Subject: SMML VOL 1475 Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 11:48:52 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Worst kit no, worst modeling habit yes! 2: Re: Why did you become a ship modeler 3: 3-M Acryl Blue 4: Re: 3M putty 5: Re: Why did you become a ship modeller 6: 3M Acryl Blue putty 7: Bad Kits 8: wanted line drawings 9: WW 1 submarine warfare 10: Re: LCI(L) 11: Re: Akagi boot top 12: Modeling Memories 13: Heller HMS Victory 14: Re: Why I am a ship modeller 15: worst ship kit 16: Akagi boot topping 17: misc 18: Re: Bad kits 19: Forrestal & LCI(L) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Replacement decals for the Revell Flower 2: Model Ship Journal-Back Issues -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Eduardo Luis Marcovecchio" Subject: Re: Worst kit no, worst modeling habit yes! >> Having only built 11 ship kits (that's 11 more than Robert Lockie though ) in my current modeler's life, I can't say I have come across anything that was truly abdominal, yet. I do however have this terrible habit that I dragged over to ship modeling from my 35 years as a winged thingie modeler. I seem to enjoy throwing the parts tree away once I THINK I have used all the parts on it, only to discover three months later that I now need part 14 on Tree A to finish the project and of course Tree A is now buried under a 100 tons of garbage at the landfill. << Nice topic to discuss, Keith! I also have many bad habits, I'm fighting against them for ages, and now I'm slowly getting rid of them, fortunately. One of the worst ones is the temptation to start painting my models way before I should, just to see the model in it's correct colors. Like painting a ship hull gray and red before glueing the deck and sanding the seams. :) The model then turns into a mess, I use to spend days and days removing this paint in preparation for the real painting. Oh well, I promise I'll try to resist it next time! Eduardo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Derek Wakefield Subject: Re: Why did you become a ship modeler Hmm... My dad, a couple of uncles, and several great uncles were all in the navy. As such, I grew up listening to most of them (mainly my great uncles) tell their war stories. In fifth grade, I started getting interested in Pearl Harbor after reading a small history factoid page about it in one of those Sgt Rock or Sgt Fury comics I lived on back then. That led to an interest in the Arizona. Found and built a Revell 1:720 Pennsy (cause I couldn't find an Arizona, not knowing that was an repopped Arizona kit). That led me to build an Aurora 1:600 St Paul for the heck of it. Finally found the 1:720 Arizona (hey, this looks awfully familar), Then my cousin sold me his "Janes Pocket Book of Major Warships" and upon seeing all those ships I was hooked! Sometime during this period I also read a book on the Battle of Midway. Prior to that I'd been more interested in the European war, but afterward I was stuck firmly in the Pacific (and have been ever since). Suddenly the army and tommy guns didn't hold my interest anymore. From there on out, it was all planes and ships. Derek Wakefield -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Victor M. Baca" Subject: 3-M Acryl Blue The Acryl Blue (and Red or Green) can be purchased at any auto parts supply store that carries paints and finishing supplies. A tube is running about 12 bucks (US) or so, but it lasts so long, you'll forget how much you paid for it anyway. I use the Acryl Blue when scratchbuilding hulls and as a filler on kits,to hide the gloppy paint and glue fingerprints :<)> It fills in surface blemishes very well. Fine grain makes it ideal for filling in tiny scratches and dings. The other two "colors" have their uses, but I haven't given them a shot yet. Anyone else try the other 3-M Acryl putties? Victor Baca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: 3M putty >> Where can I order or buy a tube of 3M Acryl Blue to replace it? << I got mine from a local Pep Boys auto store. 3M is a the brand most auto supply stores carry in the repair section, so it's not hard to find. I'll bet any Auto Zone, Pep Boys, or O'Reilly's can get it for you easily. Or any auto paint supply store probably stocks the stuff. Rusty White 2003 IPMS/USA National Convention Chairman OKC IN 2003! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: iamnot@edsamail.com.ph Subject: Re: Why did you become a ship modeller Why did I become a ship modeller? Well, uh, hmmmm, because I want to ride on a boat. ;) Tomas PS: To be honest, because ship building is a challenge and I just love the detail that comes with it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: BSteinIPMS@aol.com Subject: 3M Acryl Blue putty >> After nearly 20 years of intermittant use and faithful service, I'm finally laying to rest my mid-1980s vintage tube Doctor Microtools Putty. Where can I order or buy a tube of 3M Acryl Blue to replace it? << Any auto parts store ought to have it in the "body repair" section. It was originally developed as an acrylic auto body filler. Best model putty I've ever used. Bob Steinbrunn Minneapolis member: Nautical Research Guild Tin Can Sailors Friends of the battleship NORTH CAROLINA IPMS/USA #3345 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Joel Labow Subject: Bad Kits >> My latest acquisition is a circa 1940 model of the Wasp (CV7) with (are you ready for this?) a molded wooden composite hull!!!! Lots of printed balsa wood sheets and you get to make things out of "scrap balsa, split bamboo and toothpicks"!!!! << John, I remember the Ideal Models molded wooden composite hull well! Moreover, they used it in 'one size fits all' mode. The same hull came with the Wasp, Augusta, Queen Mary and numerous other models. Folks make fun of the flat bottomed Revell warship kits nowadays, but when their Missouri came out in the early 50s it was truly a great leap forward! Joel Labow -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Friedrich Kappes Subject: wanted line drawings Please have a look at: http://picpage7.tripod.com/draw.html Can you direct me to sources of any kind for line drawings on the listed ships, airctaft and airships? Thank you very much in advance!! Friedrich The FriedrichFiles http://www.geocities.com/friedkappes/flagship.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: WW 1 submarine warfare During my literature research associated with my WW 1 110 Ft. Subchaser I came across a book that should be helpful to people interested in WW 1 submarine warfare, be it equipment (submarines, weaponry) or history etc. The title is "Find And Destroy" by Dwight R. Messimer, and published by the Naval Institute Press in 2001. It seems to be very well researched, from both Allied and German records,and includes many excerpts form German submarine log books. As with much revisionist history, the book deals with opinions and actions of both side in an even-handed manner, unhampered by propaganda-distorted ideology. In other words, Messimer appears to seem to "tell it like it is", including the little known conflict between the politically sensitive civilian and the victory driven military authorities of Germany in the early years of the war, when the German U-Boats were restricted to attacking British naval or troop transports only. I have absolutely no vested interest in this book. I merely pass it on to SMML Franklyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Lkjohnson214@aol.com Subject: Re: LCI(L) Hi, If you are after say a 1/300 scale LCI(L), Simtac in the US and Scotia in the UK produce a resin and white metal LCI(L) in their range of Ship To Shore wargaming miniatures. I bought 4 and found that they were a good starting point.They're small enough to be an easy build and large enough to lend themselves to detailing. Add in the 1/300 wargaming infantry figures and gun crews to populate the decks some PE rails, and you can end up with a real gem. I also did 4 of their LSMs and hope they break down and produce an LST. The LCI(L) kit runs $20US from Simtac and I believe 8 pounds from Scotia. Check at www.theminiaturespage.com for their manufacturer's directory for the links. LD Johnson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Dboykap@aol.com Subject: Re: Akagi boot top >> According to the drawings that I have from Fuji Art Models, considered to be the best, of the Akagi, there was a boot topping. This boot topping also tapered at the center of the ship (amidships). I would hazard a guess that the width (height) was 6ft. at the bow and the stern, tapering to 4ft. in the middle, at a very gradual rate. About 2/3 of the vessels length had the boot topping at the 4ft. height. << With all due respect to Steve, I don't recall any IJN ship ever carrying a black boot, unless it was an experiment. None of my references carry a picture of any IJN warship painted as such. Dan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: John Snyder Subject: Modeling Memories >> If you grew up being a "Balsa Butcher", as I did, there is nothing quite as satisfying as hacking out parts with a single-edged razor blade and smelling Ambroid glue. I just wish you could still buy the old fashioned "dope". How many of you remember making "balsa filler" out of clear dope and your Mom's talcum powder? << John...do you REALLY expect anyone on this list who is old enough to remember those things to actually admit it??! Not that I remember any of those things.... ;^) Cheers, John Snyder -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Chuck Evans" Subject: Heller HMS Victory Timing on the Heller HMS Victory couldn't be better, I just started the model two weeks ago. It seems very impressive. Has anyone found a review on it yet? Chuck Evans -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Steven P. Allen" Subject: Re: Why I am a ship modeller I model other things than ships, too, and I'm also one of those guys into Lionel trains (along with scale model trains), and the same reason lies behind all: I am a dreamer. Oh, sure, I love the historical research, and the relaxation I find in the hobby is useful. But I am a dreamer. It was a dream, as a youth, to enter the USN, and building ship models seemed like a good way to "prepare." Later, the navy rejected me for poor eyesight, so the models have become a vicarious method of getting "in touch" with the sea. If I can't play with the real thing, I have to settle for the representation. And, though I can be as a-retentive as anybody about getting things right about some projects, I can also allow myself to appreciate the straight-from-the-box, less-than-prototypical kit--be it ship, train, tank, or whatever--because I'm trying to satisfy no urge but my own desires. My $.02, Steve allen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "Reynaga, Tim@EDD" Subject: worst ship kit I suppose I should agree with Jodie and Pieter about the Revell 1/720 Franklin/Essex/Intrepid. It is definitely a strong candidate for one of the worst ship kits ever (excluding of course Lindberg's efforts, which are really in a class by themselves). I took a look at the kit again recently...it would almost be easier to scratchbuild than make an accurate replica from that thing. Molded on rudder, shaftless screws, too short hangar, ridiculous weapons, indifferent fit...the list goes on and on. On the other hand, When I built it as a kid back in the early Seventies I just loved it. I remember my best friend and I riding our bikes to the Woolco department store one summer morning and each buying one, competing to see which of us could finish it first (he won...I didn't finish mine until the next morning 'cause I painted the airplanes!) It was appealing and affordable, a quick build which fed a love of ship models I have retained to this day. Yeah, it was inaccurate, but Fernando had a point yesterday; you can get a "close relationship between the model you have built and the good or bad times of your life you spent building" it. The real reason I became (and remain) a ship modeler was not about accurate fit, scale, color, camouflage scheme or any of that. It was because it was and is a blast to build those elegant gray beauties. From that perspective, Revell's awful little Essex class carrier was just as good then as any of the far more accurate kits I build today. Tim Reynaga -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "Reynaga, Tim@EDD" Subject: Akagi boot topping Steve, Thanks for info on the Akagi. I've been building IJN ships for years, but this is the first time I've heard of one with boot topping. I suppose surprises should be expected from a navy capable of building a carrier with three flight decks! The Honolulu Star Bulletin reported that Don Preul had spent 12 hours a day, seven days a week for six months to finish that magnificent 1/96 monster for the Arizona Memorial. I just couldn't believe with that level of commitment (and his considerable modeling talent) that he would have made such a basic mistake as to add boot topping where there was none! Regards, Tim -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "Andrew Jones" Subject: misc Worst model: wow a lot of responses, but that was a good comment about what the manufacturers would think of the goof jobs done to the real classy & great models of the time... Best kit: i liked the 1/700 hasegawa, tamiya destroyers & cruisers, i find the battlewagons & carriers have a bit too many gaps & the flight decks can be a bit of a pain to keep down (or maybe its my model building, lol). The only thing i dodnt like about the kits is one company puts those silly black stripes for the windows on the bridge, i usually hurl those & just get a scribber point or a pin & pain the bridge windows in Why ship modelling: cuz i build WW2 stuff, i thought why not if i build aircraft, figures & guns, why leave out ships, & also when i was younger I used to have batle scenes on teh carpet, with the invading forces (usually allies) invading a country defended by German & Italian & japanese (all defending the same beach head) so you gotta have the shops to transport the tanks & guns there! Forrestal: Pity about the carrier, i know it would be good to save just about every piece of ex military equipment, but i guess we cant win 'em all -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "Keith Bender" Subject: Re: Bad kits Hi SMMLies, Bad kits, well I can't give a definite answer to which one but I had my share of them over the past 35 modeling years. I did have the Pyro Olympia and so called Maine, That was a joke with the sponsons they gave you to put on the sides. So yes those two kits are in my top five of bad kits. I also had a plane or two that I gave away. OK, it hit me! The worst kit I ever built and even as a 12 year old when I built it I new it was a bad one. The Linberg Essex class, I had the Boxer. That kit was bad and still is and I'll leave it at that. Next thing about bad kits, you notice that most of us have picked on companys like Linberg, Pyro, Just how many of us cut our teeth on these kits and at the time we really didn't care how accurate it was. So I guess what I'm saying here is, yes they are bad but they did what they were suppose to do, provide us with something to do and keep us out of mom and dads hair for awhile and even though we put globs of glue and not the correct color of paint on them it didn't really matter becuse we had another model to build and your parents weren't out of a lot of cash for it. So we should thank these companys for their bad kits, hey Linberg is still here! Keith -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: "Mike Leonard" Subject: Forrestal & LCI(L) Re: Forrestal >> The Forrestal sits at a berth in Providence, R.I., next to its sister ship, the USS Saratoga. The fate of the two carriers is intertwined. << Actually, they�re at the former Navy piers in Middletown, between Newport and Portsmouth. Almost an hour's drive from Providence. Re: LCI Models A pair of very nice little LCIs are among the 1/350 amphibs made by Iron Shipwright. MWL Alexandria, VA USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Bob Pearson" Subject: Replacement decals for the Revell Flower Hi all, At last I have a set of replacement decals for the Revell Flower Class corvette ready. There are the following RCN ships done: Arvida, Buctouche, Chicoutimi, Drumheller, Eyebright, Fennel, Sackville, Shawinigan, Shediac, Snowberry and Trillium. All have gunshields, pennant numbers and name boards. I have also added the funnel bands and maple leafs as carried by many RCN ships. This is available for $25 USD and will include a page of profiles of those I have done (no profile of Buctouche, Sackville or Trillium yet), as well as templates for the basic RCN modifications needed. Next I think I will do a set for RN Flowers. If there is a ship I have already profiled that I missed, it can be substituted for one of the others for an extra $5. There were two mistakes made while printing them out, but combined, these two sheets contain everything on the others. First one to call dibs can have it for $15 Regards, Bob Pearson Flower Class Corvettes http://www.totallyconfused.org/flower -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Victor M. Baca" Subject: Model Ship Journal-Back Issues Back issues of Model Ship Journal are selling quickly. If you're anticipating an order, note that the Summer 2001 and Autumn 2001 just sold out over the weekend. The only back-issues available are Issue Zero and Winter 2000. Victor Baca Editor & Publisher MODEL SHIP JOURNAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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