Subject: SMML VOL 1644 Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 13:08:03 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: What is a review 2: Re: 1/35 WW2 Landing craft plans 3: Re: Signals 4: Re: USN Aircraft Colors 5: Re: Dry dock flags 6: Four Stripes 7: Re: What is a review 8: US team to take sub proposals to Taiwan 9: Flags 10: Union Jack 11: Japanese landing @ Wake 12: Re: Airships & Airplanes 13: Union Jack in Drydock 14: naval news 15: HMS Norfolk Review 16: Battlecruisers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: HMAS Hobart 2: Looking for Jim Kloek 3: HELP HELP 4: Re: S-Boat book update -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Joel Labow Subject: Re: What is a review >> I agree with Joel that a lot of time, cost and effort goes into making of the resin kits but what time, cost and effort has to do with the accuracy (or the lack of it) of the kit??? If a plumber would screwed up your drains but said that he spend a lot of time and effort on them would this be acceptable??? Or should we judge resin products like homework in primary school -C for the effect but A+ for the effort??? Maybe some of the SMMLers can afford to buy a ~300 $ kit only to discover later that it isn't exactly what they expected, I, for one, can't and will not. And relaying on other peoples reviews can be sometimes very misguiding too. Anybody is free to do what suits them but I am sticking to my policy: I will never buy a kit before seeing a comprehensive photo review of it first. << D.P. conveniently distorts the point of my post, which was NOT that kit manufacturers should be immune to criticism but rather that something that purports to be a 'review' of a kit should be based on an actual examination of the kit itself, not merely inspection of a photo collage of one component. Regards, Joel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Ralph Batykefer" Subject: Re: 1/35 WW2 Landing craft plans Windjammer Arts have a number of ship plans available and some are landing craft of various types: http://wja1992.safeshopper.com/18/cat18.htm?255 Enjoy and God bless IHS, Ralph -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: MIKE.LEONARD@customs.treas.gov Subject: Re: Signals Franklyn asked - >> I have heard that "Baker" (a square red flag having the downwind edge cut as a flat "vee") indicating that hazardous materials such as liquid fuel, or ordinance, etc. are being transferred is sometimes flown. << The blue and white Alpha flag is the one that has the "vee" notch; Bravo is rectangular. Alpha is displayed when there are divers in the water. Interestingly, use of such signals isn't strictly limited to shipboard use: Bravo was flying outside the base rifle range last week while target practice was being conducted. MWL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "winks147" Subject: Re: USN Aircraft Colors >> I am trying to finish my Skywave OH Perry and was wondering what colour the helicopter should be. Can anybody supply me the FS number or a match in the Polly S range? << Rob, Best bet would be a slightly lightened hull color from the Perry. I use that or light gull gray for modern USN helos. I do not have a FS number. Frankly, the shades vary so much from helo to helo in real life (as does the dirt and grime - these things are not cleaned, per my Navy Lt son who flies E-2C Hawkeyes and holds the helo community in a bit of disdain) that you can just about take your pick of gray. Markings are low-vis. Kevin W. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Jeremiah O. Coughlin" Subject: Re: Dry dock flags >> All ships have a portable flagstaff on the stern, and jackstaff on the bow. Underway the national ensign is flow around the clock from the vessels main mast. Ships also always have a commissioning pennant flying at all times until decomissioned. The C.O.'s pennant if memory serves is raised when the C.O. is aboard the vessel, and lowered when absent, The same would apply for a Flag officer's flag if embarked. There is a BRAVO flag flown when ever engaged in handling hazardous materials(loading ammunition i.e.) << Let us not forget the Church Pennant during services. (This is the only flag allowed to fly above our National Ensign, ever). Semper, jeremiah... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Joel Labow Subject: Four Stripes >> Just making note of my promotion to captain -- no offense intended! << Mike, My congratulations as well. When I made captain my wife promptly shrank my head by saying sweetly "Congratulations, dear! Is it true that...the more stripes the less action?" All the best, Joel Labow -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: AAA Hobby Subject: Re: What is a review >> Anybody is free to do what suits them but I am sticking to my policy: I will never buy a kit before seeing a comprehensive photo review of it first. << Am I to assume that said review is made by the person making the photos and posting them? Never? Never, Never?! Are you unwilling to buy the kit you've waited for for 30 years because nobody has reviewed it? What if the 5 other people waiting for the same kit have the same opinion? Then none get sold. I sure am glad my customers do not wait for Fine Scale Modeler to get around to reviewing the latest new kit - I'd not sell anything for the first 3 months it is available~!~! James Corley AAA Hobby Supply -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: JRKutina@webtv.net (John Kutina) Subject: US team to take sub proposals to Taiwan http://sg.news.yahoo.com/020410/1/2nssr.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Duane Fowler Subject: Flags >> Ships also always have a commissioning pennant flying at all times until decomissioned. << I have often wondered about this. I have many, many photos of ships and have been on more ships that I can list and I have never seen the commissioning pennant other than at special ceremonies. Where would it fly and where should I look for it? Regards, Duane Fowler -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: Union Jack To Ken Goldman. Thanks for responding. Ouch, that smarts! You got me fair and square on the number of stars on the Union Jack, for it is indeed 48 for a WW 1 vessel. As our British cousins say "Good Show". Now, how about the correctness of displaying it on the jackstaff whist in dry dock. Franklyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Andrew Jones" Subject: Japanese landing @ Wake Just a quick question... did the Japanese landing on wake in 1941, did they use row boats or Dihatsu type barges..one japanese painting shows them rowing in to shore thanks Andrew PS Have a good weekend all & for those APMA folks...see ya tomorrow -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: joe.sus@att.net Subject: Re: Airships & Airplanes Oddly enough, German civil airships did carry private planes in the 30s. Passengers of these things could well afford to have them ferried across with them, sewn up inside the airship's envelope. On the IJ front, I sincerely doubt that the plane would be gassed up inside that hydrogen filled hull. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "" Subject: Union Jack in Drydock Greetings, I was going to submit my thoughts on this in the positive, regarding the Union Jack being flown while in drydock, so I doublechecked the pictures I have of USS Aspro on the blocks, and none of the three show the Union Jack! The photos can be found here: http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08648.htm Also, isn't it correct that a ship "wears" ensigns and jacks, but "flies" signal flags and pennants? Or is it the other way around, or does it just not matter? AFAIK, the commissioning pennant is the closest thing a US Navy CO has, as far as a personal flag. I seem to recall reading that somewhere, I don't want to find it now, but if someone wants to call me on it, I'll gladly look it up then. The 3rd sub pennant is flown when the CO is away, and is known as absentee pennant while in port. The rules I have found for the absentee pennant are that it is on port outboard halyard. Commissioning pennant flies from the loftiest point of the aftermost mast. Awards such as PUC, NUC, MUC, fly starboard, and in descending order of seniority (ie, PUC on top, MUC bottom). Scott Weeks -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Andrew Jones" Subject: naval news *A Rolls-Royce subsidiary will deliver two propellers intended for the French aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle by the end of the year to the French ship building agency DCN. The Charles -de-Gaulle suffered an embarrassing failure of the propellers during its first shakedown cruise and had to return to Toulon to have them replace by less efficient propellers designed for its predecessor DCN gave a contract for two new propellers to Atlantic Industrie de Nantes, the French manufacturer that made the original propellers for the Charles-de-Gaulle, and put out an international tender for another two propellers, which Roll's Bird Johnson subsidiary in Pascagoula, Mississippi, won. They are in the course of completion and will be delivered to DCN at the end of the year. *Thales CVF team has announced its strategy for the shipbuilding phase of the UK MoD's future carrier programme, which foresees two new 50,000 tonne aircraft carriers that will each operate up to 50 aircraft by 2015. The Thales team intends to build the carriers in five separate sections called SUPERBLOCKS, each individually larger than a Type 45 Destroyer. Each is designed to be as self contained as possible, and contiguous with the ship's damage control sections in order to minimise interconnections. Each SUPERBLOCK will be fully outfitted. A 'virtual ship' will be created that can be hooked-up to its adjacent partners to form the complete ship within a couple of months in dry-dock. This process will be co-ordinated by the Thales team member Halliburton KBR. The Thales team has carried out extensive studies to show the best way to provide the necessary facilities and resources to design and build these two large ships, along with guaranteeing the delivery dates of 2012 and 2015 required by MoD. http://defence-data.com/current/page14168.htm * The US Army's Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is being considered as a possible medium-term enhancement to confer a time-critical strike capability on the US Navy's four Ohio-class submarines that will be converted to nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines (SSGN). The concept is being proposed as a Fiscal Year 2004 advanced concept technology demonstration (ACTD). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "Ken Hoolihan" Subject: HMS Norfolk Review Hi John Thanks for your review of the Skytrex Norfolk. It is this kind of contribution which makes SMML such a good modellers forum. It sounds like you have quite a lot of work to do to depict the ship as at the Battle of North Cape. Do you know if the Skytrex kit of HMS London (as reconstructed) is similarly flawed or is it a reasonably accurate representation of the ship. I would like to have a go at it if it is not too difficult. BTW, I think the chances of you being flamed for your review of a Skytrex kit are very low. From my observations over the last 3 or so years on SMML and the Steel Navy message board, only reviews of ISW kits, if they are unfavourable, are likely to be flamed or discredited. I wonder why this is?? Ken Hoolihan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: SolidStump@aol.com Subject: Battlecruisers >> i have a book on battlecruisers by peter c. smith published in 1972 which has excellent photos of the invincible class battlecruisers and on deck shots from what i can see the ISW hull looks good and also the superstructure posistions. until this model comes out we all should wait and see, i am happy to see world war I naval ship subjects. << Bill, What is the name of the 1972 book by Peter C. Smith that you have? I would be interested in getting a copy somewhere. I agree with you about the WW1 subjects. Wouldn't an armoured cruiser like the Defence or Black Prince be a great model too! Simon Scheuer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Graeme Martin Subject: HMAS Hobart I have a WEM HMAS Brisbane that a client wants me to build as Hobart. I am no longer in a position to do this for the client. Can anybody in Australia put this together for him as a sea diorama at high speed? Also have the PE and numerous photo reference for Hobart. He is fussy as he served on the ship and knows all detail that differs from Brisbane! Client lives in the Queensland and would be willing to pay up to A$1,000 for a build! Negotiable....................................... Graeme Martin -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Shaya Novak" Subject: Looking for Jim Kloek Jim contact me. Shaya Novak Naval Base Hobbies The Store for The Model Ship Builder www.modelshipbuilding.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Shaya Novak" Subject: HELP HELP I have a resin BLW DDR that needs to be built for a reunion in San Diego. They will pay you to build it, contact me. Shaya Novak Naval Base Hobbies The Store for The Model Ship Builder www.modelshipbuilding.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: PT191@aol.com Subject: Re: S-Boat book update Hello All, Without the help from PRINZEUGEN.COM and John Lambert, my book would not have been possible. Thank you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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