Subject: SMML VOL 1305 Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 01:09:09 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: WW1 German Navy Colors 2: NY Harbour canal boats 3: Re: Wolverine/Sable Info 4: Re: Resin vs. Plastic 5: Appropiate models for a 12 year old 6: Re: Anatomy of the Ship 7: Re: John Haynes Fittings? 8: Re: Resin kit producers (M.Bartel) 9: Re: Revell Yorktown (CV-5) 10: Re: Revell Yorktown CV 5 11: resin kit manufacturers 12: Great news from "Seals Models"??? 13: Sailing ship questions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Plastic Ship Modeler update -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Jim Klein" Subject: WW1 German Navy Colors Hi Relevant to some recent discussion on the colors of German WW1 battleships, there's a chap selling several unusual 1917 vintage color lithograpic images. They show heavily weathered Imperial battleships. I was surprised to see that the life rafts were dark gray and not red. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1159754082 Hate to bring up ebay again but I think this is interesting. Jim -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Bobbie Sickler" Subject: NY Harbour canal boats Do you know of a person or society interested in N.Y. Harbor canal boats and cement barges turn of the century? thanks, joe -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Fred Bultman" Subject: Re: Wolverine/Sable Info The first place I would look for these drawings is the Institute for Great Lakes Research at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. They do have a website but I don't have the URL. They have the original Amship drawings and the Great Lakes Engineering Works drawings. I would also check with the Great Lakes Historical Society in Vermilion, Ohio. They used to have some of the Amship drawings but I believe these are now at Bowling Green. HTH Fred -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Michael Bartel Subject: Re: Resin vs. Plastic >> We may not be the step-children of the mold injected industry for much longer for they may stop producing ship kits. Didn't one company already drop manufacturing ship models? Just thinking out loud. << The hobby industry as a whole is getting more interesting, even as the competition for its attention for younger modelers begins to affect it. Model railroad companies, for one, are taking more risks. There are many items coming out in injection-moulded plastic that would have been done only in brass ten years ago- or maybe they wouldn't have been done at all. Companies are taking more risks. As one modeler said, "Once Like-Like released their HO scale Proto 2000 series EMD BL-2 locomotive, I began to think anything was possible". And, as for myself, when Atlas released their plastic HO (and that bitchin' nice O scale) Amtrak AEM-7 elecric locomotive, I began to think that miracles could indeed happen! Even some of the brass importers are trying resin for their limited-run pieces of rolling stock - and they're made here in the USA! Other areas of the hobby (aircraft, etc.) are also seeing new life injected into the hobby. Minicraft's new airliner series is excellent, and who thought we would ever see a decent Lockheed Electra in 1:144 at a good price? (But, will we ever see a beautiful plastic 1:100 scale Super VC-10?) Revell of Germany is becoming one of the most prolific, with car and aircraft kits that no one has ever heard of. So, plastic ship model companies may eventually be doing the same thing, albeit on a smaller scale. (Model railroading is after all, a market unto itself.) We are already seeing some evidence. After all, Fujimi did the obscure Hosho a few years ago, and ICM's Konig class ships are certainly unusual for any scale. With all the Chinese companies proliferating now, I keep thinking that some enterprising Chinese might start making a line of plastic 1:700 scale waterline ships with a selection that would make any resin manufacturer envious. Who knows what kind of quality they would give us, but it might be interesting nonetheless... Until then, we have a neverending supply of resin (and now, metal) kits to keep us happy. Mike Bartel IHP http://ihphobby.tripod.com 'Bushydo- the way of the shrub. Bonsai!!!!' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Stuart Batchelor Subject: Appropiate models for a 12 year old I have a question for the group. My 12 year old nephew, who is staying with my parents in Oregon, called and asked for some advice that is beyond me (this started out as what models did I want, and then I found out what they were after, there is a big difference) They are looking for models that would be appropriate for him to start modeling. He has built 5 to 6 so far in the past couple of years, spread out among cars, planes, tanks and ships (they are currently working on the Revell Ark Royal/Tribal combo). My mother valiantly sacrificed a couple of emery boards, my father some nippers and the trusty #11 Xacto. My parents remember the basics from me (oh so many years ago, firecrackers and pellet guns not allowed, no idea why not :-). In talking to him, taking two days to build is almost forever, but with some kind, grandparent type of oversight, two to three days is doable, although paint is strictly forbidden (brand new house to retire in). Any suggestions and or help from the parents out there in SMMLie land? Thanks, Stuart Batchelor Tulsa, Oklahoma -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "David Griffith" Subject: Re: Anatomy of the Ship Hi all! It's my understanding that some of the Anatomy of the Ship titles, at least, are to be reprinted shortly. Conway Maritime Press were too small to survive producing high quality books for a "niche market", and have been taken over by Brassey, who intend to re-release some of their list. AFAIK Hood is to come out soon, and I would imagine titles such a Yamato and Victory will be likely to be follow. Regards, David -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Bill & Kaja Michaels" Subject: Re: John Haynes Fittings? >> For anyone building in 1/192 or larger, I recommend you check out the various fittings produced by John Haynes. John is a professional builder and does some incredible work. He has an extensive list of resin and metal fittings available. I've used a number of his fittings on some 1/96 scale models I've built and highly recommend them. His 5"/38 open mounts are marvelous and he makes a 26' motor whaleboat that is very, very nice. Visit his website at: www.johnrhaynes.com << I tried the URL supplied, and got a "404" error. Is that really the correct URL? Check out my US Coast Guard subjects model list at: http://www.tiac.net/users/billkaja/kitlist.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "D.Przezdziecki" Subject: Re: Resin kit producers (M.Bartel) The SMML vol.1303 and 1304 got lost in the post so this reply is a bit late in coming but anyway here it goes: what are getting so upset about Michael?? I have said clearly that I do not pidgeon-hole all resin producers into one category. Are you trying to tell me that vast majority of them are the good guys and that the bad ones are exceptional??? You mention four names of the people with great reputation (and I could name further few) but "hosts of the others"??? Aren't you overstating things a bit? For every name you mentioned I could mention two which are not up to the standarts and which are guilty of all the things that I accuse them of. Begining with NCR's trurly monstrous "Brooklyn" and the Viking's misfits, than the well ment but badly designed and produced HP's kits,followed by some flawed Modelkrak's resins and their dismal customer service. And so on and so forth... Lets praise the good and critisize the not so good ones hoping that they will improve with time or sink without a trace. Regards D.P -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Stephen Allen Subject: Re: Revell Yorktown (CV-5) Michael There are reviews of the GMM kit and, I believe, the Nautilus resin island and details, at Felix Bustelo's International Maritime Modeler site. I am building the Revell (1:480 scale) Yorktown right now, in its 1940 fit. I am using the GMM photo-etch, which I can recommend highly, and you are right about the hull and flight deck, both are pretty good. Almost everything else needs work or replacement, as Revell has severely simplified major components and after decades in production the moulds are well and truly worn. I'm scratchbuilding a lot of what needs work - new island, fighting top, directors - the list goes on. Between them, the GMM and Nautilus kits will give you a lot for a CV-5,6 or 8, but you would still need to do quite a bit to correct mistakes like the flight deck supports fore and aft, add detail to the hangar walls, open up the catwalk/gallery deck area etc, and customise for the particular ship and period. Do buy the Classic Warships Yorktown class photo album, its detail photos have proven absolutely essential to get the details of structures like the island correct. There are also good online photo resources at www.steelnavy.com and the Office of Naval History. Happy to talk about my experiences building the kit in more detail. regards Stephen Allen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Keith Bender" Subject: Re: Revell Yorktown CV 5 I built this two years ago and went all out then drew the line because the price I was getting for the job, I couldn't give the man the very best work for pennies understand. Anyway the kit is a good base to start with. Using Gold Medal photoetch will bring this old kit around nicely. There are many things to do for instance a few: Add an armor belt to the hull. relocate and scratchbuild the shafts ,the kit is completely wrong. Also the photoetch kit gives you the props. I put a hanger in mine and this required allot of "bondo" work. While assembling the hanger bulkheads you must fill a very large gap between the hull and bulkhead flooring that comes as one piece. You must add many beams and girders under the flightdeck overhang all the way around the ship. These are just a few major things I've done. I built mine as early 1940 with the "Y" on the stack in overall light gray. The aircraft have yellow wing tops with their squadron stripes. Makes for a very colorful model. Keith -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Ken Goldman" Subject: resin kit manufacturers It's always good to be able to say something nice about a resin kit manufacturer, in this case, one of the big boys. In the midst of the recent thread about the down side of the cottage resin industry, I contacted Verlinden about buying some kit parts to use in a scratchbuild project that would fill in a hole in my collection of one of their lines. Their response was a quick and firm. They would not sell me the parts, but they would send them to me for free if I would give them the number of a kit that included those parts. The entire transaction from my initial query to my receipt of the parts took five days! Take about customer support! Ken Goldman THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER unique wood sculpture and fine scale models www.walruscarpenter.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "D.Przezdziecki" Subject: Great news from "Seals Models"??? To those of you who are not frequent visitors to Steelnavy.com let me relay a message posted there recently. A gentleman describing himself as a representative of Foresight Inc. (a producers of "Seals Models" series) has anounced that they will release 1/700 plastic injection model of "Izumo" of Tsushima fame. I do sicerely hope that it is not a hoax. Regards D.P -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: Friedrich Kappes Subject: Sailing ship questions Britannia (store ship, purchased in 1781) date of entry into service Ant (ex French Arabe, taken by RN in 1797) date of completion LŽInvincible General Bonaparte (taken in 1798, became Brazen) date of completion Magnet (ex French Le Saint Joseph, taken in 1809) date of completion Orestes (ex Dutch Mars, captured in 1781) date of completion Trimmer (ex US/French? Anti-Briton, captured in 1782) date of completion Duke William (purchased in 1763) date of completion Advice Prize (ex French ?, captured in 1704) date of completion Thank you very much in advance!! Friedrich The FriedrichFiles http://sites.netscape.net/friedkappes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Daniel H Jones Subject: Plastic Ship Modeler update Plastic Ship Modeler number 25 will be going to press on July 9th. We were delayed slightly by our computer crash of June 30th. but we are back up and running and almost all of the important file material was recovered. News! As many of you may already know, White Ensign Models will no longer be accepting subscriptions as our agents in England. I am very grateful for Dave and Caroline's enthusiastic support for the magazine for the past few years, and I very much regret that due primarily to the fluctuating monetary exchange rates it was no longer economically feasible for them to continue. As WEM will no longer be carrying the magazine, we have made arrangements to be able to accept credit card payment for direct subscriptions. You can now pay for your subscription by credit card or by direct transfer to our bank account through Paypal, the on-line funds transfer service. Signing on with Paypal is easy, and it is free. You can check this out at www.Paypal.com Dan Jones Plastic Ship Modeler magazine -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Backissues, Member's models & reference pictures at: http://smmlonline.com 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