Subject: SMML VOL 1630 Date: Fri, 05 Apr 2002 13:40:58 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Stealth ships 2: Damaging molds 3: Movie boo boo 4: Gato class submarine in Wisconsin? 5: Re: Stealth vessels 6: tug hulls 7: Philadelphia 8: Movie Bloopers 9: Glencoe 1/400 scale SS United States 10: Re: NAS Willow Grove 11: Warships Pictorial- Kongo class BBs 12: Re: movie mistakes 13: Pearl Harbor, Ugh 14: Re: Willow Grove Naval Air Station 15: Willow Grove Naval Air Station 16: Re: Stealth Ships 17: Plastic filler for 1:700? 18: Underwater footage of Yamato 19: Battleship Oregon Book -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Models, books and plans for sale in Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Poutre, Joseph A" Subject: Re: Stealth ships >> If it's a true stealth ship, how the heck do you find it coming back from liberty? << Well, I see two ways. 1. Look for the hole in the water. 2. Go to the spot where you don't see a ship. Joe Poutre -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Damaging molds >> I the rumors I heard was that the molds were partially damaged and that is why the kit has not been released in such a long time. << How on Earth do you damage a solid steel block that must weigh at least a ton? I mean certainly they are stored someplace (with the halves stuck together to protect the delicate tooled surfaces) where they would be safe. Does a forklift drop another mold on it? I was just curious how one accidentally damages as solid steel cube badly enough to also damage the tooled surface INSIDE the mold. I know a catastrophic fire would sure do it, but I can't imagine many other scenarios. Rusty White #20181 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: Movie boo boo In SMML VOL1628 Rod Dauteuil makes reference to the the movie "Godfather II" in which thebow of an old sailing ship used in a composite shot purporting to be passing the Statue of Liberty as the ship enters New York harbor. As I remember it, the vessel passes with the Statue on the starboard side. Actually, the Statue is on the port side as one sails into New York's Upper Bay and Hudson River areas where the docks and piers are located. These movie people seem willing to spend much money to make obvious errors in their products. Why, when it costs the same to do it correctly ? In this case, simply reversing the film when processing or printing would have rectified the error. Someone should introduce our La-La Land millionaire incompetents to the concept of quality control. Franklyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: SJantscher@aol.com Subject: Gato class submarine in Wisconsin? Hi All, This is another travel related question. I seem to recall that there was a Gato class submarine on display in Wisconsin. Does anybody know right off the bat where it is, and if the display/ park, is open for visitors? I'd like to plan a field trip there later this month. Thank you in advance Steve Jantscher -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: Re: Stealth vessels In reply to Mike Leonard's query about finding your stealth vessel when returning from liberty, you don't, the SP finds you. And when you go aboard, be careful when stepping off the gangway, the ship just may not be there. Franklyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Kurt Van Dahm Subject: tug hulls For a BIG tug hull check out the Mr. Darby hull from Dumas at www.dumasproducts.com It's 45" long and properly powered can easily pull two adults in a row boat around a pond. Take care, Kurt Van Dahm Westmont, IL NRG member -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Mike Bartel Subject: Philadelphia >> John Snyder makes me chuckle with his W.C. Fields quotes. Fields was a vaudeville comedian, a contemporary of Mae West, who was not well received in Philadelphia and during the depression era he almost starved to death. Despite his dislike of my old home town, it's alleged his tombstone reads "I'd rather be in Philadelphia". He also said "Ah, yes. My wife drove me to drinking, God bless her". << Thank you, Bob. But I suppose we should expect that from a fellow in a nation where the definition of a Sport Utility Vehicle is 'A Mini Cooper'(grin!). Go Flyers and Phillies! (And, always remember folks- I'm a Phillies fan, so I can take disappointment better than any of you!) Mike Bartel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Kelvin Mok Subject: Movie Bloopers Gee Andrew, I feel for you. I can't bear to watch Hollywood war movies anymore because I am also unable to avoid noticing all the inconsistencies in equipment, action sequences, plot lines, and historical data, etc. and etc. That spoils the whole idea of going to a movie and enjoy a few hours out. Does this happen to all of us? There is also another development. Whenever I watch actual WWII, other combat and historical footage I look more at the background information than the centerpiece itself, like instinctively looking over my shoulder kind of feeling. Maybe because they are real events I can watch the same footage whenever they appear on TV over the years and still find them fascinating. Kelvin Mok -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Morris D Shirley Subject: Glencoe 1/400 scale SS United States Howdy, Currently I am building a 1/400th scale RMS Titanic and am intereseted in possibly building other 1/400th scale ocean liners to go with it. Can anyone comment on the quality/accuracy of Glencoe's SS United States? If someone has the kit, would they please check the length and width of the kit's hull (@1/400th scale it should be just shy of 30 inches long, be 4 inches wide). I understand some modelers think the Glencoe kit more closely resembles SS America than SS United States! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Lkjohnson214@aol.com Subject: Re: NAS Willow Grove I think most of the birds are now in museum hands where they can be properly preserved. The Ar196 (off of KMS Prinz Eugen) went to Silver Hill, as did most, if not all of them. They are awaiting funds, time and rsources for eventual restoration. The George was restored by Doug Champlin's folks on a long term loan arangement with NASM. The condition of these rare aircraft was pretty shabby when they were finally "rescued". Scavenged, riddled with corrosion and suffering from misguided attempts to "preserve" them while at Willow Grove, we are fortunate that they have been at least moved inside and some serious attempts are beingmade at their long term restoration and preservation. LJ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Fernando, Yohan" Subject: Warships Pictorial- Kongo class BBs I know the Kongo class Warships Pictorial has been out for awhile, but I only happened to pick it up a few days ago- and WOW! Without spending $$ on Japanese publications, these are the best photos I've seen of IJN ships. Far better than the standard photos you see over and over again in most books. Some really amazing photos- the first is a full page shot of the bows of the Kongo before being launched with workmen on the deck and on the ground that is really dramatic and illustrates the sheer scale of these vessels. That one alone was worth the $13 I payed for the whole book. The photo captions were also really top notch- very informative and detailed. Overall, best 13 bucks spent in a long long time. The other Warship Pictorials on US ships are great, but the fact that there are so few photos of IJN ships published outside of Japan, made this book so much better than the rest of the series. Great work, Steve. I can't wait for the forthcoming Myoko class book. This time I won't wait so long before picking it up! Yohan Fernando -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "Bruno Gire" Subject: Re: movie mistakes To add one more mistake to that "demagogic" Pearl Harbor movie : Remember the scene when Doolittle B-25 bombers take off from the "Hornet". The actual ship is a Forrestal class carrier (that dwarfs the twin engined bombers). When the first plane takes off, it flies above a large white "8" painted on the deck forward (a sense for accuracy ?), but when the second plane follows, the "8" has disappeared. We may conclude that the Navy has got serious trouble with modern paints. Let's now compare "Midway", a '70 vintage movie with exclusively photographic effects with "Pearl Harbor", a blockbuster full of numerical effects, made a few years after "Titanic" (which set a standard for accuracy, IMO): In "Midway", I remember a plane view of a japanese carrier (Kaga or Akagi) launching her plane. The actual ship is an Essex class carrier, BUT the negative had been reversed to show a portside island: a proof of the director's aim for accuracy. In "Pearl Harbor", numerical effects are wasted (poor Oklahoma !!), major historical inaccuracies occur, and so on. After seing "Pearl Harbor", I quickly came back home and got my "Tora,..." video as an antidote. Bruno Gire Bordeaux, France -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "john fiebke" Subject: Pearl Harbor, Ugh Thanks, guys, for bringing up Pearl Harbor. I almost forgot about those three hours of my life that I can never get back. At least it was universally panned. Critics and the public at large hated it (almost) as much as we do. I hope it has sunk the career of the director more believably than he sank the Oklahoma. Not only was it full of inaccuracies (understatement of the century) it was just a BAD movie. I mean, the love story was as predictable as the fact that the Japanese were going to attack. I work near Hollywood. The smell of that movie still hangs in the air. j.fiebke. And for more on topic content:I'm currently building the Aoshima Nagato. Wow, this company has turned itself around. Its been said before, but this is a really nice model. It has been a joy to build. Finally something worthy of the GMM Gold Plus ultra fine railing I have laying around. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: Re: Willow Grove Naval Air Station >> Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu floatplane (Rex) << Bob, On a visit to the Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredricksburg, TX, I saw a IJN floatplane. I do not know if it was a Rex or a George, but it appeared to be mostly intact. What a sight! Also. For those who wish to see a great museum, this one of them. There are actually three museums in one here. Nimitz, Bush Library and the Guadalcanal Garden Walk? They are really great. Lots of old (WWII) equipment, both Japanese and US. Steve Wiper -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: donald p morgan Subject: Willow Grove Naval Air Station It's been many, many years since I passed by Willow Grove, and I'm glad all those old WW2 warbirds have been moved to museums. When an Me 262 was handed to the local USAF Reserve Sqdn, at Kelly AFB, a few years ago, it arrived in many pieces, a real "basket case". Even so, the old bird was in good condition, other than the disassembly. As a practicing aerospace engineer, at the time, I looked it over pretty well, and was surprised to see how much light woodwork there was in areas, where metal wasn't really necessary...in things such as the cockpit map case and certain instrument mountings. The turbine engines were sent to us in open sided crates, and I touched the blades on the first compressor cascade, and was amazed to see how little pressure it took to move them. The shaft bearings were in wonderful condition, even after over twenty years in storage. We wanted to put the birdie into flyable condition, but the museum brass nixed the idea. When I mentioned the 262 at Willow Grove, a group of reserve technicians decided to visit Willow Grove and they took a lot of pictures showing how the birdie was put together. These were valuable in assembling the 262 here. Our bird, a single seater, now rests in the Air Force Museum near Dayton, Ohio. The color scheme and markings were chosen from one of the illustrations in the book "Warplanes Of The Third Reich" by William Green. Don't think that they didn't have a lot of fun and argument in mixing the paints !!! Thankfully, other than providing the loan of the book, I had nothing to do with that. As for the Arado 196, I was told a long time ago, that that particular airplane was removed from the German cruiser Prinz Eugen, before it left to transit the Panama Canal, en route to Bikini where it became one of the target ships in an A-bomb test. As a further footnote to history, I'm told the U.S. Navy received a query from some company, who wanted to raise all the target ships from Bikini lagoon, and reclaim all those thousands of tons of steel for scrap. Someone was smart enough to realize that it wasn't a good idea to have so much radioactive steel scattered around the world, so the Navy refused the request. Don Morgan San Antonio, Texas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: wem Subject: Re: Stealth Ships >> If it's a true stealth ship, how the heck do you find it coming back from liberty? << If we tell you THAT, we'll have to kill you..... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "Rick Schiller" Subject: Plastic filler for 1:700? What's a good product, I assume a putty, for filling small (1:700) plastic warships? thanks to all Rick -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: Peter Karp Subject: Underwater footage of Yamato I found your email on a search about the battleship Yamato and I am interested in seeing at footage of the wreckage of the ship. Was there a show that presented this footage and is it possible to get a videotape of it? I am located in Los Angeles, California. Please let me know. Thanks. Peter Karp -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: JKrakow@aol.com Subject: Battleship Oregon Book If anybody has read or seen the book by Bert Webber "Battleship Oregon: Bulldog of the Navy" would they please comment. I'm considering ordering a copy from B&N. Thanks! Dave www.PrinzEugen.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Chris.Evenden@ga.gov.au Subject: Models, books and plans for sale in Australia Hi All, All prices are in Australian dollars and do not include postage. Oversease orders welcome. US customers multiply these prices by 0.52 Thanks! Chris Models Tamiya 1/700 Nelson $12 Revell 1/96 Cutty Sark $60 Revell 1/96 Constitution $60 Dragon Ingersoll (w/GMM Modern Ship photoetch) $25 Tom's Modelworks 1/350 40mm Gunshields $10 Tom's Modelworks 1/350 Iowa 1943 Conversion $30 Mamoli Constitution Cross Setcion 1/96 $60 Coreli Victory Cross Section 1/96 $60 Billings Bankert Tug Boat 1/48(?) Suitable for R/C $50 Books Sqadron Signal US Carriers in Action Pt1 $10 Detail & Scale America, Forrestal $15 each Anatomy of the Ship - Agassiz Flower Class Corvette $40 US Fleet Carriers WW2 $10 US Destroyers WW2 $10 HMS Nelson (AJ Press) $20 Naval Institute Press (sell as set) $80 US Destroyer Ops in WW2 US Submarine Ops in WW2 Aircraft carriers 1914 - Present (Chesenau) $20 Royal Navy Coastal Forces WW2 (Almark) $15 Lady Lex and the Blue Ghost $10 USS Cassin Young $10 US Aircraft Carriers - An Illustrated Design History $50 HMAS Sydney - Loss and Controversy $10 Arms & Armour Press USN Ops in the 1980's $8 USCG $8 Australian Navy 1991-1992 (Includes Gulf War involvment) $10 Nelson's Navy $50 Operation Neptune D-Day Naval Ops (Ian Allen) $10 Plans Jecobin 1/192 HMS Fearless (1972) $10 HMS Boxer (Type 22 1983) $10 HMS Invincible $12 HMS Peacock (1987) $10 Floating Drydock TFW Series 1/192 CV-6 Enterprise (1944) $20 Australian Defence Department HMAS Tobruk (Modern Landing Ship) $8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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