Subject: SMML VOL 2085 Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2003 03:03:40 +1100 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: "Shell Welder" 2: Re: US Carrier flight decks post-war - tan/brown decks? 3: Re: Ship's Names 4: Re: Shipboard Vermin 5: Funny Cockroaches Story 6: Re: British MLs 7: Re: 80' ML 8: Re: scale flying boats 9: Re: New Thread 10: KGV colours -- KGV in color 11: b25s for hornet.. 12: SHELL WELDER INFO 13: USCG 26' MWB 14: KGV & Tirpitz Deck Paint 15: CHANT Armament 16: Re: AE-26 USS Kilauea 17: Tamaya Color Mixes for 1/350 Tirpitz and Bismark... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Starline / Fleetline Subject: Re: "Shell Welder" If I recall correctly, buried somewhere in my library is an old article on "Shell Welder" the real one from Model Boats, this issue was very old and I seem to recall even pre-dates the release of the kit as no mention was made of any kit available. The article was B&W naturally. I'll try and find it unless someone else has easy access to it. All the best, Kevin FLEETLINE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: annobon4 Subject: Re: US Carrier flight decks post-war - tan/brown decks? Hi The USN after WW2 went back to pre war colors. Zinc chromate yellow for flight deck hull numbers at both ends and Monogamy for the deck it self. When fresh it looks chococate brown. I had a National Geographic from 1954 with color photos of the Oriskany CV-34 (axial deck) in this scheme. Also I believe Enterprise CVN-65 was built with a wood deck. I have a book showing returning from Vietnam with a exposed deck with little paint after alot of flight operations. Craig ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Robert Mosher" Subject: Re: Ship's Names >> About last year forum on ships names, I recently watched and recorded the russian-Discovery Channel co-production excellent docu filmed aboard the latest of the giant russian subs of the Typhoon class (Project 941 "Akula", one of those monsters starring in "the Hunt for Red October"). The movie follows one of the sub's patrol, including the launching of a -practice-torpedo against a Sierra class sub as well as of a SS-N-15 missile. Many shots are shown of the sub external hull in drydock, the twin tunnelled propellers. Interior is shown with CIC (nothing in common with Red October movie), officers and crew spaces, engine room, batteries compartment, crew escape module, recreation quarters and... the inboard swimming pool and sauna (!!!). The most curious is the following: This sub, originally TK-20, launched in July, 1998 at Severodinsk was latter given the name "Severstahl" (my spelling). Don't try to identify here the name of an admiral, a former politician... Severstahl is the name of the company which is sponsoring the ship, paying for overhauls and the crew food, etc! What a new idea! So, in this New Year's eve (thanks to Champagne abuse), lets imagine/ joke about: Imagine: The new supercarrier, USS "Coca-Cola" with a full complement of VTOL aircrafts F-35 "McChicken" (nuggets armed) cruising in the Gulf, along with a multinational force (HMS "WEM" and the trouble plagued French carrier "Vivendi-Universal" among others)... Shocking? Relax: we avoided USS "Enron".... << Bruno Gire's observation about the Russian Navy's accepting private sponsors in naming ships reflects a rather longstanding tradition and practice that was frequently seen during the Second World War II. However, given the Russian Federation's financial straits it has been somewhat revived in the past decade. The Russian media frequently report efforts like that of Moscow's Mayor Luzhkov who provided financial support for the Russian Navy cruiser named for that city. Other Russian cities and jurisdictions have reportedly done the same, even for units in the army. BTW Bruno would appear to have done a pretty good job on transliterating the name - not always an easy task and I believe Severstahl may in fact be one of the shipyards in Severodinsk! Perhaps it's a case of you build it- you own it? Robert A. Mosher ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: wem Subject: Re: Shipboard Vermin I honestly don't recall any cockroaches aboard BAINBRIDGE in the 4 years I was aboard, but we DID have lots of weevils in the flour in the bake shop whenever we were at sea for extended periods. They couldn't be eliminated, and were simply mixed up in the bread dough and baked with the bread. We used to have contests to see who got the slice of bread with the most weevil carcasses in it. The all-time high was, IIRC, 21. Some guys sat around and picked them out; most of us just ate them. As for other shipboard vermin, well, we didn't have a Marine detachment aboard. ;^) (Ducking for cover!) Cheers, John Snyder White Ensign Models ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Jeff Herne, NJAHOF" Subject: Funny Cockroaches Story Ahh...the memories... When living in Southern Florida, I happened to live a few houses down from a former RN sailor, he married an American lady after the war, but she sadly passed away and he took to the bottle quite heavily. While watching TV one night, the entire neighborhood was alarmed by the sound of gunshots coming from his house...the police arrive to find old Mr. Matthews quite drunk, shooting cockroaches in his living room... of course he didn't resist arrest, but I remember hearing him repeatedly say that he hated cockroaches...I guess now I know why... Fortunately for me, I never had that problem, as I had several large black snakes living under the porch, which kinda worried this displaced northerner until I was told their diet was predominately cockroaches and rodents... Jeff Herne Modelwarships.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Fkbrown90 Subject: Re: British MLs To; Derekl The 80 Ft. (actually 79 ft.,7 in.) British Motor Launches (ML) built in America were the forerunners of the American 110 Ft, Submarine Chaser. There is a 179 page book, "Cinderellas of the Fleet" written by William W. Nutting and published in 1920. Although the book is primarily about the American Sub Chasers, pages 12 through 54 are about the design, development, and deeds of the ML, including photos. Pages 159 through 169 detail the engines, and pages 170, 171, 172 give specifications and drawings (including lines!!). There is currently a copy for sale on E-bay, Item No. 2903849285, for $6.99, a paltry sum indeed. But you had better move fast, as the offer ends January 8 at 5:39 P.M. Pacific Standard Time. If you miss out, you will find more expensive copies on the various used book vendors' sites. If you will send me your e-mail address I will send you a copy of an essay I am working on about the 110 Ft. chasers. Although the essay is about the American boats, parts of it, such as the description of the propulsion machinery (which was used in the ML also) and the living conditions onboard, apply to the MLs as well. The British used an 80 footer, the Americans a 110 footer, which was fitting for the times. America was not that far away from the breakthrough event of winning the Spanish-American War (1898) and was becoming a fledgling World Power. Some people even wanted to develop an American Thermal Unit (ATU) that was bigger and better that any British Thermal Unit (BTU) ever thought of. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi! You may contact me directly at if you wish. Franklyn ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: ALROSS2 Subject: Re: 80' ML These boats were built by ELCO and were 79' 7" x 12' 5". A somewhat rough set of plans (outboard profile, outboard plan, inboard plan) appears in Norman Friedman's "US Small Combatants". He, in turn, indicates that the drawings were "adapted" from those in "The Cinderella Fleet". You might try interlibrary loan for both books. Al Ross ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Ron and Louise Crawford Subject: Re: scale flying boats Chine Lines, the IPMS SIG periodical for flying boats and floatplanes has been publishing a several part listing of models of such waterfowl. I recall the authors as Bill Devins and Raymond Magnani. One should be able to reach the SIG through the IPMS-USA web site. The choice in scales such as 1/48, 1/72, and 1/200 is amazing. Ron Crawford ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Diodor Subject: Re: New Thread Ah, sweet sunlight, now I've been vindicated, free of the curse that for 58 years has warped my outlook, destroyed my id, twisted my guts and ruined my sleep. Other ships--many other ships--had cockroaches! Thought the subchaser I commanded was the only ship that had 'em but now I can walk as a free man, hold my head high and live like other people once more instead of skulking in dark alleys and living out of trash cans. Thank you SMMellies for granting me this freedom to breathe once more! Ted Treadwell ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Dimi Apostolopoulos Subject: KGV colours -- KGV in color A single frame extracted from color video taken in mid-late 1941 shows KGV in overall AP507B shade. The url to the jpg is: http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/~da1v/ROYAL-NAVY-WWII/PHOTOGRAPHS/KGV-1-41.jpg Dimi ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Bill" Subject: b25s for hornet.. Hello list, I've a friend who has purchased the new 1/350 Hornet kit..He doesnt own a computer..He asked me where he could purchase the extra B25s for the model.. regards Bill Code ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "Victor M. Baca" Subject: SHELL WELDER INFO David: There is a bit of reference material on M/S Shell Welder in Laurence Dunn's "The World's Tankers" published in 1956 by Adlard Coles Ltd. On page 116, there is a black and white photo of the ship taken as an aerial off the starboard quarter. I am almost certain that this is either a nicely done model of the ship in a waterline setting or an airbrushed photo of the ship at sea--right now I'm leaning toward the model theory. The book lists the Shell Welder's specs as: Coastal Tanker, 569 gross tons Built 1955 by Clelands (Successors) Ltd. Wallsend-on-Tyne Owners: Shell-Mex & B.P., Ltd. Occupied in British coastal and Continental voyages Part welded construction Length B.P. 165' Max Mld. Breadth: 29' Engine: 6 cyl. Crossley 570 b.h.p. Service speed 9.75 kts. Four cargo tanks. I also like this very cool and classic little tanker model. Had the original way back when it first came out, also have an unfinished model re-made by a Russian company (name escapes me). That version was full of nasty flash, but that's why God made emery boards and sand paper... Good to see her back on the shelves. I can copy the image in the Dunn book if you wish and e-mail a jpeg to you. Please contact me offline if you need the image--I'll spiff it up in Photoshop for you. Best regards, Victor Baca Editor & Publisher MODEL SHIP JOURNAL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Victor M. Baca" Subject: USCG 26' MWB Great review of the USCGC Eagle kit in 1/350 scale! There is a small fiberglass 26' MSB (Motor Surfboat) in 1/32 scale offered by Microglass. It's a nice little hull and could be used as a reference for scratch building a boat in 1/350. These boats are used on virtually all large cutters, buoy tenders etc. Should be an easy job for any model maker with a little hull shaping experience under his or her belt. I'd probably use a hardwood to form a master and make styrene heat formed hulls using the simple drape and pull method or vac-forming if I wanted to really get into it. One could also make a tiny mold by pressing the master hull into clay and pushing resin impregnated very fine fiberglass cloth into the clay's depression cavity for a nice small scale fiberglass hull. Victor Baca MODEL SHIP JOURNAL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: Ted Johnston Subject: KGV & Tirpitz Deck Paint >> At the time of the Bismarck chase, KGV was painted in overall AP 507B Medium Admiralty Grey, with horizontal surfaces--including her teak decks--painted in AP 507A Dark Admiralty Grey. There's no need for guesswork and mixing colors here: they are available in Colourcoats enamels. Colourcoats RN01, AP 507A; Colourcoats RN02, AP 507B. << I am working up the courage to try painting the Decks of my KGV and Tirpitz Kits to show off the Teak Decking. Can anyone tell me at what periods of the war that these ships had unpainted or unpainted decks. Thanks in Advance for your help. Ted Johnston ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "George Peat" Subject: CHANT Armament Allan, reference you enquiry abot the a/a armamnet on the CHANT. It consisted of 4 x20mm guns. two of which were on bandstands shaped like dumb bells on the mid ships of the ship and the others were in the bridge area of the ship. I don't think that I would have liked to have had to use the AA guns on board sucha ship as they were built to carry cased avaition Fuel to the Normandy area. Onw little spark and good night all as you passed the attacking aircraft while you were going upwards. George Peat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: James Corley Subject: Re: AE-26 USS Kilauea >> A friend of mine has been called up from the Navy Reserve. He will be assigned to the USS Kilauea, AE-26. It is an ammunition replenishment ship. He has asked me to ask if there is a kit of that type. Resin, plastic or whatever? In any scale. << I saw a model of the USS Haleakala several years ago (Suribachi Class AE-21) that had begun life as one of the IMEX cargo ships. Looked pretty good - maybe you could start there and scratchbuild the upperworks. From looking at the Kilauea class pics, I would guess the 1/450 Trinidad would be the best way to start if there isn't anything out there closer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "ronald smith" Subject: Tamaya Color Mixes for 1/350 Tirpitz and Bismark... Back in the 'dark ages' before Snyder & Short paint chips and WEM Colourcoat paints I built Tamaya's 1/350 Tirpitz and Bismark using the color mixes suggested by Tamaya in the instructions (I know, bad... but in those days that was the only game in town). Anyway, many years and several moves later I find that these two models are in need of some serious 'yard time' and a little touch-up paint. However, I no longer have the instruction sheets that contain the paint mixes so that I can get a reasonably close match. If someone out there in SMML land happens to be going through the kit collection and runs across an instruction sheet for these kits would you be so kind as to post the Tamaya color mixes so that I have a fairly close starting point. Thank you... Ron Smith <")))>< ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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