Subject: SMML VOL 922 Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 00:42:34 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Waldrons Punch tool 2: Detail kit for Graf Zeppelin 3: Re: lighthouse kits 4: Hein mats 5: 7,600t cruisers mats 6: Stumbling back into the daylight... 7: Re: PBR's 8: Re: Hein Mats 9: Book recomendation 10: Re: Hein mats 11: Edd 12: B.P.F. PAINT (again) 13: CHINESE CARRIER (again) 14: Re: Victorian Warships 15: Re: Just Lazy 16: Pre war battleship question? 17: Re: PBRs 18: Yamato gray 19: Re: BOOMER 20: assembly instructions 21: 1/350 Texas 22: Conways All the World's Fighting Ships 23: Chinese Aircraft Carrier 24: Shizuoka Show 25: Fujimi SPRUANCE/ TICO - Beware! 26: 1/700 Modern US/JMSDF Boats? 27: Re: 1:200 P/E railing 28: Invincible aircraft request 29: LCA 30: Re: Axis Order of Battle 31: Re: Valley Forge 32: 1/32 scale or 1/35 scale small boats -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SMMLcon Infomation & posts 1: Re: Future SMMLCons 2: SMMLcon 2 3: Re: Future SMMLcons 4: Re: SMML Convention for 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: (Two) Verlinden 1/35th Scale X-Craft Kits For Sale 2: GMM's handbook is available again -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Björn Dahlberg" Subject: Waldrons Punch tool Hello SMMLies. Is there anyone who can help me to find a Waldron Punch Tool on the web. Can't find it (or similar product) here in Sweden. Many thanks in advance Björn Dahlberg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Joseph Poutre Subject: Detail kit for Graf Zeppelin >> Detailing kit for Revell 1/720 Graf Zeppelin (also, any plans or references for this ship) << Tom's Modelworks makes a set specifically for this kit. It replaces some of the way overscale bits, and includes radars. You have your work cut out for you with that kit, ya know, especially the giant gouges on the fore flightdeck where there should be catapults. Very odd. Also, the ship was never completed, so there are no absolute references or plans. You can find a few images online, and make your best guesses for the details. Joe Poutre Co-webmaster, Battleship New Jersey Historical Museum Society http://www.bb62museum.org/ Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Douglas Simpkin Subject: Re: lighthouse kits Last week there was discussion on lighthouse kits. Here's my $0.02 worth. Bluejacket Shipcrafters still sells their Harbor Ocean brand "generic" lighthouse (see http://www.bluejacketinc.com/navigator.tmpl ; click on HO kits). The Bluejacket kit is based on the West Quoddy light in NE Maine (see http://zuma.lib.utk.edu/lights/maine8.html for a nice picture of the candy striped original), and builds to a reasonable representation. I completed the kit earlier this year. There were no plans or diagrams in the kit, just 4 pages of text and the little kit box photo as guide. (I wish I'd found the internet photo above earlier in construction). The lighthouse structure in the kit is 2 thick wooden dowels, the lower one tapered and the upper straight. I was not impressed with the finish of the wood (one dowel was very rough and pitted) or accuracy of the angle of the tapered piece. It's a bit lopsided! A thick PE brass sheet supplies the platforms, window frames, and the structure of the shack. These were nicely done, but the PE ladder between platforms is fiction and needs redoing. A white metal cap and air vents complete the kit. Bluejacket's list is $43.55 without lighting kit, which can be had for about $20 from a good model railroad hobby shop. Folks have said good things about the AC-powered lighting module from Micro Mark (see http://www.dxmarket.com/micromark/products/82106.html ). Or you could do Micro Mark's HO scale Thomas Point Lighthouse kit (see http://www.dxmarket.com/micromark/products/82233.html ), which is a unique looking Chesapeake Bay screwpile lighthouse (and includes the lighting electronics). List is $89.95. I have no experience with that kit. Douglas J. Simpkin, Ph.D., D.A.B.R. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Ken Subject: Hein mats Just last weekend the History Channel presented a "History of Airlines" or "of Air Transport"; don't remember the exact name. In that program, films of the first German float plane service to South America showed a float plane, I think a Heinkel, coming up on its mid-Atlantic tender ship for refuelling, taxiing onto a floating mat spooled out astern of the ship. After replensihment, it was placed back in the water by a crane. They also mentioned that the float plane took on so much fuel that it flew twenty feet off the water for several hours until sufficient fuel was consumed to allow it to climb!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "larsenal" Subject: 7,600t cruisers mats Yes, the 6 cruisers of the 7,600 tons series were equiped with two types of planes recovery mats. -Jean De Vienne and Georges Leygues were equiped with the Kiwull type. -La Galissonnière, Marseillaise, Gloire and Montcalm had the Hein system. Both systems were of German origin and were instaled in a special room at the extreme rear of the ships. So the stern had to be square (quite a contradiction with the hydrodynamics rules!) and the ships were often nicknamed the "square asses"! To be concise the mat was stored in a room, with a rectangular folding opening on the stern. The mat was unrolled, the ship had to sail at 10-15 knots, and the floatplane climbed on the mat taking care not to crash on the stern !The mat sized about 15m x 8m. Then the rear crane picked up the plane to its normal storage location. In fact this system proved to be very difficult to use, the plane pilot had to be very skilled to avoid major incidents, the storage room was often filled with water causing damage to the mat that was always wet. Also a major shortcoming was in the fact that recovery was only easily practible in calm waters. First trials started in 1937, the whole system was cancelled in 1939 and everything was definitively deleted on all ships in 1942. Hope this helps, Best regards, Jacques Druel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Jeff Herne" Subject: Stumbling back into the daylight... Greetings Smmlies, Just a quick note to say I'm back online for the most part...I got the license plate number of the truck that hit me (it was a truck called 'too much to do, too little time'). Needless to say, I'm flying slow and low for the time being... I will entertain any and all Fletcher questions as before...be on the lookout for another in-depth article on Warship on converting the Tamiya kit into an accurate late war square bridge...hopefully I'll have the photos done in the next few days. The PHD Project is on hold for now, although I am still personally building ships for it. With the exception of a few dedicated folks, there wasn't enough interest generated to prevent it from becoming a 2 or 3 person project... Sorry I missed SMML-con, but work has managed to mess up damn near everything lately... Best to all, Jeff Herne -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: CaptainOD@aol.com Subject: Re: PBR's We have two PBR's and other riverine craft down here at our UDT/SEAL museum in Fort Pierce Florida which is open to the public, and as the boats are displayed outside, you can walk right up for photos. Bob O'Donovan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Donald P Morgan Subject: Re: Hein Mats For Michael Landon from Don Morgan I believe the hein mat was used by many navies, on many different cruisers. One clue can be obtained by looking at the center float on a scout plane. If a hein mat was used for said scout plane, you will find what looks like a small blade antenna, protruding from the underside of the central float, right on the float centerline. The purpose of that blade was to engage the mat as the ship steamed along, with its wake creating a relatively flat area of ocean for the scoutplane to use in alighting at sea. Once on the mat with blade engaged, the pilot would throttle back his engine and the back-seater would stand on his cockpit canopy side rails to grasp the crane hook and engage it within the lift fitting on some upper surface of the scoutplane. Said fitting was usually directly over the center of gravity of the float plane. On the Vought "Kingfisher", it was in the structure underneath the long canopy. On the Curtiss "Seagull", I believe it was in the upper wing center section near the rear spar. Don Morgan/ San Antonio -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Les Pickstock Subject: Book recomendation I just found a great book in the University library! It's called Dreadnoughts in Camera 1905-1920 by Roger D Thomas and Brian Patterson, published by the Royal Naval Museum. It lays out in stages the process of building the early 20thC Dreadnoughts of the Royal Navy. Add to this the fantastic pics of the Ships on the Slips and at sea. It also has pics from the weapons forging shops including one of the REVENGE's 15" guns in the gun assembly shop at Vickers. To borrow one of Caroline's favourite words "Awesome". I may be preaching to the converted but anyone who hasn't seen this before and loves the "Big Ships" will love this book. Les Pickstock. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "chenyangzhang" Subject: Re: Hein mats Hi Michael Hein mats were actually a failure. The principle was that the aircraft would land on the mat which would then be winched into the ship (proceeding slowly) and the aircraft hoisted aboard. However, they had a tendency to ride the waves rather than stay flat leading to a rather risky situation. La Galissonnière abandoned hers quite rapidly (the crane had gone by 1937 but the slot remained). A new crane was fitted next to the main mast and aircraft hoisted on board the traditional way. Of the other ships of the class, Jean de Vienne and Marseillaise also had a slot. I would imagine that the others also did though I haven't seen the pictures to confirm this. I think other navies did experiment with these mats but also abandoned them very quickly. Unfortunately I can't recall the ones that did try it. Overall, it was very rapidly realised that the idea was a failure Chris Langtree -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: Edd >> Edd Pflum Westmont, IL << Edd Pflum, you are a true Commodian! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "Phil M. Gollin" Subject: B.P.F. PAINT (again) In the light of the recent discussions I decided to resend a message I originally sent last Setember ; "Having watched the Latest Naval Time Capsule video (British Pacific Fleet - phase 2) several times (wonderful !) I have a query regarding the "blue" used on the BPF waterline panel. In a series of colour shots of the British East Indies Fleet saying goodbye to the USS Saratoga a procession of RN Ships are shown, basically in the same lighting conditions. The standard blue panel seems to vary from Light grey with a blue-ish tinge, through a rich light blue through to almost a dark grey. Does anyone know whether this is another one of those "paint-mixing" problems, or is it "just the light" ?" Just to clarify, the shots ALL seem to be taken from the Saratoga's flight deck, possibly by two different cameras, but the light is basically the same and the RN ships are just steaming past and cheering - so I would suppose the difference in colours to be "real" - but has anyone else seen the video and has any definite ideas? Phil -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Phil M. Gollin" Subject: CHINESE CARRIER (again) The June edition of Janes Navy International carried a short article on the "new" Chinese Carriers, a brief synopsis would be; 1: USN intelligence confirmed Chinese intentions to build carriers in August 1999 2: Most likely explanations of recent "rumours" are that China has bought/will buy the Russian Varyvag "for exploitation in terms of carrier systems architecture". The vessel "is said to be in appalling condition" and would have to be towed to China. 3: "Chinese sources" indicate that China will build a class of carriers, the first ("Plan 9985") will be about 48,000 tonnes, based upon the Kuznetoz design. Maximum speed about 30 knots (steam turbines), with an air group of about 24, including the advanced Su-30MKK Flanker variant. 4: Carriers may well be based on Russian concepts of "long-range sea denial" rather than true "Blue-water" operation. 5: Design probably with ski-jump 6: 2 sets of 24 anti-ship missiles - (probably a SS-N-22 "sunburn" variant) [This week's flight magazine confirms the sale of "sunburns"] 7: May include land attack cruise missiles and vertical launch SAMs 8: Chinese working on a very long timescale (upto 2020). The missiles will make her a worthwhile ship whilst awaiting maturity of the air group. May be a Fleet flagship and heavy cruiser, whilst also acting as an aviation trials ship. 9: All-in-all it will make a fascinating comparison with the French nuclear Charles de Gaulle and the Royal Navy replacements for the CVLs, all much-of-a-muchness in terms of tonnage, but all different concepts and air-groups. PHIL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Polvi, Henry" Subject: Re: Victorian Warships >> What I was wondering was whether people like R.A. Burt and John Roberts publish their drawings. I realise that the Maritime Museum at Greenwich have oodles of plans but, in keeping with other repositories of archival material in the UK they are charging exorbitantly for supply and postage, thus deterring anyone interested in research. I would rather reimburse someone who has already transposed plans from the Maritime Museum, than pay the museum and have to redo the drawing again for my own use. Thanks again to all << I purchased plans for HMS Canada from the Greenwich Museum back in the mid-80's, they were photo reproductions of 1/96 scale drawings very close to 1/2 size so basically 1/192 scale. The cost wasn't too bad back then 28 pounds or something like that. There was a profile, (with scribbled SHIPMOD notes here and there, {kind of neat to review}, main deck plan, and cross-sections). The photo paper was a set size, about 24" so you couldn't get the whole ship on one sheet, I had to cut and tape, but it looked good and I had the profile framed. I think you can play around with photocopier zoom features and plans/drawings from books - for personal use only, right? as long as you know a fixed dimension, ie: Length over all, or between perpendiculars, then you scale your drawings, ie 660 feet = 11 5/16" at 1/700 scale. There will be some distortion and loss of detail each time you photocopy which you'll have to clean up. I've taken it a step further by scanning and then tracing onto AutoCAD - this cleans up the distortions and gives you straight lines and symmetry which again you can scale to "life size" if you know what a certain dimension was. Since CAD is a 1:1 scale you can add all kinds of detail and there's another whole hobby right there, but you can always print/plot in any scale you want/ I have HMS Hood, HMS Iron Duke and HMS Canada on CAD if anyone's interested...I wonder how much it would be worth to provide this kind of service as a sideline? Henry Polvi Thornhill, ON -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "FCR" Subject: Re: Just Lazy Hello to all Rusty White said: >> I guess I'm a product of the '90s. I want instant gratification with no more work than necessary. Just lazy I guess. Plus I'm a rotten scratchbuilder << I must agree with you. Thousand times that I prefer to buy and built a model from a much perfect company then to build one from a poor one, it's just a matter of prices I believe. I lost many patience when super-detailing poor models when I already have some other details in others. It's just a matter of choice and patience. Obviously that there are some pieces that need to be substituted by scratch-built ones (masts, some structures) that are always superior to the demands of the scale. I believe that one thing is detail one model and scratch-built a model is a different one. Lazy, I don't think so, I prefer the word shortcut. Happy Modeling. Filipe C. Ramires Lisboa, PORTUGAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "\"Honest Bob\" LaBouy" Subject: Pre war battleship question? I recognize almost anyone knows far more than I do about the pre WW II battleship Navy than I do. I have been looking, in vain, for some time to learn exactly what the "clock" like displays are on the upper cage masts on battleships? I actually thought I could only find shots of these indicators on the shots from the fantail, but have now seen several from the bow as well. At first to the untrained eye (mine....) they appeared to be some type of a large clock display. But as you look at the numbers displayed, it is apparent they are not clock faces. I'd love to have someone bring me up to speed on what they are and how they were used by the ship's personnel? Thanks, Bob LaBouy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: drwells@hogpb.mt.att.com (David R Wells) Subject: Re: PBRs Al Ross wrote: >> There are a number of PBRs being preserved. There is a MK2 somewhere in New Jersey at a memorial (can't remember where, offhand, but they do have a web site) and another MK2 at Patriot's Point in Charleston, SC. << The USS Ling museum in Hackensack NJ was supposed to get one, but I don't know if they ever did get it. Their web site (http://www.njnm.com/) is more of a cobweb site. David R. Wells -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: Mike Connelley Subject: Yamato gray Howdy: For some time I've had a little worry in my mind about the gray they Yamato carried. I have the S&S paint chip which I'm sure is very accurate. In the Skuski book, the color page says the color was known as a silver-gray, and in the Requiem of a Battleship (if that's the proper title) a survivor of her sinking notes that she was silver. So the thought came to me to try a gray that was silver based...sort of a dark-silver than a regular gray which can be thought of dark-whites. With the S&S set at hand, I mixed into a bottle of silver some black and gray-blue (I used navy blue 5-N, but I figure any other gray-blue like ocean gray would work). It was trickier than mixing with whites, but I got a fairly good match with the S&S paint chip. The difference was that in certain lighting it's much more reflective than a regular gray. One of the worries I had was that in builder's trials photos in the Skulski book, the reflectiveness of certain parts of the ship (especially on the forward turrets and #2 barbette, and the photo of the back of the Musashi's tower) doesn't seem consistent with a regular gray. Not only do certain parts of the turret appear bright, but the turret face is quite dark, and the reflection off the #2 barbetter is narrower and brighter than I'd expect off a regualar flat gray surface. I painted a turret I have with my mix and closely matched the look in the photos. I want to refine my mix, and try to put more gray into it and put a flat coat over it and see how that effects the look of the color. Eventually, I want to build a 1/700 scale kit with this to see how it looks overall. Has anyone tried or heard of this before? Any comments...criticism? Cheers Mike Connelley -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: SantMin@aol.com Subject: Re: BOOMER >> anybody know where I can get the old skywave scramble set -or even just the U.S. nuclear sub from the set, thanks << Zackary, Email me off list, I have several of those old "Scramble" kits for sale. Bob Santos (Santmin@aol.com) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: Daniel Rodriguez Subject: assembly instructions Hey, My name is Daniel Rodríguez from Spain (Europe). For long time I´ve been looking for a Yamato from NICHIMO, and now that I got one the problem is that the kit came without assembly instructions. I tried to find a copy of this instructions but I got no exit. I find your web site and supposed that you could help me to find were to get them. Please, answer me asap even if you don´t have idea were to get this stuff. Thanks, Daniel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: "Steven P. Allen" Subject: 1/350 Texas Having been warned by the good SMMLies hereabouts about the Viking Texas, I'd like to know if anyone can suggest an alternative. TIA, Steve Allen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: "John Rule" Subject: Conways All the World's Fighting Ships Can someone help with the scales. I have all four volumes of Conways. In the later volumes the scale of drawings is given as 1:1250 unless stated otherwise. On the dust jacket of the first volume (viz. 1860-1905) it states that it contains 500 constant scale drawings. However, I can't find anywhere in the book what that scale is. Some of the drawings appear to be approximately 1:1000 but because they are waterline drawings and the lengths are either given as overall or between perpendiculars, it is difficult to determine the scale with any accuracy. Can anyone "in the know" help? Sincerely John Rule -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: RhinoBones@aol.com Subject: Chinese Aircraft Carrier A few weeks ago these was a good bit of SMML message traffic concerning the purchase of a Russian aircraft carrier by the Chinese. An article concerning just such a purchase appeared in on the news wire today and is copied below. Regards, RhinoBones >> Wednesday, May 24, 2000 Mystery surrounds Chinese carrier -deal- Source: JANE'S NAVY INTERNATIONAL JANE'S NAVY INTERNATIONAL via NewsEdge Corporation : With more reports circulating in early May that Russia has sold an aircraft carrier to China, Jane-s Navy International believes this is unlikely to be Russia-s only in-commission carrier Kuznetsov. It could be that China is considering buying the second-of-class, Varyag, for exploitation in terms of carrier systems architecture. The vessel is at the Nikolaev shipyard in the Ukraine and said to be in appalling condition. China has tried before to buy the 80% completed carrier through a Macau-based agency but nothing further happened. Varyag would have to be towed to China. John Downing analyses China-s thinking on carriers: After decades of debate the Chinese Navy (PLAN), has finally decided to join the "carrier club". Initial confirmation of this decision was provided by US intelligence in August 1999 (see Jane-s Intelligence Review 2/2000). Updated reporting has recently been provided by Chinese sources. These have given more specific technical information. They have also shed some light on why the programme has been approved. The planned class of carriers will join a force that is having to spread its limited defence budget across a highly ambitious modernisation and training package for other warfare projects which many Chinese strategists argue are more important. Initial analysis indicates that two linked factors have come into play. First, the PLAN needs new classes of major combatants in order to implement its power-projection aspirations. These are aimed at achieving a greatly improved naval capability initially in the South China Sea and in the more distant future, further afield. Second, the "architect" of the PLAN, Admiral Liu Huaquing was greatly impressed by the Soviet Navy-s concept of operations during the Cold War. Whilst this was portrayed by the Soviets as defensive, it allowed in reality for long-range sea denial and was intended eventually to be developed further into a true blue water capability. Admittedly Liu has now retired but his legacy seems to have lived on. Growing defence links with Russia in recent years, have not only influenced Chinese naval strategic thinking, but have also made a profound impact on its procurement policy. In the field of aircraft carriers, Beijing has taken great interest in Russia-s Kuznetzov concept and may now have embarked on a similar track. Kuznetzov is not a true carrier by western definition. She is more accurately described by Moscow as a heavy air-capable cruiser. This unique form of design would seem to suit China-s needs perfectly. Codenamed Plan 9985, the first of the class is expected to be built at the Shanghai Jiangnan shipyard. Progress is slow but the programme is believed to be on track. Current evidence indicates that this will be a medium-sized carrier displacing 48,000 tonnes. Her Russian-designed steam turbines should give her a maximum speed of 30kt and she will have an air group of 24 combat aircraft including the advanced Su-30MKK Flanker variant. Since Flanker was never intended for catapult launch, it would seem likely that the design will incorporate a ski-jump. In addition, two missile installations each capable of housing 24 weapons will be installed in below-deck silos near the bow and stern. The Chinese reporting has yet to be validated, but if correct, it will make considerable sense. The PLAN is only in an embryonic phase of embarked naval aviation. It is acutely aware of the problems that it will have to overcome to achieve a reliable fixed-wing capability, one that could take many years to achieve. On the other hand, regardless of the aviation learning curve, the missiles will at the outset, provide a valuable combat capability in their own right. The type of missiles planned are not yet known. They could include the SS-N-22 Sunburn SSM or its successor Yahont. China, drawing on Russian expertise, has also been working on a land attack cruise missile (LACM) programme for several years. It is quite possible therefore that a combined SSM/LACM attack loadout is intended. In addition, in order to improve the PLAN-s poor air-defence capability, advanced vertical-launch SAMs may be planned for some of the silos. If so, the firepower provided by such a combination would be impressive by any standards. The design concept of this vessel will provide another benefit. Since the missile suite has the potential to provide her with an acceptable initial operating capability, it will allow for the air wing to be developed at a more leisurely and therefore more practical pace. It should be remembered that China has a very long-term defence planning strategy. It is one that looks ahead to the year 2020 and perhaps even further. The PLAN is therefore in no rush to develop a full carrier capability in the immediate future. It knows only too well how long it will take simply to achieve basic daytime deck operating expertise within range of a diversion airfield. Nightime non-diversion flying will prove even more daunting. In the meantime Plan 9985, when operational, would seem to be an ideal platform to act as a useful new addition to the fleet as a heavy cruiser and as a trials platform for its fledgling aviators. JANE'S NAVY INTERNATIONAL -- 06-01-00 << -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: Joe Norris Subject: Shizuoka Show Did anybody make it to the Shizuoka Show? Joseph Norris -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25) From: Rick Heinbaugh Subject: Fujimi SPRUANCE/ TICO - Beware! Holy cow! Excitement! I just saw a pair of brand new 1/700 modern US kits in the hobby shop! USS O'BRIEN & USS TICONDEROGA (CG 47)... These are definitely different from the old Skywave kits, even as slightly modified by Arii. They are priced at $39.95 at my local Hobbytown U.S.A., a nationwide chain store, compared to ~$20 for the Dragon/DML repop of Skywave or Arii pirate copy at ~$10. The deck markings on the fantail are raised, just like the ugliest features of Skywave. The 5" guns are molded in right and left halves, making for a better representation than Skywave did. The 26' captain's gig is also right and left halves, making a miserable boat, given that the molded pieces widen a bit toward the centerline mating surfaces. The quad mast legs are partially of half-circle cross-section, rather than rod-shaped, bottom to top. The hull & deck arrangement is quite similar to the Arii kit, though different in small details, such that either kit has. Different, maybe, but not better by any noticeable measure. Even for a brand new line of kits (modern US CG/DDtypes from Fujimi), I couldn't go for one. If you have a chance to buy one of these, I recommend looking at it hard, to decide it's worth that kind of money. Fujimi let me down big. On a different note... >> ...esp when you consider that there's close to 1100 international SMML subcribers... << Wow! We've got a monster here! Shane (& Mistress Lorna), a million thanks for doing the daily work to keep this sucker rolling! Rick Heinbaugh Seattle, WA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26) From: Rick Heinbaugh Subject: 1/700 Modern US/JMSDF Boats? Does anybody have any favorite kits for providing accurate looking modern US & JMSDF ship's boats? Since I served as First LT on a CG with four small boats - 2 x 26' personnel boats, 1 x 26' motor whale boat & a 33' utility boat, I look hard at boats on ship models, and most are pretty crummy. Skywave's 26' personnel boats (CO's gig) are all very nasty representations of that standard type of boat. And some JMSDF utility boats have very flat sides, but Skywave doesn't include anything like that in their kits. Skywave's motor whale boats (MWBs) are usable, but that's all. Have any resin mfrs considered making some? (Hint, hint) I have some drawings that may help... Rick -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27) From: "Steve Sobieralski" Subject: Re: 1:200 P/E railing Masterpieces in Miniature, PO Box 387, Medford, MA 02155 used to produce 2 and 3 bar railings in 5" lengths as well as inclined and vertical ladders. I haven't ordered from them in a while but I assume they are still around. Bluejacket also make 3/16" brass stanchions that are drilled for 3 very fine wire railings. While PE railing is fine for replicating pipe rails where the verticals and horizontals are the same thickness, IMO the separate stanchions and wire railings look better at the main deck level where warships typically have wire rope railings. They are also stronger and can be placed as needed, as opposed to PE where the spacing of the stanchions is set. Steve Sobieralski -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28) From: "John Clements" Subject: Invincible aircraft request I am just finishing off the Invincible (WEM/Revell combination) and its airwing. My photo sources for the Harriers and helicopters at the Falklands are mainly action shots and too fuzzy or too small to make out whether there were any markings other than the roundels which would be visible - or paintable - in 700 scale. I'm not even clear that all the helicopters carried roundels at all. Could anyone enlighten me on what it is practical to do, if anything? Thanks in anticipation. Incidentally, when I wrote 'combination', I did mean parts from both kits. Although there are some surprising dimensional differences, using the best from each gives, I think, a better result than one or the other. John Clements Hi John, Piccies please ;-)) Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29) From: "larsenal" Subject: LCA A friend of mine is starting a modeling project in the form of a LCA ( Landing Craft Assault ) that saw service in Normandie in 1944. Is there a surviving example anywhere in the world, or is it possible to find a reliable source of information for this embarcation ? We had one genuine LCA in Normandie for years, but I was sorry to know that this historic example was scrapped due to poor condition. ( It was exposed outside the D-Day Museum with no protection, and I remember well playing inside when I was a child ... ) Thanks for the help, Best regards, Jacques Druel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30) From: "Paul Toscano" Subject: Re: Axis Order of Battle >> In Sept 1939 the German fleet consisted of the: BB Scharnhorst Gneisenau PB Deutschland Scheer Graf Spee CA Hipper Blucher CL Emden Konigsberg Karlsruhe Koln Leipzig Nurnberg DD Z-1-4 Z-5-16 Z-17-22,Z-23 TB Mowe Grei Seeadler Albartros Kondor Falke Wolf ILtis Jaguar Leopard Luchs Tiger T-1-8 << Should't you include the old predreadnought Schliesswig Holstein? After all, the vessel did participate in the Polish campaign around Danzig. Paul -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31) From: CBNJBB62@aol.com Subject: Re: Valley Forge Hi Bob Thanks for your insight on painting ships in haze gray because I'm about to start painting my Valley Forge and I've used Synder and Short paint chips, Floating Dry-dock camouflage books to figure out what haze gray the navy used in 1950. Plus I have some Sea Classic magazines with color pictures of the flight deck and it gives the impression that they went back to prewar flight deck stains such as a reddish brown rusty color with yellow zinc chromate for the hull numbers, dash lines down the flight deck and the elevators outline. Thanks for the back up and have fun at it. BTW I have seen real ships with their hull numbers not line perfectly as we modelers struggle to do. Craig Bennett -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32) From: "James owen" Subject: 1/32 scale or 1/35 scale small boats Does anyone out there know if ther are any manufacturers producing small craft or ships boats in 1/32 or 1/35 scale? I am aware of the Verlinden minisubs, the Tamiya PBR, the Billings Smit Nederland and the new Nemrod model of a ship's boat circa 1812. I would like to know if anyone produces something like a 27 foot whaler in either of these scales or anything like a PT boat/MTB. Many thanks for any information. Jim Owen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SMMLcon Infomation & posts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "John Snyder" Subject: Re: Future SMMLCons Shane, EXCELLENT post! I concur wholeheartedly with you. The gathering in Qunicy/Boston that we've all elected to call SMMLCon 1, while nicely organized, was from the outset designed to be an informal gathering of some of this wonderful worldwide group. It succeeded admirably in that goal. In trying to figure out where to hold the next one we suddenly seemed to be going down the road toward something more akin to an IPMS nationals, and I don't think we want to go there. I agree with Shane: if someone wants to put one together, DO IT! Don't worry about conflicts (they will always be there), don't worry about whether it's convenient for everyone on SMML (it will never be!). And always remember that the goal is an informal gathering to have fun and enjoy cameraderie with a group of like-minded shipmodelers! That said, count me in on the 17th Duane (but I'm still not volunteering!). John Snyder Snyder & Short Enterprises The Paint Guys http://www.shipcamouflage.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "John Rule" Subject: SMMLcon 2 As an attendee at SMMLcon 2000, and a very satisfied one at that, I would like to praise Shane's comments regarding the next ones. I for one will be happy to hopefully attend the next one but I wouldn't want to put anyone's nose nose over the choice of venue. California sounds good to me, as also do Halifax (Canada), Portsmouth (England), New York among others. As Shane said there could be more than one venue, or we can in time visit all of the venues proposed. I personally like having vendors attend. I definitely want seminars. I definitely like the model display for inspiration and encouragement. And I most definitely want the extra-curricular activities and if you twist my arm I'll even partake of a small imbibie. Perhaps we can cast a vote between the prospective organizers who have volunteered venues, and the winner does the next one and the runner up does the following one. With a membership of 1100 or so literally worldwide it is not possible that a venue could ever suit all members. So, Shane I'm afraid Australasia and the southern Pacific islands may have to hold an SMMLANZieCon. Just a thought. Sincerely John Rule -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: GKingzett@aol.com Subject: Re: Future SMMLcons Shane, thanks for shedding some light on this topic. I have a few thoughts also. You mention 1100 SMMler's. Is there any demographic information about us which you could share without infringing on anyone's privacy? Is the list public, at least to members? Here's the reason for my question. It seems to me that our meeting in Quincy was just exactly the wrong size. Our hosts, who did a fantastic job would have had to work just as hard to accommodate 250 of us as they did for 45. On the other hand, if they knew there would be 5 attendees, they could have taken it easy, and held the conference in a phone booth. Instead, they were faced with trying to get the attention of hotels, caterers, tours, etc. without enough financial clout to really be attractive to the top notch facilities. Even so, they took a very large personal financial risk in making the kinds of commitments they did make. Finally, what seems to have saved the day was the fact that there were enough SMMLer's who lived within easy driving distance to make up a useful sized group. All these factors (and others) bear on future planning. As an example, my 10 year old atlas indicates there may be 100,000 people living in the vicinity of Halifax, NS. Are there enough modelers there to be able to put together a convention? Are there enough modelers there to help fill out a nice sized meeting? I assume there enough hotel and restaurant facilities, but are there enough other attractions so SMMLer spouses might be attracted to come and make this a positive family event. By the way, I am certainly not picking on Halifax, I would attend there happily, but I believe these questions are pertinent for any prospective venue. On another point, we had a discussion on Sunday on the Salem regarding this, and if I remember correctly, the consensus was that for anyone planning a convention, it is an absolute necessity to get very hefty down payments from each prospective attendee very early on, and full payment for all goods and services before the convention. The dozen no-shows for the Salem all had valid reasons I'm sure, but they put the organizers in a severe bind. Prepayment prevents that. Gary Hi Gary, SMMLies & SMMLer's, No, the distribution list is private & will stay that way from my end. Only those who post are identified by their names, email addresses, etc. Lurkers are not identified. However there has been several attempts to get a list going, but they've mainly fizzled out. So, if people would like to see a list of where they're from & say put up on the SMML website, we might be able to manage that. Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: WRPRESSINC@aol.com Subject: Re: SMML Convention for 2001 I do want to have this thing take place in the land of fruit and nuts, its too far to travel and too hot for me. So let me say again, it should be held in NYC (obviously). Not only do you have the Intrepid and I think that there is a destroyer there as well, but there is also the many tourest attractions, such as; the subway and all the many life forms that dwell therein. The Empire State Building, where you have to wait for only one hour (on a good day) to get on the elevator, the cab drivers (none of whom speak english). There is also one of the oldest bars in the city (just off Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn) it has no name (its Irish of course) and you can get the cheapest drinks in The USA ($2.00 for a shot of whiskey (not Rebel Yell)). There is even a juke box that plays real fifties 45s. Then there are the regular water main breaks in Manhatten. The many hotels (the roaches are only allowed in the rooms when the guests are absent); and the cab ride from Kennedy is only $50.00 (on a good day). So you can see why New York has to be the place for the 2001 Convention. WELL? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Jeffry Fontaine" Subject: (Two) Verlinden 1/35th Scale X-Craft Kits For Sale I have a pair of Verlinden Productions X-Craft "Pocket Submarine kits (if you can really call a slab of resin a kit, that is) in 1/35 scale, kit number 0247, that I would like to sell off to a good home where they will be built and displayed. One kit is complete. The second "kit" does not have any of the resin parts or figure, only the slab of resin depicting the X-Craft underway and the water surface has been painted up but the hull remains unpainted/unfinished. The original retail sales price was in the $35.00 range, granted the kit missing the additional parts would be considered to be worth less than full price, but considering the scarcity of the kit, that it is out of production, and the fact that Verlinden exercised "artistic license" when he created the model, the missing parts become a small issue since the actual X-Craft were fitted out quite differently from the parts provided in the kit, this bears out if you research the subject. Any serious offer will be considered that will allow me to recoup my expenses and cover the postage on these "fine Belgian made products'... Please Email me off list if interested. Thanks, Jeffry Fontaine Bremerton, Washington "where the sun is shining and it is raining some place other than here!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Loren Perry Subject: GMM's handbook is available again Gold Medal Model's popular handbook "Photoetching For The Plastic Ship Modeler" is once again available. The entire shipment arrived here from the printers on Wednesday, May 24th. This is the same handbook first released in 1987 that guides first-time users of GMM etched brass detail sets. The new version has most of the same text and photos as before but now includes nine all-new photos of recently built-up models featuring GMM fittings installed. Price is $12 plus $1 postage for orders to the USA, Canada, or Mexico, or $4 postage for air mail to all other countries. Also, GMM's all-new 1/350 scale Cable Reels set (No. 350-23) is now in stock and ready to ship. For more details, go to our web page at: www.goldmm.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume