Subject: SMML VOL 1541 Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2002 00:07:19 +1100 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: SD14 kit resources 2: HMS Tiger 3: Re: Sea stories 4: Engine problems? Never 5: SD-14 6: Human figures 7: Indecision about making bashing a kit hull to make a waterline model 8: PLANS for German S-100 Boat 9: waterline or full hull in larger scales 10: Posers 11: Help over Poltava 1904 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: For sale -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Doug Marrel" Subject: SD14 kit resources Marcle's allows you to buy at in 3 sections for amoderate premium over the one piece kit,, http://www.marcle.co.uk/sd14.htm Modelers dockyard has it for a semi reasonable 238 GBP (if you are outside the UK), or around $350 for the whole thing. http://www.model-dockyard.com/card/sd14.asp It's on my Christmas list, but who know? Email me if you are serious about building it, I do card models as well as plastic. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: annobon4@aol.com Subject: HMS Tiger Hi Guys There is a model of HMS TIGER C-20 (1959-68 era) in plastic 1/500 scale by by a Russian Company.I think it's a reissue of the old Frog/Novo kit. Contact me off list and I'll tell you Ted 0330 where you can it. Craig -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Kdg345@aol.com Subject: Re: Sea stories Dear readers: I would like to submit my sea story. I am the historian for the USS Yancey (AKA-93) and was a witness to this event. "Smoke on Number Four Hatch" Crossing the Pacific, by ship in the Winter, could be a cold, wet and blustery trip. These trips were a unique experience when watching movies outside on the cargo ship USS Yancey. The movie screen was rigged on the aft end of number four cargo hatch and the audience seated themselves on the surrounding decks, hatch and in various weather protected areas of the superstructure. The higher the rank the more you could sit in comfort. Sailors tried to keep warm and comfortable by wearing foul weather gear and using the few chairs available. One enterprising disbursing clerk thought he had found a solution. He had a chair from his office so he had a measure of comfort. But keeping warm was his first priority so he decided to order a surplus Air Force Jacket that was constructed like a heating blanket. These 28 volt jackets were designed with small wires routed thru the thin jacket and the jacket worn under a heavier foul weather jacket. He quickly realized that he didn't have the right kind of electrical plug that fit the nearest outlet in our office. So he persuaded an Electrician to install a plug that fit our outlet. He didn't consider it important that there are different plugs for different voltage systems. When "movies on number four hatch" was announced, he was already seated in his favorite chair, zipped up the jackets, passed the extension cord thru the ship's office porthole and said "plug me in". We did as he asked! From here on I am not sure of the actual sequence of events since time and witnesses have clouded the actual events. We may have been distracted by the extension cord reacting by sort of coiling up like a snake. But I think he jumped out of his chair before the flash and then frantically began unzipping. Years later, when I was in Engineering School, I learned that the heat generated varies with the square of the voltage. Also I found that most airplanes and ships have 28 volt systems as their primary source of electrical power. The exception occurred when we had the electrician route a 110 volt line into our office for a record player. A quick calculation indicates that our friend received about 16 times the maximum designed heat capacity of that jacket. After 45 years, since that incident, I am curious if that clerk bears a strange pattern of burn marks on his body. K.D. Groom Kent, Wa -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Jeremiah O. Coughlin" Subject: Engine problems? Never >> In the book "DesRon 23" by Ken Jones, the 31-knot speed is creditied to a squadron ships' engine problems that limited her to 31 knots, and thus the remainder of the squadron. Cant remember the ship (SPENCE?), but when Burke signaled in the problem, so became "31-knot Burke." << I don't think it could be that they had an engine problem as/Mr. Jones book Either the turbine spun freely or it was locked up. With only one turbine set they could not get any where near 31 kts., 22 tops. There are only a few things that can go wrong with a turbine set with out knocking them out. A common problem would be the throttle valves. There were 5 on the GE units (30,000 SHP), opened sequentially by cams off of the ahead valve wheel shaft. The linkage some times would hang up, (jammed throttle) which would limit precise turn operations. But for wide open, there were manual by-pass valves which allowed us to dump all the steam we had into the turbines.(3rd, 5th, and 7th stages as I remember) We practiced causality control drills a lot, came up with a lot of answers that I never have seen in any books. I played with that machinery a lot of years, boilers were always considered part of the engines, almost all of our problems were with boilers. You can believe it or not, but I was there and did it. I think it was the monoxide that turned those BT's into idiots, and allowed us MM's to sit back and criticize with our CLEAN dungarees. Long ago and far away, jeremiah.... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: JAVASEA75@aol.com Subject: SD-14 My thanks to Dave Swindell and Dave Ward for the websites info, just what I have been looking for!! Jean -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: Human figures I never really liked human figures on a model. I won't say I disliked them, I just never liked them. I suppose one reason is that they rarely seemed life-like, they looked more like statues than people. But I tried a couple on 1:48 scale Sub Chaser, just to see how they looked. I must admit that they do help to convey a sense of scale for the average viewer. And I also found a sort of bonus in the fact that I could place them to conceal a not-so-well-done item that would be totally impractical to re-do. Now I suppose the following is old-hat to the many professional modelers in SMML, but I submit it to the less talented (such as myself), hoping it may be useful. Another reason I never liked human figures was the fact that although they may have been painted correctly for the uniforms or other clothing, something was just not right. That happened to me, and then it struck me. There was a natural gloss finish. Clothing is not normally shiny. I should have used flat enamel !!!!!!! How simple !! However, not all colors are available in flat colors. I solved the problem by spraying the finished figures with Dull Cote. This also corrected another incorrect item, for I had painted the barrel, ammo drum, and chamber of the Lewis machine guns with a dark color to represent the blued finish of these parts, but they too were shiny. Dull Cote again saved the day. Franklyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: Indecision about making bashing a kit hull to make a waterline model Don't cut the hull to mak a waterline model until you have tried the following. Make the complete hull. Then CAREFULLY create a hole in the "sea surface" medium you are using, so shaped that the hull will just fit into it. Any gaps can be filled with appropriate material, Now you can display the model either as a waterline configuration, or gently lift it out and set it in a cradle or on pedestals, as you wish. Emboldened by this, you can next try making the sea surface from a piece of office door glass which has a sort of pebbled surface which can be painted to resemble wavelets. Placed at a reasonable height in a case, this piece of glass can allow the viewing of both the air and the water sides of the model at the same time. You can sort of "diorama-ize" the whole with a sandy or rocky bottom, maybe a sunken wreck, etc. Making the shaped hole in the glass, to fit the hull, will be a lot more difficult, however. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Franklyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: ikuta Subject: PLANS for German S-100 Boat 32nd Parallel had a set of plans for the S-100 boat. Does any one know what happened to them? I want to obtain some plans so I can build on at 32nd scale. Any help would be grateful. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Kerry Jang Subject: waterline or full hull in larger scales Ken, I used to think that all ships should be full hull. Over the past few years, I have made everything waterline and put them in seascapes. I find that whatever the scale, a ship out of water doesn't look right to me anymore. Finishing larger scale models for waterline display with enough weathering and/or shading to make it look "real" is a different kettle of fish than with smaller scales. In 1:700, I find a simple wash and drybrush will bring out the details nicely. In 1:350 or greater, I find that I have to airbrush on some shades to break up the solid masses of grey to give the model life. I will use a "preshading" technique or actually spray a darker shade of the base colur into the recessess. Selective washing and drybrushing brings the model to life. I also find that a model ship in a seascape has a certain "WOW!" factor that full hull models lack. Its the sterility of the full hull treatment that makes it look this way. I recently received the ISW modified corvette kit and I thought the hull looked "funny". It wasn't until I visualized from the waterline up that it looked just right! My favouritism towards waterline ships is infecting my wooden ship building. I mainly build ships from the era of fighting sail, and my latest miniature (OK, in wooden ship circles, 1:192 and below is a miniature) is LE CERF, a cutter from the French Royal Navy -- being built as a waterline vessel, and will go into a carved sea eventually. The model looks so different this way, but very appealing. Have a go, and cut the bottom away. Now, all I have to do now is get the nerve to "weather" this wooden model (its almost NEVER done is wooden sailing ship circles....!). Heresy! Best, Kerry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Mike C" Subject: Posers Hi group, I'm curious about a few items. Any help would be appreciated. A customer asked a question about ladders that brought to mind another question: Isn't there a tradition for traffic flow on ladders? Is it generally port side up, starboard side down, or vice versa? Also, I'm building a Tamiya Fletcher for myself that I want to put in very rough water. Can anyone tell me what kind of topside personnel would be visible? That would include bridge personnel like signalmen or lookouts, or deck crew. Also, if someone needed to get from one end of the ship to the other, would they normally use internal passageways or make a dash topside? Was wartime rain gear black (assumed) or yellow? Would there be tarps over the guns (or other equipment) if the storm was expected and prolonged, especially in a war zone? TIA for replies, Mike C -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Domi y Sacry" Subject: Help over Poltava 1904 I go to do the Russian battleship Poltava 1.904, Kombrig 1/700 scale. I need help over the detail of the ships. I haventīt drawings and photos of this ship, and the instruction are very bads. Please, I need any help for this ship. thanks Domingo Balber -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: annobon4@aol.com Subject: For sale Hi Shane For sale the following 1/600 scale ships for sale. MPC HMS SUFFOLK -1982 era(Yes it's marked as a Battle Cruiser)WW2 cruiser $10.00 Series 4 AirFix(1960's) -HMS WARSPITE and HMS IRON DUKE-1/600 scale-$10.00 each. Shipping and handling charge is $4.00. USA residents only please. Craig -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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