Subject: SMML VOL 1587 Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 12:10:42 +1100 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: New Models (Almost) 2: CW Books 3: Classic Warship Books 4: Torpedoed merchant ship 5: Drawings in publications 6: Doin' The Dixie 7: 1/700 Frisco 8: Relatives at Revell 9: And theres more! 10: Re: New book from Classic Warship 11: new book suggestion 12: Motorized Kits of 20 to 30 years ago 13: New Book Titles 14: Re: new books 15: ACF V3 16: Re: New book from Classic Warships 17: new books 18: The Yamato two part deck 19: Re: New "Anatomy-Style" Books from CW 20: Re: comments of Geo. Sinkankus 21: St John's (Newfoundland) visit -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: New Arrivals -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "John Rule" Subject: New Models (Almost) Here is something for those with an interest in early US warships (the metal kind). I just received from Iron Shipwright the castings for four 1:700 scale kits I requested. The PE and instructions are to follow when complete. The ships represented are as follows: USS Brooklyn .......................Armored Cruiser commissioned 1896 USS Maine.................Second Class Battleship commissioned 1895 USS Kearsarge................................Battleship commissioned 1900 USS Katahdin..............................Armored Ram commissioned 1896 These kits are truly gorgeous, the crispness of castings being excellent and are far superior to the current European offerings covering this era. The ships boats are really beautiful. I heartily commend I.S. for taking the plunge in producing these kits. What a boon for the modeller. Ships from the colourful pre-dreadnought era are very welcome. We have seen release of many of the Japanese and Russian pre-dreadnoughts and even a Spanish one, but these are the first US ships. Now White Ensign take note. Where is the Majestic or the Royal Sovereign????? I wish Iron Shipwright every success with the sale of these models as perhaps good sales will encourage release of further warships from this era. Sincerely, John Rule (Still drooling over the contents of this box) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Rod Dauteuil Subject: CW Books Hello all, I must say I love those Classic Warship books. I only wish there were more pictures in color. I second the motion for the 4 Pipers, Midway class CV's, and post conversion Essex class CV's. In addition, seaplane tenders such as the Pine Island would be a nice choice. Also, while the general consensus for releases seems to be toward combatants, I would also like to see support ships profiled, such as fleet oilers, supply ships, tenders, etc. I know each book in the CW series focuses on one class of ship, and perhaps these non-combatants wouldn't be enough to fill up an entire book. But what about a book on support ships in general, with a chapter each for the different types? One SMMLie was commenting about building the Tamiya Enterprise and was looking for the Bert Kinsey Detail and Scale book. I believe that D+S edition is still available (re-printing). I bought mine a few months ago. Rod -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: ZMzimmerman@cs.com Subject: Classic Warship Books To paraphrase "Write it and they will buy it." If you have the information on the Goeben go for it. With so many of the subjects suggested there is little detailed or well researched information out there anything you print will be popular. I bet even one on minesweepers. LOL Michael Zimmerman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Rod Dauteuil Subject: Torpedoed merchant ship There was (or presently is?) a 1/700 kit available of a merchant ship which was torpedoed by a sub. The kit contained only the bow and stern sections, molded at an angle as to simulate the ship being torpedoed amidship. When the pieces were assembled and placed on a waterline surface, the ship looked like it had broken up amidship and was sinking. Does this ring a bell for anybody? I'm interested in finding out who issued this kit, and if it's still available. Did it come with a submarine too? Was it an Allied sub and an Axis merchant ship? Or was it the other way around? Or was it just a generic merchant ship? It would be nice to make a small diorama using this kit. I refuse to cut up a $40.00 Skywave Liberty Ship to accomplish this! Thanks Rod Hi Rod, The Hasegawa Type VIIC/IXC U-Boat set is the kit you're after. Comes with the aforementioned U-Boats plus the two halfs of a freighter. I'm not sure of it's current availability. Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: ZMzimmerman@cs.com Subject: Drawings in publications I heartily endorse everything Mr. Sinkankas (hope I copied that right) said in his post on drawings. Having spent a lot of time creating scale rulers for drawings in books and for copied maps in the land title business as a commercial land title examiner, he is right on as to what is needed for the model builder. Michael Zimmerman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Victor M. Baca" Subject: Doin' The Dixie >> Would love to do DIXIE or a sister in 1/96 scale. << Now that would be a very cool model. I never really appreciated the auxiliaries (the big ones, anyway) until a photo safari had me on the deck of a tour boat in San Diego Harbor. There was USS Dixie among all the modern warships, stern facing the evening twilight. Man, they don't make them like that anymore. Later, I saw one of her sisters awaiting the scrapper's torch at Norfolk. Even stripped of all her equipment, she looked like a classic old warhorse. If you ever complete that model, Al, send me some pictures! Best Regards, Victor Baca MODEL SHIP JOURNAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Timothy Dike Subject: 1/700 Frisco >> And as an aside,thanks to all those who responded to my query regarding a 1/700 San Francisco. Looks like the Waveline kit will be my choice. I think I even have a GMM Cruiser set sitting around waiting for it. << Don't forget the Tom's ModelWorks set for the New Orleans class CA's. It has the correct searchlight towers that you will need, and they look a lot better than the solid cast platform. Between the GMM set and Tom's set you will have all you need to do it right. Timothy Dike Webmaster and Editor ModelWarships.com http://www.modelwarships.com/index1.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Victor M. Baca" Subject: Relatives at Revell >> I hope you don't have any relitives/friends working at Revell or Lindburg. ;-))) As for Viking Models, they're out of business anyway. << Naw, all my relatives went into medical professions. I only knew one Revell designer, Mr. Al Armitage, who just recently passed away. He designed that classic Cutty Sark kit and a whole bunch of other ship kits many of us grew up on. He was a fountain of information when he got to talking about the monetary risk and peril involved with new kit molds. Even when he spoke in 1960s dollars, the amounts were staggering. Life threw him a bunch of curve balls and he turned them into successes, one heck of a fine character he was... I also thought of including the Lindberg kits, but, like Revell, they're easy marks. Besides, after seeing what Loren perry can do with some of those old Revell kits, there is hope for them, too. I'm seeking really nasty things, dripping with resin, sinkholes like a teenager's face and oozing lots of flash from mold gaps. I think I'll hit some hobby shops and see what monsters are lurking on the shelves. Have a good one, Victor Baca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Subject: And theres more! Hi All Two new web sites to add to your lists. I mentioned many moons ago that a museum in Barrow-in-Furness that had access to the huge Vickers collection of photographs was putting them on their computer files. Just yesterday they e-mailed me to say that they were on line, and invite a visit to www.dockmusrum.org.uk I have yet to visit this one due to the fact that we have a local problem with connecting to the web. I do know that this unique source has a mass of previously unseen material particularly of gun mountings in the erecting shop at Vickers. They state with currently 8160 images but constantly updated as we complete the digitisation project. The next item I received just today. The British Military Powerboat Trust at Husbands ship yard estate, Cracknore Hard, Marchwood, Southampton SO40 4ZD is restoring wooden warships to working condition. They have a number of ex Royal Air Force tenders, air sea rescue craft, and Motor Torpedo Boats including a British Power Boat 71 ft 6 inch that are restored or being worked upon. The 71' 6" is ongoing and when I last spoke they were awaiting the delivery of gear boxes before fitting new (German) diesel engines. With the warmer weather, they will now open over the weekends and boat trips will be on the agenda. The Trust site is www.bmpt.org.uk Returning to more mundane subjects I note with interest the thoughts on publications. Al Ross and I think along similar lines. Its a hobby which we enjoy, but in no way does writing books pay. The hours undertaking research, purchasing original drawings and photographs, paying for hotels, petrol etc are all required before putting a draughting pen on to a sheet of film. (The film too costs £100 a roll). Then there are the hundreds of hours spent on producing the drawings. A single sheet will take me about three weeks and I'm retired and up before 5am every day, including weekends. A decent sized publication will take over two maybe three years. The advance from the publishers is very welcome, it HELPS pay for the research but its only part. Another very time consuming part is writing the text. I have previously mentioned producing bound copies of my Corvette drawings, (30-40 sheets) but I lack the firm resolve and cash to do so. I have approached various publishers to produce books on RN Naval Armament. I sent off detailed synopses for 7 (Yes seven) books. I was not given the courtesy of a reply. I have suggested to publishers a detailed book covering the 2 Pounder Pom Pom. (To those that know, its the 2 Pounder Mark VIII or Mark VIII* Gun) on the multitude of single, quad, eight barrelled, manual and power operated mountings carried during WW II. All these drawings are completed and I'll even throw in the ready use ammunition lockers and close range gunnery directors, but, it's "we'll think about it"! However I will shortly post some good news (with a nudge from Al) about Volume 3 of Allied Coastal Forces of WW II. Yours "Aye" John Lambert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Dboykap@aol.com Subject: Re: New book from Classic Warship >> I would really like to one on a Japanese carrier, but am literally afraid of future publications from Mr. Skulski, who wrote the Yamato, Takao & Fuso books. We are due for another one from him and I highly suspect a carrier. I wont give up. Maybe I could publish his next book!!! << I would also love to see IJN carriers, like the Shokakus. If your reluctant to tackle something Skulski might do, what about the Unryus? Plenty of photos from the postwar ships would make a good base for research. And how about the Brooklyns? This is a significant class that never gets enough attention. Dan Kaplan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "john fiebke" Subject: new book suggestion I'd like to see a book called "The IJN Carriers of Pearl Harbor." I pulled the Akagi out of my 1/700 mothballed fleet last night and my girlfriend said, "what is that thing?" and she wasn't even commenting on my fine workmanship from when I built it at age 12. The peak in the deck...the port side island....that stacked on top of a battlecruiser design...ah, what freakish beauty. Where's the paint remover? And given the escalating nature of everyone's wishlist regarding this topic...Steve, could you actually just rebuild the Akagi in 1/1 scale so I can take a look at her myself? john f. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: David Sepos Subject: Motorized Kits of 20 to 30 years ago Some of us that are becoming "Seasoned Citizens" remember that many of the early Tamiya (tanks) and other Japanese kits were motorized in some form or fashion. Urban Legend has it that this was not a "play" option but rather a "ploy" to circumvent certain U. S. import tarriffs. Apparently "models" were taxed at a higher rate than "toys". The inclusion of a motor apparently relegated the item to a toy category that was taxed at a lower rate. This lowered the cost to the U.S. consumer, giving Mr. Tamiya and others the competitive exposure they needed in the U.S. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: David Sepos Subject: New Book Titles The long neglected Idaho, Mississippi, and New Mexico Class BBs. They were not Pearl Harbor combatants, not fast BBs, as a consequence, they have been largely forgotten in the published media. North Carolina & South Dakota Classes - These 2 have a lot of sales potential with the memorial ships. Alaska Class Love the New Jersey book, keep it up! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: Re: new books >> Sadly, what I'd like to see in new books is not economically viable. While my primary interests are in combatants, I've always liked landing craft and auxiliaries, particularly the big tenders (AD, AS, AV). Would love to do DIXIE or a sister in 1/96 scale. Happily, I just got a commission to do CURTISS (AV 4) in 1/350, so at least I can dabble... :-) << Al, I have thoughts on doing some of the subjects in my smaller soft bound series books, grouped into classes or ship types. Thanks, Steve Wiper -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: ALROSS2@aol.com Subject: ACF V3 Well, it's official. John and I have signed with Conway for volume 3. We hope to have it done next March. John will be covering British Power Boat, Thornycroft, Camper & Nicholson, and the rest of the Brit boats while I'll be doing Higgins (including the HELLCAT), Huckins, and Canadian Power Boat. Will also include the MK17 .50 turret and the ELCO "Thunderbolt". John will be on to say more eventually. Al Ross -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "Reynaga, Tim@EDD" Subject: Re: New book from Classic Warships Steve, here's my suggested list: Enterprise (Yorktown, Hornet) Kagero class DDs Bismarck (and Tirpitz) Scharnhorst (Gneisenau) Tim Reynaga -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "Andrew Jones" Subject: new books I wouldn't mind what comes in the next load of books, as long as its WW2 & has colour referenec, on sides & top view!!! please don't forget TOP VIEW..nothing worse than seeing a warship in a weird camo & not find out out what the decks or any horizontal part looked like! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "Aragiannis Evangelos" Subject: The Yamato two part deck Greetings, about the Yamato split deck I received the kind reply by Graeme Martin sugesting the acquisition of Conway's "Anatomy series" on Yamato. May I have some more information about the series? I own the Skulski book, is this the same? Many thanks, Evangelos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: "Ken Hoolihan" Subject: Re: New "Anatomy-Style" Books from CW Gidday Steve, What a great idea to go to the next step with your books. Your comment about IWM photo costs is the reason there are only 2 RN ships on my list of suggested titles below; SMS Derflinger (WW1) HMS Tiger (WW1) HMS Invincible (WW1) SMS Scharnhorst (WW1) USS Alaska (WW2) USS Brooklyn (1898) USS Oregon (1898) USS Midway (WW2) USS Yorktown or Enterprise (WW2) IJN Mikasa (1905) IJN Akagi (WW2) Italian Roma or Littorio OK - that should keep you busy for the next 10 years. Cheers Ken Hoolihan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: HAZEGRAYADM@aol.com Subject: Re: comments of Geo. Sinkankus Control of drawings as Geo. K suggested are VERY important & should be considered for any future publication. Fold-out drawings (Side & plan views) would be the most desirable but the marked splits he suggested would also do the trick. So Mr. Wiper, any book (Or booklet) you wish to produce would be a buying item for me but try to include the WW II Essex class please. Bert McDowell -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: "Carlos Villaseñor" Subject: St John's (Newfoundland) visit I´ll be in St. John's (Newfoundland) from march 23th to April 13th, any tips or ideas about what to do/places to visit while being there?, related with hobby of course. Thanks in advance. Carlos Villaseñor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: John Snyder Subject: New Arrivals We've just received our latest shipment of 1/700 kits from WSW, and are pleased to announce the following are in stock: SMS VIRIBUS UNITIS SMS SZENT ISTVAN SMS SAIDA SMS BADEN SMS BAYERN USS WARD USS CALLAWAY USS MARKAB SMS LUTZOW SMS DERFFLINGER POTEMKIN DKM KARLSRUHE LE TERRIBLE SMS ERZH. FERDINAND MAX STRASBOURG SMS KAISER SMS ZENTA MERCHANT SHIP SET (1 tanker, 1 freighter, 2 tugs) HMS BURWELL (Town-class DD) and.... HMS VANGUARD Numbers are limited, so get 'em while they're hot! Also, we have now received our stock of Classic Warships Publications No. 15, Schnellboote, and No. 16, New Jersey (plus a re-stock on No. 13, Kongo-class battleships). Best, John 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