Subject: SMML VOL 1334 Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 00:17:43 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Lindberg Pearl Harbor set 2: minesweeper kit 3: Re: Airbrushing tips 4: Norton, just say no 5: The Captain And The Shark 6: Re: Plastic model ID 7: Re: Plastic model ID 8: USS Enterprise windbreaker coat 9: WW 1 110' Submarine Chasers 10: Re: Adding details ad infinitum 11: Good model story -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Sean and Mary Obrien Subject: Lindberg Pearl Harbor set Has anyone seen the Lindberg Pearl Harbor set? It has 2 battleships that are supposed to be Arizona and the Pennsylvania (I think.) I had to tell my 7 year old maybe next time. I don't recall ever seeing these before. Are they worth getting? No one in the shop has seen one in or out of the box. My son seems to have an interest in modeling, would these be a good starter ship for him? We built an F117 stealth fighter together and he was able to retain an interest from start to finish. Any info would be great. Thanks, Sean O'B. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Shirley Sachsen Subject: minesweeper kit >> Can anyone please help me identify the following plastic model military vessel. It is a low quality (Pyro type) model of what maybe an early '50's Minesweeper approx 17" long and 3.5"beam in approx 1/140 scale. << by the description, it sounds like a Lindberg kit that I have... it is motorized like the Fletcher, and has no further identification than 'Minesweeper' on the box. not being up on these vessels, I don't know if it's US or UK, or even how accurate it is. the appeal to me was the finished size and the motorizing. someday we're going to have a pond in the backyard and want to float something other than sailboats :-) s -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: SeaPhoto@aol.com Subject: Re: Airbrushing tips I use the Aztek A470 airbrush, and like it a lot, particularly the ease of cleaning. This is a great airbrush for someone starting out, and Model Expo has them fairly cheaply in sets. Some suggestions: 1. The only way to airbrush is by doing. Nothing you read, hear or see will get you up to speed nearly as quickly as putting paint through the nozzle. 2. When you are starting out, keep notes on mixing ratios and air pressure. 3. Do yourself a favor, and buy a good compressor, in the long run it will save you money. 4. I use Model Master paints, thinned with regular lacquer thinner. Works great, dries fast. You do need to have good ventilation, but that is true of the regular MM paints too. I use a Paasche Paint booth vented to the outside through a dryer duct. 5. Clean your airbrush by running thinner through it after spraying anything. At the end of the session, clean it per manufacturers recommendation. 6. Strain your paint after mixing. An old nylon works fine, or cheesecloth from the hardware store. 7. Practice. First, practice on sheet plastic. Many stores have temporary displays made of styrene. In the trade, these are known as POS (Point of Sale) materials, and are usually thrown away after use. From Gas Stations to Supermarkets, there are many potential sources. It won't take long before you find the right mix that will let you lay down a nice strip, with no runs or spits. Then practice on some old models. 8. The learning curve for airbrushing is not steep, at least for basic painting. After about 1 hour of actual painting, you will probably be ready to do a nice job After learning how to airbrush, the next most important thing is masking well. The most common error here is using the fuzzy edge of most tapes. Even well packed tapes pick up dust and debris on the edge with handling, which results in a fuzzy edge on your model. I have tried keeping my masking tape in a plastic bag when not in use, which helps, but the real answer is to cut a fresh edge right before use. I have a marble floor tile that I picked up at Home Depot that I put a length of tape on, and then cut in half with a fresh hobby knife to give me two clean lengths of tape. Extra work, but the results are much better. Keep those liquid masking mediums in your painting arsenal too; there are occasions when they are the only way to go. Kurt Greiner SeaPhoto Maritime Photography www.warshipphotos.com Now taking credit cards via Paypal! Warship Models Underway www.warshipmodelsunderway.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Norton, just say no >> So much for Norton Anti-Virus protection, ptui! << I agree with you Keith. Not wanting to start an anti-Norton thread, but I got a virus just as you did about 4 months ago. After I hired a company to clean up the mess, they suggested switching to McAfee Anti Virus. They installed it for me and it picked up eight viruses Norton completely missed as well right there in the shop! Since I had McAfee installed it has picked up two viruses that came in from email. As I said, I don't want to start an anti-Norton thread. I'm sure they make a fine product. It just didn't work well for me. Rusty White 2003 IPMS/USA National Convention Chairman OKC IN 2003! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Victor M. Baca" Subject: The Captain And The Shark The good news is the U.S. Navy finally exonerated the late captain of the USS Indianapolis for his role in the sinking of his ship. Now they should hang the ...tards who strung him up to dry in order to cover their own incompetence. All good things have a negative to balance it off. Mel Gibson is set to star in a new naval movie, playing the role of captain on the ill-fated USS Indianapolis. The working title is, "The Captain And The Shark." I can handle a guy from Down Under playing an American captain, but can hardly wait to see the postings when someone spies a Spruance class ship in the background. Geez-here we go again...It's gonna be another "Pearl Harbor" around here --my scrolling finger can hardly wait... Victor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Craig R Bennett Subject: Re: Plastic model ID Hi Paul Your minesweeper model sounds like Lindberg's Minesweeper model of the USS Sentry AM-299. Craig -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: ALROSS2@aol.com Subject: Re: Plastic model ID >> It is a low quality (Pyro type) model of what maybe an early '50's Minesweeper approx 17" long and 3.5"beam in approx 1/140 scale. << Off-hand, it sounds like one of the old Lindberg 185' ADMIRABLE class minesweeper kits. I don't have one at hand, so can't compare measurements, although at 1/140, the hull would be just under 16". The heavy-handed plating is consistent with the Lindberg kit, as are the other features described. In the USN, these vessels were used primarily as minesweepers (AM) and escort vessels (PCE). As PCEs, the armament was augmented with additional 20mm and 40mm. I don't believe any AMs were transferred to the RN, however. Not knowing what was in the original model builder's mind, the following is purely conjectural. Perhaps he was trying to simulate a BANGOR class RN minesweeper as the two have vaguely (and I do mean vaguely!) similar silhouettes. However, according to Lenton and Colledge, the M superior was primarily assigned to controlled minelayers, while the sweepers had the J superior. Perhaps he was just "freelancing" and creating his own version. Hard to say for sure. Al Ross -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Rodney Dauteuil Jr." Subject: USS Enterprise windbreaker coat Hello Gang, I know this is going to be off topic, but the folks on the list have a great collective knowledge that I want to tap. I just bought an airplane and was going through it (A real Cessna 177B Cardinal, not one of those plastic ones). There was a box that the former owner left behind which had some junk, including what I though was a hood to a nylon windbreaker jacket. So I pulled it out, realized that it was a light coat, and I saw from the inside there was a patch. It was the patch for the USS Enterprise CVN-65. The design is what I believe to be the ship's crest. Around the circumference are the words USS ENTERPRISE on top, and CVN-65 on the bottom. There is a gray silhouette of the carrier with a gold E outlined over and through it. There is the standard nuclear symbol, and two hemispheres of the globe. It is the same design that Tamiya has on the box of their model. On the left breast panel on front is the name USS Enterprise embroidered in gold. The manufacturer is simply "The Warm Up." I know a lot of you were on the Big "E", and wondered if this sounds at all familiar? I honestly don't know how authentic this coat is, or if it's just a knock-off wannabe coat. I'm torn---Do I keep it as a military memento, do I try to sell it on Ebay, or do I remove the patches and frame them, for when I make my Tamiya 1/350 scale CVN65? Can anybody help with information? Thanks, Rod -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: WW 1 110' Submarine Chasers Recently I asked SMML people who had an interest in WW 1 110' Submarine Chasers to contact me, as I am building a model, and am willing to share the considerable info I have gathered in the process. I got some interesting responses as a result. Thank you, SMML. The replies have led me to inquire again, this time to see if anyone has, or can direct me to, any technical literature such as hand books, manuals, or operating instructions and the like for the equipment such as engines (manufactured by The Standard Motor Construction Co. , of Jersey City, N.J.), listening devices, weapons, etc. My original offer of help remains valid, for if I cannot furnish info, I may be able to steer you to others who are far more kowledgable than I. That's my way of paying back for the help I have received in the past. Franklyn Brown Boston, Mass. (USA) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: Re: Adding details ad infinitum In response to Joseph Poutre and the adding of details ad infinitum, I guess our models are like the great cathedrals, in that they never will be "finished". As for actually saying "Finished", I should live so long ( a nice thought). Franklyn Brown Boston, Mass. (USA) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Dave Shirlaw Subject: Good model story From the Maritime History List: >> In 1960, Renwal Plastics Corporation marketed a new and unusual kit. It was of the first US Polaris Submarine USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (SSBN 598) (ex-USS PERMIT). What made the kit unique was the fact that it had a completely detailed interior. The starboard half of the hull was hinged at the keel so that it could open downward to reveal the detailed interior. The model had periscopes, masts and antennae that could be raised and lowered and had a spring loaded missile tube to fire a miniature Polaris missile. All-in-all, the interior was not very accurately replicated beyond compartment size and general arrangement, with one exception - the reactor compartment. Even the details of the reactor and the reactor compartment were fanciful, however, in the original kits, the compartment had a double bulkhead forward and aft. The kit designers did this in order to make their general proportions for the compartments "fit" correctly. What they had unwittingly done with these void spaces, was to "suggest" how those early US submarine reactors were secondary-shielded; with seawater compensated fuel oil tanks (for the auxiliary diesel generator) at the forward and after ends of the compartment. The Soviet Embassy bought up a bunch of the kits and shipped them home for evaluation. Rickover went ballistic over the incident and the Renwal Company was forced to remove the remaining original kits from distribution and re-design the reactor compartment. The kit was re-released about a year later, and was followed by "upgraded" kits of the lead ships of later classes of Polaris boats; USS ETHAN ALLEN, USS LAFAYETTE and USS THOMAS JEFFERSON. Jim Roberts Budd Lake, NJ Member: Nautical Research Guild Ship Model Society of Northern New Jersey United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. << Dave Shirlaw Editor, Seawaves Magazine www.seawaves.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://apma.org.au/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume