Subject SMML26/12/99VOL771 Date: Mon, 27 Dec 1999 00:31:32 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Port and Starboard 2: JAG Gearing FRAM 3: Re: Flower Class Corvettes 4: Re: Ranger's AG-4 October 1943 5: Re: Revell-Germany Releases - Mea Culpa 6: More on starboard and port nautical nomenclature -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Sad news this day 2: Reviews wanted 3: Re: Dreadnought era railings -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "sctrtrash" Subject: Port and Starboard Happy Holidays to all: Port (left) wine is a red color, hence Port lights are red, Starboard lights are green. Works on Aircraft too. Mark Krumrey -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Lou or Arthur Costanzo Subject: JAG Gearing FRAM Merry Christmas! I just recieved the JAG 1/700 Gearing FRAM and am very impressed. The Hull casting is positively outstanding! This ship is a little gem. I have a few questions (as usual). I wish the ship had more brass than it does. I have some brass railing, and am planning to get ladders as well, does anyone else that has this kit reccomend any other sets? I'm looking to model this ship as she appeared in the mid-sixties, which is where the kit seems to date her. The ship I am planning is the USS Joseph P Kennedy Jr. primarily because of the abundant reference materiall (namely, the ship itself). The kit includes radar of some sort, but it looks nothing like what Kennedy carried, at least in 1965 (go to: http://www.warship.simplenet.com/images/fram/usnfram1.jpg to see what I'm talking about). Is there any brass set that has this radar? It does not look like a pleasant scratchbuild! Any other advice on modelling this unfamiliar ship would be welcome. Thanks in advance. Joe Costanzo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Bill & Kaja Michaels" Subject: Re: Flower Class Corvettes I'm the one that posted the question about the Revell Germany a couple of weeks ago. My thanks to all those who replied, esp. those that managed to translate the german. I bought the kit about 12 years ago, in a Matchbox box, when it included parts for a RN, USN, and RCN version of the ship. I built mine as the Snowberry, because I liked the white/lt blue/lt green camo. I converted the model to RC, and it was a great sailing model. (I found the camo to be too effective if I let the model get too far away-- it could get hard to see!) If anyone wants to talk about RC conversion of the kti, feel free to contact me. Bill Merr Christmas from Acton, Mass, USA, where we did not get a white christmas-- it's well below freezing, with bright sun and blue skies! Check out my US Coast Guard subjects model list at: http://www.tiac.net/users/billkaja/kitlist.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Chris Neel" Subject: Re: Ranger's AG-4 October 1943 O.k. - here's my two cents worth... According to Monogram's USN Aircraft Color Guide Volume 2: The Gray over White Scheme I and Scheme II were used for Anti-Submarine Patrol Wing and Escort Carriers Aircraft only (see page 37, last paragraph). These schemes were only to be used when attack by enemy aircraft was not probable. As the strikes for Operation Leader was an anti-shipping strike over enemy held territory, I do not believe that this scheme would have been worn by the Ranger's Wildcats. "SBD Units of World War II" by Barrett Tillman shows a deck shot of the USS Ranger "around late 1943." While no Wildcats are visible in the photo, the SBD's appear (to me) to be in the Two - Tone, Blue Gray over Light Gray with round national insignia without white bars and white numbers & letters on the fuselage sides. This contrary to the Three Tone Standard (issued January 1943) and the Star & Bars Standard (issued July 1943) although many aircraft did not receive the new schemes until long after the Standards were issued - the Monogram Guide shows a photo of an F6F in May 1943 on the USS Yorktown (CV-10 ) in the same Two Tone camoflage and Round Insignia markings (see page 33, bottom left photo). The Ranger photo shows the aircraft with the national insignia appearing on the top left wing only and not on the top right. There are TBF's visible at the front of the carrier but it cannot easily be seen what their precise camoflage and markings are. According to Tillman's "TBF/TBM Avenger Units of WWII", no TBF's were carried by the Ranger during Operation Torch, so I do not believe that this is a photo from that era (1942). I do not have available the source of the information that states that VT-4 and VB-4 where shown in the three tone scheme with red outlined national insignia, so I cannot take this into account. My conclusion (humble may it be on this brief research) would be that all of the aircraft on the same carrier would be painted to the same standard and I would chose Two Tone Blue Gray over Light Gray with Round Insignia. "INCOMING!!!!" & ducking for cover. Later cn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Ed Grune Subject: Re: Revell-Germany Releases - Mea Culpa Mike Quan pointed out an error in my posting of yesterday ... Mea Culpa! I got my Gators confused. When I posted that the new WASP kit was probably a re-release I was thinking of the old Revell GUADALCANAL class helicopter carrier. The WASP (LHD-1) is a newer amphibious helicopter/attack carrier class. This ship has been operational since 1991. The TARAWA class is larger than the WASP and has been operational since the mid-1970's. The TARAWA/SAIPAN LHA is the older kit (its probably a re-release of the DML kit - such as Revell did with the Perry). The IWO JIMA class, of which the GUADALCANAL was a member dates to the early 60's Ed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Johan Myhrman" Subject: More on starboard and port nautical nomenclature Here is some additional trivially on the origins of Starboard and Larboard (port) from a Viking point of view. Actually Swedish as I'm not really sure how these words are used in the Danish and Norwegian languages. Starboard, the right side of a Viking ship were the steering oar was located. This word originates from the Viking word "styrbord" which translates in English to something like "steering side". Where "styr" is "to steer" and "bord" is the nautical term for "a ships side" (to be more exact, "bord" relates to the wooden planks that make up the hull). Larboard, the left side of a ship. This word originated from the Viking word "barbord" which translates to something like "naked side", i.e. the side that does not have a steering oar. "Bar" translates in English "to be naked". I don't think the Vikings worried to much about which side that should be put to port, they just sailed their ship straight up on land. Seasons greeting and all the best Johan Myhrman (A Viking living in Japan) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Gene Larson Subject: Sad news this day I received a call from John Shedd's wife this morning to inform me that John passed away last night at a family member's home in Reston, Virginia. There are no details as yet other than there will be a memorial service in New Jersey in a few weeks. She asked me to inform the ship model building community. John built Model Shipways into one of the best, if not the best, model ship kit manufacturing firms. John was an accomplished business man, a friendly person be be around, and he had a subtle sense of humor - see his mice on the Model Shipways plans. John joined the NRG nearly at the beginning 50 years ago, he was a tremendous contributor to the Journal, and a great supporter of the Guild. He was made an honorary member, the highest distinction within the Guild, several years ago. I am asking Jim Roberts, one of our new Directors, and friend and business associate of John for several years to write an obituary for the Journal. He will be missed. Gene Larson, Alexandria, Virginia 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: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Reviews wanted Dear list, I was contacted by a list member recently asking if I wanted a review of a model he was working on. The review and photos would go in the IPMS Journal Ships and Tips column. So I thought I would give everyone a chance to gain just a bit of fame and glory. If anyone is interested in doing a build/review of a model they are working on, please contact me. No one reviews ship kits better than ship modelers. I look forward to hearing from you. Incidentally, if you're writing for FSM they have no problem sending the articles to IPMS for publication. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: 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. << Flagship Models produces an excellent and very accurate Texas/New York dreadnought super set. It has plenty of parts and rails (and a really cool, accurate turret catapult) common to all dreadnoughts of this era. Yes, the stanchions are closer together. The set is available in 1/350 and 1/700 scales. Check it out at my web site at the URL below. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume