Subject: SMML VOL 1871 Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 01:28:29 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: I"P"MS 2: Mare Island self guided tour 3: Re: Model Paint Jobs 4: Re: Basic Modeling Flaws/Aircraft on Ships (was Large Aircraft on Carriers) 5: Lynx on HMS Exeter 6: The pleasure of the company I keep ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Chisum" Subject: Re: I"P"MS I agree with David. Adhere to the plastic rule, yet allow wood models in contests with their own category. To me, wood is much more forgiving to work with than plastic and shouldn't be judged against each other(I'm talking about the models that are 97% wood).. Randy C. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: tkremer Subject: Mare Island self guided tour I was out at Mare Island Naval Yard today inspecting lots from an auction of equipment & materials left behind when the base closed... and it seems someone left a door open on the ex USS Tripoli, now known as US Army MTB1 (Missile Test Barge). Being a forward sort of guy I walked up the gangplank and spent about half an hour wandering around on and below the hanger deck on a self guided tour. If I would have brought a hard hat & a belt-mounted radio I could have explored around all day without being challenged but alas my flashlight, camera and notepad didn't look official enough & I eventually got chased off by one of the contractors. The ship interior is in great shape. I then went down into drydock one & took some really great pictures & also climbed up into the cabin of one of the huge shipyard cranes. Yeah, like I'm bidding on one of them... really the whole exercise was about getting a pass to snoop around in the old buildings & look at all the big machine tools. If anyone else is interested in this sort of thing there will be more auctions later this year http://www.dovebid.com/Auctions/AuctionDetail.asp?AuctionID=1399 Tom K ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: NAVYDAZE@aol.com Subject: Re: Model Paint Jobs I have been looking at a lot of the "modelers galleries" on many of the forums, especially "Steel Navy's" I see a lot of rust and "dirt" on some of the weather ships, but I am also seeing something that is missing. Trust me I have hung over the side of enough ships to know that if I am a "side cleaner" the new coat of paint does not match the old paint. It can either because the current paint job has faded or the batches don't match. Just look at a decommissioned ship where they have painted out the ships numbers on the bow, you will see a darker paint than the rest of the ship. To me this would all be part of weathering. There is more to weathering than just RUST! A lot of ships, especially the larger ones have a lot of patch work paint jobs, usually done by a paint roller. I have seen that a lot on DDs and DEs when they have an oil spill during an UNREP and the easiest thing to do was paint out the offending oil stain. Shane, I know I am getting to be a pain in the butt . . . But. . . I already brought up the thing about "oil canning" but I think this is also applicable to making a "real" weathered ship. Which brings me to another point. If you actually did that to a ship and entered into a contest. Wouldn't it be disqualified for having a basic flaw in not having a "perfect" paint job, even though you were duplicating what a real ship may look like. Hmmm, time for more medication - good night! Michael Donegan NAVYDAZE Naval & Aviation Artist http://www.navydaze.com Hi Mike, Trust me when I say I'll tell you soon enough if you're being a pain in the butt, until then however.... ;-) Shane ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: John Snyder Subject: Re: Basic Modeling Flaws/Aircraft on Ships (was Large Aircraft on Carriers) >> Notice that things like [SNIP] drilled out gun barrels, and other such detailing issues are not included. << UNLESS, of course, the holes are drilled out off-center. That WILL make a difference. If you're going to do it, get it right.... >> graham (who will be judging ships again this year at the UKs major show with the help of the "token Yank") << Oh Lordy, drafted again! Regarding aircraft on ships, when I was down to Oz the second time on BAINBRIDGE, some mates and I hooked up with an absolutely mad Aussie bush pilot, named Tom Taylor, in Bunbury (south of Perth). He ran a flying school at Bunbury airport, and was kind enough to fly a couple of us around the southwest coast a fair bit. Took me up in his Tiger Moth to shoot some pics of BAINBRIDGE tied up at Bunbury Pier--I had to convince him I didn't want to loop over the ship since I had all my camera gear sitting in my lap in the open cockpit! Anyway, Tom was absolutely sure that he could land his Cessna 150 on BAINBRIDGE's fantail if we could give him 30 knots. He was probably right, but very disappointed when I assured him that the Captain would take a VERY dim view of any such attempt. Still, it would have made an interesting diorama now.... Best, John Snyder White Ensign Models http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/white.ensign.models/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: FBustelo@aol.com Subject: Lynx on HMS Exeter Hi Folks, Does anybody know the identification number of the Lynx helicopter that is currently assigned to the HMS Exeter? The Leo Marriot book has a photo of the Exter's Lynx on pg. 83 sporting a '420' on her side but I don't know that holds true today. Sorry, but I really don't know much about airwings and aircraft markings - a couple of my current projects are the first with aircraft. TIA, Felix Bustelo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Diodor@aol.com Subject: The pleasure of the company I keep Hello all I should share with you a couple of things about my visit to Boston last week. Your fellow SMMLy Franklyn K. Brown had arranged for me to speak at the monthly meeting of the U.S.S.Constitution Shipwright Modelers Guild. The meetings are held at the Charlestown Navy Yard in a building next to where Old Ironsides is proudly docked. But before getting into that I want to tell you a bit about Franklyn himself. I arrived in the early afternoon at his well-kept family farmhouse in Holbrook, a village some thirty minutes from downtown Boston. Franklyn, who is in his ninth decade and bears a striking resemblance to Edmund Gwenn of the 1947 classic "Miracle on 34th Street," welcomed me with typical old-world courtesy, making me feel right at home. In addition to his ship models and marine memorabilia Franklyn is a vintage car buff and the owner of a beautifully restored 1931 Model A Custom Ford Roadster. There being time (the meeting was scheduled for 7 p.m.) he took me for a thirty minute ride in said vehicle through the village and countryside. It was a ride punctuated by frequent use of a wolf whistle and a genial wave for every female pedestrian we passed, regardless of age or appearance. There was time for me to admire Franklyn's "marine room" where he keeps two ship models and a wealth of marine artifacts. Since subchasers are my primary interest I was able to carefully examine the model of the World War I subchaser he completed only recently--a model he started way back in 1934. Many things can be said for this labor of love, including a reverence for history and a scrupulous attention to minute details. As for me, an old subchaser skipper, I was most struck by Franklyn's love of authenticity. Though his subchaser was a neat-as-a-pin, everything-in-its-place ship model, something indefinable about it reminded me of the "used" appearance of my own SC during WWII. Whether it was the color of the wood deck, the blocks under the hull to simulate drydocking, or some other feature, here was a ship model truly a miniature of the real thing in action. Congratulations to you Franklyn. It was an absolutely beautiful evening at the Charlestown Navy Yard and the Constitution never looked better. The gathering of some fifty craftsmen was as animated and interesting as I expected it to be and I was profoundly impressed with their accomplishments. I am not a ship modeler, though I can take pride in certain wood carving and cabinet making projects completed over the years. But these guys are almost unbelievable in their zeal for authenticity, their immaculate attention to detail and their down-to-earth Yankee ingenuity. More power to them and to all SMMLys everywhere. And thank you, Franklyn, for a most interesting 24 hours. Ted Treadwell ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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