Subject: SMML VOL 1480 Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2002 00:50:51 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Yamato Ten ichi go 2: Gakken Yamato book 3: USS Kearsarge 1861 Kits 4: Re: Yamato-operation ten-ichigo 5: Re: Fletcher 6: Re: Gakken Yamato book - what´s it worth? 7: USS Kearsage... 8: Re: Worst Kit and Why I Build Model Ships 9: Re: Resin Casting Supplies 10: Re: USS Kearsarge 1861 11: Re: Resin Casting Supplies 12: Russian Reindeer Sailed to England on World War II Submarine 13: HMS Sheffield - December 1943 14: Future book for IJN fans 15: 1:350 Tamiya NJ FROM MO 16: Re: Yamato 17: Boot topping, et al 18: Why I build model ships 19: Why am I a ship modeler? 20: Re: Resin Casting Supplies 21: Re: Yamato Aircraft 22: Re: Resin Casting Supplies -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Aragiannis Evangelos" Subject: Yamato Ten ichi go I have recently read the book "Requiem for battleship Yamato" written by a survivor from the Yamato herself. He says that there were no planes during the basic (final) phase of the sortie, although a plane was aboard the ship up to the point when they left the Kiyusu/Shikoku strait. Then they sent the plane back to the mainland where it, at least, would be spared. Evangelos Aragiannis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Aragiannis Evangelos" Subject: Gakken Yamato book Hi, can you come up with the ISBN number? Evangelos Aragiannis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Joel Labow Subject: USS Kearsarge 1861 Kits Ed, I am aware of four Kearsarge kits: The Boucher 1/96 kit that you mentioned. The Revell plastic kit, also in 1/96 The Scientific Models kit, which was 'box scale' and somewhat smaller than 1/96 The Ideal Models kit from the 50s, also in 1/96. Of the four, the Revell kit is probably the most accurate, although it represents Kearsarge largely as she appeared at the end of her life in the 1880s. Sadly, all four of these kits are out of production and vanishingly rare. The Revell kit regularly commands prices in the $200-$300 range when it appears on eBay. The Revell CSS Alabama was recently re-released and is based on the Kearsarge hull...with a great deal of work this model could be kitbashed to represent Kearsarge in her 1861 appearance. A review of the Revell kits is available on the SteelNavy website at: http://warship.simplenet.com/Alabama&Kearsarge.htm Best regards, Joel Labow -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Allan and Crystal Plumb Subject: Re: Yamato-operation ten-ichigo IIRC the book about that operation said that Yamato's aircraft were landed for her final sortie. D&G say "all combustibles including boats were landed", which implies aircraft too since avgas is naughty. Allan Plumb -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Bruce Ross" Subject: Re: Fletcher >> Was wondering if anyone has done the 1/350 Tamiya FLETCHER as one of the few that had a catapult on them - << Huh Mike, It's not a Tamiya and it's not 1/350, but I'm scratchbuilding the Stevens (DD-479) in 1/144 with the catapult does that count?? :) Bruce -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Dboykap@aol.com Subject: Re: Gakken Yamato book - what´s it worth? >> I was offered this book - can you give me an estimate on what this is worth and what I should pay for it? << There are 2 volumes #12 & # 20. Even from Hobbylink Japan, they will run close to $20 plus shipping. Are they worth it? If you're a modeler, a history buff, a Yamatoholic, an IJNaholic, or just love cool ships/models, then YES! If not, never mind :-) Dan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Richard Sweeney Subject: USS Kearsage... Revell also used to make one as a partner to their kit of the CSS Alabama. Just a thought. Rich Sweeney -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Chuck Messer" Subject: Re: Worst Kit and Why I Build Model Ships Worst kit: I would nominate the old Aurora U.S.S. Nautilus, a thick, heavy styrene club with appendages. The best I could say about it was that it did look like a submarine, and vaguely resembled Nautilus. Of course, then there was the shameless packaging of the same kit as the Seawolf. The things people will do to sell a product. Why I Build: to quote Teddy Roosevelt: "I like big things." This was made clear to me a few years ago when visiting family near Everett, Washington. My mother and stepfather knew I was interested in the subject, and it so happened that the navy had just finished a new base in Everett, intending to base the Abraham Lincoln and her escorts there. The Kittyhawk was trying the facilities out, and they were holding an open house aboard her that day. DAMN, she was big! Hulking over the small town's skyline, she dominated the western horizon. We went aboard, rode the elevator to the flight deck. What a huge chunk of naval architecture. Yes, indeed. I like big things. Chuck -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: ALROSS2@aol.com Subject: Re: Resin Casting Supplies >> Their "starter kit" #82084 costs $60 (more than the price of the kit from which I need duplicate parts, but never mind). I would like to know if anyone has any experience with this product, or can recommend another source. << I use a lot of resin and get mine from Synair Corp, 2003 Amnicola Highway, Chattanooga, TN 37406. A 2-gallon kit of resin (Mark 1) runs about $US60, while a gallon of RTV is about $US90. Good stuff, good folks, good service. Al Ross -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: ALROSS2@aol.com Subject: Re: USS Kearsarge 1861 >> Does any one know of a model kit for this vessel? There used to be one at 1/96 scale by Boucher Model Co. but it probably isn't made any more. << Boucher became BlueJacket Shipcrafters years ago. While KEARSARGE is not currently in production, they do have the plans and fittings, as well as the master for the carved hull. Every so many years, Revell re-releases a 1/96 scale injection kit of KEARSARGE, as well. Al Ross -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: BIBSASS2019@cs.com Subject: Re: Resin Casting Supplies Ace Resin offers a starter kit for $29.95 plus S&H. It includes everything you need to get started plus instructions that says it take the mystery out of the casting process. Their ad appears in the back pages of Fine Scale Modeler Magazine. It has met my mediocre needs, and highly recommended. HTH Patrick D -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: JKrakow@aol.com Subject: Russian Reindeer Sailed to England on World War II Submarine From an recent Moscow Times article: A World War II legend of how a Russian reindeer sailed from the Far North to Britain in a submarine had always been written off as one of those hoary old wartime tales. But 60 years later, the tale has been proven true with the unearthing of a photograph showing the burly commander of the HMS Trident, Commander Geoffrey Sladen, with Polly Anna the reindeer, a gift from one generous Soviet admiral. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/photos/large/2002_01/2002_01_17/reindeer_2.jpg The British Royal Navy Submarine Museum, which received the photograph last week, had heard of the reindeer from a former Trident crew member, but had always been suspicious until the photo came along, museum director Jeff Tall, a retired British submarine commandant, said Wednesday. The Trident was among a fleet of submarines and supply ships that the British Navy sent to support the Soviet Union after the Nazis invaded in June 1941. The submarines, although sometimes called on to defend the merchant ships carrying badly needed supplies to the beleaguered Red Army, were mainly patrolling the seas of the Norwegian coast in a hunt for German supply ships. The Trident was based at Polyarny near the Arctic port of Murmansk, and it was there that the reindeer made its appearance. On the sub's last night at port, Trident commander Sladen had a farewell dinner with a Soviet admiral. Through the perhaps not very good services of a translator, the two chatted about their families and Sladen explained how his wife had to push a baby carriage up the hill to get to the shops. The admiral, obviously wanting to help Sladen's wife, duly sent along the local equivalent of a baby carriage puller, a baby reindeer that was passed through the torpedo hatch in a gray bag. With the crew too busy moving out of port, no one realized what was inside the bag until the submarine was at sea. The reindeer, quickly named Polly Anna after the port of Polyarny, soon became the sub's pet, roaming the sub at will and living in the captain's cabin.Polly Anna quickly adopted a new mother figure in Sladen, a large, burly character who once played rugby for England. Every evening when the sub's klaxon would ring to signal that the submarine was surfacing, Polly Anna would rush from her cabin to stand under the hatch, eager for a breath of fresh air. The only person she would allow to get close to the hatch was Sladen. The Soviet admiral had kindly placed food -- local Murmansk moss -- in the bag with Polly Anna. Unfortunately, he hadn't known that the sub was not heading straight back to Britain but on a three-week mission. When the food ran out after three days, the animal was fed scraps from the submariner's galleys. "He took a great fancy to Carnation Milk," Tall said. However, a wild animal in the tight confines of a submarine during wartime was far from ideal. "Polly Anna probably was about as happy at the smell of 53 submariners as they were happy with the smell of a reindeer," Tall said. And when the submarine arrived three weeks later in Blyth in northeastern England, Polly Anna had grown so much that she could not fit through the hatch."Fortunately there was a butcher on board," said Tall, pausing with the relish of a story well told, "and they trussed her up and pulled her out of the hatch." Tall believes the newly found photo was taken not long after the submarine arrived in Blyth in November 1941. "It's wonderful," Tall said. "You have the combination of this commander who was in charge of a submarine whose job was to destroy and this Russian reindeer." After arriving in England -- and after the hug depicted in the photograph -- Polly Anna was presented to London Zoo in Regent's Park as a present to the British people from the Russian people. Sladen went back to the Trident, going on to receive a number of medals, including the British Distinguished Service Cross and France's Croix de Guerre. The identity of the Soviet admiral was unclear Wednesday. The Submariners Seamen's Club in St. Petersburg could not immediately identify him, although a representative said he had heard -- and dismissed as fable -- the reindeer story. Polly Anna, however, was said to have never forgotten her youth under the seas, Tall said. Whenever she heard the clanging bell of a fire engine going past the zoo she would lower her head as if ready to rush to the hatch. She died in 1946, only a few days after the Trident was decommissioned -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "John Sutherland" Subject: HMS Sheffield - December 1943 Hi all, Many thanks to all those, especially Chris Langtree, that have been helping me with my Battle of North Cape project. This is true SMMLie help at the best. I would have never guessed some of the configurations without help. Gee the four S class, virtually brand new at this stage, were an amazingly diverse lot! (even ignoring Savage's obvious difference). Progress is being made with Opportune, Samaurez and Savage close to completion being under painting, Duke of York and Matchless under build, Scorpion, Stord and Virago have started with hull rebuilds, and Sheffield has had a warped hull straightened. Musketeer will start soon. These will be followed by the challenge of converting Dorsetshire to Norfolk. Jamaica and Belfast await kit arrivals. I have almost all the configuration puzzles solved (I think!). The one exception at this time is the Sheffield. Sources all agree that by December 1943 she had 14 single 20mm. I know she carried one each on B and X turrets, Chris Langtree found a photo which shows four were located on the rear deckhouse, either side of the radar hut behind the mainmast. Two were located either side of the front corner of the hanger and two located either side of her lower bridge wings just above the end of the baffle plates. But where were the other four??? HELP! Regards John Sutherland Wellington New Zealand -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: Dave Shirlaw Subject: Future book for IJN fans The book is about the Japanese A Class freighters and written by SC Heal. Dave Shirlaw Editor, Seawaves Magazine www.seawaves.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: IAAFru2@aol.com Subject: 1:350 Tamiya NJ FROM MO Hi List. I am about to begin a build of the NJ from the Tamiya 1:350 Missouri kit, and I have run into a snag. Keith Bender (propmeup@worldnet.net) has been helping me with parts know-how and proper paint colors and such. And I very much appreciate his help. Now here;s my problem Keith has told me that I need to scratch build the mast on the Aft stack, but I HAVE HAD NO EXPERIENCE at scratch building. He dose not have any instructions or clear pictures of this mast or how to build it (They have gotten lost over the years) SOOOOOOOOOOOO does any one out there have any step by step instructions or pictures for doing this build? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "Andrew Jones" Subject: Re: Yamato If the operation is its final voyage, i think that it might not have carried any photos , i think i saw one Yamato photo & i couldnt see any planes, but yet on an artwork i think i did see planes..but seeing it was to become a floating battery it would have needed spotting aircraft (if they survived the CAP long enough to spot the fall of shot!) & yet if aircraft were carried when it fired its main guns the shock would have thrown them overboard thats why there was no life boats on board as i recall reading that in a practise shot any life boat or lose items were thrown off the side of the ship & the big guns did fire a flachette round of sorts when attacked at Okinawa didnt it? so if it did then the shock of the big guns. well thats my 2 bobs worth -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "Mike C" Subject: Boot topping, et al I've been off line for a few days, so I read these threads a bit late. Regarding boot toppings on Japanese ships, I could remind you that is is wise to never say never. There is an aerial picture of Kaga taken shortly after her full deck conversion on page 64 of Maru Naval Special #2. The water is so clear that you can see ber bilge keels and there is a definite boot topping visible. I also have a Koku-Fan IJN ship special printed in the early 70's that has a photo of a small escort ship in drydock. I can't tell if it's a late-war photo of bomb damage being repaired or a pre-scrapping photo taken after the war, but she also has a boot topping. None of this proves that Akagi also had one, but it leaves room for reasonable doubt (and artistic license). Only Don can shed light on his sources. Worst ship kit? I'd have to agree with the Revell 1/720 Essex releases. I bought the Franklin for the box art when I was a kit and the one glaring thing that sticks in my mind is the horribly rounded bow. On the other hand, I have fond memories of other Revell ships as bathtub toys, and my first kit conversion was made from Revell's transport ship into a Japanese freighter, based on a photo of one being straffed by a low-flying B-25 found in a Life magazine book on WW II. I also remember airplane models with solid plastic wings and no wheel wells that had the makings molded on as well. The markings even had different textures to represent the different colors that were to be painted, almost as if they had duplicated exactly what was on the reference drawings. Worst modeling habit? To this day, I often times still don't give paint long enough to dry before handling models, so I seem to have become very adept at making repairs. Why I became a ship modeler? My dad was in the Navy and his stories prompted me to read the entire WW II bookshelf, including the whole S. E. Morrison collection, in the local library when I was a kid. I vivdly remember reading "The Big E" in 1964, when I was 10, and being heartbroken to learn that she had been scrapped only five years before. The book "Aircraft Carrier" gave insights into the teamwork aboard these "cities at sea" that no other service could equal. Then there were the kamikazes... I still build aircraft, cars, and tanks too, but ships (IJN & USN, WW II) are still my favorites. Have fun, Mike C -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "John Clements" Subject: Why I build model ships This has been an interesting thread, so I thought I might add to it, though my own experience is not dissimilar from others. My mother's family, through generations back, had been merchant seamen from Tyneside, and then Liverpool. My maternal grandfather ended up as a captain in the Cunard/White Star line. My father grew up on Merseyside and stood on the decks of many famous ships. My mother worked in the Admiralty during the war. My middle name (Rodney) is derived from a supposed family link to the eighteenth century admiral of that name.When I was still at an early age, my father made a large balsa and card model of HMS Dido which stood on my bedroom mantlepiece for many years. Naval history books filled our bookshelves, and there was always much family talk about the sea and ships. So what chance was there of me becoming an aircraft modeller? I think the first model I made was the Revell J L Hanna tanker, followed by their Missouri (or was it the Missippi - it's a long time ago). I made all the early Airfix kits and remember the excitement when their Hood was released, as it was a big step forward in realism. Then a lull during university, and a growing interest in wargames, until the first of the 1/700 waterline series came along, and I was back to the real thing. Since then, I have followed the increasing quality and range of model ships, abandoning both military and railway modelling along the way. Only since the expansion of resin models has the rate of releases really overtaken my building rate, given my main interest in British ships in WW2, although until then I built just about everything in 1/700 that came out. I feel the hobby has never been better, and being spoilt for choice is a luxury compared with so many years of drought. Of course, there are always a few things one would like to see - there are still plenty of gaps in the RN alone, like the C class cruisers - but at last one has the feeling they will come along one day. I look forward to SMML every day, and wish all members a very happy and successful new year, John Clements -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: louellet@uism.bu.edu Subject: Why am I a ship modeler? Well, I'm not just a ship modeler! <<>> When I was young I made anything and everything. I remember the Space program kits, airplanes, ships, knights, cars, sci-fi, and tanks. The very first kit I bought myself with my saved up allowance money was the Revell USS Massachusetts. It wasn't my first choice, it was the only kit I could find that cost $1 (US). The hobby shop was Fisher Hobby in the 'Downs' (Norfolk Downs) section of North Quincy. I kept bringing kits I liked up to the register and asking the owner (Mr. or Mrs. Fisher) the price. I soon figured out that the last digits after the kit number on the box was the MSRP. (Something like H323-100). I bet that dates me! I did have a fascination with the Titanic and the Revell 1/570 kit was the last kit I completed as a teenager, before I stopped modeling. I did buy the Entex 1/350 Titanic after I got a part-time job and it became the first of many kits in my 'to-be-built-in-the-future' pile. (It still is in that pile.) Later in life, (10-15 years) I found the Internet, the Usenet newsgroup rec.models.scale and all the talk of kits old and new got me back into buying and sometimes building models again. I started with the re-issues of the Star Wars kits, then Star Trek. I started volunteering on the USS Salem, so of course I started buying up ship models. I was buying kits off eBay (did it have a different name?) back when it wasn't the gigantic site it is today (models were in the toys category, there were no sub-categories.) Then Revellogram (Revell-Monogram) started their SSP program of re-releasing old kits in their old style packages. Too many memories to not pick up quite a few kits, even if they were not the best quality. Now I have plastic and resin kits, photo-etch, and no time to actually make anything! Larry Ouellette Volunteer, USS Salem (CA 139) United States Naval & Shipbuilding Museum Quincy, Massachusetts, USA http://www.uss-salem.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: Mike Settle Subject: Re: Resin Casting Supplies >> Recently decided I need to cast some duplicate parts in resin and am considering buying the necessary chemicals from Micro Mark. Their "starter kit" #82084 costs $60 (more than the price of the kit from which I need duplicate parts, but never mind). I would like to know if anyone has any experience with this product, or can recommend another source. Generally, I like Micro Mark's products but have been cautious ever since they sent me a machinist's square advertised "the Ultimate in Accuracy" made in Pakistan and less square than the cardboard box it came in. << Dave, I have used Micro Mark's resin and silicone before, and it is all right. I personally prefer Alumilite and the Dow Corning silicones, though. The Alumilite resin sets up faster, therefore has a faster de-mold time. It works great for small parts, but probably cures too fast for large parts. They do have a slower setting resin, though I have never used that one. Alumilite's web site is at: http://www.alumilite.com/ Mike Settle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: TANewell@aol.com Subject: Re: Yamato Aircraft >> Were the spotter aircraft on board during this operation, and if so would they be on the catapults or the deck? If anyone's going to be at the show in Indianapolis Feb 9th it'll be there. << I remember from reading Russell Spurr's book, "A Glorious Way to Die," that theYamato left Kure with its complement of aircraft, but they were flown off and back to base before the ship left Japanese waters, presumably to be used later as Kamikaze planes. So you can decide yourself whether to display the planes or not. I put mine on the catapults, explaining that they were being made ready for takeoff. Tim Newell -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: Lkjohnson214@aol.com Subject: Re: Resin Casting Supplies I use the Micro Mark resin kits for my casting needs. The kits include everything you need and work great. I have used Alumilite products, and prefer the ones from Micro Mark. I've used the MicroMark kit to cast 1/300 scale airplanes, 1/700 ship hulls and all kinds of fittings in a variety of scales. It takes a bit of practice to get consistent results but the MicroMark RTV and resin seems to be a bit more forgiving than others I have used. LD Johnson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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