Subject: SMML VOL 1881 Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 01:17:17 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Airfix 1/600 HMS Daring Instructions 2: Re: USS OMAHA (was Weathering, et al) 3: Re: Realistic paint jobs 4: Re: Apollo recovery ships 5: Re: USS Omaha ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Shane Subject: Re: Airfix 1/600 HMS Daring Instructions Hi gang, Thanks to all those who offered or sent a copy of the Daring instructions. Much appreciated. All the best, Shane ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: John Snyder Subject: Re: USS OMAHA (was Weathering, et al) >> Now, if anyone has bothered to read this far, I have a question. On page 5 of Steve Wiper's Warship Pictorial #6, is a photo of Omaha "shortly after commissioning". I have looked at this many times, but only today realized she is painted in white and buff (or, possibly, light gray and buff). Why on earth would the USN paint the name ship of its newest class in this archaic scheme? Some sort of historical celebration? << This photo also appears in Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), and is captioned there as being in San Diego in 1923, which if correct is not "shortly after commissioned." During the interwar years, OMAHA was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet in a training role, and spent much time in the Caribbean and the Med. This would have been the preferred paint scheme for hot climates--and not just by the USN. The RN clung to the white-and-buff scheme for these areas as well, and both navies used it for their Asiatic fleets. This was long before the installation of air conditioning plants in ships, and the white-and-buff paint was more reflective of heat and helped keep the ships a bit (probably a VERY little bit) cooler. Such paint schemes, though archaic appearing to us now, persisted nearly to the outbreak of WW2. Best, John Snyder White Ensign Models http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/white.ensign.models/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "David Griffith" Subject: Re: Realistic paint jobs Over the past few days there has been some erudite discussion about the relative virtues of pristine versus weathered painting on models. Personally I think both approaches are equally valid, but dependent upon the setting or base on which the model is displayed, and as long as weathering is not used as a way of hiding substandard workmanship. However, a couple of days ago Stuart Page asked the question, "How do I go about applying weathering?" as valid a question as I can think of under the circumstances. Here are a few techniques that you might like to try out, Stuart. 1. Applying a wash to add depth to details, to subtly break down the smooth appearance of the paint and to imitate grime. You can use various pigments, with different solvents, depending. For example, powdered down pastel chalks in isopropyl alcohol (car windscreen de-icer). Artists oil paint in white spirit or lighter fuel. Artists water colours (tubes) in water with a drop of car windscreen washer fluid added to break down the surface tension. Whatever you choose, use a mixture of black and dark brown, such as burnt umber. Be careful what type of solvent you choose, as alcohol will lift Tamiya acrylics and lighter fuel will do the same to enamels, and of course, white spirit ditto, though more slowly. Apply the wash over the ship so that it runs into the crevices and corners and around raised details. Remove some of it as it dries with a brush or cotton bud moistened with whatever solvent you are using, to leave subtle shadowing. Allow it to break up broad areas of even colour. Let there be vertical streaks down the side of the hull, originating from areas where grime will run off, hawse pipes, bollards and fairleads, ends of breakwaters, scuttles. 2. Dry brush with light colour. If you dry brush with a light grey after the wash this will add even more depth to the detail. Use artists oils and keep it subtle. 3. Rust. Subtle streaks of various hues of brown, burnt sienna and burnt umber, down the hull from points of run off and around objects that will wear a lot, winches, bollards, anchors. You can use oils or powdered pastel chalks. The latter can be applied dry or mixed with alcohol as mentioned above. Other people will have other ideas about the best way to do things. Some will say that my ways are wrong, but really it's a matter of "horses for courses" and everyone needs to find out what works for them. Experiment, practise and think laterally, but best to do the experimenting on something cheap or a bit of scrap first. Otherwise discoveries may be accompanied by disaster, like the way I discovered that "Mr Muscle" oven cleaner not only removes paint beautifully, but it also melts cyanoacrylate glue. Two months of work on the Kumano went straight to the scrapyard!!! Happy modelling, Regards, David Griffith ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: raisingirl@mindspring.com Subject: Re: Apollo recovery ships hello all.... Aryeh Wetherhorn wrote: >> For projecy Mercury or Gemini the Hornet (CVS-12) was a prime recovery ship and carried an extra large tracking radar dish abaft the island. It was painted all White. Another detail for making an interesting model. << This was actually a huge (semi) inflatable dome that housed Western Union's transmission antennae for beaming live television coverage of the recovery around the world. It wasn't just carried by the Hornet -- I have pictures of Princeton en route for Apollo 10 recovery with the dome on the forward end of the flight deck, and there's an excellent Popular Science article on the Apollo 13 recovery that talks about the special gear on board, and this (along with the green Ford Econoline van used as a relay/radio center) was one of them. All this equipment MAY have been carried on all Apollo recovery missions, but I'm not sure. Also, Western Union took out a full-page advert in the New York Times during or after the mission that talked about its antenna on the Hornet. Had a picture of the dome, too, sitting aft of the island. BTW, there's a picture of the Wasp recovering either Gemini 7 or 6, and the boat and aircraft crane is plucking the spacecraft from the water, and you can see a television satellite trailer parked aft of the island. Can't remember where the pic is to save my life, but it may be on the NASA Digital Image Collection. I'm on a slow dial-up, so I don't dare check now, but I've seen it.... jodie ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Pieter Cornelissen Subject: Re: USS Omaha >> Now, if anyone has bothered to read this far, I have a question. On page 5 of Steve Wiper's Warship Pictorial #6, is a photo of Omaha "shortly after commissioning". I have looked at this many times, but only today realized she is painted in white and buff (or, possibly, light gray and buff). Why on earth would the USN paint the name ship of its newest class in this archaic scheme? Some sort of historical celebration? If Wiper is in the neighborhood: is there anything on the original photo to explain this? << While I'm not Steve Wiper I might venture a guess about white and buff. The white and buff scheme was the traditional (post 1880's till at least the late 1930's) scheme for colonial policing tasks. As the US was a colonial power at the time (Phillipines, China concessions and Puerto Rico) it is not a strange idea that they used the scheme. The USS Panay on the SMML homepage also carries the scheme. AFAIK the scheme evolved out of the 19th century standard naval black and buff scheme because of overheating in large black hulls in tropical areas. Pieter Cornelissen Delft, the Netherlands ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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