Subject: SMML VOL 1307 Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2001 01:14:23 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Revell Flower Class Corvette in-box review 2: Detail sets for FLower class corvette? 3: Search for HMS Hood 4: Revell Midway class carrier 5: Despatch No. 9? 6: Re: Destroyer deck colors 7: Re: YAMATO PLATING & I-19 SUBMARINE. QUESTIONS FOR IJN EXPERTS 8: FITTINGS 9: Models for 12 year olds & others 10: Re: Rigging material 11: Re: I-19 12: Samek kits 13: Models for Novices 14: Re: John Haynes fittings 15: Ian Buxton's "Big Gun Monitors" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Update For Model Ship Journal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Bill & Kaja Michaels" Subject: Revell Flower Class Corvette in-box review Revell-Germany Flower-class Corvette In-box Quick Review About 10 years ago, I built the Matchbox version of this kit, converting it to radio control. I ran the model for a few years, and then sold it just before a cross-country move. It was a nice-running model, and I was glad to see R-G re-issue the kit. I've just received my new HMCS Snowberry kit. Here are my first impressions, with some comparisons to the older Matchbox offering. First off, the two kits are from the same molds. Oddly enough, the new Revell offering can be built as either the HMCS Snowberry or the USS Saucy. The older Matchbox version of the kit also included an option to build the HMS Bluebell. I don't know why the folks at R-G decided to drop the British version. The instruction booklet is new. It has been re-written from the original Matchbox version, and is now in 8 languages. The booklet is printed on newsprint, instead of the glossy magazine-like paper the Matchbox version was printed on. The sequence looks to be the same, and the differences between Snowberry and Saucy are clearly called out. The one thing I miss from the original instructions is that the nice color drawings showing the different vessel's camouflage patterns have been replaced by black and white renditions. The colors are called out in an table at the start of the instructions. The colors are given by name, and with a "Revell number". I'm not sure how those numbers are supposed to match with the leading brands of paint on the market. (The old matchbox kit used Humbrol numbers, IIRC.) The kit is molded in three main colors. The hull parts and one sprue of deck fittings are molded in the typical Revell battleship grey. The decks are molded in a light tan, and the rest of the parts are molded in a very light blue-ish gray. (Since Snowberry is the featured model, I wish they had molded the kit in white!) The kit also includes a sheet of decals, a paper flag sheet, anchor chain, and two spools of thread (black and tan). The parts were all well packed. A cursory examination of the sprues showed that the parts are equal to or better than the ones that came in the old Matchbox kit. A number of parts in my old kit were out of round, caused by mold mis-alignment, which this new kit doesn't seem to have. Flash also appears to be minimal. It doesn't look like I'll be spending a lot of time filing and sanding to get the depth charges round this time! As I looked at the sprues, it looked to me that the parts needed to build HMS Bluebell are all still there. If you could get your hands on a copy of the old Matchbox instructions, I'm pretty sure you could build the Bluebell. (Although you'd have to come up with your own decals.) I know I saved my old copy somewhere....... In summary, Revell-Germany has done a nice job with this re-issue of this old kit. Compared to the old kit, this new one is a bargain. I remember the old one retailed for about $130(US), and that I grabbed mine when Squadron ran a brief special at $70. In 2001, a number of vendors and shops are offering this kit for $70 to $75, and I think full retail is only $90! Now is the time to get one of these kits-- I doubt the price will be lower next time around! Bill and Kaja Michaels -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Bill & Kaja Michaels" Subject: Detail sets for FLower class corvette? Does anyone have a source for detail kits/fittings upgrades designed to be used with the 1/72 Revell Flower Corvette? I know that David Parkins used to make some fitting for the old Matchbox kit, but I understood them to be OOP now. I looked at the WEM page, found a listing for the Revell kit, but nothing for any sort of upgrades. I thought I'd ask here before trying my alternate plan: Finding the appropriate HR or Sirmar or whoever fittings, piece by piece.... Bill Check out my US Coast Guard subjects model list at: http://www.tiac.net/users/billkaja/kitlist.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "DJMartin56" Subject: Search for HMS Hood This may have been mentioned before, but on Thursday night Channel 4 news in the UK started a series of articles on the search for HMS Hood, which is currently underway - sponsored by C4 and the Hood Association. Interviews with Ted Briggs, the sole survivor from Hood's sinking alive today, scenes of the Hood, the explorers etc etc. Check out the Channel 4 website for more info, there may be daily updates on the news program, no doubt with a book/video to follow in due course. Also mentioned was the discovery of HMS Exmouth sunk by a U-Boat off Scotland in 1939? Amazing really, all of a sudden our ships are getting prime time exposure, not a day too soon! Douglas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Revell Midway class carrier I just picked up a early 1950s vintage Revell kit of the USS Franklin Midway class carrier. Does anyone know what the approximate scale of this kit is?? I'm hoping to find some photoetch that I can adapt to this kit. Also does anyone know any upsides or downsides to this kit?? Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Bill & Kaja Michaels" Subject: Despatch No. 9? The Lindberg Diesel Tug kit claims to be a model of the "Despatch No. 9". No other info is given with the kit. There used to also be a wooden waterline model of the same tug, in HO scale. This tug was described as being an ex-Army 86 foot steel hulled WW2 era tug, that ended up as a Standard Oil Company tug in the SF Bay area. I'm trying to find any information about the Despatch No. 9. I'm especially trying to find any info about the color schemes these tugs carried. Do any of the SF Bay area modelers know anything about these Standard Oil tugs? Bill Check out my US Coast Guard subjects model list at: http://www.tiac.net/users/billkaja/kitlist.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "J. London" Subject: Re: Destroyer deck colors Deck color is one thing that is difficult to fathom with any accuracy since very few technical publications give such information. British destroyers would have had corticene decks if built in the 20's or 30's except in way of the deck over machinery spaces which were left clear to dissipate heat. These decks were usually hull color. The corticene was a chocolate color (Humbrol #29). Wartime construction dispensed with corticene but late in the war a material called Semtex (not to be confused with the explosive by that name) came into use probably in Battle Class and on. This was a light beige. but was frequently painted blue or green. In way of anchor equipment forward either red lead (Humbrol #100) or black. For German destroyers decks were usually dark gray (Humbrol #27). Corticene (which was red for German ships [Humbrol #100]) does not appear to have been used on German destroyers. Early Japanese destroyers had decks painted hull color but later ships used corticene similar to British ships and also black or hull color in non-corticene areas. Wartime construction would have had hull color although the large Akizuki Class ships, many of which were started before the war, may have been an exception and had black and corticene decks. Michael London -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: Re: YAMATO PLATING & I-19 SUBMARINE. QUESTIONS FOR IJN EXPERTS Kerry, I would get the three Gakken books on the Yamato, two soft bound (#11 & #20), and one hard bound (Special #2). For the I-19 I would also go to the Gakken series of soft bound #17. I have gotten most all of these at Pacific Front Hobbies. Steve Wiper -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "DUCKMAN" Subject: FITTINGS HI ALL, PLEASE RECOMMEND SOMEWHERE TO PURCHASE MODERN 1:350 FITTINGS. THANX, DAVID -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Bill Daisley" Subject: Models for 12 year olds & others Hi Hi My 6 year old & I have been building 1/144 planes for a while but he has always been keen on ships... Revell's Lexington turned up at a garage sale for 2.00$ and we proceeded with a 3 day project (day 1 & 2 were a few midnight hours scratch building an elevator for the port side ... but it was ONLY 2.00) at the end of day three, Ben has a large bathtub toy and a dozen really small airplanes that he wants to paint when school is done (gosh... that's NOW) Hints; antenna, crane & props were carefully lost on day 1 as his brother is three. A little extra super glue after the non-toxic cement has set has yielded a pretty rugged toy... I may add a bit of ballast to the next one. AND I'm sure I heard the sounds of his 1/144 Spitfire landing aboard just now... (let's call it a "Seafire" for all the SMML'ies) PS - we have also discovered the joys of computer drawn paper ships, though their lifespan in the tub is, well, SHORT ! cheers Bill TGH {VP & CEO} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: Rigging material I just finished my WEM Benjamin Stoddart kit just in time for the Nats. I wanted make a quick mention of some new rigging line I tried for the first time on a model. At the recommendation of others on this list I went to a local fishing supply and purchased the thinnest Tippet material they had in stock. For the uninitiated, Tippet material is the plastic thread fly fishermen use to tie their flies. The diameter on my spool read .0035. I don't know if they make any thinner or not, but this stuff is super thin and looks in perfect scale with 1/350 models. It's so thin that you can barely see it on the model, which is as it should be. It works just like nylon thread and contracts well when exposed to a heat source such as a smoldering match head. This stuff is absolutely great and I would recommend it to anyone. I'll never use anything else on my models. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. You can now pay using your Visa / MasterCard http://okclive.com/flagship/ "That's mighty bold talk for a one-eyed fat man!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Ives100@aol.com Subject: Re: I-19 >> Flood port openings in the bottom of the hull. There are several large rectangular openings in the bottom hull. I imagine that there openings could be blocked off with doors? Anybody know? << No, the ballast tank openings on the bottom of the hull are always open. As far as the rest of the submarine, there is a guy by the name of Chris Proctor, who has a large R/C Japanese I submarine, which I believe is I-19. He can be reached over on the SubCommittee website. See: http://www.subcommittee.com/Images7/JLR_SatSR_4.jpg Tom Dougherty -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Robert & Rose Brown Subject: Samek kits You can see Samek's catalog at http://samek.hyperlink.cz/ They have a pretty good range of WWII German subjects and a scattering of other WWII ships in 1/700. Like all of the resin manufactorers I've dealt with (WEM, Corsair Armada, and Samek), they have great products and excellent customer service. I had some problems with their USS Alaska kit. Very nice casting, no bubbles, no malformed parts, good instructions, but the hull was warped badly with the bow being 3mm out of alignment to port, very noticable when the turrets were on. A few parts were also missing. I managed to get the bow back into alignment by repeated heating with boiling water and careful bending (took 6 hours!). I emailed Michal Samek though about the problems, and he sent me the missing parts, some extra bits, a brand new hull, a catalog, and a free kit of Bechelaren, a Danube river monitor. All in less than 2 weeks and at no cost to me. Can't ask for more courteous service than that! As a contrast, I'm still waiting for some missing Airfix parts that were on their way a month ago. Rob -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: Derek Wakefield Subject: Models for Novices I started out building ships when I was 10 and didn't have much paitence either. Eight Hours IMO back then was forever. My favs back then were the Revell 1:720 kits. Sure, they're not very accurate, but back then, as long as they looked something like what they were supposed to represent... Moreso, they're fairly fast builds, and were within the limits of my allowance. Airfix is probably another good choice from the examples I've seen. Both types can be had fairly inexpensively from Model Expo. For the complete novice, the Revell-Germany 1:1200 miniships seem to be a good choice...snap-tight, relatively few parts, and extremely fast builds. As far as the no-paint stipulation, perhaps they would permit paint pens outdoors. Not as wide of a selection of colors, but they're a bit cleaner than bottles and brushes. I've even used black permanent markers in the past when I didn't have paint readily available for boots, portholes, stack tops, etc. Derek Wakefield -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Harold Stockton" Subject: Re: John Haynes fittings As far as I can ascertain on the net, the Floating Drydock is the only place you can get these fittings over here on this side of the pond. You can contact him directly at his UK address. John Haynes fittings 2 Government Road, Hoylake Wirral, Merseyside L47 2DB England Harold Stockton -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: Richard Simpson Subject: Ian Buxton's "Big Gun Monitors" Well, Ebay strikes again. That search I programmed finally kicked up a copy of the above and I have snaffled it for $61 US + shipping. Much less than I would have been prepared to pay. Just shows that Ebay is worth while if you are patient and know your limits (and have programmed a search to do the hard work for you). Now just for a copy of Burt's "British Battleships of WWI". Of course, if anyone has a copy they would be willing to part with, they can always drop me a line at richardsimpson@dingoblue.net.au Happy modelling Richard Simpson Sydney, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Victor M. Baca" Subject: Update For Model Ship Journal The Summer 2001 issue of Model Ship Journal will be delivered from the printer on Monday July 2nd. We will mail immediately to dealers and distributors that evening and begin the subscriber bulk mailing process (takes about a week) on Tuesday. You'll also begin seeing excellent color prototype ship photography from Kurt Greiner's Seaphoto company highlighted on each one of our back covers as a new feature. If you have had difficulty in reaching us by phone the past two weeks, it's because we've been moving into a larger office space which necessitated moving all the computer and phone lines, causing incoming callers to receive busy signals. The new set-up is much nicer and is a natural next-step as our magazine grows. The Fung-Shui is much improved around the office, very nice place to conduct business. last week we were out of the office for Cindy's last-minute surgery in Seattle. She's doing fine and everything should be back to normal on Monday the 2nd. Best Regards, Victor Baca MODEL SHIP JOURNAL www.modelshipjournal.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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