Ships on Display Happy Holidays to all. I hope Santa's gifts are the right beam and draft . . . uh . . . I mean size and color. FYI: Challenge Publications has a magazine out entitled "Historic Naval Ships-A Guide to More Than 100 Classic Warships on Display" It is in the Naval Action Series, and the issue is dated Spring, 2000. It retails for $5.00 USD, $6.99 Canadian. I picked up a copy last night and couldn't put it down. It references warships on display, gives a brief history, general dimensions and description, and it's not limited only to the US; It includes some ships overseas. Challenge's website: http://www.challengeweb.com If anybody's interested in a copy, but can't procure one where you are, contact me off-list and I may be able to send you one for cost plus postage. Rod. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Ed Grune Subject: Re: Revell-Germany 1/72 Flower Class Corvette, 1/350 New Jersey >>. Looking on Revell Germany's website, ( which is in German, which I don't read unfortunately )there is a listing for H.M.C.S. Snowberry with what looks like a release date of March 2000. they also had a listing for a 1:350 U.S.S. New Jersey for Jan 2000, and a 1:700 U.S.S. Wasp Class for October 2000. << I read just enough German (a skill left over from college) to be able to stumble through the menu at the local bier halle. Sure enough, the Fl***r class corvette is due in March. Is the brass set available - or is that Caroline I hear turning too to get the brass set ready to coincide with the kits release? One interesting point in the description of the kit. I guess Revell-Germany was being politically correct when they called the ship HER Majesty's Canadian Ship. Since the present Queen didn't ascend the throne until the '50s, did the King let the Queen Mum have some ships of her own to play with? [Now ducking for cover from return fire from the Empire!] The New Jersey and Wasp look to be re-releases. On the subject of USN nomenclature query from Derek Wakefield -- I'll defer to Dave Baker on that subject. Ed Mansfield, TX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: GrafSpee34@aol.com Subject: Dreadnought Era Railings Concerning the recent question about PE railing sets for early steel ships. Something one notices about WWI and pre WWI ships railings, the stancions (upright posts) are usually spaced closer together than on later ships. I would be careful in selecting PE railings for a ship of this era as the generic sets which I am familiar with all have WWII style rails. I am not certain if there are any PE sets with correctly spaced stancions in 1:700 or 1:350. Hopefully one of the PE makers on this list will be able to help. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Ed Grune Subject: Re: Nautical Nomenclature Mike asked about the origins of Nautical Nomenclature. I'll weigh in on Port and Starboard. In the olden days of wooden ships - way back before plastic - the stearing board [rudder] was commonly mounted on the right side of the after hull. Look at the Viking Longboats for an example. Knowing how sailors often slur their speech after a few nips of grog - the stearing board became the starboard. With the stearing board hanging on the right side of the boat, it couldn't come alongside a dock on that side without possibly damaging the rudder - so boats came alongside a dock on the left side. On that side a loading board was put over to the dock. These same drunken sailors called the loading board a larboard. Probably after a few mistakes in the heat of battle - where shouted orders of STARBOARD and LARBOARD sounded alike - someone in the command structure figured out that there was a problem here. Using the standard terms left and right was too easy - and the Army used them when they marched. So they kept the term starboard meaning RIGHT and they changed the term larboard to port meaning LEFT. Because when you came to port you put the left side against the dock. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it. Ed Mansfield, TX Christmas Eve has beautiful blue skies with not a cloud in sight. Santa's going to need to hook up the buggy instead of the sleigh. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Polvi, Henry" Subject: German Translation German Translation - you can read german web pages using the Altavista Babelfish translator - sorry I don't have the URL handy at the moment - you enter the URL you want translated (or any specific text) and it come's back with everything translated into English (to a certain degree) except for any text in *.gifs or *.jpgs. It does French, Spanish Italian and Portoguese also! See the results from going from English to German to French and back to English - babel indeed. Henry Polvi Thornhill, ON -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: roberto paredes Subject: Re: Revell 1/72 Flower Class Corvette, 1/350 New Jersey Hi, I also can't read german, but I used my translator and that Revell page said: "Declared to the model Standard 1:72 Appearance-month March 2000 Individual parts 202 Length 850 mm Declared to the original Name convoy-ship Year of construction / time period 1940 Origin UK Drive-performance 2020 kilowatts Speed 16 knt Weight 1.170 ton. H.M.C.S. means Majesty's Canadian Ship. And the model has a probably majestic Foramt in the built condition. The corvette developed from the Flower class was built by the order of the Royal Navy and was relayed at the Royal Canadian Navy. She/it is mainly in the North-Atlantic and short time been put into the sleeve-canal. she/it had to survive a concentrated Gleitbomben attack 1943." I wait anxious that model! Merry X-mas Roberto. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "J. London" Subject: Re: Nautical Nomenclature: Having nothing better to do this Christmas Eve I set to to look up the origins of the words Mike Connelley was asking about. Port: Used to be "larboard" but was changed in the mid 19th Century to avoid confusion with the similar sounding starboard. Larboard is a corruption of ladeboard, the side where the ship was loaded (or became laden) when in port. Port is an obvious replacement being the side that was tied up to the jetty in port for loading purposes. Starboard: A corruption of steerboard the device mounted on the right side of the stern before the days of central rudder posts. Bow: (Otherwise known as the pointy end). From a Danish and Old English word meaning shoulder. Stern: From the Norse "Stjorn" meaning, literally, steering. In other words the place where the ship was steered from. Bridge: In the days of the paddle steamer there was a bridge between the two paddle boxes and this became a convenient place from which to command and con the ship. Prior to that it was done from the wheel at the stern. Later on, with the advent of screw steamers, the structure was moved forward and the name "bridge" moved with it although some paddlers had two bridges, one in the original sense and the other as the forward command post. Galley: Used to be an oared warship but how its name got transferred to the ship's kitchen is obscure. Keel: Probably from an old Norse word "kjolr". Certainly its origins go back to the very earliest days of shipbuilding. The term was also usedin the north of England for a flat-bottomed lighter used for loading colliers, especially on the River Tyne. And if you have difficulty in distinguishing port from starboard remember left, port and red are all shorter words than right, starboard and green. A Happy Etymological Christmas and New Year to one and all. Mike London -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: SeaPhoto@aol.com Subject: Re: Y2K Compliance At SeaPhoto, we too have been concerned about the Y2K problem, and it's possible impact on our photo sets. Over the past few months, an extensive testing program has assured that our photo sets are virtually 100% compliant with all Year 2000 issues. We have taken our photos, and exposed them to a computer with the date set to March 1, 2000. There was no demonstrable degradation of the images, and they performed within specifications. When compared to a control group placed on top of a Dremel tool box (but under various layers of other tools and documents), there was no demonstrable change in reflectance or dimension. Additional testing was performed using a Far Side Year 2000 calendar. Photo sets placed inside at the June 2000 page were unaffected, but it took some time to locate them afterward, as the document had slipped behind others at our QA facility. Indeed the only vital SeaPhoto supply that failed the Y2K compliance test was a bag of Jerky Treats for our SeaDog mascot Ernie. We had placed individual treats between the pages of a Year 2000 desk calendar to determine the effects of long term exposure, but they disappeared by the next day. In consultation with Ernie, he stressed the importance of utilizing treats in a timely manner to avoid this potential problem in the future. Merry Christmas from the SeaPhoto Y2K Testing Center and Emergency Bunker! Kurt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Mike Leonard" Subject: Brittanic Movie Caught a 30 second preview of a new made-for-television movie called "BRITTANIC", supposedly based on the final voyage of the (equally) ill-fated sister of TITANIC. It will be shown in the US on the Fox Family Network next month. From what they showed of the ship, the computer-generated effects were not bad at all, and I'd bet the technical people responsible for much of James Cameron's film are involved here as well. Mike L Alexandria, VA USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Ray S. Katzaman" Subject: Re: Y2K Compliance? Last night I downloaded Microsoft's Y2K patches, loaded Norton's also and now my computer is Y2K complacent. Cheers for the Holiday Season!! Ray -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "John Snyder" Subject: Re: Paint colors in WWII (esp Pearl Harbor) >> The vet said that they had "mixed" that particular shade in 55 gallon drums using navy blue and light gray (the only colors availble in quantity on the ship) - and hadn't been too particular about the percentages (it was wartime afterall). This modeler did the same exact thing ... and the result was excellent. << Well, the problem with this recollection is that the only paints delivered ready-mixed to the fleet were Deck Blue (20-B) and Flight Deck Stain 21. All other colors--including Navy Blue and Light Gray--were mixed onboard using White (5-U) and Blue Tinting Medium (5-BTM). Obviously, this applies only to the paints used on the ships themselves; as I recall, the vet was referring to paint used on aircraft, which may have come ready-mixed. Those colors, of course, differed from ship colors. John Snyder Snyder & Short Enterprises The Paint Guys -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "Michael C. Smith" Subject: USS Yorktown Bob, I'd recommend the Revell 1/440ish Yorktown/Hornet kits. While the detailing is crude (except for the flight deck, which is superb) the hull is correct, and you can get photoetch parts to do railings & radars, as well as new resin parts from nautilus to upgrade the hangar deck and island into a Coral Sea Yorktown (the set was supposed to be accurate for Midway, but when Ballard found the wreck, they saw some details that had apparently been changed, and were nice enough to admit it). The kit was originally released in the mid-70's as the "Battle of Midway" carrier - you could build any of the three (I still have the instruction around here somewhere), and still can (although Hornet will require some significant modifications). It's a big, fun kit with 20 SBDs - an excellent air group for a kid planning Midway-style dive bomber airstrikes against his Japanese carrier models (ah, the good old days). You will need some fighter cover, however - I'd get a Lindberg Essex kit and borow some of its abysmal F6Fs for CAP - chop off part of the after fuselage and presto! you've got F4Fs. (I can't believe I'm telling my old "modeling secrets"!). The kit is approximately the same scale as the Lindberg WWII and Revell modernized Essex kits, I believe. I build in 1/700, and there are Enterprise (need some work to be a Midway CV-5 or CV-6) and Hornet (almost perfect - flight deck needs squared off corners at the bow) kits by Tamiya. There are also resin kits in 1/350 that are very expensive for the Enterprise and I think Hornet and Yorktown as well, but I'm not certain about this. The only Lexington is the Fujimi in 1/700 which (in my opinion) is a pretty poor replica. I got some plans from FDD several years back and was surprised how wrong the island and hull shapes were. They look fine compared to photos, but they're not even close to the plans. I drew up hull sections and flight deck & island plans for a 1/350 or 1/700 scratchbuilt model, but never got any further. Hope the above helps, Michael Smith Marshall, Texas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: Suvoroff@aol.com Subject: USN nomenclature query Basically what has happened is that Congress has discovered the rich Patronage value of ship's names; their thinking is that why name a ship after a fish or a bug when you can name it after an city containing voters, or your buddy on the House Ways and Means Committee? However, I have it on good authority that the US Government has decided to shift their naming strategy once again. Starting in 2002, all ship will be named after major corporate sponsors, the size of the ship of course being in proportion to the size of the corporate contribution. For example, the next still-unnamed Nimitz-class carrier is to be the USS Coca-Cola (unless Pepsi coughs up a bigger contribution). This will also, of course, mean the end of Low-Vis markings both on the ships, their boats, and their aircraft. The army and air force are also being forced to adopt this policy, and we will soon see the Walt Disney Armored Division (with appropriate divisional markings) and the F-15L Microsoft Falcon. Yours, James D. Gray -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: Suvoroff@aol.com Subject: Nautical Nomenclature These terms are usually very old, which of course is why they are so odd. I don't by any means know the origin of all of them, but here is what I know. Head - these were in the front end (head) of the ship, at least for the enlisted men. Starboard - this dates from the late middle ages when the rudder was mounted, not on the center line, but on the right-hand rear of the ship. It is literally steer-board. Bridge - when ships lost their poop-decks in the early nineteenth century, it became difficult to see over the bulwarks (which might be eight feet high or more) so a "bridge" was built across the ship from one bulwark to the other, to make a raised control station. Port - I don't know off-hand where this one comes from, but it used to be larboard; they got rid of it because larboard sounds too much like starboard. Yours, James D. Gray -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: Marc Flake Subject: Navel observation Philosophizing while observing the Super Moon for the past couple of days, I surmised that this beauty would have been very helpful to Mitscher at the Battle of the Phillipine Sea. He wouldn't have had to turn on the task force's lights when his planes returned from the Turkey Shoot after dark. Marc Flake Tarrant County Texas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: Marc Flake Subject: Re: Paint Colors in WWII Kyrre: Camouflage was applied not only depending on location, but also depending on prevailing weather conditions as well as mission. The Monogram series on US Navy & Marine Aircraft colors is an excellent reference. According to them, the blue, three-tone camo -- white, intermediate blue and sea blue -- was used in the Pacific, where the aircraft were concerned about concealment from enemies above and below. The gray-tone Scheme I tricolor camo -- white, light gray, dark gull gray -- was applied to aircraft engaged in anti-submarine warfare along the southern US seaboard, the Gulf, Caribbean and South Atlantic, where the prevailing weather conditions were clear to partly cloudy. The gray-tone Scheme II -- glossy white, non-specular (flat) white and non-specular gray -- was used in the North Atlantic, where the prevailing weather was overcast or heavily clouded. You could say this was an air-superiority scheme, because the aircraft wearing it weren't concerned about concealment from airborne enemies, but from surface prey. Without any photographic evidence, you are going to have to make an educated guess as to what Ranger's aircraft were wearing for this operation. Keep in mind the carrier's mission prior to the operation, it's mission during the operation and the tactical situation the air group was facing. I tried following your link, but got a "file not found" message. But, judging from the type of carrier, the location, and the probable mission, I'd say that the aircraft would be using the gray scheme II: Dark Gull Gray (FS36231) on all sufaces that can be viewed from above, glossy white on all surfaces viewed from below and flat white for all side surfaces -- including the front of the engine cowl and leading edges. Then -- as is oft repeated on another good mailing list -- let "Dicta Ira" prevail. I'll let Shane or Lorna provide the definition. BTW Kyrre, this isn't really off topic because a lot of us will be building aircraft carriers that operated in the Atlantic and will need to know what color to paint those winged thingies on the decks. Marc Flake Tarrant County Texas (Where I'll be barbequing steaks for Christmas dinner) Hi Marc & gang, Gee, you could have picked a better night for me to explain "Dicta Ira" - , ahh potatos ;->hic> Basically, this term is how I view my modelling - build your kit how you like, but make sure you ENJOY it. Don't let anyone tell you how you should be modelling. Above all - ENJOY your hobby. It was named after one of the regular contributors to the WW1 list. Check it out at: http://pease1.sr.unh.edu/ BTW, Marc, since you've de-cloaked here about Dicta Ira, you'd better do the same there, before someone else does it for you ;-))) Dicta Ira. Shane - having a merry Hogswatch -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: "The Shannons" Subject: Nautical Terms. Mike Connelley wrote: >> I learned why the restrooms aboard ships are known as the "head". This caused me to wonder where such seemingly odd terms as port, starboard, bow, stern, bridge, galley, keel, etc came from. << Of the ones on your list, since you know about heads Starboard -- Corruption of Anglo/Saxon for "steering spot" is the usual explanation. The steering oar on the Norse ships was usually shipped to starboard, rather than centered. Bow -- because it was shaped in a bow or like an archery bow. Pronunciation changed later. Stern -- Steering, from German. Bridge -- because the first ones were bridges over the decks. Port is more modern -- "Larboard" was the older term, but it was easy to misunderstand or mistake starboard/larboard in shouted orders. Galley -- maybe because you slaved. Keel -- somebody's term for base. Mark or Mary Shannon The early bird may get the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: "The Shannons" Subject: Re: Paint Colors in WWII >> Conjecturally one could then say that the VF-4 Wildcats were painted that same three tone blueish camo and same insignia. However, I still haven't found ANY pictures showing Wildcats from Ranger in the Autumn of '43. What confuses me, and keeps me from automaticly paint my Tamiya Wildcat in those colours is the evidence that aircraft from USS Santee, like F4F-4's from VF-29, were painted in a similar three tone camo only in a grey version! << The scheme seen on the Santee is one of the "Atlantic" schemes consisting of white undersides Light Gull Gray side areas, and Dark Gull Gray fuselage spine and horizontal upper surfaces (the same pattern of placement as the Blue of the standard tri-tone scheme. It was rarely seen. Officially it was know as a "Patrol Scheme" #1. Patrol Scheme #2 left out the Light Gull Gray areas, painting the side areas in Insignia White. This was much more commonly seen. Santee's airgroup is the only one I've seen photo evidence for a wide use of the #1 scheme. Mark or Mary Shannon The early bird may get the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: Re: PA Class Armored Cruisers For plans on early US steel hulled vessels, try the Maryland Silver Co. http://www.marylandsilver.com Steve Wiper -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: Derek Wakefield Subject: Nautical Nomenclature Mike... The explanations you seek are rather long and complex to explain within the scope of this list. My advice would be to seek out a copy of "Naval Ceremonies, Customs, and Traditions". I checked out the 5th edition - by VADM Willliam P Mack USN (Ret) and LCDR Royal W. Connell, USN - on numerous occassions from our public library. An updated revision of the book may be available. The 5th edition was published by Naval Institute Press in the late 70s or Early 80s. It will give you an explaination of the origin of the terms you spoke of, plus many more. Nimitz's explanation of why naval ships are referred to as "she" was a serious hoot! I picked up an earlier version put out in 1939 (at a used bookstore for $10) called "Naval Customs, Traditions, and Usage" by Leland P. Lovette. Out of date, but the diagram of the Change of Command cerimony layout (showing parades) on the quarterdeck of the Pennsylvania made it worth the cost (if nothing else as a curiosity). Dasvidanya! _|_o_|_ Derek "Tiger" (/\)akefield /---(.](o)[.)---\ iscandar2@chatter.com o oo O oo o http://www.iscandar-66.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25) From: Shane Subject: IPMS San Diego Hi gang, IPMS San Diego has got it's website up & running. Phil Toy has several of his ships in the display area of the site. These are award winning models & well worth a look. Have fun & remember - Dicta Ira ;-) Regards, Shane APMA VP http://www.tac.com.au/~sljenkins/apma.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: New Kits by Classic Warships As of Nov. and Dec., I have released both the 1/350 USS California BB-44 (1941) and the 1/350 USS Ward DD-139 (1941). Both kits were the original Gulfstream patterns, but with some modification to the resin components, and the white metal was extensively upgraded. Both kits have received completely new photo etch. Items upgraded on these kits include: 3in./50 AA guns and a CXAM radar for California, decals for both kits, plus extensive instruction booklets on both. 1/350 USS California - waterline - $225 full hull - $250 1/350 USS Ward - full hull only - $105 Both kits are currently in stock at Pacific Front Hobbies http://www.pacificfront.com Also, Classic Warships has no wories about Y2K, 'cause I have always operated on Macintosh computors, the only problem remains with the monkey behind the keyboard. Thanks, Steve Wiper - Classic Warships -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: New Books from Classic Warships We have just started the shipping of our two latest titles as of 12/23/99 They are: Warship Pictorial #5 USS San Francisco CA-38 $9.95 Warship Pictorial #6 Omaha Class Cruisers-Photo Album $9.95 We think that you will not find a better value at this price. Unlike a number of publishers, we at Classic Warships Publishing, are actually ship enthusiast who know that we want large, crisp, sharp photo's, and really good drawings. That is what you will find in our publications. The Omaha book will be the first of the "Photo Albums", and will be just that, a photo documentation on an entire class of vessels. Both books have some "Never Before Printed" photo's, especially in the Omaha's. All of our books will now come with color covers, they are really good! Check out a preview on my web page @www.classicwarships.simplenet.com Purchase them at your local hobby dealer or at Pacific Front Hobbies Thanks, Steve Wiper - Classic Warships -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: New 1/700 Kit from Classic Warships I am working a new 1/700 kit of USS Wichita CA-45 planned release is for late Feb. 2000 Pacific Front Hobbies will have the first 50 kits. previews will be posted on my web site @www.classicwarships.simplenet.com by late Feb. 2000 Thanks, Steve Wiper - Classic Warships -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: RCClem@aol.com Subject: 54 mm Higgins Boats (or LCVPs) Hello and Merry Christmas to all of my SMML acquaintances. FOR SALE: I recently bought a couple of 54 mm scale Higgins boats (sight unseen). While I was waiting for delivery, several of you were nice enough to inform us all about the facts and history of 54 mm scale subjects. These Higgins boats are about 12" long, made of plastic (not styrene), and have a ramp that can be lowered. In fact, they are almost identical in size to my Lindberg LCVP at 1/32. However, they are not what I expected them to be. I confess, since I did not know anything about this genre, I did not know what to expect. But one of you may be interested in them. I have about $15 into them, counting shipping. If you are interested, please contact me off of SMML. Have a great New Year! Roger Clemens Hinsdale, Illinois -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume