Subject: SMML VOL 881 Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 00:09:10 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Website translator 2: Re: Urban (Military) Legends 3: Re: Russian translations 4: HMS Tracker/JW58 5: HMS Tracker 4' inch guns 6: Re: 1/350 USAAF Aircraft 7: Re: Landing a Blackbird on a carrier 8: 1/72 scale Flower alert 9: Re: Big Planes on Carrier 10: Which Royal Navy warship? 11: Re: Blackbird on Intrepid 12: FYI: Space Battleship Yamato Models 13: Re: exocet 14: Re: Big planes on carriers 15: aerials, hoses and myths 16: H.M.S. Courageous & H.P. Models 17: USS RANGER CV-4 18: Rusty's GATO conning tower and his sense of direction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SMMLcon Infomation & posts 1: Re: SMMLcon 2000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Shirley Sachsen Subject: Re: Website translator >> I have seen that website used for various translations and it might do just fine for instructions, etc especially since you probably already have a pretty good idea of what it should say - but be prepared for some howlers which can offer great entertainment value. << I thought of that, too, after posting the address... but after reading English translated Japanese technical manuals, one might be used to those sorts of literal errors... :-) s -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Polvi, Henry" Subject: Re: Urban (Military) Legends >> While reading Roland Mar's reply about the Sale of Essex class carriers, I recalled a story that went around back then. He mentioned that one reason was that transferring weapons to foreign nations could find those weapons used against the transferor against the transferee. He then mentioned the Falklands. This brought to mind a story that I heard back then, before the internet was available to spread half truths around the world in minutes. The story was that the British and French were official allies and so the Exocet missiles, being of French manufacture, were not recognized as hostile. The software was programmed to recognize the Exocet an friendly and to ignore it. This doesn't sound plausible to me. Sounds like an urban legend with military implications (shall we call them Military legends?). This is probably not true, but since we now have the internet, we can spread this story far and wide. << Another one I heard from the Falkalands was that the Argentines showed the UK govt/diplomats a periscope photo of a British ship (QE2?) the Argies had dead to rights and DIDN'T fire on. I forget if this was before or after the RN sank that cruiser (Belgrano?). I've also heard this kind of story vis a vis USN carriers, which everyone says are surrounded by this impenetrable shield of attack subs, frigates, ASW planes, etc. Anyhow, RN subs apparently several times came near enough to take close-up photos of a CVN during exercises to show it wasn't necessarily so...Also RN subs in Murmansk harbour, RN destroyers bagging Iraqi jets with Sea Wolf missles in the mid-80s, well before the Gulf War, something for Ripley's? Henry Polvi Thornhill, ON -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Denis & Marilyn Campbell Subject: Re: Russian translations I really had a good laugh at Norman Samish's bit yesterday on his results with the Alta Vista translator. My family listened to my pleas and gave me a Sony Mavica digital camera for my birthday recently (since returned and exchanged for an Olympus 'cause I wasn't happy with the quality of the pictures on the Sony) and the translation in Norman's post could have been lifted right out of the manual for the Sony - perhaps some of the manufacturers use this translator to publish their manuals and instructions in other languages? Remember when computers were new? There was an acronym GIGO which meant "Garbage In, Garbage Out". Languages are too subtle (and ever changing) for any machine to translate the nuances that are inherent in every language - and a machine is only as good as the person who programmed it in the first place. Now, can you imagine someone whose first language is English and second Russian, programming a translator to translate Russian to English? or worse, reverse the language priorities for the programmer. I now to push the button for send a message Denis Campbell Avon MA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Chris Drage" Subject: HMS Tracker/JW58 Hi Filipe, Check out the photos of my JW58 convoy dio on the Warship website. >> happened to have WEM's Bluebell kit and a couple of O class Tamiya? << Both Honeysuckle and Lotus (only one clear photo exists of each) need some scratch building. Honeysuckle had the high bridge (extra deck) and a raised gun platform. Lotus was fitted for minesweeping thus use Buttercup. You will have to scratch build the four 20mm zarebas. Bluebell is, of course, as is. >> Camouflage of Tracker poses a bit of a problem. I've got an << You need photos from IWM. There is a beauty of her port side during JW58 - in bright sunlight. Shots showing her starboard side occur in 'Royal Navy in Focus in WWII' and Ken Poolman's 'Allied Escort Carriers of WWII' - an excellent view of her flight deck with her aerial spreader in the down position. These references plus IWM pix are all you need. You have her covered from all sides. Don't even begin building the O Class without Nat Richard's article with Tim Stoneman's additional comments. The WEM PE details plus resin guns go without saying! Regards Chris He tao rakau e taea te karo kupu kaore e taea te karo (Te reo Maori) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "FCR" Subject: HMS Tracker 4' inch guns Hello to all This is one subject that have interrogate me since the beginning of my "crusade" with the Tracker. I already have changed some information with others and I came to another doubt that is the followed one. The Archer's class CVE were armed with two 4'/50 Mk9 USN guns and I believe that this guns were used also in pre-war USN warships like the "flush-deckers" destroyers. Now, this guns, at least in this destroyers didn't have AA capability. They were also limited to this function when installed in the CVE's or were changed to give some AA capability. Thanks in advance. Filipe C. Ramires Lisboa, PORTUGAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: SantMin@aol.com Subject: Re: 1/350 USAAF Aircraft >> Does anyone here know of or heard of a manufacturer that makes US WWII air force aircraft (p-51,p-38,etc.) in either 1/300 or 1/350 scale? I need them for an escort carrier model that is currently been built. << Near the end of WWII or shortly thereafter, there was a release of MANY aircraft "spotter" models in 1/360 plastic. Next these little guys appeared in breakfast cereal boxes. Then they were cast in metal, and now you can find them or recasts of them at any wargammers convension and they are really quite nice. All are in flying trim so you will have to add landing gear but that should not be a problem. I think you will also fond a few of them (not copies, but newly crafted ones) at the White Ensign's site if I'm not mistaken. Bob Santos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: Landing a Blackbird on a carrier >> What I want to know is how they landed a Mach 3 Blackbird on a WWII Essex class aircraft carrier that's firmly cemented to the left side of Mahnatten.... << Actually the landing procedure is just the reverse of a take off. If you have ever seen a Blackbird take off, after the wheels leave the ground, the pilot slams on full afterburners, and sits the plane on its tail, and the thing just rockets straight up. Well landing is the reverse, when over the carrier, you go nose vertical, full afterburner then back off on the engines and let it settle on deck. The only problem is getting it down on the wheels again - they have to use a really tall crane. Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: 1/72 scale Flower alert Just spotted on You Know Where :-0 Right now at $49 For the Revell/Europe kit. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=303976067 Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Dave Judy Subject: Re: Big Planes on Carrier Glenn, shame on you ........everybody knows they used a C-130 based Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System ( LAPES)!!!! Dave Judy Both feet and tongue in cheek............ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Jens H. Brandal" Subject: Which Royal Navy warship? When I visited my parents last weekend, my father told me about an incident he recall from his younger days. He was 14 years old at the time of the German invasion of Norway, and he recall seeing a British "destroyer" as he called it enter the fjord between the island of Sula and the small village called Brandal (no prizes for guessing where my ancestors are from). This is not far from Aalesund on the western coast of Noprway. He didn't recall the exact day, but it was in the April/May 1940 timeframe. This warship was attacked by German aircraft three or four times but was not hit. It returned fire but did not shoot down any aircraft. Being young and "stupid" neither he nor his buddies had the prescence of mind to run for cover... I'm not sure it was a destroyer as anything might look big to young people, but he is farily knowledgeable about ships having spent most of his life working on them or with them. Can anyone on the list identify this ship? When you have, I'll ask around for models and paint schemes:) Thanks in advance, Jens -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: CapnAgee@aol.com Subject: Re: Blackbird on Intrepid Getting a good landing pattern wasn't hard...local directors out at JFK handled the approach with no problems. The hard part was getting all the New York homeless and street people up on the deck to catch her as she sat down (you know the Blackbird has no tailhoot). A friend tells me it was all VP Gore's idea. Hee Hee! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Derek Wakefield Subject: FYI: Space Battleship Yamato Models Hey S'guys I've learned from a reliable source that Bandai will re-release all the Yamato model kits this May. I don't know if there's any information on the net about this yet, but you might want to keep an eye out at The Right Stuff and Hobbylink Japan sites (sorry, but I don't have the URLs handy at the moment). Go Navy! _|_o_|_ Derek "Tiger" (/\)akefield /---(.](o)[.)---\ iscandar@chatter.com o oo O oo o http://www.iscandar-66.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "feed" Subject: Re: exocet I think you are not far beyond the truth.I have heard the same comments about that subject, since i live around this area and we were tacit involved in that war. I wonder what went wrong when a korean airliner was shot down by a US Navy missile (I believe). I think the same principle counts "Enemy or friend" feed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: MDDoremus@aol.com Subject: Re: Big planes on carriers >> What I want to know is how they landed a Mach 3 Blackbird on a W.W.II Essex class aircraft carrier that's firmly cemented to the left side of Manhattan... << Verryy, verryy carefully! Mark Tongue in cheek in Eden Prairie -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: Stuart Robottom Subject: aerials, hoses and myths Hi all. This may have been answered before, but if it was I wasn't taking note. In some recent construction I was unhappy with the kit-supplied aerials (or lack of) and wondered if anybody had used paintbrush bristles instead, which look okay, and as an added bonus, are generally black, and therefore don't need to be painted! For example, some smaller bristles could be used as the FFG aerials on top of the hangar and bridge, while longer ones could be longitudinal aerials or even rigging. Along similar lines, what is the preferred material for the fuel hoses and transfer lines used during RAS (or UNREP, for our US friends!) in 1:700 scale? I tried fishing line, but it won't bend enough, and cotton doesn't look right in such a small scale. Finally, regarding the 'military myth' I believe the reason the picket line of Type 42s didn't pick up the Exocet was due the SCOT transmissions masking the radar from the Exocet and/or Super Etendard from the radar during the 'pop-up' phase of the missile launch, and the Sheffield had the bad luck to be communicating when the launch occurred. Regards, Stuart Robottom WEBPAGE (recently updated model page!): http://www.deakin.edu.au/~robottom/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "Jana & Pavel" Subject: H.M.S. Courageous & H.P. Models Thank you to all who responded to my enquiry's. It really is great to have such a response and helping hand. It really makes this hobby a pleasant one. Regards Pavel Vacata -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "John Snyder" Subject: USS RANGER CV-4 For anyone still looking for a Corsair Armada RANGER, there's one available at Brookhurst Hobbies.... John Snyder Snyder & Short Enterprises The Paint Guys http://www.shipcamouflage.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "Edward F Grune" Subject: Rusty's GATO conning tower and his sense of direction Rusty: The photo of the in progress GATO class conning tower that has been newly posted on the Warship photo gallery looks very good. I'm sure that the rest of the model will be as nice. I'm glad to see that the blueprints I loaned to you are being put to good use. Also, let us folks "south of the border" know when you're going to be driving down to the Nats. We'll send someone up I-35 to the Red River and change the sign to read: M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I. Ed Mansfield, TX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SMMLcon Infomation & posts SMML Convention and tour notices: http://www.mikedunn.freeserve.co.uk/smml/help/smml_con.html If your coming to the SMML convention on friday, we need to know which tour you planning to attend so that we can get an accurate head count for transportation. Contact John Frohock ca139johnf@aol.com and let him know which tour you plan on attending. If you are going on a tour, you need to be onboard the USS Salem no later than 10:00am on Friday May 5th. We will open the ship starting at 9:00am for those who would like a cup of coffee and some schoozing before departure. For those of you who are not going on either tour; the USS Salem will NOT be open to the public on friday (Crew will be on watch to repel boarders if provoked ) so please do not show-up at the ship on friday unless you are attending the tours. Check out Convention and tour info at: http://www.mikedunn.freeserve.co.uk/smml/help/smml_con.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: CA139JOHNF@aol.com Subject: Re: SMMLcon 2000 >> I am planning to go only on the Saturday - drive up and back from Long Island and I am playing that by ear. If all works out and I do make it, I will schlep the "prize winners" with me. << Hi Felix, I was hoping to hear from you. Many thanks and I am looking forward to meeting you! Gee, this is gonna be fun, a bunch of modelers and no A/C or RR guys in sight!! (at least not in plain sight :-) ) Will you stay for the Dinner? Best Regards, John Frohock USNSM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume