Subject: SMML VOL 1455 Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 00:44:42 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Free offer reminder for members of U.S. Armed Forces 2: Paint problems 3: Re: Spray painting 4: through-the-hull fittings 5: Lindberg and Aurora Ships... 6: new to list 7: Scale Calculations/Jolly Roger 8: Channel 4 & HMS Hood 9: Revell's USS BOSTON -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: SantMin@aol.com Subject: Re: Free offer reminder for members of U.S. Armed Forces For 30 years I ran a mail-order hobby shop (as a sideline to my REAL job) and I always gave a break to servicemen and women because I remember how tough it was (financially) when I was in their place. We should all give a GREAT BIG Thanks to Loren Perry for the fine gesture he has made in offering free products to them, We owe them a great deal for serving us. I hope Loren has made their Christmas a bit merrier. Thank You Loren, and a Merry Christmas to ALL!! Bob Santos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Kurt Van Dahm Subject: Paint problems Ted wrote - >> 1) I'm having a terrible time getting good spray paint results. It looks fine when it's dry- even and without apparent defect, but when it first goes on it looks soupy thick and 'beads'. What am I doing wrong? I can't really complain about the finished result, but using it is scary and demoralizing, and that inhibits me from using what ought to be a useful tool. << Ted: I didn't see where you mentioned what type of paint you are using, but I suspect it is an acrylic from your comments about it looking thick, soupy and beading. First, to take care of beading, make sure your surface is prepared properly, i.e.: plastic should be thoroughly washed and air dried and any surface needs to be free of all oils and dirt. Your hands can leave a lot of body oil, so always make sure you clean off these oils before painting. If you are happy with the end results, just bear with it and get used to the different appearance of the paint as applied. Acrylics look different when first applied and it takes a bit of experience before one knows the paint job is OK before waiting for it to dry. If your problems persist, write again with specifics and we will see what we come up with. Take care, Kurt Van Dahm Westmont, IL NRG member -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: SolidStump@aol.com Subject: Re: Spray painting >> 1) I'm having a terrible time getting good spray paint results. It looks fine when it's dry- even and without apparent defect, but when it first goes on it looks soupy thick and 'beads'. What am I doing wrong? I can't really complain about the finished result, but using it is scary and demoralizing, and that inhibits me from using what ought to be a useful tool. << For anyone to come up with an answer you need to tell us what kind of airbrush you are using. What kind of paint? What kind of pressure source? What pressure? Do you thin your paint with the correct thinner? Have you cleaned your model to get rid of oils and fingerprints from building....you get the picture.... For example, if you have a Pasche external mix, single action...if the tip is not adjusted in the air stream properly, it throws splatters...useful for armor modelling if you want to portray mud. The double action Aztec has a special splatter tip....hope you did not use it by mistake. So tell us what you are doing and a correct answer will be forthcoming. Simon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: through-the-hull fittings Recently it was suggested by my gurus that I include through-the-hull fittings on my model. They sweetened the pot by providing me with size and location information. How could I resist? The answer was easy, I couldn't. There are 18 fittings in all. The original vessels had four engines (three mains plus an auxiliary) each with a cooling water intake and a separate discharge, plus the exhaust. That's twelve right there. Unfortunately the model is more than 95% finished, therefore it had to be handled very carefully. I spotted the locations and drilled short holes of proper size into the hull, and obtained small washers, to represent the mounting flanges, from hobby shops. The very smallest ones were not available from the shops, but were found in a jewelry repair store. Attaching the washers to the hull was not easy, until I hit upon the idea of applying a small dollop of glue to the hull around the drilled hole, moistening the tip of my index finger, and pressing it to the washer as it lay on the bench. The washer thus adhered to my finger, and could then be placed on the dollop of glue. The glue captured the washer when I removed my finger from the area. Slight misalignment could be corrected with tweezers etc., and the glue allowed to set. When the glue had dried, the holes in the hull and in the washer could be carefully painted flat black, and when that had dried, the face of the washer (now functioning as a flange) painted to match the hull color. Depending on the original fitting and/or the scale of your model, you may find that the intakes may require a more sophisticated configuration than a simple washer to represent the external mounting flange and screen. Obviously it would have been better to do the fittings before painting the hull and attaching any deck hardware etc. The next time I would so do. After looking carefully at other models, I have come to the conclusion that the presence of underwater fitting flanges, and of various pieces of rigging carefully sized to scale are two features that greatly improve the appearance of a model. Franklyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Richard Sweeney Subject: Lindberg and Aurora Ships... Hi, The Lindberg "War of Independence Schooner". Is a supposed to be a Schooner from the Navy of the Republic of Texas From the brief period when Texas was a nation after it had broken from Mexico and Before it becam a Member State of the United States of America. Not from the American War of Independence. The hull fits together well, I haven't gotten beyond that stage in my building yet. I also had the Aurora "Corsair" and from memory I would have guessed that she was a Baltimore Clipper from the period around the War of 1812. But I will let someone else either support or correct my memory. Richard Sweeney -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: SPYDER62@aol.com Subject: new to list Hi All Building my first ship model after years of aircraft. Doing the Commander Series USS Salt Lake City CA-25 and have a question. All the photos I can find show a light colored deck not a two tone as per the MS 33/14d. And my Dad only remembers it being painted not the color. He said they Holly stoned the paint off starting on VJ day. Does anyone one know what it was looks like Haze Gray or a shade darker but not 20-b deck blue as the Ms calls for. rich Ps Dad was on the Swayback from April 42 through the Bikini bomb tests, as his service record says a long 5 years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Derek Wakefield Subject: Scale Calculations/Jolly Roger Thanks to everyone who offered their 2 cents on these topics on/off list. I don't use a PC so the scalecalc program wouldn't work for me, but I'm passing the info on to others whom it may offer some usefulness. Still, I think I understand the basic jist of the formulas passed on to get a handle on what I need to do. Rather interesting to learn the Jolly Roger kit actually represents a real ship. Don't know whether to be surprised or disappointed. Hmmm...would be nice to have a kit that respresents nothing historical that I could say the heck with and build as is without wondering "hmm, what needs to be fixed" (curse of the modeler who's evolved beyond slap-dash assembly). OTOH, still interesting to know what it was meant to be. Don't have to worry until after new years...time to think about whether to say yea or nea. Odds are if I get it, I'll just build it out of the box with miniumum mods as a generic pirate ship. Gasp...heracy, oh too true, but sometimes that's just what you're in the mood to do. Derek Wakefield -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Darshan Ward" Subject: Channel 4 & HMS Hood Maybe this one passed me by despite my best efforts at lookout port and starboard but has the finding the Hood show been on US tv yet. If so then when, and if when then where? I'm sure that if had gone by on my watch I'd have caught it............?????? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "John Barnum" Subject: Revell's USS BOSTON Hello to everyone. I hope you are all enjoying the Holidays. I have a copy of the instructions of the old kit by Revell of the BOSTON. The last time I built the model was in the early 70s. Does anyone out there have any idea where I could get hold of the kit. Although it only has 54 parts I think it could be made in to a good model. My Thanks in advance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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