Subject: SMML VOL 1404 Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2001 00:05:08 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Warning - Preiser Figures 2: Re: Soviet G5 Torpedo Boats 3: YAMATO 4: thank you 5: Preiser Figures - Warning and mini-review 6: Trumpeter Sovremenny Images -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: AAA Hobby Subject: Re: Warning - Preiser Figures >> Just a friendly word of warning about Preiser. I have had some stuff on order with them for many months now and have yet to see it. I have queried the hobby store owner (and a number of others to confirm the story wasn't false) and Preiser supposedly has a "we will send it when we send it" customer service attitude. One store owner remembers a year long response time once to fulfill an order. When they asked Preiser why they had this attitude towards fulfilling orders at a trade show, they apparently just shrugged their shoulders. If your local store doesn't actually stock it, you may wait a long, long, long time. << I just order thru Walthers, they usually will tell me when I order if it is in stock or not. The wait can be very long if they don't happen to have it. I also have a friend stationed in Germany, the situation isn't any better over there, either! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Harold Stockton" Subject: Re: Soviet G5 Torpedo Boats Matthew Prager wrote about the Soviet G-5 torpedo-boats that carried a Katyushka M-8 or M-13 rocket launchers. Here is a link for close-ups of a 1/43 scale model of a G-5 at: http://www.russianscalemodels.com/art_view.asp?id=400 The rear-launching torpedo tubes are clearly seen in these photographs. As far as plating over these tubes for launching this seems a bit superfluous, as only the roof and cab areas were covered when these weapons were going to be launched from trucks. I see no reason to have done anything different on a torpedo-boat except to provide some form of platform for the boat's crew to work around the launch rack. In the February 2000 issue of Technika i Voorykhenie, there is an exhaustive discussion of the M-8 and M-13 rocket launchers that were fitted to a series of Soviet BKA gunboats in 1942. When the M-8 rocket launcher was installed on the mid-deck section of a BKA, it could launch 24 RS-82 (82mm) rockets on a semi-trainable mount. There is at least two separate 1/72 scale kits of the M-8 mounts available for such a conversion from PST on ZIS chassis. The much larger and stronger M-13 mount could launch sixteen RS-132 (132mm) rockets. And, there are two separate 1/72 scale kits of this launcher for consideration of this conversion. The one on a Dodge truck chassis from PST is for a BM-13-MI, while the kit from ICM is for the later BM-13-MII on a ZIL chassis that could fire either rocket. After examining the scale drawings that I have for both versions of the BM-13 launchers, it is really a matter of choice which system that you install on your conversion. As far as detail goes between the two manufacturers there are pros and cons between each of them, each of them scoring points in one area over the other. In either case, the plating on the G-5 would have been for the crew to load the weapon in relatively calm waters, and for working the elevation gear just before going into combat. Because the glass on the bridge area was some distance from the launcher itself, at most there would have been the same simple foldable plates as was used for the truck's windshield. As when any crew fired one of these weapon system's they would have had to keep their collective heads down. All that would be missing from such a conversion would be to replace the kit's twin machine guns with more accurate white metal examples from Aeroclub in England. An interesting addition to any collection of 1/72 scale Coastal Forces for the Soviet navy, which would also include the WW-II 110' subchasers, and, the Elco and Higgins PT-boats. These same G-5s were also used in Korea by the PRK: http://www.history.navy.mil/books/field/ch2c.htm Harold Stockton -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Kunstschmiede_Michael_Gerhardt@t-online.de (Yvonne) Subject: YAMATO Hi, i´m Ralf Gerhardt from Germany, a enthusiatic for the IJN. I´m very interestet on the 1/200 scale kit of the Super-battleship YAMATO by Nichimo. But there are few questions. Can you give me further informations about this kit? Whats your opinion about the quality of this Nishimo kit? Is it motorized? Are there other model kits of the YAMATO and other bigger ships of the Japanese Navy (1/200 scale or larger)? Thank you very much, Ralf -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Mithrand@aol.com Subject: thank you a really BIG thankyou to all those that helped out with my query on HMS Asturias. Just got back from IPMS Telford very tired and now with empty pockets, but enjoyed it greatly. Roy Allen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "David Clark" Subject: Preiser Figures - Warning and mini-review I recently purchased the Preiser Pilots, ground crew and passengers 1925 (Art.Nr.72510) figures set to provide some additional crew members for my Flower Corvette. I ordered the set through Hearne's Hobbies in Melbourne and received a call to say that they had arrived about a week later. However, I also ordered a Preiser US military set as a source of PT boat crew but this hasn't arrived after eight weeks and I am not going to hold my breathe waiting. I selected the Pilots, ground crew and passengers set from the Preiser catalogue as it seemed to have the most potential for conversion to corvette crew. I was not disappointed when I opened the box. There are three identical sprues with 12 figures, two of which have a multi-pose arm each. Two are female figures. One male figure is very civilian - hand in suit pocket and won't be easy to convert. One figure is in a naval uniform and the other eight will be relatively easy to navalise providing up to 27 crew for my Flower. A fourth sprue has 15 alternative heads but six of them are for the female figures. The nine male heads provide a way to avoid identical triplet crew. Steel helmeted heads from other sources could also help with this. The figures scale out at around 180cm tall (5'10") and are of similar proportions to the crew figures provided with the Revell kit. David -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Sean D. Hert" Subject: Trumpeter Sovremenny Images Hello- I've put together a basic webpage with pics and a short commentary on the new Trumpeter kit if anyone is interested. http://home.columbus.rr.com/mbg/ Sean D. Hert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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