Subject: SMML VOL 1212 Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 22:21:07 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Model Shipways Paints 2: Re: Many thanks 3: Re: Soldering white metal 4: foil water 5: 1/400 scale Tamiya IJN cruisers 6: Re: The Brigantine Boatworks 7: Scharnhorst paper model online 8: Lindberg Diesel Tug re-released 9: Whidbey Island base erupts in cheers as Navy fliers return 10: Get a life 11: Cleaning files 12: USS Iowa arrival information 13: Re: Arizona Memorial 14: Skytrex 15: Thanks for T-2 info 16: KM Destroyers for Jim 17: Help! 18: Re: Gato Plans 19: 1250/1200 models 20: Request: Hull lines for HMS Lord Nelson (Pre-dreadnought) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Ed Grune" Subject: Model Shipways Paints Fred asked about Model Shipways paints: >> Has anyone used the WWII US Navy warship colors by Model Shipways that can be ordered from Model Expo Inc? Are they accurate? Do they paint well? << These paints match the S&S colors. HOWEVER, I found them to have the consistency of yogurt. They didn't brush well. They do not thin well with either distilled water or alcohol. I found that when I thinned them enough to airbrush they were almost transparent. I've shelved a couple of projects that I was going to use these paints on. I'm waiting for the WEM Colo[u]rcoats line of paints. Ed Mansfield, TX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Ray Mehlberger" Subject: Re: Many thanks I want to take this opportunity to heartfully thank all the people who gave me info on the OREGON P.E. sets and where to get them etc. I also want to wish everyone a Happy Easter weekend. Don't eat too many chocolate bunnies. Regards, Ray Mehlberger -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: Soldering white metal >> If you are careful, you can even solder the larger parts of the kits together. Though my casters tell me this, I haven't yet tried it. << >> AIIEEEE!!!!! DO THIS CAREFULLY!! I have soldered some Skytrex sails to masts on their 1:1200 Napoleonic and such ships. I soon went back to super glue. It makes a good, solid joint but can go wrong very quickly. If you MUST solder here are some hints. Get a 15 watt soldering iron. These can be had at Radio Shack or such stores. If the piece is too big for 15 watt use epoxey or super glue. Use heat sinks to control the area heated. Easiest way is alligator clips After soldering remove any flux from the pieces. You can get away with flux-less soder when joining 2 white metal pieces, but brass to white metal or brass to brass needs flux. Usually your solder is a tiny tube filled Don't use "silver solder", it requires too much heat. << The problem is that you are trying to solder a metal that has a melting point that is not much higher than solder itself. Also for the purists, solder contains lead, which may cause long term corrosion problems, though this doesn't seem to be a problem in electronic circuitry. A better solution might be to go with one of the specialty low melting point solders. MicroMark carries TIX solder which melt at quite a bit lower temp than "60-40" electronic solders. They also have the liquid flux which can be applied right to the joint with a brush. The stuff is expensive, but for the few instances where you need to solder white metal, pewter or Britannia metal, it is worth the cost. Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Chris Drage" Subject: foil water Hi Rick, I use foil all the time for water but not tin foil, aluminium foil. I prepare the MDF base by scratching it and roughening it then apply a layer of polyfilla plaster all over to prepare the seascape. This will give you the type of sea required. When dry I cover the plaster in white PVA glue. The foil should then be srumpled up (for a wind blown choppy sea) or lain ver so smoothly with no crumples for still water. I lay it down dull-side up to take the acrylic paint. When dry I cut out the shape of the hull and dig out the plaster to 'sink' the ship into the seascape. I use acrylic paint to lap up to the edge of the hull and create any wavelets round the hull. At this time I apply the tried and tested toothpaste wake and finally a coat of glossy varnish (non-yellowing type) to preserve the toothpaste. Does it work? Judge for yourself on the SMML website (Splice the mainbrace). Regards, Chris He tao rakau e taea te karo, tena he tao kupa kaore e taea te karo......(Te Reo Maori) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Peter K. H. Mispelkamp Subject: 1/400 scale Tamiya IJN cruisers Joe: Right on! - Somehow I knew I could count on you! So guys, can we do it? Do we know anyone at Tamiya who we can influence/bombard with requests to do a "nostalgic" re-release of these long buried kits? Maybe they could call the "SMML" series! I for one cannot afford to pay the 260-500+ US $ dollar price that these kits command on eBay - can anyone here spell "divorce" - but sorely need them to round out my 1/400 scale IJN fleet. If anyone from Tamiya does monitor/subscribe to this list - how about it? What is it going to cost you? The molds are there, they probably need a little cleaning but 90% of your pre-production costs have already been spent! Surely you have enough plastic, paper for instruction sheets and cardboard lying around to make this happen. If you do not want to detract from your 1/350 line, make a deal with someone! I want one of all four of these ships, and if you were in any way involved with the production of the Tone's and Mogami's in that scale you can put me down for one more of each as well! Anybody else? Sincerely Peter K. H. Mispelkamp -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Bob Evans Subject: Re: The Brigantine Boatworks >> To anyone who might think that boatwrights are A profession of the past, your in for a surprise and this is not in any Scale any of us can afford too build, and it's right in my back Yard, {almost} and as soon, as one can get photographs of this project I'll let Shane know http://www.brigantineboatworks.com/ They're starting from the keel-up all I can say is what a site to behold, << Fellow SMML's, For those of you that also love Wooden Sailing Ships, you'll love this other web site ... seems the French are building a replica of the Frigate Hermione. This is the ship that left France on March 21, 1780 with The Marquis De La Fayette to the fledgling United States with news that he had been successful in getting France's aid for the revolution. You can find the site here: http://www.ville-rochefort.fr/ville/hermione/her101.htm Thank You. Bob Evans Franciscan Hobbies http://www.franciscanhobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: GrafSpee34@aol.com Subject: Scharnhorst paper model online >> http://digilander.iol.it/zioprudenzio/mod-sharnhost.html << Uhh "S h a r n h o s t" ?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Bill & Kaja Michaels" Subject: Lindberg Diesel Tug re-released Here in the northeast US, the Lindberg Diesel Tug kit is back on hobby dealers' shelves. This is good news to the RC scale shipmodelers-- the Lindberg tug is a popular model for conversion to a mini-RC model. While the detail is typical Lindberg, the basic shapes are there-- it is a pretty reasonable rendition of a 1944 US Army 86' steel tug. This edition of the model is the kit that was released as an RC model in the early 90's, but without the running gear and motor that came with the RC version of the kit. Check out my US Coast Guard subjects model list at: http://www.tiac.net/users/billkaja/kitlist.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: JRKutina@webtv.net (John Kutina) Subject: Whidbey Island base erupts in cheers as Navy fliers return http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SeattleTimes.woa/wa/gotoArticle?document_id=134285196&zsection_id=268466359&text_only=0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Jeff Herne Subject: Get a life >> This happens when an author gets complacent and with Alan Raven's recent publications there is a strong thread of that running through it. The issue here boils down to whether readers want flawed work which covers a subject which might not be dealt with in full or detailed and accurate work which only covers part of a subject. Remember this I have done the research but Mr Raven hasn't and neither have you. << Are you kidding me? Complacent? Get a life. I've personally worked with Mr. Raven and I can assure you complacency is not in his vocabulary. You can site your 'research' until the cows come home. Until I see your evidence, your proof, you're no more significant than the rest nay-sayers who must find fault with other people's work in order to boost their egos. To claim that Mr. Raven hasn't done his reseach is ludicrous. I've seen his one-of-kind paint chips from the paint lockers of RN vessels, and wasn't even allowed to handle them for fear of altering the paint. I've seen the thousands of unpublisahed photos, letters, and technical notes that have come from sources that include the Admiralty itself. Look at it from this point of view. In nautical circles, Mr. Raven is damn near a legend when it comes to RN subjects. He can call the Admiralty, Naval Historical Center, Norman Freidman, and countless other authorities, and they not only recognize his name, they know his wife's name and their dog's birthday! Although I'm an American, I'm going to borrow a Brit term... SOD OFF. Jeff Herne A WR PRESS AUTHOR. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Clem Jensen" Subject: Cleaning files I neglected to say that the thin brass should be rubbed across the width of the file which will crate the cleaning teeth. I haven't found it necessary, but I'm sure sheet steel would also create the necessary teeth. As an aside but related comment, if you rub the file with chalk before use it will be less likely to foul the teeth. Clem Jensen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: SeaPhoto@aol.com Subject: USS Iowa arrival information I know that a number of the folks attending the SMML convention are planning to view the USS Iowa (BB-61) transit through San Francisco Bay to the Mothball Fleet in Susuin. The good news is that an arrival date has been published. Please understand that this is TENTATIVE! You should verify times is this is important to you. She should be transiting under the Golden Gate Bridge Thursday night at midnight. I know this is a disappointment, but what can you do. There will be some other opportunities to view her. She is due under the Richmond Bridge Friday morning at 6:00 am, and under the Martinez Bridge at 9:00 am. Finally, she passes under the Benicia bridge at Noon, and ties up at the Mothball Fleet at 3:00 PM, Friday Afternoon. For those interested in photographing her transit, I took a trip up to the Carquinez Straights today to scout out locations. The best place to see her from an elevated viewpoint (none of the above bridge are pedestrian accessible) is from the South shore of the Martinez Bridge. This is where she should past closest to land. If you take Highway 80 north from Oakland, take the Cummings Skyway exit, and follow it around to Crocket. You will see a restaurant parking lot on the East side of the bridge, and this appears a good place to park in the morning to view her. If you are really adventurous, there is a freeway onramp with a fence that may or may not be legal to access - I will leave it up to you! Once she has passed this point, continue east on the same road, and follow the shore - you will see another nice outcropping about 3 miles down that will be a good viewpoint - she should be going slow enough for you to drive there easily in time. A little further to the east of that is a county park (gates open at 8:00 Am) where you will be able to access the shoreline for some water level views of her. That will be about it for that side of the shore - the road dead ends a few miles beyond that point, although there is a winding access road that leads to highway 4 before the end. You can either double back to the freeway, or take this road; either way you are heading for Benicia and freeway 680. If you take the Benicia (680) bridge, stay in your right hand lane, and pull off at the Vista Point. You will get a nice view of the Mothball Fleet, and the Iowa transiting that bridge. Parking may be an issue, as they are parking a lot of bridge equipment in that lot, and you may not be the only one to know that the Iowa is coming! Another view of the Mothball fleet can be had by staying on 680 north, toward Sacramento, and taking the Lake Herman off ramp - about 3 miles north of the Bridge. There is a Vista Point there that will let you see the Mothball Fleet quite clearly. The Iowa will probably be mooring on the outboard side of the fleet, however. After, if you still are in the mood to see old navy ships, take the 680 south until you reach the 780 freeway, and head toward the Vallejo ferry landing/waterfront. There is an old LPH tied up on the opposite side of the waterfront, just across the channel - you will be much closer to her than any of the mothball ships. Note too the sail from the old ballistic missile submarine "Vallejo" which has been cut off and is in storage there. Hope this helps! Kurt SeaPhoto Maritime Photography www.warshipphotos.com Now taking credit cards via Paypal! Warship Models Underway www.warshipmodelsunderway.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "William Oreto" Subject: Re: Arizona Memorial Go to www.nps.gov/scru/home.htm Its the National Parks Service Submerged Cultural Resources Unit web page. It was posted on the Warship board sometime back. Scroll down once you get to the site and punch up the Arizona site. It will provide you with drawings of what the Arizona looks like today submerged. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "John Sutherland" Subject: Skytrex Hi Shane, Someone asked for comments on Skytrex and few have responded. I would agree with an earlier comment that they are hardly models being almost totally finished. The comments to date seem to be based on the Meridian series - the 1/700 cruisers. To me the cruiser I have (Black Prince 1943) seems and looks accurate but unless you have the tools and aptitude to work with metal (I don't) they are virtually unalterable. Fortunately she is modelled in the period I wanted. I managed to replace some separate small bits with better WEM resin replacements on Black Prince and used a WEM Dido PE fret on it where I could remove the metal bit successfully. I have also obtained a number of Skytrex's 1/600 scale Triton range. These include many subjects available from nowhere else, even in 1/700. They are simplified but perversely require more "putting together" than the cruisers - so the ability to modify is greater. Notably they include a Weir and LRE conversion V&W class as well has heaps of fairmilles, trawlers, minesweepers, cargo ships, CAM, tankers, landing craft/ships, U class sub, fl***r, etc. plus a couple of Hunts - and that's just the British subjects. WEM they are not, more than adequate bases for nice models of otherwise unobtainable subjects they are. Combine them with some WEM resin extras, perhaps some PE, and some research (instruction sheets are very poor) and you can make some really nice models. Skytrex's printed catalogue (but not their Website) list a new range (about to be issued no dates?) for two fully painted / completed 1/700 V&Ws - Vidette as an unmodified and Wolverine as an SRE conversion. My references show Vidette was an SRE - the blurb from Skytrex claims she was unmodified through the whole war. Wolverine is of the larger sized class. Hope they get it right! It is not clear whether they are an extension of the Triton wargaming series (they are listed immediately after them) or the Meridian collectors series (they are coded MS1 and MS2). Maybe someone can shed light on these two projects. Service and packing is very good, but overseas customers be warned that their fixed shipping costs are astronomical which is a shame. Hope this helps John Sutherland Wellington, New Zealand -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: cwjerden Subject: Thanks for T-2 info Howdy to all of you. I was very pleased to read the comments on the list tonight, about the BP, T-2, Chisholm Trail. Sorry for not getting back sooner, I have been stuck working alot on a plastic winggy thing for the last week. It has been so busy that I have just down loaded a weeks E-mail tonite! A small mistake on ONE 3/16th fastener started an avalanch of BS that still echos around Ft.Worth. That tiny snowball tossed off the top of the Alps rolled merrily down a mountain side of ego, stupidy, petty poltics and pride till it rolled into our shop causing massive disaster. But I'm not BITTER.... I just love new programs(F-22)...NOT!! Anywho... The Chisholm Trail, Commissioned Febuary 1945 from the Kaiser, Swan Island Yard in Portland Oregon. Hull #120 made just one wartime passage and may never have been given guns. She was sold to BP in 1947 and all my checking says she sailed under that name for all her time with BP. Sold by BP in 1955 and renamed Montsoreau. She sailed for her new owners until June 12,1961 When she collided with the French tanker Isidora, in a thick fog. Towed by Isidora and beached, She was later refloated and sent to the scrapers in Febuary 1962. I thank those who forwarded information on how this ship was probaly painted. Had I "swag-ed" it I would have been wrong. I would like to ask if anyone knows how the pipe work on the main decks would have been painted. Would it have been painted a deck color or a contrasting color? I have seen it both ways on different Tanker models, I'm just wondering what the BP practice was From 48' to 55'. Anyone tell me of a place on the web that may have BP spacific info on their tankers? This project has been daunting from the get-go and has been shelved for lack of information and parts several times. Like the valve wheels for the deck. I now have a nice collection of "N"and "HO" scale wheels in plastic and Photo etch, They are just too large for 1/400 scale. Looks like a Merry-go-round on deck. I have some nice ones on some other 1/350 PE sets, but one or two will not help this project. I need "30 something" of them. Anyone know how to do a one-off PE project? This maybe the only solution to this problem. I always seem to select projects that expand my skills as a modeler. Now if I can just find more time to practice! Happy Easter to all C.W. Jerden Ft. Worth Tx -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: royrichey@att.net Subject: KM Destroyers for Jim Jim, Sorry for the delay, computers been down for a couple of days, not Rusty's virus--had to borrow a card to set up my new one. A couple of good sources for destroyer photos are: German Destroyers of World War II, M.J. Whitley, Naval Institute Press. org and revised ed. Warship, Vol 1. A three part'er on the 'Narvik' class by Anthony Preston. Naval institute Press Whitley's book has a section on the Barbara refits. The Preston article has a lot of line drawings, but should be compared to photos when possible. It also has a P & E followed by hull cross-sections for the Z-37 to Z-39 series that appear to be yard drawings. I had one other decent reference but haven't figured out where I laid it down. I also have German Destroyers and Escorts, World War 2 Photo Album series, Paul Beaver, AZTEC Corp, Tucson, AZ (out of print I think). Good source of generic photos, but mostly undated and unidentified. My other destroyer references for photos are several books on the Kreigsmarine during the war. These cover mostly the large ships and u-boats, but an occasional destroyer photo slips in. Roy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: royrichey@att.net Subject: Help! Had my Gneisenau hull on the patio for a coat of sanding primer and it rained. The forward half of the main deck was planked, but not sealed, and it got wet. I've got some bubbles now, any ideas on correcting this short of stripping the planking off and starting over. Roy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "JAmes McCormick" Subject: Re: Gato Plans Mark, The foating drydock plans to get would be for USS Cod. The Cod was NEVER updated from her wartime condition, and even today, she still remains the only fully intact Gato. The USS Cod is located now in Cleveland, Ohio, a couple hundred feet from the Rock and Roll hall of fame(big, used clothing museum to me). Jim McCormick -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: Minadmiral@aol.com Subject: 1250/1200 models Hi Guys; Shaya Novak suggested I ask y'all about places to buy 1:1200/1250 models direct from overseas. I want Navis/Neptune and anyone else with WWI ships. The eyes are getting bad and the muscle spasms make it hard to do the smaller stuff these days Thanks Chuck Duggie WoodenWalls Listmeister http://www.egroups.com/group/WoodenWalls Naval wargamer, amateur naval historian, and ship modeler -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: Richard Simpson Subject: Request: Hull lines for HMS Lord Nelson (Pre-dreadnought) Can anyone suggest where I might be able to find the hull lines for HMS Lord Nelson or her sister? I have checked Burt 1889 - 1904 and British Battleships of WWI, no joy. I have checked Parks, no joy. I need a good set of hull lines, nothing more. Can anyone suggest a source? Thanks and Regards Richard Simpson Sydney, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, 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