Subject: SMML VOL 903 Date: Sun, 07 May 2000 02:47:41 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: WWI Cruisers Regensburg & Graudenz 2: Re: On Line kit build? 3: Pearl Harbor movies 4: Re: USPS 5: Re: BWN email address 6: Re: U.S. Mail is better than some think 7: Ship kit reviews site 8: USN Torp tube replacements 9: Re: Mystery picture 10: Re: Pearl Harbor movie 11: S-Boat plans 12: Bangor class Minesweeper -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Sanartjam@aol.com Subject: WWI Cruisers Regensburg & Graudenz Hi, The May 2000 Pacific Front Hobbies Update lists 1/700 kits of the German WWI cruisers Regensburg and Graudenz by WSW. Are these actually out yet, and has anyone seen them? Verrrry interesting subjects! Art Nicholson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Christopher Crofoot Subject: Re: On Line kit build? Hi all, I have an idea that I thought I might throw out... I also subscribe to a space modelers newsgroup and last year they collectively decided to have a SMOKIN (Space Modelers Online Kit Build) Okay I can't remember the Damn acronym. But I think it would be a kind of cool idea if we as a group did something similar. They used the inexpensive and readily available Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. All of the references, pics, line drawings etc were posted to a site so that all the builders had access to it. The group then used the net for discussion, dissemination of ideas etc. The whole idea was to swamp the nationals with a single kit in there category just for the exposure. I know that there was a similar idea with fletcher class destroyers here. But I thought it might be able to take the build a step further....using it as a tutorial, reference and detailing section for the SMML board. It would be aimed at the beginner all the way to national winner level depending on how much detail one wanted to include. Additionally, since so many people were involved a dealer decided to give a discount on a particular item to detail the kit further. Perhaps some in the industry would decide to do the same. Is there any interest in such a build? Would the SMML site hold the relevant details, pics etc? And finally just to wet appetites.... Which kit to build? The fletcher is the obvious answer but perhaps a RN frigate or IJN Lt cruiser. My idea would be a Modern US O.H. Perry FFG. The kits available, GMM has inexpensive detail parts as does WEM, and there are a lot of variants possible... What does everybody think? Chris -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "wblad" Subject: Pearl Harbor movies There were two hand held 8mm movie cameras in private hands at the Pearl Harbor attack and both recorded parts of the battle. The most important was footage shot by a doctor on the hospital ship Solace which caught the Arizona exploding. Still frames from this film have been printed often. Both cameras only contained about 10 minutes worth of film and are very grainy. Only long shots were possible, zoom lenses were many years in the future. In early 1942, 20TH Century-Fox sent famed cinematographer Gregg Toland (Citizen Kane) to Hawaii to shoot a documentary recreation in full 3-strip technicolor (a la Gone With The Wind). Dissatisfied with the result, which was judged too critical of the navy and too kind to the local Japanese population, Toland was replaced by director John Ford who re-edited the film to about half it's original length, added pre-war stock shots and released it in a black and white verson in 1943. Since then footage of this recreation has been used in numerous documentaries about Pearl Harbor, notably in the Victory At Sea TV series. Unlike the grainy and shaky genuine attack footage, these shots are typical of the flawless Hollywood style of the day. They include scenes of sailors playing ball on a dock beside a CA, a chaplain conducting services interrupted by bombs, ground crews working on a B-17 in a hangar at Hickam, and rows of planes with the post-attack peppermint striped tails being strafed, etc. This "original recreation" color footage still exists and turns up occaisionally. The last time I saw it was in a documentary in 1991, on the 50th anniversary of the attack. The intent of these film makers was not to deceive future generations, but was a sincere attempt to portray recent events as accurately as was then possible. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Michael Morse Subject: Re: USPS I can also attest to the excellent service of the U.S. Postal Service. East Coast Miniatures has, since its inception, used USPS Priority Mail service exclusively with outstanding results...only one customer reported that an AA mount on a 1/1250 ship model fell off during shipping. It was not broken and was easily re-attached with white glue. Not bad considering all the parcels that have been shipped by USPS for us in the last two years. I would also like to mention the local postal workers who go out of their way daily to accommodate me and my stack of packages five to six mornings each week. Mike Morse East Coast Miniatures http://www.miniships.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: BWN email address Mike's email address is: MBishop446@aol.com (Mike Bishop) Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "John Sheridan" Subject: Re: U.S. Mail is better than some think >> To those who take pleasure in trashing the U.S. Mail, please allow me this reply: << I find that U.S. Mail Priority to be one of the best services that the US Mail offers. John Sheridan www.shipcamouflage.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Ship kit reviews site I cam across a very interesting site for ship modelers. This site claims to list virtually every ship kit ever issued and has reviews and comments on many of them. They also accept reviews from builders (no manufacturers). Check it out. Very interesting. The site URL is: http://www.quuxuum.org/rajens_list/rajen.html Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Joe Costanzo" Subject: USN Torp tube replacements My JAG Gearing has been complete for some time now, and it looks great. One thing that nags me, though, is that the torpedo tubes seem overscale, can anyone that has this kit confirm this? If so, is there a convenient replacement, or will I have to scratchbuild? I wouldn't worry so much about it but I lost one mount that went flying during drybrushing (bad idea in a dorm) so what the hell :-) Thanks in advance, Joe Costanzo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: SeaPhoto@aol.com Subject: Re: Mystery picture David C. Maschino writes >> http://www.bluejacket.com/carrier_out.jpg << >> The carrier is the USS Carl Vinson, CVN-70. From what I can gather from the CVN-70 website (http://www.cvn70.navy.mil/) this picture was probably taken in 1995. Judging by the photo, it would appear that the ship is outbound, but I may be wrong (I live in Michigan, so what do I know about California?!?). << It is indeed outbound to the West. The hills to the right (north) are the Marin Headlands. I think you are correct in your assessment that the picture was taken in October of 1995. Kurt Greiner SeaPhoto Maritime Photography http://members.aol.com/SeaPhoto/index.html Warship Models Underway http://members.aol.com/wmunderway/home.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Paul Jacobs Subject: Re: Pearl Harbor movie Kudo's to Burt Burlingame for his critical reviews of the new Pearl Harbor movie. Hopefully the word will get around that this mega production is really a cheap stinker and Bruckheimer will get the black eye he deserves. As I understand it, the original intent was to make a movie that would rival TITANIC for accuracy, but then Bruckheimer and the finance boys decided to sacrifice any semblance of accuracy and concentrate on cheap. As the filming progresses, it sounds worse and worse. I was contacted months ago by some lowly technician on the Disney team, who wanted help finding large ship models for the miniature harbor that Burt talks about-the one where the "psychic" Japanese are setting up a replica of Pearl BEFORE the attack.. He said that they had this photo and planned to recreate it to depict the Japanese planning the attack. I pointed out to him that the scene was from a Japanese movie made in 1942, that the Japanese could hardly have known beforehand exactly where the ships would be located on December 7th (especially VESTAL, which wouldn't normally have moored on Battleship Row, yet she appears in the photo), and besides, a recreation in that large a scale for planning purposes made no sense and would not have been done by the military. He also asked for drawings of the type of trolleys used by the Japanese on their CV's to move torpedoes about, and I got the feeling at that time that they really were trying to make every detail correct. He later wrote back and said that the scenes were cut for budgetary reasons. Apparently the miniature harbor scene survived. The more that I hear, the worse it sounds. Apparently Bruckheimer is so cheap that he's not going to spend any money on the computer imaging which these days could realistically reproduce Battleship Row exactly and other technical effects. Instead Battleship Row will be made up of a bunch of modern DD's. Gee, maybe Bruckheimer will have them bomb the ARIZONA memorial. Too bad that Spielberg isn't doing this one. At least he'd spend the money to make it right. After THIS turkey rolls over and sinks, no one will dare to make another epic Pearl Harbor flick in our lifetime. Sad, because it had so much potential, and sad because this is the garbage that gets passed on to generations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Pletscher-Lenz-Schneider" Subject: S-Boat plans There have been some questions about the cockpit gun of late war German S-Boats. Sorry, I don't have a plan. But I know it was a Luftwaffe-designed gun which was originally used in aircraft gun turrets. So maybe you can find help from some aircraft guys. Falk Pletscher -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "JOHN CURRIE" Subject: Bangor class Minesweeper A couple of things please guys, First one is for a friend whose father is dying and would like a photo of his ship, it is HMS POOLE a BANGOR class mine sweeper 1941-1948 so if anybody out there has a photo could they please scan and e-mail to me at kidcurrie42@hotmail.com, if need be any turbine powered BANGOR would suffice. I will be contacting the IWM but i know you guys are always up for a challenge and always produce and you are quicker. Second thing is just a query, how long does it take for an order to reach the UK from the states by surface mail, i ordered the Model slipways paints off them, they say they were dispatched on the 28th March as of yet i am still waiting, am i worrying needlessly?. Thanks in advance John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume