Subject: SMML VOL 979 Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 02:05:36 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Waldron Punch Sets 2: Ship country prefixes 3: Re: big models 4: Re: Zumwalt Class Surfboards 5: Tamiya Ent. colors 6: Women in shipmodeling 7: Female ship modelers 8: Women in models 9: A couple of points 10: Felix Bustelo a.k.a. A Wannabe Sailor 11: Re: Ship country prefixes 12: USS Liberty 13: Re: Chicksands 14: Re: HMS Frobisher 15: Re: H.M.S. Frobisher 16: women in modeling (continued) 17: New books from Poland 18: Perfect Storm 19: Re: SR-71 Fuel Torching 20: Re: Snowberry 21: Re: Zumwalt Class 22: Shipbreaking Story 23: Re: Snowberry 24: Re: Sea Blue 25: Boot topping 26: Re: Zumwalt Class Surfboards 27: IMPS-USA Day 2 28: Re: Heller Scharnhorst/Gneisenau 29: Re: Perfect Storm 30: Getting the tape straight 31: Mike Settle 32: Re: Mike Settle 33: Re: Large scale Carrier models 34: Re: 1/72 Flower and RC conversion 35: Re: Hobby Rooms 36: Nats, Rooms and Vets 37: Re: Large Scale Ships 38: Lightships 39: trumpeter's pola 40: stretched sprue 41: Barcelona, Spain - Hobby Shops 42: Re: large scale ships 43: Women Thread: Men In Sewing Shops 44: Panel Backs World War II Memorial on Mall in Washington -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: new Ship Modeling site 2: Re: HMCS Snowberry 3: For Sale 1/350 Tamiya Yamato 4: Warship Books announcement 5: HMCS Snowberry kit -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: AandMBlevins@gateway.net Subject: Re: Waldron Punch Sets These sound like great tools. Where can I get a set? Al Blevins East Greenbush, NY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Bonini commerciale" Subject: Ship country prefixes Darren, In italian, "Nave" means simply "Ship"; therefore, "Nave Luigi Durand De La Penne" or "Nave Ardito" etc.,on the hats of sailors, is indicating the ship they belong to (Ship Luigi Durand De La Penne, Ship Ardito, etc.). The modern Italian Navy (Marina Militare Italiana) is not using any prefix out of the mentioned "Nave"(i.e., nothing like "HMS" or "USS") ; the prefix was used up to the end of monarchy in Italy, 1946, and was "RN" (Regia Nave - H.M.Ship, just like HMS, or SMS in Germany, up to the end of WW I). At that time, the Italian Navy was called "Regia Marina" (Royal Navy). Greetings from the mountains of Northern Italy where, unfortunately, it is highly improbable to meet any "Nave"... Giusto Gallas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Polvi, Henry" Subject: Re: big models >> And then when I finally had a great set of drawings and some of the aircraft, construction was a nightmare. I never got past roughing out the hull, which is now a ten-foot-long monster that still occupies valuable space in my father's workshop. << Would this make a serviceable/curiosity ("Hey lookit that...") canoe or rowboat - paint her up grey? Henry Polvi Thornhill, ON -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Shirley Sachsen Subject: Re: Zumwalt Class Surfboards what a perfect description of that thing! when you mentioned 'seakeeping' it immediately brought to mind the issues with the Civil War era monitors and what happened to the original Monitor. It was very effective and hard to hit, so long as there was no sea--give it a wave or two in open ocean and swamp! Your estimation of a similar effect with the DD21 is well taken, bringing to mind another issue: as China ceases to be a mere coastal navy, branching out into the blue water arena, the US is doing the opposite--being more focussed on the littorals and thinking only 'coastal offense/defense'--the DD21 being an example of this new doctrine (which has been splashed all over Proceedings for the last year or so). the problem here is that the US Navy has failed to keep in mind that in order for these coastal surfboards to arrive on station, they'll have to cross blue water. one wonders if they'd ever make it. there was a graffitti found on Hornet early on that read: US Navy: 200 years of tradition unchanged by progress. DD21 seems a perfect example. s -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Satin, Michael N. (LNG-SHEP)" Subject: Tamiya Ent. colors Well, I'm actually getting started on the Tamiya Big E (CVN-65). I've glued the bow on so now I can't put it away. My question is regarding the colors to paint it. I have some clue about WWII carriers (I plan to build the BWN Enterprise, CV-6, to go with it) but I'm not so sure about modern ones. Is it safe to use the Tamiya instructions as a guide? I've already seen the opinions expressed here about haze and deck gray and will use those colors, but which parts of the ship do I paint what? It looks like the catwalks around the flight deck are haze gray, not deck gray. And some of the horizontal superstructure parts Tamiya shows as haze gray ("hull color") as well. And what about that flight deck, just a very dark gray? Help!! Thanks everyone! Michael -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: BSteinIPMS@aol.com Subject: Women in shipmodeling I seem to have stepped on some sensitive feminine toes with my interest in women in shipmodeling, relative to the forthcoming article in Model Ship Journal on that subject, and if I've offended any of those persons I apologize. It's very difficult to express one's self on the Internet without being taken to task by someone, and I hope this thread doesn't become an issue on SMML. However, I can't agree that those of you of the female persuasion aren't very special because of your involvement in this hobby. Of the ninety or so entries in the Mariners' Museum Scale Ship Model Competition and Exhibition, less than 5% were by women. If you peruse the roster of the Nautical Research Guild you'll find that less than 5% of the names there are obvious female ones. If you check out at least one hundred Web sites pertaining to ship modeling, maritime, nautical, or naval interests, you'll find less than 5% of them are run by women. And so I say (again) that you ARE in the minority, the facts seem to support this contention, and because of this I'm interested in you: what got you started in building ship models, how long have you been doing this, do you enter competitions, are you a scratch-builder, do you prefer sail, power, or naval models, do you have the support of your husband/boyfriend/significant other/brother/none of the above, do you model on the kitchen table (like many men) or do you have a complete shop, and so on. I think your involvement in ship modeling is simply delightful, very refreshing, and I, for one, welcome you to the ranks. I do understand and have regard for your feelings that some of you would prefer to be recognized as just a model ship builder and not singled out as a woman. I can say this because my wife is a General Surgeon and has the same feelings. She works in a field dominated by men and wants to be recognized for her work, not her gender. But, she also has pleasant feelings when someone goes out of their way to help her, offer her encouragement, and make her feel welcome in the clinic or operating room because of her gender. And so, while I have respect for your feelings in this regard, I guess I'm just old-fashioned enough to think that all of you ladies in ship modeling are unusual, talented, special, and very, very welcome. Bob Steinbrunn Minneapolis Member, Nautical Research Guild Louisiana Naval War Memorial - USS Kidd, DD 661 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Loren Perry Subject: Female ship modelers Long before I opened my direct mail business (Gold Medal Models) in the mid-1980's, I knew that women and ships can and do mix very well. When I was in the Navy, I once had a lady friend in the form of an attractive young woman who was a crewmember aboard a Navy harbor tug, the YTB Eden-Shaw, based at Mayport Florida near Jacksonville. She loved the work and loved the ships and I thought that was just great. And she was also adept at line handling, engine overhauls, and even conning the tug (if that's the word) while bringing in "small craft" such as the USS Saratoga CV-60.) I know - I was on that tug with her and watched her do her thing with Big Sara's flared bow looming over our heads. I saw nothing but a competent sailor who obviously was in her element. On a Navy Recruiting assignment at the Jacksonville County Fair one day about a year later, I had my 1/96 scale R/C USS Long Beach on display. Two more young women came over and began pointing out small details on the model to each other while talking in technical terms. I asked if they had any particular interest in warships, and they said yes - in fact they were both naval architects assigned to Mayport and were working on reconfiguring the structures of some of the larger warships there. I was able to converse with them in the most nautical and technical of terms as I would with any other maritime professional. And I enjoyed it very much. Again, they were fascinated by the big warships and their machinery. And who can blame them? After all, boys have always had the best toys, and it's perfectly natural for girls to want to play with them, too. When I attended the Model Engineering Exhibition in England in the early 1980s, not only was this prestigious international modeling competition being run by a young woman (Mary White), but one of the gold medalists was a slightly older woman who had completely scratchbuilt a fully functional live steam model tractor that boasted superb machine work and a flawless finish. She was treated fully as an equal by her fellow competitors and peers as well she should have been. Since opening GMM for business, I've sold hundreds of model ship fittings sets to women modelers, especially Titanic-related items, but also a number of warship sets as well. And I've met a couple of them at IPMS shows. One was married, another single, none seem out of the ordinary, and any of them would be delightful to have as friends or colleagues. A few women have made it to the highest levels of professional recognition in ship modeling such as the late Portia Takakjian whose models, books, and articles were staples of the ship modeling world in the 1980s. I've also sold numerous GMM model train accessories to women model railroaders and even met a few at model train shows. Be advised that they are every bit as dedicated to scale fidelity and realism as any other modeler, and it's fun to have them there. In fact, it's almost a relief - kind of breaks up the monotony of an all-guy weekend get-together at the mall. But they're admittedly still rare. Men or women, kids or adults, it matters not. Good modeling is where you find it. And what better way to make new friends? While some of us may ask "what gets a woman interested in this?", it's probably not being said as some form of disapproval - it's almost always merely a genuine curiosity. We've all been pre-conditioned to recognize traditional "boy's toys" and "girl's toys", probably due to marketing strategies, magazine advertisements, and TV toy commercials. Maybe it's just the modeler's version of "Do you come here often?" But some rules are meant to be broken (or simply ignored) especially when there's no harm in doing so. So to all women modelers everywhere, I believe I can speak for all of us when I say that not only are you most welcome to be here "with the guys", you always have been. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Lynn Subject: Women in models From an early age, I've always played with trains, planes, cars, ships, anything mechanical. It's probably because I was brought up by a ship-builder, living 250yds from the front gate of the yard, that I just love ships of all shapes & sizes...... The Royal Navy wouldn't take women for ship service then, so I just built them & read about them & wandered around the yards, in awe of these massive steel monsters, with my Dad. While I don't build models as much these days, I am slowly getting back into it with the help & encouragement of my husband. I am working on HMS Bligh (Captain class lend-lease frigate, 1/250), as well as a wooden model of the Sail Training Ship Sir Winston Churchill (1/160), with another wooden model of the Bluenose II (1/135) for later, and that will be followed by the WEM HMS Brilliant in 1/350 - all this, plus teddy bears as well...! I'll probably never go back to the smaller scales - they are just too small; I prefer to work on larger models. In this, I differ from Mike - he likes the 1/600 and 1/700 as well as scratch-building his r/c ships. As to being in a minority of model builders - I agree with Lorna. I rarely post here, preferring to stay in the background building models and making bears, but that is NO reason to single us out. This is positive discrimination, and should not belong in model making. Why should a female model-maker of average capabilities be raised up above a male model-maker of exceptional capabilities? Political correctness has NO place in our hobby, despite the attempts by certain people to gasp at the dancing bear. Lynn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Phil M. Gollin" Subject: A couple of points First, Jeffry Fontaine wrote ; >> ......... I did have some trigger happy Air Force Secruity Police hold me at gun point once because of a faulty security alarm in a building where I was authorized and cleared to be while the Security Police were not even cleared to get past the front door, that always made me wonder why they had the guns and I didn't. << I love this, it's how the military security system is meant to work (i.e. it doesn't) - wonderful. Secondly; Was the Corvette Stingray named after the Flower class, or what was the derivation? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: rickl@efortress.com Subject: Felix Bustelo a.k.a. A Wannabe Sailor Felix have you considered the Marine Corps? Rick Lundin former HM2 USN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Growlrr@aol.com Subject: Re: Ship country prefixes I'm not sure of the prefixes you are missing, but I have it on good authority that the Italian Navy pre-fixes when properly translated were "WGU" - "We give up....." Just another humourless American chiming in - Ought to have lots of fun now :o) Glenn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "S Crawford" Subject: USS Liberty Hello Forks Can anyone please till me of the history of the USS Liberty (of 1967, not the Libery ships of WW 2) Thanks Steve -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Christopher Hughes" Subject: Re: Chicksands I'm not going to rise to the "Chicksands Top Secret Spy Base" stuff - there's too much of that in the more lurid local Press. If the base was that "Secret", would the doors have been opened to the public two weeks ago? Also, there was a superb scale model of the Elephant Cage antenna on display at the Museum - which is open to the public by appointment - just ring the base and ask... Incidentally, the model has an interesting scale bar - a 1/200 scale Boeing 747! Chris -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: Sanartjam@aol.com Subject: Re: HMS Frobisher Hi Tony and SMML, I really, really enjoyed the post about a really beautiful ship, HMS Frobisher. I am not aware of any 1/700 kits of her, or of any plans for one (even if manufacturer's fantasy lists), but I do know that the German manufacturer Neptun is preparing a 1/1250 model that will surely be beautiful. There is little in print on the Frobisher that I can think of, but you should be able to find M.J. Whitley's "Cruisers of World War II: An International Encyclopedia" for information and photographs. Of course, if you can get a access to a copy of Raven & Roberts' "British Cruisers of World War II," that would be the best source, and I think there might be some plans of one of the "Elizabethans" in it. There are some interesting wartime photographs of her, including an overhead shot, in a 1947 book by Holman called "The King's Cruisers." As for old shipmates from the Frobisher, you should try contacting "The Navy News" out of Portsmouth, which carries such notices all the time. If you need contact information on that, let me know. Art Nicholson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: Jodie Peeler Subject: women in modeling (continued) hello all.... Shirley Sachsen wrote: >> As far as motivation goes, what really takes a stiff upper lip is for me to be willing to deal with those traditional men in traditional hobby shops who think that I have no business in said hobby shops unless accompanying my husband in the pursuit of HIS hobby. On more than one occasion I have practically had to throw money at the proprietor to get his attention--I'm a girl, therefore I don't exist. Needless to say, I no longer even attempt to do business in this shop and use mail order almost exclusively. << You said it. The thing I *always* love is when guys (at shops, or at shows, or even by e-mail) are not only *surprised* that you are into model-building, but then they kind of talk down to you a bit, almost like they're trying to impress little ol' you. "Oh, I'm building a Fletcher-class destroyer. Do you know what one of *those* is?" That kind of thing. I'll never forget the guy I met at a model show who took it upon himself to explain the concept of the Squadron Mail Order monthly supplement -- even though I have subscribed to it since 1987. I had to suppress the urge to tilt my head and bat my eyelashes. I am extremely fortunate here in Florida to be among some guys who not only respect my intelligence and ability, but who actually consult me as a resource (and I'll extend that to the folks who know me by e-mail as well). And I can definitely say the shop that my boyfriend and I work at on Sundays *is* friendly to female modelers, certainly when we are there. Any hobby shop that didn't treat me as a sentient human being would never see me again. Just a thought, that's all.... jodie http://www.mindspring.com/~raisingirl/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "Norman C. Samish" Subject: Re: H.M.S. Frobisher Tony, That's a fascinating story of you and WW2. You were lucky to have survived. You are justifiably proud of the service you provided on HMS Frobisher. Thanks, Norm Samish -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: Damian Pliszka Subject: New books from Poland Hi, There is (or soon to be released) new Profile Morskie No. 28 with US destroyer USS Drayton. Soon (I hope) there will be released new Warship Encycloapedia (from AJ Press) with DKM Tirpitz (2 parts). Mniammm.... Damian Pliszka Slupsk, Poland -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: Robert and Janis Leonti Subject: Perfect Storm Shane, I have just returned from seeing the Perfect Storm and although it is a good story (read the book before seeing the movie) the special effects of rough seas were BAD, very unrealistic at best and typically Hollywood. I grew up on Long Island on the water, worked on draggers, and served aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Tamaroa WMEC-166 from 6/66 to 6/70 (logged over 1200 days at sea). During these years we sailed SAR/LE patrols (Search Assist Rescue/Law Enforcement) in the North Atlantic and assisted in numerous rescues on Georges Banks, Stellwagen Banks, the Grand Banks, Flemish Cap etc. I saw it all as far as rough seas (actually logged 60'ft seas) during the worst Nor'easters. Seas simply do not break and roll out in the open ocean, as depicted in the movie. They looked more like waves breaking on a beach. Anyone who thinks that the scenes looked real has never served aboard a ship or been out in seas bigger than 1'. Sorry but its another Hollywood inacuracy that has to be addressed. Aside from that the movie was good. Captain Bob Leonti -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: AJOWENS@aol.com Subject: Re: SR-71 Fuel Torching Hello all, This sounds like an urban legend based on the 1986 performance at the RAF Mildenhall Air Show. An enthusiastically flown SR-71 did indeed do a torching although I suspect it wasn't intentional. These aircraft leak fuel constantly while the airframe is cold until they get up to altitude and speed. After the airframe heats up and expands the leaks seal. Not sure what type of maneuver was being performed but there is an excellent photo of it on p66 of "Wings of Fame" Vol 8 showing the plane streaming trans-sonic vapour with two fireballs behind. It also mentions that an even MORE aggressive display at the next years show resulted in another Blackbird being irrevocably overstressed. No mention of burnt-out (figuratively or literally) hippies at either event though... Best, A.J. Owens -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: Kurt Van Dahm Subject: Re: Snowberry >> Has anyone seen (purchased, built) the Revell-Germany 1/72 scale kit of the HMCS Snowberry? It can be converted to RC. << Dave: I have the original kit from Matchbox and plan to build it up for r/c use. There have been several magazine articles in US and English magazines on how to do it. It is completely feasible and the quality of the kit is very good and makes an excellent r/c model with lots of detail. Contact me and we can talk about copies of the articles - they are in the box with the model at this time. Kurt Van Dahm Westmont, IL NRG member -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: "Mike Leonard" Subject: Re: Zumwalt Class Jeffry commented Re: Zumwalt Class Surfboards - >> To me it looks like a failure waiting to happen and it is going to cost a lot of money to correct. << I'm shocked -- SHOCKED -- to think that the wonderful people who came up with the A-12 and the Arsenal Ship concepts could gave done this! Pity the poor US taxpayer... >> Just my thoughts on the latest waste of money to come out of the beltway. << Remember these three words: National Missile Defense Mike -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: "Mike Leonard" Subject: Shipbreaking Story A cover story by William Langwiesche in the August issue of "Atlantic Monthly" profiles Alang, India. "On a six-mile stretch of oily, smoky beach, 40,000 men work to tear apart half the world's discarded ships, each one a sump of toxic waste. Environmentalists in the West are outraged. The shipbreakers, of course, want to be left alone -- and maybe they should be." Greenpeace is leading the effort to shut down Alang. Another interesting piece in July's "Esquire" -- 'Everest at the Bottom of the Sea' by Bucky McMahon -- describes the hazards of wreck diving on the ANDREA DORIA. Twelve fatalities since divers began hunting through the remains of the ill-fated liner for souvenirs. Mike Alexandria, VA USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: WRPRESSINC@aol.com Subject: Re: Snowberry The kit as released by Matchbox was based directly upon a set of commercial plans of the Bluebell, plans that are accurate and still available. If the kit as re-released by Revell is unaltered then it really does not accurately represent HMCS Snowberry, similar yes, but not exactly the same. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: WRPRESSINC@aol.com Subject: Re: Sea Blue Although the color Sea Blue was formally discontinued for use in the Atlantic in late 1941, it was still worn by warships well into the following year on ships of the Atlantic Fleet, eg on the cruiser San Diego, this according to official observations made in the spring of 1942 and backed up by a series of photos, many of which are shown in the Warship Perspectives title Atlanta Class Cruiser by Glenn Arnold. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25) From: "T. Stephen Rogers" Subject: Boot topping Hi there, Can someone tell the width in inches the size of the boot topping stripe for a 1/350 scale New Orleans class cruiser ? Thanks, Steve Rogers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26) From: Ives100@aol.com Subject: Re: Zumwalt Class Surfboards Rather an........interesting "design". Hey, you want a stealth ship? Get a submarine!! Tom Dougherty (who else would give you the above [correct!] advice?) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27) From: Marc Flake Subject: IMPS-USA Day 2 Spent most of the day doing off-topic stuff. Still waiting for Loose Cannon to show. More vendors, many with resin ships, set up shop. There was a Corsair Armada Ranger available, but another listmember got to it before I did. Saw two fantastic ship dioramas, both with modern 1/350 ships. One was a battlegroup refueling at sea, the other was an Iowa-class battleship and a carrier steaming together. Still haven't figured out how they got the helicopter to hover over the battleship's deck. Most impressive thing I saw today was a 1/8 scale scratchbuilt TBD-1 Devastator. WOW. WIll continue to provide reports. Marc -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28) From: "Peter K. H. Mispelkamp" Subject: Re: Heller Scharnhorst/Gneisenau Actually, these kits depict - more or less- accurately - these two in their "circa" 1942 appearance. After re-reading the original post I was begining to think that the author was referring to to the old Airfix Scharnhorst. Chuck, you are right. the Gneisenau never carried the 380mm guns. Happy modeling. Sincerely Peter K. H. Mispelkamp -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29) From: Robert Vancel Subject: Re: Perfect Storm >> Also the ocean scenes with storm were filmed inside studio with a larger than Olympic size pool equipped with wave making equipment that could make 40ft waves! << Wow... They can DO that in the movies these days? Robert "Hollywood" Vancel/nWMo Al Team # 78 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30) From: "David" Subject: Getting the tape straight Ack, I'm painting the hull of the Airfix "KGV" and there is no line inscribed on the plastic for waterline or boot topping. I've painted the black where the boot topping will go and am now trying to mask it with 1/8" tape, but I can't get the tape straight (almost, but not quite). I tried using spacers made of tacky bits of post-it notes, but I guess I didn't get the spacers all the same size. Anybody know any cunning tricks? David Hackley -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31) From: "John Sheridan" Subject: Mike Settle >> We finally got our curiosity satisfied about "Cheesy Poufs",sic. Now could you fill us in on this "Lumber Cartel" thing? << Chuck, There is no Lumber Cartel(tm). John Sheridan www.shipcamouflage.com I am not Unit# 631 of the Lumber Cartel (tinlc) If there were a Lumber Cartel, the last place on earth I would look for it would be: http://come.to/the.lumber.cartel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32) From: Mike Settle Subject: Re: Mike Settle >> We finally got our curiosity satisfied about "Cheesy Poufs",sic. Now could you fill us in on this "Lumber Cartel" thing? << Well, Chuck, since you asked, I hate spam. Not the variety of canned meat made by the Hormel Company, but the kind of spam you get in your e-mails, UCE, or unsolicited commercial e-mails. UCE costs you and me about 3-4 dollars per month because it is virtually cost-free for the spammer, but your ISP has to add the extra servers and equipment to process the higher volume of e-mail. It costs many of our European friends extra money because they have to pay for their download time. It is costly to get a several megabyte e-mail in HTML because some spammer wants to pollute your e-mail box with his or her crap. I probably get 10 to 20 get rich quick, porn, chain letter, casino, or "buy our product" advertising per week in my e-mail box. That is the price you pay for having an un-munged e-mail address that you have used on the internet and on newsgroups for several years. I would probably get a lot more except for the fact that I use various tools to fight back. The Lumber Cartel (tinlc, or there is no lumber cartel), is an informal group of spam fighters. The Lumber Cartel doesn't exist just like the infamous black helicopters, or the men in black don't exist. Check out their web page for some good links about fighting spam. http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/5362/ I have 187 confirmed "kills" getting a spammer's web page or e-mail account cancelled. This number pales in comparison to the kills of another, and much better known and more prolific SMMLie than me. But since there is no Lumber Cartel, he is not a member either. And I cannot reveal who he is, or he would have to send the black helicopters to my house and make a smoking crater of my humble abode. Isn't that right, John? :-) Uh, oh, I believe I hear the beating rotors now...... Mike Settle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33) From: "Bill & Kaja Michaels" Subject: Re: Large scale Carrier models I knew two guys who had large RC Carrier models. One had a 1/144 scale Nimitz. The model was 7 feet long, and only drew about 4 inches of water. It was a real handfull in any sort of crosswind. The builder did a clever thing-- he built the hulls in two halves- bow and stern. The hulls were joined with a couple of bolts and wingnuts. Carefull building led to an almost invisble seam. The modular design made it easy to transport, and it was a good sailer in calm winds. Another built a 1/96 scale model of a Midway class (straight deck) carrier. This model was 10 feet long, and was hauled around on a small utility trailer. It weighed about 70 pounds, and needed addtional ballast added once it was in the water. The owner didn't have much of an airgroup -- there's not a lot of 1/100 scale kits of carrier-based aircraft. My advice to those considering a carrier project: Buy your aircraft kits first. Kits in these smaller scales can be hard to find, and go out of production suddenly. I've been slowly building up a collection of naval aircraft kits in 1/100 and 1/144 as I come across them. These little kits are cheap, and I've built up a decent number by buying them in small lots over time.... Bill Check out my US Coast Guard subjects model list at: http://www.tiac.net/users/billkaja/kitlist.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34) From: "Bill & Kaja Michaels" Subject: Re: 1/72 Flower and RC conversion Around 1990, I built the Matchbox release of the Snowberry. I bought the model to run as an RC model. The kit could be built as a USN, RN, or RCN ship. I chose Snowberry because I liked the mostly white color scheme. (And I figured I knew something about how running rust stains a white painted hull from my USCG days!) I published a multi-part article in Flying Models Magazine describing my RC conversion of the kit. (They an an RC boats section back then.) Some of the things I remember/would do differently next time: Plastic is fragile. I would replace J davits, stanchions, etc. with brass rod where possible. An RC model sees a lot of handling, and you want sturdier parts. Instead of using the plastic railings, I would recommend soldering some brass ones together. I started out with a 6 volt motor with a plastic 3:1 gearbox. I found the plastic gears resonated horribly in the model's plastic hull, and the model was a little slower than I wanted. I later replaced the unit with a 6 volt Dumas motor, using direct drive. The noise was gone, and the model ran much better. I think this is the right motor for this model. I used a 2 channel radio and a 4.5 amp-hour gel cell for a battery. For access to the RC gear, I made the center section of the main deck removable. (Some people also make the aft deckhouse removeable, for easier access to the running gear.) I also added working running lights, and a releasable (bow) mooring line. I rigged it so that full left rudder, plus full trim, would release the line. I would moor the model to a mooring buoy, and then drop the line and get underway via remote control. Good luck with your project. The 1/72 Flower gives you a 33 inch long model that is a great sailer, and is easy to transport. Bill Check out my US Coast Guard subjects model list at: http://www.tiac.net/users/billkaja/kitlist.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35) From: "Chris Neel" Subject: Re: Hobby Rooms Well - I'm still working in that 16'x24' Garage with the upstairs room I intend to use as a hobby room.... Was going to comment on that in the "Watcha Building?" thread, but just didn't think that "a garage" really fit in that category - but for the "hobby room" thing, it seems to fit just fine... Started on it in early March and am now working on the siding.... the dog days of summer are here and have really slowed that project down quite a bit.... at 102 degrees F and high humidity - I don't last too long outside... I never knew that building something like a garage would require so much work.... hope to finish in another month or two by working a day at most during each weekend.... have decided that I will have to contract out some things such as painting and electrical wiring (including a hook-up for the A/C in the upstairs room).... Working on the garage has definitely put a damper on modeling projects as I plan to do most of the work out in the garage (not wanting to spray paint inside of the house was one of the main motivations for building the new garage.....) it seems that I still have managed to keep obtaining kits though - now have a closet near overflowing with projects to be started.... plus a few I have already started but need to be finished and a place to be displayed (hence the upstairs garage room....) kinda have a rough idea in my mind to build a 1/48 scale aircraft carrier deck display shelf thingy in the upstairs room to display my line of US Naval Aviation models (my main interest along with 1/700 scale ships)....most of which I have now collected - none of which are started... Still have been looking for 1/48 scale SOC Seagull kit - I once saw a Wings 48 vacu-form kit for a land base version on eBay but did not win... I figured it wouldn't be too hard to convert to a seaplane using floats from a Monogram Kingfisher model... any one know where Wings brand kits can be obtained? On my wishlist for 1/700 ships that I'm still looking for that I have not been able to locate: USS Texas battleship - with the demise of Viking Models - are there any other companies out there currently working on a new release? Seems to be quite a bit if interest out there for one of these....have heard some teasers - anyone ready to commit? I personally held off purchasing one of these based on what I had been reading on this list.... USS Texas CGN39 - had heard from Pacific Front that there's an impending re-release of the Sealine Virginia class kit - any updates? (and yes I live in Texas) USS Midway - 1/700 straight deck configuration..... seems I heard rumors and teasers for this one too..... USS Ranger by Corsair Armada - Does anyone know where any of these can be obtained now that they are out of production? Anyone know and any plans to produce more? USS Wasp - 1/700 CV-7 - recently saw an web page (don't remember the url)where someone had converted an Yorktown Class kit to a CV-7 kit - what would be main items that would need to be addressed to do this with a Tamiya kit? Is there a set of 1/700 plans of the Wasp that can be overlayed onto a set 1/700 plans of a Yorktown somewhere? Would it be feasible to do such a conversion? I'm not a real nit picker for exact details - I would be happy with the right shaped island, near correct deck shape and hull length and size (height)... would think that the asymmetrical shaped waterline would be difficult to cover.... just enough that when sitting next to a USS Enterprise kit, someone would say "Hey! that the USS Wasp!" If a conversion is not feasible - are there any kits on the horizon from anyone? USS California - 1/700 battleship with cage masts.... are there any kits for a US Battleship (Pre-WW II era) that can be built with cagemasts and casemate guns? As far as the Veteren Thread - I was a US Naval Academy hopeful that not accepted due to a severe hearing loss since birth.... Afraid the closest thing I could get was four years in the Corp of Cadets at Texas A&M.....Gig-Em!!!! Oi! - afraid that I have rambled on a bit - guess I haven't written in in a while and have had quite a build up of items to discuss.... happy modeling! later cn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36) From: cwjerden Subject: Nats, Rooms and Vets Oh that Texas heat.. It was a crispy 103 in Dallass today and yet the action in the nats Vendor room was even hotter. It sure cleaned out my wallet! I saw alot of large white model ship boxes going out the door, I just wish somemore of them could have gone home with me. Day two had alot more models showing up, with some impresive ships on the tables. Can't wait until tomorrow as the last trickle in to beat the Friday 6pm judgeing deadline. My rather meager budget allowed me to pick up a few bagain priced plastic ships. I was pleased to buy some small scale resin kits from our SMML vendors. I grabbed the new JAG USCG Bear in 1/700. What can I say, FANTASTIC!!! How they cast such great details (like around the bridge), is beyond me. Great work Guys I'll have to get the FRAM I Summner next! I got the Iron Shipwright PC-461 as a first 1/350 resin kit. Hey, If you loved the book...You'll have to see the movie,err...Do the model! I'am happiest about my Iron Shipwright SS Edmund Fitzgerald in 1/700. I Saw the "Fitz" the last time she was in Marquette Mich. For years I had a great photo of her loading Tachonite pellets from the large oar dock near the park, but lost it to leaky plumming at my parents house. My "Fitz" will look great in the neat case I was able to buy today. It was only $13.00 with a solid oak base and roomy acrylic cover. No way I could buy the stuff to make a case for that price.(Lester Haines is a great guy and he has a web site) As I say Lots of great models to see, modelers to meet and bargains to scrap for. Great Show. As to the room thread, I have a "barn-like",16x24ft,"portable"(HA!) building nestle deep in the back yard. I ran the power underground (100amp service) and Sunday it gets an AC unit. My wife and I went to a local home show one year and saw a large selection of buildings. I liked the big one I have now, but freted over the price. So I started to order the next size smaller. My wife came up, heard what I was doing and told the salesman to stop. She demanded I buy the larger shop, BUT, SHE would choose the color! Best bargain I ever made (shop & Wife). If you can, go with the semi-prefab storage building. Most cities consider them "portable" even if you need a hell of a crane to move it. An 100amp 110volt power service with 20 plugs on four cuircits 60ft from the house, ran me about $400 US. I did my shop power and all, six years ago for $2500 turn key. I have a half-loft in my "barn" that belongs to my wife, it helps her "love" the shop too. Vet? Nope Son-of-Vet. My parents had six kids paid for by the USAF. Can you name the Bases??? 1. Sister, born in Bermuda 1959 2. Me, born Orlando Fla 1960 3. Sister born San Antoino TX 1961(not Lackland) 4. Brother born 364 days later 1962 Bangor Maine 5. Sister born Omaha Neb 1964 4yrs in Tucson AZ 6. Baby Brother Born Ft.Worth Tx 1968 while my Dad was doing 13mo in Korea. Done with Babies but not done moving... August 1969 Bolxie Miss, three day in front of hurricane Camille the last force 5 storm to hit the US. April 1970 back to Ft. Worth Waiting for Dad to get thru 13 months of Veitnam. January 1971 Fresh from steamy SE Asia to Marquett Mich with 105in of SNOW on the ground! May 1976 moved near Kokomo Ind So Dad could teach KC-135 maintance. And finally; late 1978 Tanker branch Cheif, back in Ft.Worth TX his first base out of basic (B-36 flight crew) and my Moms hometown. Dad retired 1980. As you can see I'am not a Vet, but I guess you could say I was in the service! Would not trade a moment of it for nothing. So sorry for the long post, but NATS is great! Charles "Wish you were here"(really!)Jerden Ft.Worth Tx -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37) From: Minadmiral@aol.com Subject: Re: Large Scale Ships >> GO For it i am building a 1/72 scale r/c model of the H.M.S. HOOD and she is Big 12 feet long and 18.5 inches wide and in the water with all ballast she weighs in at 263 lb. << Hi; When I was a young sprat, about 1957, we spent a lot of time at Mission Bay, San Diego. My dad and brother flew u-control planes. I would always head for the model yacht basin. This was a BIG pond for r/c, sail, and other boats. There were a lot of boats there. High point was a retired USN officer with a 10'-12' model of a US WWII heavy cruiser. At age 10 I didn`t know all the classes. I just knew that some day I wanted to build ship models like that. All 3 main turrets had .22 rifles in them, total 9 guns. He had hand loaded? blanks that made quite a smoke blast when he fired. Looked very impressive. The sail boats (non-R/C) used to get in his way and he would threaten to put live ammo in the guns. Never did, though. Can`t recall his name. Anyone recognize who this might have been? I seem to recall that he said he had been in the crew of the ship in the Pacific. Chuck Duggie WoodenWalls Listmeister Naval wargamer, amateur naval historian, and ship modeler -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38) From: "Ross Nicholson" Subject: Lightships Hi felow modellers Wow,what a newsletter! People pay bigs bucks to read about all the things you bring up,but I think it's great. Keep up the news and views as I find it very informative. I am hoping someone out ther may be able to help me with information and drawings of the Lightship "Goodwin" (like the Revell Kit).I wish to make a 1/32 scale model of it. I have tried Trinity house in the UK but no answer. Scaling up from the model is not really good enough ,as theris a lot of detail missing. Can any out there help? Ross.G.Nicholson (Australia) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39) From: Ravendran R Subject: trumpeter's pola Hello from Malaysia Wonder if any of you guys might be able to advise me on Trumpeter's Italian navy's Pola. There has been a lot of comment regarding Trumpeter's quality or lack there of, but given the opportunity is it worth buying this kit. Ship model kits are pretty hard to come by in this part of the world so is US$12.0 worth my effort. Very many thanks in advance. Best regards Ravi -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40) From: RBiesik@reichert.com Subject: stretched sprue I used stretched sprue for all the rigging and railings on a 1/350th Bismarck and a 1/700 Japanese destroyer. I found that turning the sprue over a heat source(ex. candle) and then pulling in a smooth motion worked very well and its really amazing the control you actually have as far as the diameter and length (up to your arms out stretched). Richard R.Biesik -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41) From: "Joao Andrade Guerra" Subject: Barcelona, Spain - Hobby Shops Hello Spanish SMMland: I will be going to Barcelona for a few days. Can anyone suggest same good hobby shops and/or nautical book shops to visit while there? Maritime Museum? TIA Joao Guerra -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42) From: Chris Rogers Subject: Re: large scale ships G/Day John carrier in 1-72 great another one to the clan we have an Illustrious (1982) HMAS Melbourne HMAS Sydney and USS Constellation all at at 1-72 along with a 1982 task force to go with with HMS Illustrious a Task force to go with Connie and one to go with MELB and Syd get in touch with APS MODELS Gwandalan N.S.W. Australia who can supply bits and pieces for that type of carrier at 1-72 his name is Allan Pew he makes and moulds 1-72 ship fittings for most of the current crop of warships of many nations and some old ones like Exeter, York, Hood all at 1-72 and if you join TF 72 you get 10% discount of the price his work is reasonable and with a bit of work can look fantastic Good luck on the carrier 1-72 only way to fly chris -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43) From: "Victor Baca, Photomarine Archives" Subject: Women Thread: Men In Sewing Shops I used to really get torqued off when the women in the sewing shops totally ignored me at the service counter. They must have figured that as a man, I either had no business being there or was invisible and out of place. My purchases? A big Olfa cutting mat (24" x 36") that quilters use for cutting cloth. Its grid marks make lining up stock easy and accurate. Also works great for saving the table top when cutting styrene and if coupled with their neat little rotary cutters, makes short work of trimming excess blueprint paper. And, where else are you likely to find precision scissors? These "traditional" woman hang-outs are ideal for scale modelers. They stock thin nylon thread for rigging, fine cloth for sail making, upholstery hammers and excellent clear plastic ruling devices for all types of model building chores. Also picked up faceted sequins that make great searchlight interior reflectors. Smooth faced clear jewels, chromed on the backside also serve well for this purpose. Rather than getting angry and not dealing with these shops, I persisted and kept coming back to see what was new. Almost always made a purchase of some interesting gadget. They came to accept me in time and open their minds that men also might have a need for their service and products. And, yes, the women still find it interesting to ask exactly what I have in mind for that little pack of who-knows-what. They thought it was neat when I showed them one of my non-ship models; a 1/12th scale ambulance EMT with his scratchbuilt Ferno gurney. It was detailed with scale thickness linen and blanket material that could only be obtained in a specialty shop. I guess sometimes men also need to take a stroll through the artificial barriers our cultures put up and take it all with a grain of sand. Victor Baca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44) From: JRKutina@webtv.net (John Kutina) Subject: Panel Backs World War II Memorial on Mall in Washington http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/072100war-memorial.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Timothy Dike Subject: new Ship Modeling site I thought I'd let you all know about a new Ship Modeling site: http://www.modelwarships.com/ Stop on by, there is no subscription price just some Ship Modeler's writing about and reviewing our favorite subject, Warships. We've tried to arrange the main page to be a convenient starting location to the sites we all visit on a daily basis. We've added a review section to show "what's in the box", or what a certain publication or accessory contains. We are currently working on a review section that lists all of the reviews available on the web, so far the 1/700 scale Ship Review section is ready and organized by country. The feature section will showcase articles ranging from History subjects to Museum visits. A Gallery will be added soon so send in your Ship pictures for publication. Also to be added is a Buy and Sell message board for naval subjects. We would like to make ModelWarships.com a user friendly site, so you feedback is appreciated. In the August issue of ModelWarships.com We review; The new Ship Modeling magazine "Model Ship Journal". DML/Dragon's 1/700 USS Oakland CL95. Waveline's 1/700 USS Baltimore CA68. Gold Medal Models 1/700 USN Cruiser Destroyer Photo-etch set. The Floating Drydocks USS Helena Plan and Elevation set. ModelMaster Sprue nippers and Squadron Hobby Scissors. Featuring a visit Freedom Park in Omaha, Nebraska home to the USS Hazard and USS Marlin SST-2. We also begin a new series on Building the Ships of the Guadalcanal Campaign. Regards, Timothy Dike AKA Cadman@modelwarships.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: WRPRESSINC@aol.com Subject: Re: HMCS Snowberry If anybody is remotely interested in making the Revell kit of the Snowberry or any other Flower Class Corvette then I strongly suggest that they purchase a copy of Flower Class Corvettes by John Lambert in the Warship Perspectives series of books. In this volume there is a series of photos of the Snowberry that the model maker would die for, and there many many plans of Corvettes along with two dozen camouflage designs. Available from dealers and hobby shops. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Wallys World" Subject: For Sale 1/350 Tamiya Yamato I have a 1/350 scale Tamiya Yamato kit for sale. Kit is like new with the exception of the anchor chains which I ground off to replace. Kit includes a nice unfinished hardwood base and the Gold Medal Photo etch set. Asking price is $65.00 US plus shipping. If you are intrested please contact me at: uwhuskys@hotmail.com Thank You Wally Bigelow -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Keith Butterley Subject: Warship Books announcement Hi group Here are some new titles now available through my site: Pictorial Histories USS Los Angeles(CA-135) Cold War Sentinel - Beigel - sc - 68pp - 62 photos - $13Cdn/$9US Shipping: $3Cdn/$3US Vanwell Publishing Canadian Naval Chronicle 1939-1945 - Darlington/Mckee - sc - 272pp - $21Cdn/$14US Canadian Warships Since 1956 - Steed/Dobler/Steed - sc - 93pp - $17Cdn/11US Cruiser Uganda - Geneja - hc - 282pp - $30Cdn/$20US Liners in Battledress:Wartime Camouflage & Colour Schemes For Passenger Ships - Williams - hc 160pp - $21Cdn/$14US Minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy 1938-1945 - Macpherson - hc - 110pp - $24Cdn/$16US Shipping: $6Cdn/$5US for one book. Happy modeling Keith Butterley http://www3.telus.net/warshipbooks/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Shaya Novak" Subject: HMCS Snowberry kit You can go to www.revell.de for pic of the box art. We have the kit on sale at 20% off list 89.95. Shaya Novak Naval Base Hobbies The Store for The Model Ship Builder www.modelshipbuilding.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume