Subject: SMML VOL 1631 Date: Sat, 06 Apr 2002 00:37:26 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: damaged molds 2: S100 hull design 3: Re: Movie boo boo 4: Tug Hulls 5: movie bloopers 6: Re: Battleship Oregon book 7: Interesting items on eBay 8: Wisconsin Sub 9: NAS WIllow Grove 10: Re: Damaging molds 11: Damaging Moulds 12: Wisconsin Submarine 13: Damaged tools 14: It's not easy being Mike 15: Re: Stealth Ships 16: Re: Various 17: Damaging molds 18: Re: Damaging moulds 19: Wisconsin Submarine 20: Opinions on Hold & Fold 21: Re: IN BOX REVIEW OF B-RESINA HMS VANGUARD 22: Re: Damaging Molds 23: Tamiya 1/350 Missouri 24: USS Cobia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: ZMzimmerman@cs.com Subject: damaged molds Rusty never underestimate the human capacity to screw up even the most simple of tasks. Michael Zimmerman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Steve Cowardin Subject: S100 hull design I just set my Revell S100 hull in plaster for a diorama prior to building the kit and got quite a surprise. The incuse shape of the plaster is perfectly bullet-like! It looked like the form depicted on the "Hitler channel" as the shape of the 8mm rifle bullet that was ultimately used to shape the V2 rocket. Is this a coincidence for the model alone or was the real S-boat hull this way as well and, if so, was the shape of the hull that caused this unique displacement intentionally bullet-shaped for maximum speed? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Millen, Alan R." Subject: Re: Movie boo boo >> 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. In this case, simply reversing the film when processing or printing would have rectified the error. << Hmmmmmmmm, wouldn't this put the upraised arm on the wrong side? Alan R. Millen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: SeaPhoto@aol.com Subject: Tug Hulls Scale Shipyard has a nice selection of tug hulls, both miltary and civilian: http://www.scaleshipyard.com He makes a 1:48 scale ATF and I think a T-ATF too; both of these would be very large, around 4 feet Harbor models has a good selection too, as does Loyalhanna Dockyard (www.loyalhannadockyard.com) If you want smaller subjects, Microscale makes some of the nicest small hulls that I have seen; Karl Kalb is excellent at laying up small fiberglass parts, which can be finicky work. Small World Models has a nice steam tug kit, about 30 inches longs if I recall correctly: www.smallworldmodels.com I think Ron Burchett still sells tug hulls up in Canada, but have been unable to find a website for his company. Kurt Greiner SeaPhoto Maritime Photography www.warshipphotos.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Andrew Jones" Subject: movie bloopers yeh im starting to get that way ..I recall seeing P.Harbour at the movies & sitting there, almost ignoring the action ( I said almost!!!) & seeing the goofs..thats one movie I wont buy... I still might have another look @ U-571 I think I noticed a few flaws esp the end with a yellow winged catalina flying over the seas..seeing it was set in what 43 or so..only seen the movie once so cant really re-call & I think there was something about he diving actions or the torpedo launching that sort-a got to me..will have to rent it & then watch the videos of the U-boats (iron coffins etc) to double check a few things... sigh the joys of being a minor historian , you just cant watch a serious action movie.... what ever happened to real serious shoot 'em up movies..oh yes that's right... too many complaints too violent..oh well at least black hawk down was a good shoot em up style movie.. wonder if someone could do a real good WW2 movie... seems the next few so far on the maybe to do lists is the Flying Tigers & then there is the rumours going around about Mel Gibson playing the captain of the uss Indianapolis but I think that was out of his budget or its filed away ( night of the sharks was a good movie! I think that was its title). ok then here's another discussion topic to start the ball rolling... if you could do a movie about any naval or for you non-military types any boating movie what what it be about? & no remakes of the Africa queen or Titanic ,lol..mine maybe either early Philippines with the asiatic fleet again the Japanese fleet or late 1944 with the US fleet hunting the Japanese fleet ..better not let my bosses see this as they are Japanese... or maybe a movie about the St Nazzaire ... now with the naval & land action it would be a great shoot 'em up style flick ..so what about you?? have a good weekend & enjoy seeing some of the responses on Monday Andrew -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: GKingzett@aol.com Subject: Re: Battleship Oregon book Burt Webber's book Battleship Oregon....Bulldog of the Navy is interesting and worth having, but be a little careful, some of the text is out of order, and a few of the pictures are patently misdated. I have also heard some fairly heated comment that he borrowed rather heavily from the earlier book by Sanford Sternlicht, McKinley's Bulldog: The Battleship Oregon. Webber should at least have cited Sternlicht as a source, which he didn't do. Looking forward to seeing a whole bunch of ship modelers at the Western Ship Model Conference on the Queen Mary this weekend. You will recognize me, I will be the guy drooling on Bob Steinbrunn's USS Kidd. Gary Kingzett -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: paulship37@aol.com Subject: Interesting items on eBay I saw these items for sale at eBay DREADNAUGHTS IN CAMERA. 1905-1920 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1527656311 SOVIET WARSHIP DEVELOPMENT. VOL.1. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1527655164 RUSSIAN WW2 G-5 TORPEDO BOATS http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1527653853 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Kurt Van Dahm Subject: Wisconsin Sub Ahoy: The sub is the USS COBIA a Gato class W.W.II sub. It is berthed at the WI Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, WI (50 miles north of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan). The COBIA is open for tours. It is in very good condition - the engines are periodically run - you can smell the diesel fuel inside the boat. Great museum with many fine models. There were 28 Gato class subs built in Manitowoc during W.W.II. They were sent to the Gulf of Mexico via Lake Michigan and then the IL waterway to the Mississippi River. Subs were put on a floating dry-dock in Lemont, IL (sw of Chi.) and pushed to the gulf. Take care, Kurt Van Dahm Westmont, IL (4 miles north of Lemont) NRG member -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: CaptainOD@aol.com Subject: NAS WIllow Grove Glad to hear that somebody finally try to save those birds, they were in very bad shape 30 plus years ago when I used to drill there. Often we would leave the O'Club and wander over there to look at them. One of the XO's had flown the Cutlass and we would always joke at his surviving the boat flying them. The attempts to preserve may not have been correct but at least it was a try to protect them. Also remember that back then, and even before they were not much more than old junk to most of us. Bob O'Donovan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: royrichey@att.net Subject: Re: Damaging molds Worked in a semiconductor mold room years go. Those molds are as you say a lot of steel, biggest one I worked on was 3000#. The surfaces are polished and and can easily be scratched, it doesn't take much. Any clean-up is done with soft brass picks and compressed air. They're not really solid, built into them are holes for inserting the heaters and ejector pins. When the mold opens they pop the molding out of the bottom, except when part of it sticks to the top and the you take your time cleaning it out. Roy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Mike Bartel Subject: Damaging Moulds >> 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. << Apparently, it's possible. A couple of years ago, a representative from Bachmann told me that when they tried to run parts from the tooling for their HO scale Consolidation 2-8-0 steam loco, they literally blew the mould out. It just blew out from the pressure. They haven't reissued their HO scale Metroliner cars in years, too. The same rep told me that the tooling for those cars may be getting worn out. Other companies say that they break tooling, too. I sometimes wonder if some of this 'broken' tooling is just for PR. A year or two ago, Athearn announced that they would be permanantly discontinuing their HO scale Budd RDC car because they 'broke the tool for the zinc-cast floors'. Of course, this was just after Life-Like released their own brand-new, bitchin' nice HO scale full-length RDC car, which is a lot nicer than Athearn's model. Coincidence? We may never know for sure. Athearn's RDC was tooled back in 1955, and they got a lot of use out of it in 45 years. The last castings still looked pretty good, so it's not like the mould was worn out or anything. And, what of all that old Aurora tooling? Some of it is 'reported' to be gone. I just got the Polar Lights reissue of the Seaview, and it just has that feel of a kit that's been re-tooled in China from an original Aurora kit. Mike Bartel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "William B. Smallshaw" Subject: Wisconsin Submarine The vessel you refer too is the USS Cobia. It is an excellent example of a preserved warship and makes it will worth the trip to the small burg of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Enjoy the trip! Bill Smallshaw A former Wisconsin Native the prefers California winters -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "William B. Smallshaw" Subject: Damaged tools Rusty, Your sense of evil doers has got the best of you! Damage a plastic molding tool, an easy thing to do. Many tools contain an elaborate set of moving pins called slides. Looking at most ship models I can see multiple slides are needed to create the details. All of these pins need to work in unison with the opening of the tool and ejection of the part. If a slide sticks the end result can be very ugly. The fix is to weld up the tool and start over! Even a tool without slides is not immune to damage. Plastic molding is a high pressure, high temperature event. The lose of cooling water to the mold can cause the block to warp, scratch one tool. The pressure being set too high can cause rapid erosion of the crisp edges and lack of flash we like to see. But the one event that sticks in my mind was one wonderful day when a lady swerved to miss hitting a dog with her automobile. She missed the dog, but ran right into the power substation, taking out all the power to the plastic molding shop I worked in. Three quarters of the presses were in mid cycle and came to a complete stop. Our worst fear was hardened plastic ceasing up the tools. We were faced with a multi-million dollar loss as we might have to pry the tools open with wedges. Tools get damaged. Trust me, it does not take a lot to destroy that big block of steel. Bill -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: MrkLeonard@aol.com Subject: It's not easy being Mike >> In reply to Mike Leonard's query about finding your stealth vessel when returning from liberty << Please do not insult Mike Leonard by making him think he's me. MARK Leonard -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: Damian Pliszka Subject: Re: Stealth Ships >> If we tell you THAT, we'll have to kill you..... << Little off topic, but I just remind a picture joke. Night. A boy walking downstairs (he heard some noise). In the living room there is Santa Claus putting gifts under x-tree. He looks back and says... Sorry boy, you saw me. I have to kill you ;-) Regards Damian Pliszka Poland -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: John Snyder Subject: Re: Various >> 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. << Hi Steve, COBIA, Gato-class submarine launched 1943. Address: Manitowoc Maritime Museum, 75 Maritime Drive, Manitowoc WI 54220-6843; telephone (414) 684-0218. (info may be out of date) >> 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!). << Yeah, and we're exporting them to the States again after a long absence.... >> Go Flyers and Phillies! (And, always remember folks- I'm a Phillies fan, so I can take disappointment better than any of you!) << Mike, you have nothing on anyone from Chicago who's a Cubbies fan! >> NAS Willow Grove << The Me-262 there is an interesting case. Badly deteriorated, it was rebuilt by a guy (whose name and company name escapes me at the moment) from Texas who builds aircraft. He did it for the Navy at no cost (IIRC) with the proviso that he would completely disassemble the aircraft and accurately measure all its various parts for duplication. The reason: he's building NEW Me-262s down in Texas as 2-seater executive jets. They're to be powered with a pair of the same engines as used by the Northrop T-38. So if you one day look up and see a sight that would frighten the **** out of a B-17 gunner, don't be overly surprised. Best, John Snyder White Ensign Models http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/white.ensign.models -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "Bruce Buchner" Subject: Damaging molds >> 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. << One word, RUST Bruce Buchner -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "D.Przezdziecki" Subject: Re: Damaging moulds Not as difficult as it might appear Rusty, any foreign object accidentally introduced into the moulds (starting with metal filings and ending with a spanner) would do the trick. So would too much pressure (or even unequal pressure) applyed to them or an attempt to close the moulds too fast. Regards D.P -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: "Peter Samolinski" Subject: Wisconsin Submarine The USS Cobia is located at a nice museum right on Lake Michigan in Manitowoc, Wis. ("Where the Men are Men, and the Coho Swim Fast") - 80 miles north of Milwaukee. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: "Steve James" Subject: Opinions on Hold & Fold G'Day All, I need some advice from owners of The Small Shop's "Hold & Fold" please. I don't have brass in scales larger than 1/350, so which is recommended, the 2" or the 4"? I know I 'want' it, I am sure I 'need' it, but which one do I 'have' to have? TIA, Steve PS Re: OZ. My wife (English) says Aussies shorten every word we can because we are too lazy to talk & spell properly. I was going to contribute earlier but I reely cood'nt be bothered! Avagoodweegend, S. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: "Nick and Joy Rogers" Subject: Re: IN BOX REVIEW OF B-RESINA HMS VANGUARD Greetings, 1. A source of replacement secondary directors,canvas top AA directors and the amazing sextuple 40mm Bofors AA mounts are the Fujimi 1/700 HMS Eagle & HMS Ark Royal kits. They may be no improvement but they might be sulking in your spare parts bin. 2. The Science Museum in London, England has a huge builders model of HMS Vanguard. One of the "HMS Mudguard's" former matelots, Shirley North,has recently posted a fine set of digital photos of this model on his most excellent website. The address is http://battleshiphmsvanguard.homestead.com/ScienceModel.html 3. I am very keen to snaffle a 1/700 scale model of HMS Vanguard. Hopefully somewhat better than this offering from the usually excellent B-Resina. I note that Samek of somewhere near Prague are threatening us with another Vanguard or is this vapourware? 4. Is there someway of contacting the crew at B-Resina with a list of improvements for a MK2 version of their Vanguard kit? Are they a Polish company? 5. A big thank-you to Pavel Vacata for your timely and most helpful In-Box Review posted in SMML Vol 1629. 6. Are there any happy kit owners out there who could post some Digital Camera Photies of the B-Resina Vanguard kit? So we can let our own eye-balls do the checking before we blow this month's space-invader money on a possibly hopelessly indifferent kit. Regards, Nick Rogers Auckland, New Zealand -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: MDDoremus@aol.com Subject: Re: Damaging Molds Rusty, It's possible, believe me. There are lots of opportunities to damage the mold, especially the face or molding surface. Ejector pins can break off and get trapped between the faces and damage the details. When the mold is open for maintenance, tools can fall on the face and damage details. During the 'hanging' process, while the mold halves are being mounted on the press, any number of bad things could happen. In the injection molding industry there's a rhetorical question: How do you destroy a piece of steel? The answer: Subject it to heat and pressure. This of course describes the entire injection molding process. Mark Doremus tooling engineer in a former lifetime -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: "Brad Daws" Subject: Tamiya 1/350 Missouri Anyone know where/what PE kits are available for this kit. I'm currently building this one side by side with the Yamato and I want to do as good a job as I can. Thanks Brad -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: MDDoremus@aol.com Subject: USS Cobia Steve, You're thinking of the USS Cobia, SS 245. She's deep in Cheesehead territory in Manitowoc, WI. Web address: http://www.copperas.com/ss245/ Mark Doremus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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