Subject: SMML VOL 1770 Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 00:55:42 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: misc ship stuff 2: aircraft canopy painting - tips please? 3: Re: Junk Ships Disposal 4: Re: Naval Academy Ship model Collection 5: Re: Le Cerf 6: Re: Artificial Reefs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: NAVYDAZE@aol.com Subject: Re: misc ship stuff Andrew, you could be right - I remember when they opened up the Red Oak Victory, I heard she was pretty intact inside, so I guess they could be a source. Could be the same for some of the old tenders in the Susuin, but they are in pretty bad shape and rusted. Oh, I guess I forgot to mention the one success story and that is the USCG Glacier - an Ice Breaker, is just about ready to come out of Susuin as a dedicated crew has been restoring her to museum quality. For more info you can go to: http://www.glaciersociety.org/index.htm Windtalker! Go see it - a good movie. Some great uniforms on both the American and Japanese. Authentic looking weapons from the .45s, M-1, M-1 Carbines, and a beauty of a BAR. The Japanese weapons look pretty good too including those little Mortars they had, but the major caliber cannon looks a little lacking in detail though and the shells and powder do not look as heavy as they should. More combat than I have seen in any other movie though! All in all, great movie! Mike Donegan NAVYDAZE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Stephen Allen" Subject: aircraft canopy painting - tips please? And now comes the moment everybody who has built an aircraft carrier model looks forward to - painting a couple of dozen teeny tiny aircraft. Can I ask fellow SMMLies what their favourite/best/easiest technique is for painting the canopy 'glass' and frames of naval aircraft? The scale is 1:480 and the planes are TBDs, BT-1s and F3Fs for a 1940 Yorktown air group in all of its pre-war glory. Techniques that don't involve individually masking off every single pane especially welcome! All tips gratefuly accepted. regards Steve -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Roland Mar Subject: Re: Junk Ships Disposal Before they are allowed to sink a ship in US waters, they have to go through the entire EPA/OHSA/etc cleanup. No chemicals, petro or otherwise, are allowed to escape into the ocean. Thus, the cost factor remains high. Hope this helps, Roland Mar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "David Griffith" Subject: Re: Naval Academy Ship model Collection Gene wrote:- >> The hulls are an "admiralty style" of model building and do not represent the true framing of the models. Although the models are amazing and inspiring, do not use the hull construction as true to the actual ship building of the time << Franklyn also wrote, in his original post, that the purpose of these models was to demonstrate the appearance of a proposed ship in the age when ship builders could not interpret drawings. I don't think anyone knows the precise reason these wonderful models were built. I believe that there is some evidence that some were made by the master shipwrights themselves, perhaps comissioned by a wealthy third party, or perhaps just for fun (there's nothing new under the sun!). They may have been built to grace the studies of retired Admirals, or the offices of the Admiralty or Navy Board. They may have been made to demonstrate a proposed design to Their Lordships, who may or may not have been technically minded. Some may have been test pieces by apprentice shipwrights. Perhaps the real answer is that all these factors were in play. But surely one thing is certain; that these beautiful models were not made for the mundane purpose of allowing the shipbuilder to interpret the shape of the hull. I know that in merchant shipyards it was usual practice to work from a simple half hull model rather than drawings, but these were little more than simple carved blocks. Models of any complexity would just not have survived, and not in the pristine condition of those in the US Naval Academy, or our own National Maritime Museum. I think that there can be little doubt that in the major shipyards and Royal Dockyards the work was done from draughts. The National Maritime Museum has a vast collection, dating back (AFAIK) as far as the early eighteenth century and maybe even further. There are paintings in existence showing Tudor shipwrights working from a drawing, and I believe that there are also primitive working drawings in existence, dating from this time, as well as the coloured illustrations in Matthew Baker's "Fragments of English Shipwrightry" or something like that. But back to the models, they remain something of an enigma, but a beautiful one, and an example to us all. Regards, David Griffith -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "David Griffith" Subject: Re: Le Cerf Dear Kerry, I've looked at your photos, and I must say "Congratulations!" Your model looks magnificent. You say it's the first time you've tried something like this. But surely to produce something of this quality, you must have had experience of doing other things in the past. Do tell us. Oh, and do tell us also what you used for the sails! Every time I see something like this, I realise how satisfying it is to do something entirely from scratch, and to use the old tried and tested skills of working with wood. I must get through the pile of plastic and resin and then back to some "real" model making. The trawler "Master Hand" has been hanging on the nail for far too long. Keep up the good work, Regards, David Griffith -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: MIKE.LEONARD@customs.treas.gov Subject: Re: Artificial Reefs >> What about the oft publicized efforts to sink ships off-shore where they will form attractive artificial reefs for fish and objects of interest for scuba divers? << Mike Peterson noted: >> Probably not cost effective either considering the amount of items that would have to be removed in order to make it safe for divers and environmentally friendly. << Exactly. If you can find one of the pieces about the recent sinking of the ex-USS Spiegel Grove as an artificial reef, it might get into the expense of removing huge quantities of asbestos, lube oil, and other potential HAZMAT from the hulk. It literally cost millions of dollars to ready the ship for sinking. MWL Alexandria, VA USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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