Subject: SMML VOL 1109 Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 02:04:38 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Charles De Gaulle 2: Re: USS Constitution 3: Re: Pyro Maine 4: Re: Calypso 5: Re: USS Maine 6: Does anyone know this person 7: Re: SIRIUS 8: Bill & Pacific Front 9: USS Constitution 10: Re: Pacific Front and pricing 11: Bill Gruner & PacFront Hobbies 12: Mascot for Pacific Front Hobbies 13: Re: USS Constitution 14: PacFront 15: Re: Chen Yuen 16: H.M.S. SIRIUS 17: Re: Arktika kit 18: Happy New Year 19: Warship Identification 20: Re: Pacific Front Hobbies 21: International Mail Ordering 22: Thanks! 23: Leave Cancelled 24: Don't throw away that old warship! 25: San Diego 26: Jacques Druel/ USS Constitution -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: NRG Web Page Update 2: 1:1200/1250 WWI ships wanted -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS Hi gang, Re: the Pacific Front thread I must agree with John Sutherland (see below). I have been disappointed with some of the replies I've been getting on this thread - that's apart from the ones you see here. As it stands, I, personally would not question any vendor's pricing policy. Afterall, it's a free market economy - shop around if you're not satisfied with the price. I don't mind if people say X is cheaper go there or support Y because they support the hobby more - that's a consumer choice we ALL have. Vote with your wallet & buy where you think you get the best deal, whether that's in price, service or a combination of the two that suits you. I've posted a few final posts on the matter in this SMML. Others have been left out because of questionable content, so before this gets too far out of hand, I think we should call this thread finished. Sorry if I'm being a bit blunt here, but I'm upto my neck assisting the webmaster with getting the backlog of contributions to the SMML site ready for the launch of the re-vamped site on New Year's Day (non-negotiable date) - so that I can enjoy New Years Eve with a few drinks and well & truly boot 2000 out the door and welcome in 2001. As it is, some may be left out and added in the days after the relaunch, but rest assured any contribution is important & will be added in very quickly. Regards, Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Jean-Paul Binot" Subject: Charles De Gaulle Hi all, While I understand the amused comments that my fellow SMMLers have shared with us on the trouble endured by the Charles De Gaulle, I second what my good friend Jacques Druel has written in reply. As a French taxpayer, I can only find distasteful the indications that the most expensive ship in the French Navy might not be all it was supposed to be. However, the trouble with the propeller, together with all the other sources of disappointement mentionned, are rather common with ships undergoing extensive trials or a shakedown cruise. They only take such proportion because the CDG is a unique ship and not one of a class of five or ten. So many new techniques have been concentrated into one single ship that some elements are likely to be less satisfactory. I am afraid that the bottom line is that France is probably not rich enough to be able to afford a large and powerful blue water navy anymore. The French surface fleet has been given second priority to the SSBN fleet (the FOST). Building enough carriers and purchasing enough planes to form a useful airwing has become such a burden that middle sized nations like France (and its European partners I guess) can only get it (or some of it) if they accept some unpleasant compromise (fewer, smaller ships, fewer, less capable planes, longer building times, etc.) However, leaving the admirals decide what they want or need is not an option (has never been done that way ever, even in militaristic regimes). The governement is in charge of defense, whic includes procurement of weapon systems. That has to be balanced against all the other demands put against the public purse. Understand me: I love warships just as much as anybody on this list, and I am sorry to see that the French Navy is left with fewer ships than ever in its modern history. But I realise that it could not be expanded under any realisic set of assumptions. More serious questions would be why successive French governments have insisted on developping and building domestically most of the equipment for the armed forces, thus increasing greatly the cost of each item procured (in the intention that a whole export-geared high-tech industry could be created and supported), or whether the French Navy really required carriers at all. A good account of what has happened (at least the official version) to the CDG can be found on the French Navy's own site at: http://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/actu/helicecdg/helicecdg.htm It comes with several photographs of the ship entering drydock and some close-ups of the broken propeller. I offer a comment that is a bit more on topic than all the rambling about the teething troubles of the ship: notice that the keel is painted off-black, not red or green. Jean-Paul Binot -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: AandMBlevins@gateway.net Subject: Re: USS Constitution Hello Jacques, Yes, "Old Ironsides" is still in commission with the U.S.Navy, actually afloat, actually sails! She is in fine condition and a magnificent part of our history. Al Blevins -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: ALROSS2@aol.com Subject: Re: Pyro Maine >> Secondly, I have seen on e-Bay a number of 1950's Pyro kits for a pseudo USS Maine and I am curious whether anyone has built this kit. << I built it back in the 60s. From a scale standpoint, it bears no resemblance to the MAINE of the 1890s. The only kits of this MAINE (of which I am aware) are the 1/350 and 1/192 kits put out by Iron Shipwright a couple years ago. Al Ross -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: ALROSS2@aol.com Subject:: Re: Calypso >> The Calypso book was published by Harry N Abrams, Inc, Publishers, in New York, copyright 1983, and is possibly available from The Cousteau Society, 870 Greenbriar Circle, Suite 402, Chesapeake, VA, USA, 23320. The authors are Jacques Cousteau and Alexis Sivirine. << If you are a CALYPSO fan, this is a great book to have. It has a lot of great photos and some highly-detailed plans circa 1982. Almost all of the photos are in color - a real boon for the detail-conscious. I found my copy in a local used-book store and paid $15 for it. Al Ross -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: USS Maine >> Secondly, I have seen on e-Bay a number of 1950's Pyro kits for a pseudo USS Maine and I am curious whether anyone has built this kit. From the pictures on e-Bay the hull looks to be a USS Olympia clone with several gun casements just below the main deck. Obviously a hybrid kit . . . but looks to be a fun kit to build. Opinions. << It is highly inaccurate, IPOF as I recall they even managed to mis-place the main turrets which should be off centerline, one on each side! If you want a Maine, Go to the Commanders/IronShipwright resin kit Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Does anyone know this person HI: Does anyone know a Mr Owen R. Stanley of Pearl City Hawaii?? If so please contact me off list Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Chris Rogers Subject: Re: SIRIUS G/Day not sure when SIRIUS arrived Falklands but the information I have says the only leanders Believed to have sailed for and taken part in up to cessation of hostilities were: Andromeda F43 Rothesay type 12 I's Bacchaute F69 Plymouth F126 batch 2's Yarmouth F101 Minerva F43 Penelope F127 If you want I can scan the whole list for you but there are a few missing I know that Im sure Cleopatra was there as well but it could have been after the end it all finished chris -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Donald Bridge Subject: Bill & Pacific Front Sorry I'm a bit slow off of the mark here. Firstly I've never brought or dealt with 1/1200 scale kits only 1/700. Like most people I shop around a bit, and if I hear of a new company I'll check them out, I may use them if they have a particular bargain, but as it happens I keep coming back to the same ones, 1 in the UK, 1 in Japan, 1 in Germany and 1 in the States. It so happens that the one in the States is Bill at Pacific Front. I have always found Bill to be helpful and polite, he is also one of the few people that has managed to handle my numerous changes of an odd address correctly. No he isn't always the cheapest on everything, but he is on some. I've also managed to get Japanese kits from him that I couldn't get from Japan. It is my choice to sometimes use Bill, I suppose the bottom line is that I TRUST Bill. (As I do Caroline, Scott and Nadja) That's my opinion of Pacific Front. I do not mind having new sources of supply for my hobby pointed out to me, and as I have stated above I do perform a limited amount of price comparison, however I do feel that Lee's posts were emotive to say the least. There are many factors affecting pricing. These include sales taxes in the country concerned (All EU Countries), and the supply conditions of the company selling. Production companies often do not sell at the same price to everybody, larger customers will get preferential treatment as will early customers in a new region. High profile outlets will also be able to negotiate better prices because of product status. Some producers also base their prices not on the basis of where you bought the goods or who you are, but on where you are going to sell them. Don Bridge Sarajevo, Bosnia, where you cannot buy any kits at all, let alone cheap ones. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Shirley Sachsen Subject: USS Constitution >> I have another question regarding the USS Constitution in Boston. Some 25 years ago when I was a student I had the good chance to visit her in the Boston harbour. Is the ship still in commission with the US Navy as is the Victory in the Royal Navy? << yes it is still in commission. what's neat is thumbing through Ships & Aircraft of the US Fleet and seeing the listing among all the super-hi-tech listings for nuke carriers: frigate, 1 ea, comm. 1797. it might be a Yank thing, but it brings a lump to my throat everytime I see it. s -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: Pacific Front and pricing I find it interesting that out of the many customers (me included) Bill Gruner has dealt with over the years he's been in business, that this is the first complaint I remember seeing anywhere. Man, in anybody's book that's a great record. In any retail business mistakes are going to be made and from time to time some customers feathers are going to get ruffled (except at Flagship, ALL my customers are happy :-) ) With only one complaint aired over the years says a lot for Bill's business ethics, and he can stand on that alone. About pricing. Yeah, Bill's prices are a little higher on some things. What other specialty store can you walk into whose prices aren't a bit higher? If you go into a store who sells only get well cards like Hallmark shops, they charge a little more for the vast selection of products in that narrow line. Bill specializes in just ships (except for some books) and you have to pay for that. If someone ever opens up an aircraft models only store I guarantee you, you will pay more for their selection in that narrow area of modeling. Not only does Bill specialize in just ships, but for anyone here who does not know, ships are one of the least popular areas of modeling. So Bill has to deal with that as well. Yeah Bill's a little higher on some things, but cut him some slack. As ship modelers, we would be much poorer without PFH. I had to make one last comment after reading all the wonderful accolades in favor of PFH. I get questions every day from people who are looking for this or that model. Many times I just don't have an adequate answer for the many requests I get. I send everyone to Bill at PFH. I always tell them that if Bill can't find that model, it doesn't exist. I have also gotten lots of thank yous from clients I have referred to PFH saying "I had no idea these guys existed, thank you." I don't know Bill personally, but I never received a complaint about PFH. Nuff said. Rusty White Flagship Models - Photo Etched Details for Warships http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ We now accept Visa & MasterCard world wide via Pay Pal "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Loren Perry Subject: Bill Gruner & PacFront Hobbies So many good responses were posted yesterday that I can scarcely add anything new to the discussion of Bill Gruner's Pacific Front Hobbies. I have ordered from him many times and have even had the pleasure of being a guest in his home where he conducts business (before he moved to Oregon.) And many of us on this list have met him personally at his sales booth at IPMS shows and elsewhere. Bill is a true gentleman and his honesty is, as far as I'm concerned, beyond reproach. I'll stake my own reputation on this. As for prices - as mentioned by another member yesterday, this can be influenced by a number of factors, one of which is providing a full service mail order operation for a small segment of an esoteric hobby like ours. If I were in Bill's shoes, I would probably have to add a small surcharge to the more popular items (or at least not discount them) to cover the expense of maintaining a comprehensive selection of less popular items such as plans, foreign language books, rare kits, and so on. The bigger discount dealers "cherry pick" the most popular products and ignore everything else. Run the numbers and you'll see for yourself how hard it is to be in this business. Bill's prices are more than fair when one considers the service he provides. Loren Perry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "Bracken, Quinn" Subject: Mascot for Pacific Front Hobbies I would like to take this time to publicly offer my condolences to Bill and Debbie Gruner on the passing of a beloved family member and un-official PacFrontHob Mascot, Samson. Samson was a big, smelly, gentle, and extremely loving Rotwieller-mix, who I think was also part elephant, he was so huge. While Bill still lived in the Seattle area, I would be welcomed to their house to make my purchases directly, and Samsom would always be in the same spot on the floor on his favorite blanket, doing his favorite thing, napping. Sometimes I would just ignore greeting Bill and Debbie when I walked in, and go straight for Samson, who would peek out one eye, let out a low and muffled "wuph" and would slowly and obligingly roll his giant carcass over to expose his giant, hairy belly in hopes of getting some love. His deep groans and grunting might have been indicative of his old-age and sore body, but he always loved a good belly rub. If he happened to be awake and sitting up (which wasn't very often, unless it was time to eat or go outside), he would even offer one of his giant paws for me to shake. I'm sure he enjoyed lliving out his final days at Bill and Debbie's new farm-home in spacious Bend, Oregon, where a dog in his Golden Years should be; on a quiet, spacious piece of acerage to enjoy his final days. Quinn Bracken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Jim Roberts" Subject: Re: USS Constitution >> I have another question regarding the USS Constitution in Boston. Some 25 years ago when I was a student I had the good chance to visit her in the Boston harbour. Is the ship still in commission with the US Navy as is the Victory in the Royal Navy? << CONSTITUTION is indeed a commissioned unit of the USN. Her hull designator is I believe, IX. She has a standing crew including a full Commander as Commanding Officer. At one time she was designated as flagship of the First Naval District, but I'm not sure if this is still the case. Jim Roberts Budd Lake, NJ Member: Nautical Research Guild Ship Model Society of Northern New Jersey -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: Sean Obrien Subject: PacFront I ordered from Bill Gruner just a week and a half ago. Someone had mentioned on this list about a kit of a fleet sub, so I called to get one for my dad. He was pleasant on the phone, and in talking found out his dad had skippered a fleet boat in WW2, the SKATE. Here was the owner of the company being helpful and taking a minute to chat a little. In this day and age, a little warmth and personableness(is this a word?) from a mail-order company is nice, and worth a penny or two if you ask me. I'll be ordering again! Sean O'Brien -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: RhinoBones@aol.com Subject: Re: Chen Yuen << The "Chin'en" is the "Chen Yuan"/Chen Yuen. Chin'en is the Japanese pronunciation of "Chen Yuan". >> I'm currently building one of the Ding Yuan (Zhengdefu kit No. DF017, same as the Chen Yuan DF016) and you are absolutely correct in your assessment that the kit needs a bit of work to make it presentable. Mine is strictly for fun and is completely unencumbered by historical accuracy. The lower hull is red, the upper hull and turrets are white, and the masts, and stacks are buff. I'm actually quite happy with the way it is developing. I've taken a few in process pictures and if they turn out any good I'll make them available to the SMML crowd. If you haven't visited the Chinese Warship Museum web page you can find it at: http://www.yaox.com/cwm/index.html There is a computer based tour of the Chen Yuen which is nicely done. Zhengdefu also markets a couple of Beiyant fleet cruisers Jing Yuan (DF038) and Zhi Yuan (DF016). These kits are identical except in name and in my opinion have absolutely no redeeming qualities. They actually make the Ding Yuan kit look pretty good. These people also market a decent Zhong Shan, the merits of which have been described in this forum. If any of your Chen Yuen sources are in electronic format I would be very interested in viewing the documents. Regards, RhinoBones -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: tom dean Subject: H.M.S. SIRIUS Werner: I can find no record of H.M.S. SIRIUS being in Falkland waters during the war. The only "Leanders" listed on operations were; ARGONAUT, MINERVA, PENELOPE & ANDROMEDA. Also two type "12's" PLYMOUTH & YARMOUTH. You state that she went in for a major refit in 83 so I would doubt if she even served as a replacement for the ships on station. Tom Dean Hamilton, Ontario Canada -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: Keith T Bender Subject: Re: Arktika kit Hi SMMLies, As to the note on the Russian icebreaker kit. I have one in 1:400 scale that is plastic. It is just as good as a Revell kit and even better in some ways. Add some photoetch to it and you got yourself a real beauty. The kit comes as the Arktika. One problem, all the writing is in Russian so I can't give the manufacture name or address. The box art is very poor. It down grades the kit severely. The box color is purple with the ship in the ice doing what they're made to do, break ice. Don't let the box fool you, this is a good kit but not as good as Tamiya or ICM. Good luck, Keith -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "O'Connor" Subject: Happy New Year SMMLies, I'd like to wish all of my listmates on SMML a very happy and prosperous New Year. My association with this operation has been very pleasant, and I thank Shane, Lorna and the rest of you members for the pleasure of daily reading and help with projects. On a modeling note, I hope everyone gets the chance to review John Leylands carrier photos in the recent FSM. Great job!!! As for the Pacific Front controversy, It's probably much ado about nothing - I have ordered from PF, and have had good luck. Only once did I have a concern, and emailed Bill about an overdue order. He assured me the package was on the way, and sure enough, I got it soon after. All mail order outfits have ups and downs, and strong and weak points. I hope Lee will give Bill Gruner another chance- I don't usually plug a single provider, as those often come back to nip you on the rear. But as stated previously on this list, he does have a comprehensive stock as well as a good track record with the members on this list, who, let's face it, are probably his most loyal customers. My best to all of you in the New Year- Happy modeling!!!!! Bob O'Connor in a cool and cloudy Central Florida.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: RhinoBones@aol.com Subject: Warship Identification Need a bit of help identifying a ship. On the web page for the Orange County Chapter of the IPMS there is a gallery containing some marvelous pictures of ships built by their chapter members. In the fourth row down, right hand side (just above and to the right of the Titanic) is a wonderful picture of a battleship (or maybe it is a battle cruiser). At first I thought it was a Jutland era German ship but it is carrying a sea plane. Whatever it is, I think it is a grand piece of work and I would like to 1) identify the ship (and possibly the kit manufacturer) and 2) locate the craftsman. Possibly this person is a SMML member. The URL is: http://timeelapsed.com/ocipms/ocipms.htm It would probably be easier to contact the Orange County IPMS directly, but I thought this would be much more fun. Regards, RhinoBones -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: "Mike C" Subject: Re: Pacific Front Hobbies Hi Group, I may be jumping into this discussion a bit late, but I want to lend my support to Bill Gruner for what he has accomplished with Pacific Front Hobbies. Bill has concentrated on ship models, even though it is one of the most neglected areas of this hobby. I believe the hobby has grown because of his commitment. Many of the items Bill sells are impossible to get unless you buy directly from the source. Not only that, but if he doesn't have something, he'll try to get it for you. I don't have money to burn, but that convenience alone is often worth the extra cost. Have you ever thought about where ship modeling would be without Pacific Front Hobbies? Every time I see cost comparisons like those cited, I think of Mercedes-Benz cars. They're "luxury" cars in this country, many with price tags hovering around $100,000 US, but I've seen them used as taxicabs in Europe and the Middle East. Do they gold plate the muffler frammits and suspension overblats in mid ocean? No. Shipping costs money and it fluctuates without notice. The only way to avoid those fluctuations is to call and confirm that something is in stock and order it immediately with a credit card so you can lock in the quoted price. Bill will hold some items for you, but, if you delay, there's often a chance that someone else will buy that item before you make up your mind. If you snooze, you lose, as the saying goes, so better luck next time. Unlike many that have written on this subject, I DO have a connection to Pacific Front Hobbies. Bill was the first one to buy my kits and is one of only three companies that distribute my kits in this country, if that counts for anything. I do that because I know, trust, and respect these people, and giving them my business exclusively is my way of supporting their efforts. In my opinion, Bill's motives and reputation are beyond reproach. Wishing a happy and prosperous New Year to all, Mike Czibovic Corsair Armada Productions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: "John Sutherland" Subject: International Mail Ordering Shane, Firstly a HAPPY New Year to all. May you all have the time you want to build all the kits you want! And a special thanks to Shane for his efforts in 2000 with SMML. Having read with dismay the recent PF pricing thread, which seems to be threatening to develop into a flame war, and not liking the unwaranted personal comments of both the originator and SOME of the responders, I would like to pour some cold waters of commonsense onto this debate. Being isolated "down under" in New Zealand I have been mail ordering for close to 30 years and have learnt most of the lessons the hard way (no SMML back then!). There are a number of factors in international mail ordering. As pointed out by one respondant the place of manufacture is one, but in addition shipping costs policy is another, and the variables of exchange rates can be another. As a general statement I have found that ordering from the country of manufacture is the cheapest, local hobby shop next cheapest, and anywhere else after that. This makes sense if you think of shipping costs alone. These can make up a significant part of the difference between the price charged by the manufacturer and the price charged by the retailer. Why is going direct cheaper? If an item is manfactured in country "A", retailed in country "B" and bought by you in country "C" then then you will be paying for the costs of shipping from "A" to "B" (built into the shop price) and then from "B" to you at "C". A local hobby shop in country "A" does not have the "A" to "B" overhead so the shop price in "A" is bound to be cheaper than in "B". Also on average shipping costs from "A" to "C" will be cheaper than "A" to "B" to "C" even if "A" to "C" is almost as far as the "A" to "B" to "C" combination as double handling costs money. I hope this makes sense! Your local hobby shop, if and when they have the item, will be next cheapest because they get stock direct form the manufacturer with only an importers and handling fee added. Other factors are shipping charges. Some, like PF and others, charge at cost, others charge on a fixed fee by region by weight or %of order cost by region. My experience is that the three methods above are listed in order of cheapest to most expensive. So check shipping policies before ordering. (An unusual exception to the above shipping charges policy are those who do not charge shipping costs. In this case the cost of shipping is built into the kit price - otherwise the retailer would soon go out of business! This is rare, as it in practice means the local market subsidising the international market - a policy viable only if you need the sales numbers to make the manufacture viable and your goods are extremely good VFM in the first place. I know of only one case (WEM for WEM kits only) that meets this criteria.) The other factor is exchange rates. The prices shown in retailers reflect the costs the retailer paid when the retailer received the shipment. However, exchange rates are volatile and fast moving and this can mean the country "A" to "B" to "C" to "A" triangle is not, as one would expect, even. To give an example which Shane will attest (BLOODY HELL YES: Shane), the NZ$ (and Aust$) have plummeted a couple of months ago fairly evenly against the US$, UK Pd, and Japanese Yen. However, recently it has climbed significantly against the US$, more so against the Yen, but hardly moved against the UK Pd. However, through all of this the prices of kits at the retailers in all three countries, expressed in thier local currency, has not altered. Obviously in this case it temporarly prices the UK retailers out of the market for all except UK manufactured kits (eg. WEM kits from WEM). If the trend continues it may make US kits cheaper to buy in Japan than US, but it would need to move a lot to achieve this, but would make US kits on special in Japan very attractive. Generally this adjusts over time but is worth watching for short term benefits - for example in my other hobby (airliner modelling) the current imbalance favours the Canadian$ so much that a Canadian retailer can undercut even procurement direct from (foreign country) manufacturer - this will undoubtably change but in the meanwhile.... (NB. This is an New Zealand example - it is likely not to be the same in your country - you need to do your own research) The three points above are listed in order of importance IMHO. The last probably affects people in countries like mine where NZ$1 = 44US cents, 50 Yen and 29 UK pence more than countries with stronger currencies. (a month ago it was 40UScents, 42 Yen and 27 pence). Even Shane is better of (marginally) NZ$1 = 80cents Aust. So what do I do? Firstly I shop around. I also take into consideration quality of service (however we are well served so this is not usually an issue). But at the end of the day, most often UK kits get bought from the UK, Japanese from Japan, and US from US. In terms of what has gone before - let us be careful what we say in open forums like this. The example from Mr Lee was about German kits being cheaper in Germany. How unsurprising given the above. Clearly he doesn't understand the principles listed above (probably never explained to him before) and has unfortunately rushed in with an opinion, based on a single example, where angels fear to tread. Lets not pillary him for that either - everyone makes mistakes - and we were all new in this hobby at sometime, or new to mail-ordering. Let us also remember that PF stock more than German kits so to extend that situation to PF stock in general is unfair. Bill does give great service in my experience, maybe there was an aberation in the case of Mr Lee - everyone makes mistakes - Bill is human. PF is also special in that it does stock some foreign brands I have not found a source for even in their own country (for example Kobo-Hiryu kits). Long may he, and all the others who service our hobby so well, prosper. So lets drop the vitriol and get back to making models. Happy New Year everyone, John Sutherland Wellington New Zealand -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: Bill Gruner Subject: Thanks! Many thanks to those who have supported us by your e-mails and messages to SMML. We are very grateful for your loyalty, and for making this our most successful year ever. We will endeavor to provide even more items in the way of ship kits, plans, books, accessories, etc.this coming year. Have a great New Year. Bill and Deborah Gruner Pacific Front Hobbies http://www.pacificfront.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: Derek Wakefield Subject: Leave Cancelled To all of those Bay Area SMMLies who have sent me messages this week... I've fallen behind in my correspondence. I was hoping to get caught up this weekend, but they up and cancelled all our leave at work for New Years due to a new disaster declaration (I work at FEMA...emergencies know no holidays). I will get back to you all, but it may take some time. Derek Wakefield -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: Dave Shirlaw Subject: Don't throw away that old warship! The web page has not been updated since 1996. This project was a failure; it was covered extensively in Warship International. Dave Shirlaw Editor, Seawaves Magazine www.seawaves.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25) From: sanders_talmadge_fc1 Subject: San Diego Hello all, Anyone in the San Diego area interested in a tour of my ship the USS PRINCETON CG-59, We are at the BROADWAY PIER Downtown. Tours will be held from 1100-1345 on 29 DEC. As a plus There are two FRENCH NAVY ships here. one is the JEANNE D ARC the other is GEORGE LEYGUES. So bring your Cameras. We depart the pier at 1430, a good opportunity to get a close U/W picture of the PRINCETON. VR, FC1(sw) T.E. "Sandy" Sanders PS: Sorry for the belated posting of this message. we lost our internet connection on the ship and I was not notified. the French ships are still at Broadway pier though! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26) From: "JAmes McCormick" Subject: Jacques Druel/ USS Constitution Jacques, Oh yes, she's still there, and still in commision. Last summer, she completed an extnded yard period, had a good going over her hull to clean up rotted wood etc. I think this was only the second time in her 200+ year career she was in the drydock, but I'm not sure. She was taken out on the water for a brief cruise, but little or no wind that day did her no good. There are photos floating around on the net of the Constitutiuon saling with an Arleigh Burke class destoyer. Are there any ships of the line left in France? They would definately be worth seeing if they exist. Jim McCormick -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Vincent Mccullough" Subject: NRG Web Page Update I've just updated the Nautical Research Guild's web site to add the table of contents for the latest Nautical Research Journal. This issue is being mailed now, and should be arriving in member's mailboxes over the next few weeks. The issue features several articles of interest to ship modelers: - Ken Folsom describes his research and techniques in modeling the engine used in Adm. Chester Nimitz's barge, the "Blue Goose." Ken includes a shop note on fabricating custom cutters for constructing identical objects with cylindrical cross sections. - Art Herrick continues his detective story on the origins of the controversial model of the "Fair American", located at the US Naval Academy's Prebel Hall. For web users, this article is supplemented with a series of color photos of the model, courtesy of the US Naval Academy. These photos are available only to on-line viewers. - Gib McArdle is back with the sixth part of his series on modeling the HMS Cyane. - Marten W Aten provides us with a examination of the Navy Model Collection of the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum. Here, too, we present an web-site supplement with photos of several of the models in this collection. - N. Roger Cole presents a useful reference article on "The Proportions and Sizes of Blocks." - John Kopf provides a shop feature on "Miniature Carving Tools." In addition, the issue includes the usual features. IN ADDITION, I've uploaded a new shop note to the web site. This note provides a series of Scale Conversion charts developed by Guild member Ken Dorr. The shop note can be found at the bottom of the NRG home page. The NRG web site can be found at http://www.naut-res-guild.org. Vince McCullough NRG Webmaster -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Minadmiral@aol.com Subject: 1:1200/1250 WWI ships wanted Hi; I need a batch of WWI ships in the above mentioned scales. I need maybe 8 of each RN destroyer class and a few of the leaders. I need almost all (each ship of each class) of the German CL's and 8 or so of each DD class. Need I use the term "inexpensive"? Maybe used ? Chuck Duggie WoodenWalls Listmeister Naval wargamer, amateur naval historian, and ship modeler -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for backissues, Member's models & reference pictures at: http://www.smml.org.uk Check out the APMA site for an index of ship articles in the Reference section at: http://www.tac.com.au/~sljenkins/apma.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume