Subject: SMML VOL 2205 Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2003 13:07:49 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Flagship Models CIWS 2: Internal waterline markings 3: Re: internal waterline 4: Re: Charlie Noble 5: Military Fonts 6: Re: First ship with electric lights 7: Re: Charley Noble 8: Zvezda kits 9: inside waterlines 10: Re: Charley Noble 11: German U-Boat XXI class (1:350 scale plastic kit) by AFV CLUB - HOBBY FAN 12: Ships decals 13: 1:700 Bismarck Waterline, Who makes one? 14: Re: A CAD question ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Information 1: ACTSMS mini show report ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: SHIPMDLR Subject: Re: Flagship Models CIWS >> Have you discontinued this kit? I finally got enough money saved up towards purchasing this kit and was looking forward to doing so before the Nationals got underway. I also mentioned the kit to another fellow and he wanted to know more about it so I sent him to your web page only to discover that you are not showing the kit on your page any longer. Are you going to continue selling this kit? << Jeffry, I sent you answering all your questions about the availability of the CIWS kit. I guess you didn't get it, so I'll try again. The kit is currently out of production by Flagship Models. Meteor Productions has purchased the master patterns and all rights to the kit. They tell me that they will be re-releasing it some time in the future. I would suggest you contact Meteor Productions and ask them about possible release dates concerning the kit. Great Models Web Store bought the last of the stock I had. You may luck out if they still have one. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. Purchase online with all major credit cards http://flagshipmodels.com Proud sponsor of the 2003 IPMS/USA National Convention http://www.ipmsmetrookc.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: PaulShip37 Subject: Internal waterline markings One of my uncles saw WW2 coming and joined the Navy in 1940. He had heard his uncles describe the trenches of WW1 and decided the sea made better sense to him. He served on a submarine tender for the entire war, mostly off Australia. Several of the stories he told were of a specific" 90-day-wonder "officer and his antics. On one occasion my uncle (an electrician) was part of a detail that was running new cable through several compartments on the sub tender. Upon reaching a certain bulkhead the officer consulted the plans he had and announced that they would pierce the bulkhead for the cable. Several of the enlisted men balked, informing the officer that"... he really didn't want to do that since that was a fuel oil bunker...".The sailor with the drill refused to drill unless the officer gave him a direct order, which the officer did. No one was injured, no fire, but they swabbed fuel oil for quite a while. With that in mind, it is conceivable that you might want a line marking the waterline on the inside of a ship. This was the same officer who conducted a small arms familiarization drill that my uncle attended. My uncle had been in the navy for several years at that point, knew the drill forwards and backwards. The officer was about to demonstrate the proper handling of the BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) when my uncle and several other old-timers became alarmed and informed the officer that the weapon he held was in a dangerous condition. "What do you mean? Asked the officer," "Well, you just put a loaded clip into it and the safety is off..." "Nonsense!" said the officer, pointing the BAR at the ceiling of the compartment they were in (belowdecks) and pulling the trigger to show them how wrong they were. Miraculously no one was injured, although the ricochets pierced the main armored electric cable and my uncle pulled wire for a week replacing that section. That officer left ship the next time they docked at Freemantle. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: SantMin Subject: Re: internal waterline >> I happened to notice a reference to something I had never heard of, namely that a black waterline was painted all around the inside of U. S. Navy ships. In 1918, anyway. I thought getting a waterline on the outside straight and correct was a difficult thing, but on the inside it is infinitely more so. No mention is made of the purpose of this internal waterline, and I just can't come up with any reason, let alone a good one. Can any SMML people tell us if this is still done, or how, or why? << I think it was so that damage control parties, working on the inside, could tell at a glace if damage was at, near, or below the waterline. Bob Santos ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Fkbrown90 Subject: Re: Charlie Noble To: prlhobo Thank you for your compliment. Asking provocative questions and seeing which guppies rise to the top of the tank is an interesting exercise, and often presents an opportunity for otherwise shy and reticent people to contribute to the general knowledge of the rest of us. I have no idea WHO Charlie Noble was, only WHAT it is. In less sophisticated days it was often considered an amusing part of his Rite of Passage to send a new Navy recruit to find Charlie Noble, a benign form of hazing akin to sending an Army recruit to get yesterday's cannon report. But dinna ye fret aboot it, Laddie, every swabbie learned the definition of the term "Charlie Noble" (anti-rain device atop the galley or other stove pipes), sooner or later. Perhaps some SMML sage will tell us WHO Charlie Noble was. There almost always seems to be some SMML person(s) ready, willing, and able to share information and knowledge with us, as evidenced by the excellent recent contributions about TURBINIA (although I am disappointed in the lack of response to my query about the WW 1 Eagle Boats built by Henry Ford for the U. S. Navy). Franklyn ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Harold Stockton" Subject: Military Fonts For those who wish to make their own correct military fonts for their models, try going to Modeling Fonts at: http://www.tlai.com/med_des/modeling.html This should clear up ANY problems about the exact font needed on your models. Harold Stockton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Michael London" Subject: Re: First ship with electric lights The COLUMBIA was a real pioneer as the light bulb had not been perfected until 1880 the year of her voyage. Invented by Joseph Swan of Sunderland, England in 1860 it was not until Swan got together with Edison that it became a viable proposition. While Edison is incorrectly credited with the "invention" of the light bulb he should be more properly credited with its "perfection". The early light bulbs did not stand up and were unsuitable for commercial use. Edison perfected the vacuum process which proved to be the answer. Later he, together with Swan, formed the Edison & Swan United Electric Light Company. Michael London ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Richard Rathgeber Subject: Re: Charley Noble In days of yore and wooden ships bobbing like tinderboxes across the briny, Charley Noble stood tall in the galley, awaiting the next taste of hot flame that would dance across his belly from the stove bolted below him. Who was this Charley Noble? this iron-chested hulk that kept vigil in the galley while the crew busied themselves above decks getting ready for a new day or preparing to bring the day to a close? Charley Noble was the sailors' name for the galley chimney, which drew the heat from the galley stove and carried it safely above decks and into the passing ocean breeze. As you can imagine, sparks and hot embers coughed through the decking from Charlie's gaping mouth represented an extreme hazard to those old wooden behemoths, and so it was the responsibility of the cook to keep Charlie clean and free of soot and tar. Thus, every cook had a periodic routine established for firing a pistol up the pipe to loose the soot. That practice was known to all as "shooting Charlie Noble." Charley had to be cleaned out and "refreshed" occasionally, for the lives of all on board depended on it. But so it was true for all fixtures aboard the ships. In a manner of speaking, even the helmsman, navigator and mate gathered soot as their days on the sea wore on, learning bad habits, or taking dangerous shortcuts, or becoming lax in their duties. And somewhere along the way, someone had to shoot their Charley Nobles to get them back on track. For just as Charley Noble's soot represented a hazard to the ship and crew, so did the soot of disregard and inefficiency on the part of the crew place the ship at risk. I guess we all need to shoot our own Charley Nobles from time to time. We develop bad habits (soot), we take unnecessary risks (soot), and we let our guard down and become lax (soot). We fail to make sure our crew and passengers have properly fitted PFD's (soot), we don't recharge and inspect our fire extinguishing equipment (soot), and we cut a little too close to that other boat in that narrow channel (soot). We know better, but we've just gathered a little soot. And in doing so, we become a danger to the folks on our vessel and the kids waving to us from the boat that just passed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Morris D Shirley Subject: Zvezda kits Hello, Squadron is taking advance orders for Zvezda 1/100 scale Sirius sidewheel steamer kit. Can anyone comment on Zvezda kits in general, their Sirius, Pourquoi Pas and Brigantine kits in particular? Thanks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Richard Sweeney Subject: inside waterlines >> I happened to notice a reference to something I had never heard of, namely that a black waterline was painted all around the inside of U. S. Navy ships. In 1918, anyway. I thought getting a waterline on the outside straight and correct was a difficult thing, but on the inside it is infinitely more so. No mention is made of the purpose of this internal waterline, and I just can't come up with any reason, let alone a good one. Can any SMML people tell us if this is still done, or how, or why? << Might I just speculate, to keep work or repair crews inside the hull from pucturing in below the waterline? Just a though. Rich Sweeney ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Keith Bender" Subject: Re: Charley Noble Hi SMMLies, Hum, a Charlie Noble, yea I know what that is but can you go to DC Central and get me a fire triangle? After that would you go to the fireroom and get me a bucket of blue steam, please. Then report back to the hangerdeck port side elevator for the mail bouy watch. KTB ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Harold Stockton" Subject: German U-Boat XXI class (1:350 scale plastic kit) by AFV CLUB - HOBBY FAN On Astrokit's website: http://www.astromodel.it/news.htm, under new releases, there is a photo of AFV CLUB - HOBBY FAN's new German U-Boat XXI class (1:350 scale plastic kit) # AF-SE73501. No price or release date is given. Harold Stockton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "Harold Stockton" Subject: Ships decals A new company to consider in ship's decals is a Canadian company called JBOT which offers the following items in 1/350 ($10), 1/700 ($5), and !/1400 ($3) for the Iowa class BBs numbered 61 to 66 (sic). The decals include hull numbers and names, and deck markings. They look good on the website at: http://www.jbot.ca/en/shipssubs/usbattleships.shtml. According to JBOT's website: "Of the 6 ships planned, 4 were built. The instruction sheet has two pages of color photos & drawings. These decals provide markings for any 1 of the 6 ships." For those interested in something a little different, why not build the last two that were never completed. Also from JBOT, for those civilian liner folks, there is the decal sheet for the P & O "Oriana" Cruise ship from 1960s. The prices and details are the same as for the BB sheet described above. This sheet can be seen at: http://www.jbot.ca/en/shipssubs/oriana.shtml. AND, according to their website's construction and directory, they are planning submarine sheets. Further, this same company offers some very colorful Canadian Coast Guard decals for the Bell 47G and Alouette III. These sheets are beautifully printed, with good resolution, and can be ordered from this company's secure server. Harold Stockton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Stephen Varhegyi" Subject: 1:700 Bismarck Waterline, Who makes one? Hi there, I'm tasking myself with building a whole collection of 1:700 waterline ships involved in the Bismarck action. So far I have from Tamiya: KGV, Hood, Rodney, Prinz Eugen. Will get PoW as well. Someone told me that Aoshima make a 1:700 Bismarck. Can someone tell me if this is still available or any other 1:700 offerings of this subject. Preferably plastic kits. Also does anyone make 1:700 Ark Royal, Victorious, Suffolk, Norfolk, Dorsetshire, Sheffield etc. Steve ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: George & Fay Levine Subject: Re: A CAD question >> Doug offers good advice regarding Rhino, especially as it DOES include tools for assessing fairness of curves. I put a short tutorial on this very subject on my site www.tjpgraphics.com . There is another on the Rhino website that Doug mentions. Again, no commercial interest in Rhino, just a VERY enthusiastic user, both in my day job and as a hobby tool. Doug, if you ever want to compare notes, do drop me a line! tim@tjpgraphics.com << Tim: Using the first and second derivatives (dx/dy) of the curve is an excellent way of mathematically checking for fairness. I checked your web site and believe that you are getting these bumps because you have too many data points for the spline curve used. The CAD programs equation used and the way it is used forces the curve thru every point. You need an equation that requires far fewer points than are available. This will create a "best fit" that will go thru the fair points and only near the other points and be "smooth". Example, if the entire waterline from bow to stern only is supposed to have two inflection points than you should only use an equation that limits its shape to two inflection points. Of historical interest, in about 1915, Adm. David W. Taylor published a paper on mathematical lines development. One type of equation was used for the section shape, and another type of equation for the waterline shape. He used this method to design the hulls for US Navy destroyers until sometime in the 1930s, when its use appeared to die out. George Levine Currently in Christmas Florida ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Information ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Shane & Lorna Subject: ACTSMS mini show report Hi all, We had a great time at the Australian Capital Territory Scale Modeller's Society (ACTSMS) annual show over the past weekend. They put on a great show & our congratualations go to the Committee (including their President, fellow SMMLie Steve Pantelidis). It was great catching up with fellow SMMLies Chris Eveden, Stephen Allen, Bob McDonald, Ian Wrenford, Andrew Jones, Simon Wolff, Paul Green & Steve Pantelidis there as well - apologies if we missed anyone. There was a lot of good quality models there with the ship category being well subscribed. Our congratulations to Stephen for winning the Ship Category & taking out "Best Of Show" with his stunning Revell 1/480 USS Yorktown with GMM & WEM additions (check out his article on the SMML site) - it's even better close up. The look on his face was priceless when it was announced - well done mate you richly deserve all the praise you got ;-) Regards, Shane & Lorna ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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