Subject: SMML VOL 1575 Date: Fri, 08 Mar 2002 00:25:03 +1100 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: masking 2: WEM Lance & Milne 3: NRG articles 4: part 2 of HMS Illustrious 5: Re: USS San Francisco kits 6: HP Models 7: funny thing 8: Books can be deceiving 9: IJN DD markings 10: Carolyn Chouest 11: Re: USS Olympia 12: Re: WEM Lance & Milne 13: Spanish frigate launched with Lockheed Martin's Aegis combat system 14: still going with the mag snipettes 15: Re: HP Models 16: Salt Lake City Logs 17: Tamiya Fletcher turrets 18: Vainamoinen Camouflage Request -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: The Kellys 2: 1/350 LANCE and MILNE.. and the WEM 1/72 S-Boat fret -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: NAVYDAZE@aol.com Subject: Re: masking Ya, know those accesories that Testors sells to "modelers" - brushes, sand paper, glue and so on. One day I needed a real fast mask and picked up one of their rolls of "official masking tape" thinking OH this will probably work - not. Anyway it turned out to be really great stuff - has anyone used it and how can I get it in a larger roll. Not too much tack to it, probably more preasure sensitive than anything but extremely sharp edge unlike masking tape that you have to trim it to get a good edge. Good stuff Anyone have any ideas on this. Mike NAVYDAZE http://www.navydaze.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Leslie Brown" Subject: WEM Lance & Milne Further to the posting from Edward Brown, I am another one who is awaiting the release of the above models. Also the 1:350 scale Repulse, Bluebell, Ledbury and Liverpool for which the patterns are complete according to the price list. I also hope the Burwell will not be far behind. Regards Les Brown -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: david_l._miller@ccmail.wiu.edu Subject: NRG articles In my work, I spend long hours doing research and writing to prepare an article for submission to a sociological journal. I send it off in the hope it will meet the journal's needs, or pass their reviewers. When it is published, I do not get paid for the article, even though it is my profession. Doing an article for the NRG falls in the same general category of research and writing for the advancement of the field, even though it is my hobby. Dave Miller Macomb, IL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Andrew Jones" Subject: part 2 of HMS Illustrious Eastern Fleet: repaired Cammell Lairds, had radar updated Joined eastern fleet in indian ocean. sufferd hanger fire & repaird freetown. Took part in attack on madagasgar. returned to UK jan 43 refitted twin okerlikons replaced single mounts & 2 extra arrestor wires fited & increased flightdeck 45 feet. eascorted Queen Mary to USA & then went to Med fleet tookpartin Salerno landings again refited oct/nov with 2 more twin Oer's & flight deck extended more. catapult strengthed to cope with barracuda. went with US fleet to atack Japanese sabang. sumatra, java. crew at this time was 2000 compared with in 1940 1229 crew. refitted again oct 44 with retubing boilers & US homing beacon & also ability to refuel her escorts. with British task force attacked more Japanese forces. during one operation was hit by 2 5.25" shells fired from King George V. arrived Sydney feb 45 repaired had centre screw taken out speed droped to 24 knots althouh above 19knots vibrations still casued problems. hit by kamakazi 6 april 45 which damaged her seriously to become a liability & was replced by Formidable. sent home. refit 27 june refitted as flagship, aft 4.5" guns removed & machines overhauled & other modifications. decided that she would replce Pretoria castle as the trials & training carrier. & with emergency of refit did come out from the docks till june 1946. Her flight deck was extended again by 5 feet, island superstructure was rebuilt & flight deck above stern modified, aircraft lifts wee changed to suit new generation of aircraft. Freeboard had decreased by 2 feet. final years: as a trials ship she condustcted test on new generation jet & prop planes. reduced to reserve 1947 due to shortage of manpower but recommissioned 1948. refitted 1950/51 & deployed as emergency troop carrier to Cyprus during the Canal Crisis & took part in the 1952 exercise Mainbrace with 860 dutch NAS & 824 NAS embarked. Was present at June 53 Coronation review, decommissioned 1954 at Devonport & reduced to the reserve at Gareloch. Sold for scrap to British Iron & steel corporation in Nov 1956 photos: 1943 with swordfish on board...7 dec 1954 arriving Devonport...postwar with Avenger landing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Timothy Dike" Subject: Re: USS San Francisco kits >> What would be my best bet in 1/700 for a USS San Francisco in 1942? I've noticed that several manufacturers sell resin kits of this ship. If there is a kit of the Astoria or Quincy that is better, that is ok, too. I guess building the Tamiya Indianapolis put the hook in me for treaty cruisers. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. << Your best bet for a 1942 "Frisco" is the Waveline kit. It represents the kit in that build, a 1944 version is available from both Classic Warships and HP-Models. The latter kit was just reviewed on ModelWarships.com. The Loose Cannon Models Astoria and Quincy are a little different than the San Francisco so I wouldn't recommend using them as a basis to model it. The LCP kits I've seen are very nice and if you want an Astoria or Quincy they would be good kits to start with. Waveline also makes a Quincy that is a nice kit. I also reviewed an earlier release of this kit. Both Waveline and Loose Cannon use the two piece molding style as opposed to the open face style, so there is no over pour or wafer to sand away. You will have a little flash but it is easy to take care of. Since you are into treaty cruisers don't forget Corsair Armada makes a Detroit (1945) and a gorgeous Louisville (1944). Classic Warships has a unique Wichita (last of the treaty cruisers). HP-Models has a Pensacola and Salt Lake City in early war and late war versions. Those are just the heavies I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. Timothy Dike Webmaster and Editor ModelWarships.com http://www.modelwarships.com/index1.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Timothy Dike" Subject: HP Models >> I've been looking at listings for HB models. Particularly, the WW1 ships. Do they come with Photo etch? How good are they compared to say WEM. << I'm assuming you mean HP-Models. The ones I've seen don't come with PE, but for the most part are pretty good kits. My opinion is good hulls and superstructure, but fair to OK on the weapons and fittings on the early kits. The latest releases show a big improvement in the latter category. Timothy Dike Webmaster and Editor ModelWarships.com http://www.modelwarships.com/index1.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Andrew Jones" Subject: funny thing it must be either chance or coincidence about the Graff Spee ..i think on Saturday on the ABC there is the movie battle of the river plate! so there's ones for the aussies to tape.. also saw a story in the paper today,, technically not funny...but a woman was rescued after falling off the cruise ship norway ..i think it said she was missing for 10 days (?) only noticed after a ships roll call was taken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "John Rule" Subject: Books can be deceiving I logged onto an Italian site, saw a picture of the cover of a book which attracted me called Esploratori Italiani, and immediately ordered it. The book by Franco Bargoni, was published in 1996. Even though my Italian is limited, I am a sucker for books on Italian warships. From the picture of the book I assumed it was in the small paperback format of the Orizzonte Mare series. WRONG!!!! It arrived today. It's 11.5" x 10", is hardback, weighs 5lb, has about 430 pages, is filled with photos, large scale drawings and colour profiles. As I say, "Books can be deceiving." This book is a mindblower. John Rule -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Procladius@aol.com Subject: IJN DD markings Hello, Here is some information on IJN destroyer markings taken from "Painting systems of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1904 - 1945" by Linton Wells, published in Warship International, Vol. 19 (1) 1982, p. 20 - 36. "In May 1941, Admiral Yamamoto ordered the (funnel) bands to be painted out when entering anchorage, but they continued to be used during ordinary fleet operations. During the Pacific War, the use of stripes was left to the discretion of division and squadron commanders, and some ships carried them at least until 1943." "Through the Fall of 1942, ships running trials in home waters continued to carry side names (e. g. DD Akizuki), but the characters were removed prior to deployment." Hope this helps! Charles Watson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Ron and Louise Crawford Subject: Carolyn Chouest Can anyone steer me to a general arrangement drawing or plan set for the "Carolyn Chouest"? She is the escort and tow ship for the submarine NR-1. Even a "Janes" or Weyers size would be OK. Thanks. Ron Crawford -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: annobon4@aol.com Subject: Re: USS Olympia Hi Concerning the question about USS Olympia. The Olympia was decommissioned in 1921 at the Philly Navy Yard. After the Oregon was made available for scrap. President Roosevelt in 1942 signed a executive order that Olympia was to be kept for preservation. She remained until 1957 in mothballs and became a museum and today is on display with the sub Becuna at Penn's Landing area of Philly. Craig -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Allan and Crystal Plumb Subject: Re: WEM Lance & Milne >> It may be a good idea to let WEM know if you are interested. << Milne! Or either with the original turrets, no puny 4" please even if they were more useful... And the Type 22/3 in 1/350 would be nice if I ever see it. IMHO one of the prettier ships around. Allan Plumb (Who will promptly buy one of each of the modern Colourcoats as soon as they become available. New data is always good.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Andrew Jones" Subject: Spanish frigate launched with Lockheed Martin's Aegis combat system The Spanish shipbuilder, Izar, on behalf of the Spanish Navy, has launched the second of four frigates as part of its F-100 program. All four frigates will be equipped with the Lockheed Martin Aegis Combat System. The ship, Almirante Juan de Borbon (F-102), was launched in ceremonies at the Izar shipyard in Ferrol and the keel was laid for F-103 during the ceremonies. The first ship in the class, Alvaro de Bazan (F-101), is due for commission in October. The Spanish Navy selected the Aegis Combat System for its F-100 frigate programme in 1996 and Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems (NE&SS) is the combat system-engineering agent on the F-100 programme. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Andrew Jones" Subject: still going with the mag snipettes The Naming of RAN Units The process of naming RAN ships has been an evolutionary one. The names of ships that were first part of the RAN were automatic, AUSTRALIA for the battlecruiser & capital city names for light cruisers..subamrines followed the British system. A in front of E class designation indicated they were australian vessels, whilst those from RN kept their names. Late in the 60's a ship's name was selected by the "ships' Names, Honours & awards committee". this committee selected the names & recommended them to the Chief of Naval Staff & he approved them. Later it was changed to that Chief of the Navy selects the name & then passes the name on to the Governor-General. In 1995 the navy adopted a series of guidline in order to bring uniformity to naming vessels - surface combatants are to be named after Australian cities, towns, districts or previous ships of the type - Submarines would cary names with an Australian connection or names of previous naval vessels - survey & other marine science vessels would be named after large coastal or off-shore features, such as island: individuals who have contributed to the knowledge of our maritime enviroment or previous ships employed in the marine sciece role - small attached marine science craft maybe after foreign vessels which have contributed to the exploration of australia's coast - amphibious warfare ships names after australian combined operations or previous ships of the type - mine warfare are named after rivers and bays or previous vessels - support ships previous supoprt ships or naval establishments - tugs & harbour craft are to be named after australian flora & fauna & again previous vessel of the type - commissioned and non-commissioned establishments could cary names which were connected with the area or the function of the establishment or again previous name in naval service. Once a requirment to name a ship arises, the senior Naval Historical officer at the Dept Of Defense prepares a list of potential names & then is forwarded to the Chief of navy & then decides which names to select. If the ships are small he may select the names himself & seek endorsment from the Minister of Defense, if the ship to be for a major warship then the Chief of the Navy would recommend the names to the Governor_general for approval. This is done via the minister & the Prime Minister's office. The name selection process is often underway well before succesful tenders of the project have been announced, this is done so that sufficient time is available for the design if required for a ship's badge as well as to prevent bidding wars by various ship associations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: SolidStump@aol.com Subject: Re: HP Models >> I assume you mean "HP Models" and not "HB Models". As far as I know, the kits are all resin and none come with any photoetch. I think you'll hear mixed feelings about their kits from various people. I have five of their kits (all WWII ships) and the quality is a mixed bag ranging from great to ok. Some of their earlier releases are somewhat lacking but their recent stuff has really improved and is very very good. I would not rate them at the same level as Waveline or WEM, but they are certainly very buildable. The biggest issue you'll find is that some of the smaller pieces << Thanks for the info Yohan. I really prefer an easy build.....but they have the only listing for Invincible (BC- Jutland) and a few others I haven't seen elsewhere. If John W at ISW ever finishes his 1/350 Invincible, I'll snatch it up!!! I have also wanted a Warspite or QE in Jutland fit in 1/350 but this is improbable. WEM is getting a 1/700 Warspite ready with a 1918 fit of QE coming out first. I will settle for them.... regards Simon Scheuer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: SPYDER62@aol.com Subject: Salt Lake City Logs Just To let you know, on the SaltLake City web site: http://sandysq.gcinet.net/uss_salt_lake_city_ca25/ there are now the high lites from the log books for the month of Dec. 1941, and Sandy will be up dating them for each month of the war. She is going thru Jan. now and has 4 or more boxes of log sheets to go thru. The thing that suprised me was the fact that they were taking on crew from the ships on Battleship row as soon as Dec. 8th. To find then go to the web site and check the update file. rich -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "Mike C" Subject: Tamiya Fletcher turrets I've been dabbling with this kit off and on for a couple months. If you want to keep the kit turrets, it looks like it should be relatively easy to correct the offset problem with the gun barrels. The openings for the guns have a raised lip around them. The gun should be moved to starboard by approximately the width of that lip. If you open the hole by carving off the starboard lip, sand down the rest of the molded lip, add a shim to the port side of the opening that is about the width of the lip, then make a new lip with strips of sheet platic, then you should have the correct offset. Of couse now you will also have to move the pivot pin for the turrets because the gun was on the centerline but the rest of the turret was over to port. I also think the slant of the roof is too severe and, as Bert mentioned, there are no double knuckle turrets for the #51 and #55 mounts, so I'm trying to make my own set...lots of trial and error. I needed to do that anyway, for another kit I'm working on. On the plus side, the 20mm are very usable once the GMM brass and a couple alterations are made. Cut off the ammo can, move it forward of the elevation pivot point, and tilt it about 45 degrees to the right of the gunner. Cut the kit barrel in half and taper the end to represent the return spring housing. Replace the barrel with a 3/32" length of stretched sprue and glue a nub of stretched sprue onto the pedestal for the handwheel. Once the GMM brass is on, the guns look quite nice. As a reference, the Floating Drydock Fletcher book is an invaluable asset for anyone wanting to add some detail to this kit. I hope this helps some. Mike C -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "Pletscher-Lenz-Schneider" Subject: Vainamoinen Camouflage Request Hi all I wonder if someone can help me with the paint scheme for the Finnish coast defence ship Vainamoinen (later the Soviet Vyborg) of the Ilmarinen class. This ship was painted in a zig-zag pattern in about July 1942. She also wore a camouflage scheme of light gray bands painted over her dark gray upperworks, while the hull was overall dark gray during another time period (presumably in 1941). Can anybody point out, where I could find drawings or photos of these paint schemes? Every hint is appreciated. Falk Pletscher -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Chris & Lulu Langtree" Subject: The Kellys Hi All Having been in touch with Chatham, the Kellys is on schedule to be published at the end of the month. I expect as many of you to buy a copy as possible. I don't mind if you slag it off but buy the book first (actually its pretty good) Chris Langtree -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "WEM" Subject: 1/350 LANCE and MILNE.. and the WEM 1/72 S-Boat fret Ok, Guys n Girlies, Edward's post has prompted me to retrieve the completed L+M patterns from Brian Fawcett... they probably do need some updating, and the PE isn't ready yet, but we'll take a look and then bring this item right up to the top of the batting schedule (I do have a good number of pre-orders on the Lance and Milne.. ). We'll keep folks posted. At this time, having had the sample castings from CMA (gorgeous!), we are awaiting the production run for the 1/350 HMS LEDBURY kit, Hunt Class (modern). The detailig set for the REVELL 1/72 S-BOAT has proved an absolute pig... we have been exchanging many emails with Falk Pletscher, John Lambert, and Dave Krakow (thanks guys), and have found Classic Warship's new S-Boat book an absolutely invaluable reference. The kit is SO good and so well detailed that creating additions has required much more detailed drawings than we originally had ... together with pulling together photographs from all over. However, despite the delays, Peter is just about ready to start the onorous task of putting together this new fret. Once he's finished with this, the production process will add a couple of weeks to Peter's time... I guarantee, it'll be worth waiting for! Cheers! Caroline Snyder White Ensign Models, http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/white.ensign.models/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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