Subject: SMML VOL 2261 Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2003 02:23:28 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: a challenge, and UAVs 2: Modern US Navy Ship Kits 3: Re: old models? 4: 8.8cm weapons in WW1 and WW2 5: 88s and E-Boats 6: Jean Bart references please? 7: Re: French Tricolor 8: Re: A flag question 9: Re: 25 mm Japanese AA guns 10: Re: green Indiana 11: Re: old models? 12: Re: A flag question 13: DANFS help 14: One for WEM's paint guys 15: Japanese plans website 16: Hobby shops in Cincinnati ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Poutre, Joseph A" Subject: Re: a challenge, and UAVs From: SteveWiper >> This is exactly how these stupid rumors get started. No offense intended Joe! << But offense was taken. I challenge thee, Sir Wiper! I throw down my gantlet, and charge you with insult and injury to my Honour, Goode Name, Inteliginc, and Sense of Humor. If we shall meet in person, thou shalt duel me at the nearest watering establishment until one of us is looking up at the bar. My weapon of choice is Guiness; on draft preferably. Everybody else: no green Indianas! Green bananas, yes, but no battleships. From: andrew jones >> Predator: I think the Predator did not come into official status till the mid 90's..i recall seeing a photo of the Mo in action in GW1 with sailors setting up a UAV, similar to that of a toy aircraft (say about the size of a man or to be non-sexist a woman, lol) .. << Pioneer, not Predator! Probably was in the memory cells lost during my last duel of honor. Pioneer was a small remote control drone with a live video feed. Predator is a later, rather bigger drone. >> i also recall that 1 group of Iraqis surrended cuz they saw the drone & knew that the drone was from a BB & thought better to surrender to a drone than feel the power of the big shells (who knows maybe propoganda) .. << The Iraqis were trying to surrender to everyone and everything. Most of them had no real desire to fight for the Hussain regime, during either Gulf War. Joe Poutre ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Michael McMurtrey Subject: Modern US Navy Ship Kits Further to my post about my recent trip to Norflok, VA, I now have an interest in building models of the ships I saw. But as a novice ship builder, I'm kinda vague on what kits are available. So can someone suggest what are the best kits (plastic or resin, in both 1/350 and 1/700) of such modern USN ships as: Nimitz-class Carrier (CVN) Enterprise (CVN-65) Ticonderoga-class cruiser (CG) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer (DDG) Spruance-class destroyer (DD) LaSalle-class command ship (AGF) Saipan-class amphipious assault ship (LHA) Wasp-class amphibious assault ship (LHD) Trenton-class amphibious transport (LPD) Whidbey Island-class landing ship dock (LSD) Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate (FFG) Los Angeles-class attack submarine (SSN) Regulus-type Fast Sealift Ship (T-AKR) Cape May-type Roll-on/Roll-off Ship (T-AKR) Henry J. Kaiser-class Oiler (T-AO) Thanks for the help. Michael McMurtrey ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Vladimir Yakubov" Subject: Re: old models? Check out Kombrig's kits. They make several Russian and British ships from that era in 1/700 scale. http://www.steelnavy.com/CombrigPage.htm Vladimir ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Robert Lockie" Subject: 8.8cm weapons in WW1 and WW2 I do not claim to know the first thing about WW1 naval ordnance but the 8.8cm weapons used by the Kreiegsmarine in WW2 (for example, on U-boote) were entirely different to the weapons used by the Wehrmacht (including the Luftwaffe's famous FlaK gun). There was no developmental link between them and I would therefore question whether there was such a link in WW1. The land service FlaK 18 was not developed until 1925 anyway. The calibres being the same is, I understand, merely due to 8.8cm having been a standard German calibre for some time. Robert Lockie Swindon UK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Katz, Gene S" Subject: 88s and E-Boats Did the Kriegsmarine ever mount an 88 on an E-Boat? Or rocket launchers such as the Nebelwerfer or the Russian Katyusha-type? I have both the Airfix and Revell E-Boats just waiting to be built and maybe modified!! Gene ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Terence Wong-Lane" Subject: Jean Bart references please? Dear SMML, please can any of you help? I would like to build a model of the Jean Bart as she appeared when she escaped from France in June 1940. I am trying to find references that show her incomplete B turret before it was filled with cement, especially details of it's interior structure. I am also interested in anything that shows the extent of the planking that was being applied to her forecastle in front of A turret. I already have the Jean Bart book by Robert Dumas, together with "L'évasion du Jean Bart" by Vice-Amiral Ronarc'h. Would any of you be able to recommend any more references please? Many thanks, Terry Wong London ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Robert Mosher" Subject: Re: French Tricolor >> While most books illustrate the French tricolor as having three vertical stripes, blue white and red, all of the same width I have come across a publication which disagrees with these proportions. "Flags for ship modellers and marine artists" by Alec A. Purves, first published in 1950 with a reprint in 1983, claims that the modern French flag has the blue at 30% of the width, white at 33% and red at 37%. These widths were, he claims, arrived at to improve their visibility while being flown at sea. Perhaps a French contributor could confirm or otherwise. << Michael - I cannot address the argument as to why it was done, but I have in my library a copy of the U.S. Department of the Navy's H.O.No 89, FLAGS OF THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES 1938. Described as "Edited by the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Printed and Sold by the Hydrographic Office." (FYI - it sold for $3.00 originally). Anyway, when I take my dividers to the image of the French tricolor as shown in this volume, the three stripes are in fact of different sizes and in what appears to be the very proportions you describe. Robert A. Mosher ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Stuart Batchelor" Subject: Re: A flag question Michael, I'm sure others will chime in but here is my 2-cents worth. IIRC, the division of Blue, White, & Red by different percentages is correct. Exactly what the percentages are, I don't know, but what you suggest sounds correct. Who knows why they did it this way, I'm sure there is a reason. Again, IIRC, these percentages are suposed to carry over to the French roundel and tail stripes. HTH, Stuart Batchelor ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Nuno J. V. Rubim" Subject: Re: 25 mm Japanese AA guns Thanks for the reply by Rui Francisco Matos. Indeed it appears to confirm what I guessed, but the gun at the Portuguese Army Military Museum shows also the breech in black. So, all the gun has that colour. Nuno Rubim ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: SteveWiper Subject: Re: green Indiana >> Is there any chance that you might get into the film side of the business as you have the pictorial publishing business? For years Roland Smith in England single-handedly produced his wonderful Naval Video Time Capsule series. Before his recent death he was able to offer twelve VHS tapes illustrating archival film episodes of the Britsh Navy during WWII. They are excellent historical documents and are higly recommended. In my correspondence with Roland Smith over the years it was apparent that it was a considerable amount of work to put this series together. But it was also obvious that it was a labor of love on his part and he appeared to thoroughly enjoy it. However, I have often wondered if someone would ever take on the task of producing a similar film version for the US Navy. I would imagine that the source footage would be much more plentiful and possibly less difficult to locate than the equivalent British footage. As you obviously are already doing considerable research work for your excellent Warship Pictorials and appear to have various footage already located, is there any chance that you might someday expand into such a series of film programs? I'm sure that such would be well received and would be a tremendous boon for US naval historians and modelers alike. Pictures are great but I think that film in some instances is even better. Here's hoping! << John, I am slowly working towards this now. I hope to start collecting the motion picture films from the US National Archives soon. This will be an expensive process, so it will take time. Also, I have to teach myself how to do my own film editing on my computer, because if you want it done right, you must to it yourself. Steve Wiper ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "David T. Okamura" Subject: Re: old models? Perry Tolliver wrote: >> Does anyone know if anyone makes a model of the old breastwork monitors or barbet warships? << Check out Paper Shipwright at http://www.papershipwright.freeserve.co.uk/. There's even models of the SMS Rhein and HMVS Cerberus available as free downloads. David T. Okamura ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Duane Fowler Subject: Re: A flag question The proportions give by Purves are correct. There are two reasons for it. As you stated, at a distance certain colors show up better and therefore the widths of the stripes are adjusted accordingly. Also, the last stripe would tend to fray and get thinner. By making it wider it would last longer. Several nations with tricolors widen the last stripe. Best regards, Duane Fowler ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "D Wakefield" Subject: DANFS help Hey S'guys, I recently worked up a DANFS entry for a fictious ship I developed for a story a friend and I are working on. The fake DANFS entry was created by hodge-podging bits and pieces from no less than six different DANFS entries I had downloaded over the years. In short...it's a sea story. It's not going to fool any one who knows their salt. OTOH, it was just intended to pass muster with those who might not be all that well informed. Thus, I'm trying to get some feedback to find out if it's decent/good BS. Anyone here who might be willing to lend me an assist, please drop me a line at blacktiger at chatter dot com. Thanks in advance, Thanks Derek Wakefield ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Phil Gollin" Subject: One for WEM's paint guys Having become completely confused as to what paint Ark Royal was in at the time of her sinking, there seems a solution if WEM produce a couple of specials; 1: "Spotted" paint to represent a ship being chipped and wire-brushed with red (or gray ?) lead touch-up. I presume this should be based on a weathered/faded gray (?) with small various sizes of "steel", dull red and light gray, etc.. 2: "Streaked" paint to represent a single poorly applied colour over an old weather one. All we need then in a special modeller's "airless" air brush (as they use in real life for "spotted" paints) and there we are. In anticipation, Phil P.S. I'm still waiting for the tins of bunker fuel to colour some (?) RN WW2 wooden decks Oh!, I forgot !!!, we also need a special paint for the tops of Bismarck's turrets at the time of her sinking, it looks gray, but if you look at it from a certain direction it suddenly turns yellow (again probably streaky) AND, we could do a variation for Indian's "green". The possibilities are endless ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "Phil Gollin" Subject: Japanese plans website I found this site http://www2.odn.ne.jp/miyukikai/newpage1.htm Which seems to be the website for Haruo Takami and offers various plans (mostly Japanese, but some British and US. Does anyone have experience of these, are they any good? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: Procladius Subject: Hobby shops in Cincinnati Try Boardwalk Hobby Shop, 1032 Delta Ave, in the Mount Lookout neighborhood. They carry most of the Classic Warships, Osprey and Squadron Signal publications. Like most hobby shops, it's heavy on aircraft and armor, but they have a fair ship section: ICM Konig, Heller Hood, the new Trumpeter carriers, a 1/200 Nichimo Akizuki, some waterline stuff - no resin though. The Dust Jacket bookstore half a block down is worth a visit. They have a good military section. Charles Watson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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