Subject: SMML VOL 1752 Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 01:49:03 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Revell North Carolina Suggestions? 2: Wire for Rigging 3: Re: S-Boat Kit 4: Pitroad Iowa released where? 5: Re: S-Boats 6: Ships' Badges Series 7: Re: fittings- 1:200 8: Navy Protocol -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: NVTC Videos 2: Re: Revell S-100 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Michael Worrell" Subject: Revell North Carolina Suggestions? (Admittedly, I can already guess the one about 'don't waste your money') Anyways, I visited the ship on vacation and decided to plunk down the money for their souvenir kit. At first, I had visions of converting it to an ersatz 1980s variant, complete with Tomahawk ABL and CIWS plus helo deck, but the more I thought about it, there was no way my extremely limited skills would allow that. As a result, I flipped through "Ship's Data 1 USS NORTH CAROLINA (BB55)", available for $3.50 at the gift shop. I found several color line drawings of the ship in various Measures, and decided that I might go with what the book called "Measure 2--Graded System". This calls for 'ocean gray' on the hull, 'haze gray' superstructure, 'pale gray' at the top of the director tower, and 'deck blue' on all decks. Apparently, this was her scheme in 1941. Having purchased my erstwhile kit, I got home and went to the local store, in search of paint. Here's what I found: Ocean Gray 5-O: Model Master RAF Ocean Gray #2057 Haze Gray 5-H: Polly Scale Haze Gray 5-H Pale Gray 5-P: Model Master Light Sea Gray FS 36307 Deck Blue 20-B: Polly Scale Weathered Deck Blue 20-B Testor's 1250 Flat Red Spray Enamel for the hull. The pale gray isn't really important; it's a small patch on the director tower. I'm curious if I should hold out and try to find a Polly Scale Ocean Gray, since they seem to run perfectly with USN paint chips in the book. I'm lousy at handpainting (my stalled 1/600 Airfix Hood's hull is testament to this...) and so that flat red color choice will probably stick no matter what. Any advice on stripping an obviously amateur brushing job on the hull, or can I just 'finish it' and spray over with the can? Anyways. All thoughts, comments, and advice appreciated. North Carolina's supposed to be a tune-up for Hood, but at the same time, I'd like to make the Showboat look good. Thanks in advance. Michael Worrell -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Kerry L. Jang" Subject: Wire for Rigging Nichrome 80 is what I use for rigging miniature sailing ships. I have a selection of guages. For 1:700 scale, 40awg for ratlines and 37 or 36 awg for the shrouds should do. I'm presently working on an article on rigging with wire for Victor Baca's Model Ship Journal, illustrating it with my *just* completed model of a French cutter LE CERF (1779-1780) in 1:192 scale. The model is compelete with ratlines, shrouds, stays and all. HTH! Kerry Jang -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Jeremiah O. Coughlin" Subject: Re: S-Boat Kit >> I am not sure I understand the marketing strategies of model companies but Revell Germany has not released the S-100 kit in the United States yet. Squadron has it available for advanced order, which would lead one to believe the release will happen in the near term. This goes in the category of Skywave not releasing the 1/700 modernized Iowa in the United States. Your guess is as good as mine, I do not understand the logic! << Dear Bill, I bought one from overseas, it is a well done kit in my opinion. Don't tell the sticks and string guys on me please. Semper, jeremiah... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Gernot Hassenpflug Subject: Pitroad Iowa released where? "William B. Smallshaw" writes in SMML1751: >> This goes in the category of Skywave not releasing the 1/700 modernized Iowa in the United States. Your guess is as good as mine, I do not understand the logic! << At the risk of sounding patronizing, please be more circumspect in making the statement about Pitroad. According to their website, they are not releasing their kit outside of Japan, there is no policy versus the USA. Tamiya's kit is however available freely elsewhere, and presumably Pitroad's marketing gurus saw fit not to compete. Perhaps others have more details. Unfortunately, I have not bought either kit here in Japan so I cannot comment on them. If you would like to get one of the four Iowas from Pitroad (two released, the remaining two later in July and August I believe) it will undoubtedly cost less for you to order from an online dealer in Japan (no names mentioned, think of the usual suspects) than from a US distributor (unless on special discount sale!). The Japanese model magazines, despite being basically outlets for the manufacturers, show a fairly good kit from both Pitroad and Tamiya, I imagine errors will be heralded soon in the US model press, and conversion sets etc will appear too..... can't think of a better Christmas present for myself at the end of the year! Cheers, Gernot -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Michael London" Subject: Re: S-Boats British naval intelligence was trying very hard to get a picture of one of these boats prior to WW 2 and was going through all sorts of clandestine maneuvers to achieve this. What they overlooked, however, was something right under their noses - the 1938 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships. There on p 40 in the advertising section was a beautiful photo kindly inserted by the firm of Lürssen Werft of Bremen. The same advertising section, incidentally, included many fine shots of contemporary warships such as the US heavy cruiser Vincennes and also ads by the, now defunct, model suppliers Treforest Mouldings and Bassett-Lowke. Michael London -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Mike Leonard" Subject: Ships' Badges Series I have volumes 1 and 2 of "The A to Z of Royal Naval Ships' Badges 1919-1989" from Neptune Books, Kent. Does anybody know why this excellent series was discontinued? Lack of money on the part of the authors? Thanks, MWL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: ALROSS2@aol.com Subject: Re: fittings- 1:200 >> Can anyone suggest a source of fittings in 1:200 (1/16"==1 ft). In particular cargo winches 1918 type? << www.bluejacketinc.com Al Ross -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: Navy Protocol Here is something I came across when trying to attach signal flags to a model of a WW 1 era U.S.Navy ship, and I hope it will help SMML. I had difficulty determining flags etc. as used in 1918. Many people tried to help, but were not consistent. I tried to find a 1918 issue of the Bluejackets Manual, as I vaguely remember looking at my father's copy when I was a little kid, and I recall seeing all the colored flags in it. Oh how I wish I had kept it when my father died in 1944. I did find some copies for sale on e-bay, but at very high prices. I live in a small town south of Boston, Mass. Our library didn't have any B/J Manuals, of any year, but they contacted the Quincy, Mass. (home of the now defunct Fore River Ship Yard, builder of many Naval Vessels such as the carrier Wasp,etc.) Library, and they in turn procured a copy of the 1918 B/J Manual from a small college library in Illinois. Sure enough, there were the colored plates I remembered. It turns out that there have been changes made over the years, accounting for the discrepancies in the information I had received from SMML and others. But the B/J Manual only identifies the individual flags. The flags were flown in sets of up to four flags. Each combination denoting a different U.S.Navy message. The messages and corresponding flags are listed in another book called the General Signal Book (in 1918, it now has another more specific name I am not familiar with) which was classified and restricted. Chances of finding a copy of the GSB are infinitesimal, at best. My model is mounted in a dry dock setting, so I settled for the National Ensign ( flown at the stern short flagstaff when not under way), the Union Jack (flown at the jackstaff at the bow, also when not under way, with certain limited variations), and the commissioning pennant (flown at all times the vessel is commissioned). In addition I took a chance and added the Third Repeater (different from today's Third Repeater) flown from the portside signal halyard to indicate that the Captain is not on board. That'll do, although I may add Cornet, indicating that all shore leave is cancelled, all hands return to the ship immediately. In addition, I browsed through the Manual and found other bits of useful information, such a little (very little) about the "shapes" (cones, balls, and drums) also flown from halyards as signals. The Manual goes on to refer to the then current International Signal Code for non-USN vessels. The signalmen had to know all that, for which a Signalman First Class got $3.00 per month extra pay !!!! I aslo found out about the placement of the numbers, on the stem, which indicate how much water the vessel draws ( the bottom of the number tells the depth from there to the lowest part of the vessel, and the numbers have a pitch distance, bottom of one number to the bottom of the next one, of 12") and the numbers themselves are 5" high. I haven't figured out how to read these numbers when you are on the vessel, other than lowering a man over the side or by launching a small boat. There are many other such nuggets in the Manual. I have made color copies of the pertinent pages for my files before returning the book to the Library System. This little gem is an excellent reference book for help in getting your model "correct", as the Navy revised it from time to time. Browse the various used and out-of-print websites to find the edition specs. appropriate for your model. Franklyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: John Snyder Subject: NVTC Videos Hi All, Just to say that the Naval Video Time Capsule series is available again in PAL and NTSC formats, and is back in stock. The caveat is that we don't know how long this will hold true, so get them while you can. Price is £25.73 post-free for the UK, and £27.56 plus shipping worldwide. Best, John Snyder White Ensign Models http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/white.ensign.models/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: John Snyder Subject: Re: Revell S-100 Why wait for Squadron and other Stateside sources when you can get the S-100 from WEM? 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