Subject: SMML VOL 1342 Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2001 02:22:36 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: WWII Subchasers 2: Re: Modelkrak kits 3: CV-6 hut 4: USCG in the Gulf War 5: Re: Trumpeter 1/350 Arizona? 6: Re: Trailer on Enterprise 7: Re: SMML VOL 1341 8: Island Class Cutters 9: HMS Hood 10: Forrest Sherman 11: Re: Trumpeter 1/350 Arizona? 12: IJN Destroyer Camouflage 13: Re: German Flowers and Modelwerks 14: Patrol Frigate Model 15: Dullcote spray 16: Workbench Tip 17: Re: Trailer on Enterprise 18: Enterprise 19: Re: WWI 110' Subchasers in 1/32 Scale 20: Re: Trumpeter 1/350 Arizona? 21: 1/350 decals for USN BBs 22: "...Blood Stained Sea" - Pearl Harbor historical fiction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Infomation 1: Site update 2: APMA Magazine reprints 3: [NOT] Squadron Scalefest in Austin 4: Model contest in Austin,Tx -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Update on next two books from Classic Warships Publishing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: WVeigele@aol.com Subject: WWII Subchasers Dear John Kutina, For those modelers interested in the steel hulled, 173' PC Patrol Craft subchasers of World War II you mentioned in your note, the website for the Patrol Craft Sailors Association is www.ww2pcsa.org. The book on PCs you mentioned can be found at www.astralpublishing.com. A 12" x 18" engineering elevation and plan view is in the book, but a complete set of blueprint size engineering drawings of all parts of a typical PC are available from John Tombaugh, 5009 W. Beaman Lane, Rochester, IN 46975. Happy modeling. Bill Veigele -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "D.Przezdziecki" Subject: Re: Modelkrak kits Hello Pelle, I was waiting for White Ensign Models crew to point you to their website since they adveritse that they have ModelKrak kits in stock. But since they are silent let me tell you about it and also of a Polish company Jadar http://www.jadar.com.pl/ which also carry Modelkrak. You might have to be patient with Jadar's website since there are days when you will have to try many times before you will get in but still it might be worth a shot. Regards D.P -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "David Miller" Subject: CV-6 hut The 4-11-45 picture clearly shows the tripod antenna on top of the hut behind the burning F6F. This was a most infomative post. I have never noticed that hut before. Probably connected with the night fighter ops. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Ed Grune Subject: USCG in the Gulf War Hello Duane - and other SMMLies I remember being in Washington DC for the celebrations following the Gulf War. I remember seeing the boats (25' Boaton Whalers) of the Port Security Unit. I have a photo of one of the PSU boats being trailered down Constitution Avenue during the parade. During the Gulf War, was the Coast Guard attached to the Central Command - or was it just sort of a gentlemen's agreement? Similarly, what was the chain of command for the Coast Guard's presence during Vietnam? Now there's a subject DML/Dragon should do in their 1:35 scale figures. A PSU Boat, a coxwain and two gunners. Ed Mansfield, TX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: AAA Hobby Supply Subject: Re: Trumpeter 1/350 Arizona? >> I just heard an interesting rumor that Trumpeter was marketing Banner's new 1/350 Arizona under their own name using different box art than Banner's. Has anyone else heard this? << Well, the kit has the Trumpeter logo on the stands. Not really part of the kit, but evidence that the kit is really from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Ship and Airplane Model Company! The kit was originally advertised as a Trumpeter kit, as is their new 1/700 version. I wonder if it is very similar to the old Revell 1/720 kit? BTW, I am guessing that the kit will be somewhere around 8 oz boxed (revell kit) and the first class for this weight is $1.95, making the total for the kit $8.25 or so. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: AAA Hobby Supply Subject: Re: Trailer on Enterprise Harold, >> When the "E" was damaged by a near miss from a Kamikaze on 11 April 1945, this photograph seems to not have this item present. The trailer has an antenna atop it. The antenna is visible in the photo. This 14 May 1945 photograph does not seem to show this item either. But, is it because of the camera angle, the item was blown overboard by the Kamikaze hit, or that it was not present at that time? << In the latter photo of the pair, an antenna is visible in the extreme right of the photo. I do not think this is the same aerial, rather a normal whip antenna. I think the camera angle from the island is too far forward, missing the area where the van (current term) was parked. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: Re: SMML VOL 1341 >> Strong words and a bitter tone indicate a weak cause - Confucius << James, You could have not said it better. Steve Wiper -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Leslie Brown" Subject: Island Class Cutters Don The Island Class Cutters were derived from a Vosper Thornycroft design which originated over 30 years ago. These vessels have never been used by the RN but the UK Customs & Excise do have one in service - 'Sentinel'. The earlier boats were built for Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Singapore and Peru. The Singaporean vessels were very impressive for their time - mounting a 3" gun! Regards Les Brown -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Leslie Brown" Subject: HMS Hood Channel 4 in the UK will be screening a special documentary at 2130 on Monday 6 August following the successful expedition to find HMS HOOD. Regards Les Brown -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: VONJERSEY@aol.com Subject: Forrest Sherman At the Intrepid Museum there is a destroyer the Edson (DD 196) which I believe is of the Forrest Sherman class. I would love to model this, preferably in plastic. Does anybody know of a 700 scale waterline kit of this class of destroyer? Ken Auslander a/k/a vonJersey@aol.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Loren Perry Subject: Re: Trumpeter 1/350 Arizona? >> I just heard an interesting rumor that Trumpeter was marketing Banner's new 1/350 Arizona under their own name using different box art than Banner's. Has anyone else heard this? << I also heard this story from Brookhurst Hobbies, a GMM dealer who has seldom if ever steered us wrong. It may be credible. Loren Perry/GMM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Procladius@aol.com Subject: IJN Destroyer Camouflage Regarding Jim Davis' question about a camoflaged Mutsuki class DD, I have no hard evidence that IJN DD's carried camouflage schemes during WWII. Painting Systems of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1904 - 1945" by Linton Wells II (Warship International, vol. XIX, no. 1, 1982) has this to say: "During the Pacific War, the use of "dazzle" paint was confined almost exclusively to a few auxiliaries and merchant ships, mostly at the CO's discretion". However, the same source goes on to state, "Beginning in 1942, ships operating in northern waters used white and grey camouflages on vertical surfaces. Decks apparently, were not repainted." I have seen photos of light cruisers and a seaplane tender carrying this camo scheme, but no DD's. It remains a possibility. The Wells article also says "During the summer of 1940, Destroyer Division 30 (Mutsuki, Kisaragi, Yayoi, and Uzuki) operated in a dazzle pattern in the vicinity of the Palau Islands." This is probably what the Hasegawa boxtop represents. Another interesting note on DD colors from the same article, "About 1935, CL Naka and several of the later Fubuki class destroyers were painted olive for test puposes. Even though called olive, it was almost exactly like the brown used by the army for its vehicles. The paint system was not popular and not judged to be very effective, and soon disappeared without lament." An olive brown Naka and Fubuki - now that would be interesting to model! Charles Watson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "R N Pearson" Subject: Re: German Flowers and Modelwerks John Maze asks. . >> Back in May, Bob Pearson asked if anyone had any conversion info on the four Flowers operated by Germany. I did not see an answer - so now I'll ask: Does anyone have info on the differences between Allied Flowers and the four German ones? << One of the members of my corvette mailing list, Stephan Bock, has come upon a small, published drawing of a German Flower. I have used this as the basis for a (still incomplete) profile. The ship is still recognizable as a short focsle Flower, it has a 4.1" gun on the bow, a 20mm Vierling above the bridge, a 37mm in the bandstand, another Vierling in a second bandstand aft of this and a final 37mm on the aft engine room casing. there are also a couple of 20mm mounts. Regards, Bob Pearson View my corvette illustrations at http://members.nbci.com/profileart/non-av/index.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: Dave Shirlaw Subject: Patrol Frigate Model There is a builders model in the front lobby of Todd Pacific Shipyard (http://www.toddpacific.com/) in Seattle. They built several there for the USN and RAN. Dave Shirlaw Editor, Seawaves Magazine www.seawaves.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "Kelvin Mok" Subject: Dullcote spray >> That same can of dull kote you had will do the trick. Spray the entire completed model, it will hide any glue spots too. << I believe there are a number of warnings in the SMML archives and other hobby modelling postings about spraying dullcote on models. First the model must be dust free. But the main complaint I recall was that dullcote yellows and becomes opaque with age. Sometimes it will even craze. On a ship model with these problems will be impossible to restore. Kelvin Mok -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "Kelvin Mok" Subject: Workbench Tip The photocopier repair guy came around and laid out a protective sheet on the table before proceeding to work on the components. This was a 23" x 36" (58cm x 91cm) blue sheet of thin plastic backed on one side with a thin white cotton- pad like layer. Got him to donate a few sheets to me and I found it a great workbench aid for working on models. Its greatest virtue is that parts stay where you last placed them and when separating small parts from the sprue they don't fly away and disappear into thin air. Of course the white pad provides a nice clean and soft surface to work on. If you spill anything the spill is contained within the sheet. Found out more about them described as: Kendall Tendersorb disposable underpads. A division of Kendall Company, Mansfield, MA 02048, U.S.A. I understand that these underpads are used when changing diapers so that may be one source to find them. I haven't had to buy any yet. Kelvin Mok -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "Mike C" Subject: Re: Trailer on Enterprise Hi Harold, The first item on your list refers to a small deck edge elevator, not so. It's an ordnance disposal ramp. It's there so the deck crews could jettison bombs over the side without dumping them into the galleries. Mike Czibovic -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: Dave Shirlaw Subject: Enterprise The van appears to be an HF intercept van to monitor Japanese transmissions. This was common practice when there was insufficient room inside a ship to fit the gear. It was common practice up to at least the 1970s. Dave Shirlaw Editor, Seawaves Magazine www.seawaves.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: "Victor M. Baca" Subject: Re: WWI 110' Subchasers in 1/32 Scale >> And, what about a 1/32 scale WW-I 110' subchaser? There is a company that makes a hull for this thing too. << I just ordered one of these 1/32 scale hulls from Microglass. When it arrives, I'll let you guys know how she stacks up. Microglass builds 'em really clean and fair, so I'm sure the 110' WWI subchaser won't disapoint. These small combatants were nifty little boats and from what I've gathered so far, were very seaworthy considering their slim length to beam ratio. I plan to R/C the 110 footer and make her a USCG unit, circa 1943. The ex-USN units in service with the Coast Guard were: USCGC BOONE (WPC-335), USCGC BLAZE (WPC-336), USCGC BOWSTRING (WPC-365), USCGC BELLEVILLE (WPC-372 ) and USCGC BONNEVILLE (WIX-375). By WWII, the armament was beefed up to include a 3"/23 single, 2 .30 cal. MGs, 2 mousetrap ASW weapons and 2 depth charge tracks. The USCGC Bonneville carried a 1-pdr. gun and 2 20mm Oerlikons in place of the 3"/23 and .30s. The Bonneville, unlike the others in the SC-1 class was never commissioned in the USN. Between the wars, she had her gasoline engines replaced by a single diesel driving twin screws vice the triple screw arrangement usually found in these craft. Information on these vessels can be found in Scheina's "U.S. Coast Guard Cutters And Craft Of World War Two" (USNI Press). Victor Baca Model Ship Journal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: NAVYDAZE@aol.com Subject: Re: Trumpeter 1/350 Arizona? Actually I just picked up a Banner one today and my local hobby shop. The owner told me that it was a good thing I bought it at $29.95 under the Banner name because it was going to be re-boxed under Trumpeter and would go up into the mid to high 30 dollar range. So I guess it is true. As a side note. The model is very interested and is sort of like Revelle and again not like Revell - I think once the PE's are available it can be built into a very nice model at least for the modellers like myself that are not looking for perfection but the overall representation of the ship herself. Mike Donegan NAVYDAZE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: "Keith Bender" Subject: 1/350 decals for USN BBs Hi SMMLies, Looking for draft decals in 1:350 scale for USN battleships? Thank you, Keith -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: "Michael C. Smith" Subject: "...Blood Stained Sea" - Pearl Harbor historical fiction Just finished "On A Blood Stained Sea" by Daniel Houston, which is an alternative history book based on the Pearl Harbor attack, and thought I'd post a few thoughts. (I actually thought I'd gotten it based on some discussion on the list serv, then realized it was an Amazon discussion I was thinking of). This very slender book is based on the premise "what if an American battleship had escaped from Pearl Harbor during the attack and given chase to the Japanese fleet?" In it, the West Virginia gets underway and clears the harbor, then goes after the Japanese carriers, with four beautiful women (who eventually do some nursing - go figure) aboard. The writing is actually very good, and the naval dialogue is well-done. I have no idea if it's accurate, but it reads very well, and gives the impression of an author who has naval experience sufficient to make his story credible. There are a number of typos in the small-publisher book, and a small line drawing of a scantily-clad woman appears a couple of times (think nose art) for some inexplicable reason. There are the obligatory sex scenes which are not explicit and which are well-written, but not very well staged, if that makes any sense. It's as if a sixteen year old, hormones raging, decided what would happen, and a novelist were commissioned to draft the text. The naval action is well-designed to camouflage some factual problems in the story, i.e. how does a 15-20 knots battleship succeed in catching a 30 knot carrier task force, or engaging it, but the books ends far too abruptly. In my opinion, what the book really needed was a far broader plot that (1) paid far more attention to the loss at Pearl as a motivating factor for revenge, and (2) ended the book with the battleship's return. The carnage at Pearl - even what the ship's crew could have seen as they exited the harbor before the second wave - should have been gone into a little more, and served as a white-hot motivating factor for getting revenge on the carriers. As written, the chase is a pretty cool, bloodless affair, and I really missed a good ending wrapping it up. Michael Smith Marshall, Texas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Infomation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Mistress Lorna Subject: Site update Just a quick note to let you know there has been some new stuff added to the site. Archives 1316 - 1342 IPMS(USA) Nationals 2001 pics added to Model Shows Updated Don Macdonald's Mainbrace page San Francisco Fleet Week 2000 and Swedish rescue boats pics added to Reference Chris Hughes supplies a diagram on how to determine a ship's speed from it's wake in Misc reference Links page updated If you've been thinking about sending stuff to me for SMML now's the time to do it. I might be having too good a time in the UK to do much more than the archive updates while I'm away ;-). Lorna -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Shane Subject: APMA Magazine reprints Hi, Over the past months due to popular demand, an effort has been made to reprint issues which are no longer in stock. We are now halfway through this process and are once again able to offer popular issues which were previously only available as photocopies. Check out the APMA site for details on how you can obtain them Regards, Shane Jenkins APMA VP http://apma.org.au/ Having FUN making models!! Now PayPal enabled -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Ed Grune Subject: [NOT] Squadron Scalefest in Austin Jesse wrote asking about the Austin show. It is not Squadron Scalefest, which is a show put on by North Texas - IPMS, co-sponsored by Squadron Mailorder; and is generally held over Memorial Day weekend. The Austin Show is put on by the Austin Modelers - IPMS and one of the local car model clubs. This year it is held on August 25th. It will be held at the Crockett Center (Highway 119 [?]) about a mile east of I35. Thats north of the UT campus area. Other model happenings in Texas include the Supercon in Arlington on August 14, the GASS in Abilene in October [?], and the San Antonio Show in February. Ed Mansfield, TX IPMS-NCT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: ZMzimmerman@cs.com Subject: Model contest in Austin,Tx The contest in Austin on August 25 is being put on by Austin Scale Modeler's Society and Austin Model Cars. It is not Squadron Scalefest that is in May, in Dallas. The Austin show is at the Crockett Center. For more information contact Bruce Burden at brucegb@bga.com or Tim Vogt at 512-447-2668. Michael Zimmerman (On of the crazies that put on Scalefest every year) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: Update on next two books from Classic Warships Publishing Update on next two books from Classic Warships Publishing. Warship Pictorial #12 Benson/Gleaves Class Destroyers has finally had all 171 photos laid out in the book. The captions are underway, and I hope to finish this very soon and send it off to the proofreaders ASAP. I have included a ton of 1942 Ms. 12 Modified and 1944-45 dazzle camo pattern photos. Also included are photos of the destroyer minesweeper conversions and their unique camo patterns. This book will also have some very nice CAD drawings by Tim Dike. I chose to include as many photos as I could possibly squeeze into 72 pages, and go light on the text, as that can be found in the excellent book "US Destroyers" by Friedman. This book will be the first major effort to bring you many photos of a "Pre-Fletcher" class of destroyers. Price is to be $16.00. Warship Pictorial #14 USS Wichita CA-45 is completely finished and waiting for #12 so that they both can go to the printer together. This book has a total of 90 photos in 56 pages, with both sides of her Ms. 12 Modified camo pattern shown. The cover, both front and back, are my colorization of original black and white images. They are stunning. Also included are numerous drawings, all copies of original USN documents. They include 1939 and 1945 plan and profile sets, and many of the ships weapons. This is the first serious look at the last of the "Treaty" cruisers, with her unique design, some of which was the prototype for the following Baltimore class. Price is to be $12.00 Release date has now been pushed back to early September. The Benson/Gleaves has been a real bear to put together, as I ended up with 675 photos, that had to be weeded down to, as it turns out, 171. Previews of the covers can be seen at my web site, www.classicwarships.com and at the Model Warships site, @ www.modelwarships.com. Note: WP #1 is out of print, and soon #2, Minneapolis will be, as I am down to 24 copies. WP #3, 4, and 5 are all down to less than 300 copies. Like the "Ensign" or the "Man 'o War" series of the past, these books will also become collectors items, and of course the price will go way up. I would highly recommend you get them while you can, as I do not plan to reprint most of these. There are just too many other good subjects left to do, and I wont live long enough to do them all. I plan to do as many different warship types as I possibly can. At the risk of sounding egotistical, I believe that the books I am publishing are providing some of the best quality photo reproduction that has ever been printed. For $12 to $16, you are receiving $300 to $600 worth of photos if you were to purchase them separately. That is a very good deal. I am doing this as a profession, but also because I want to help preserve a little part of history. Hope all of you have enjoyed these books as much as I enjoy the research and publishing. Thanks, Steve Wiper -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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