Subject: SMML VOL 2297 Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 01:19:11 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Colour Schemes for HMS Ark Royal & Victorious May 1941 2: Group Build Project of IJN Yamato 3: Re: Bell Bottoms 4: Tramp Steamer 5: Re: They are NOT "bell bottoms"! 6: skulski and chesneau shipmodeling books -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Need a resin caster ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Stephen Varhegyi" Subject: Colour Schemes for HMS Ark Royal & Victorious May 1941 Hi There I know I've seen a few postings in the past about these subjects, however at the time I didn't take much notice as I had no intention of building these ships. Since I have now managed to obtain both kits I need some help with regard to paint schemes and flight deck colours. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Steve Varhegyi ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: ModelFleetezOP Subject: Group Build Project of IJN Yamato There will be a group build project of IJN Yamato beginning October 1st at Model Fleet.com for anyone interested in joining in. You may build any of the Yamato or Musashi kits that you desire. Photos and updates will be shared by members as they progress through the project. All are welcome. More details will be posted soon at ModelFleet.com. Best Regards, Dan von Gartzen ModelFleet.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Bill Weckel Subject: Re: Bell Bottoms When I was in, the standard issue enlisted dress blue and dress white uniform pants were definitely flared at the leg. Working blues were straight legged, working whites were flared, and dungarees were flared as well. The cracker jacks were absolutely, positively and without the slightest doubt _not_ brought back at the request of the enlisted men and petty officers. The general consensus of those who actually had wear the uniform, was that they were ridiculous looking, not to mention incredibly uncomfortable, being made of 100% wool. We only wore dress uniforms for the rare inspection or ceremony. 99% of our time we wore dungarees, a flight-deck jersey, combat boots, and a ball cap. In cold weather a foul weather jacket or flight jacket. Bill Intelligence Specialist 2nd Class USS Eisenhower (1986-91) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Bill Weckel Subject: Tramp Steamer Does anyone know of any kit, in any media or scale of a typical early 1900's tramp steamer? Thanks, Bill ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Loren Perry Subject: Re: They are NOT "bell bottoms"! >> Having been in the USN in the 60's, I have first hand knowledge that the pants that the Navy issues you, blue, white and dungarees, are straight legged. They are the same diameter from top to bottom. There is no bell to them at all. I can only assume that this makes them cheaper and easier to make. If you wanted to be stylish, you had several options. You could go to a tailor shop (there were always some across the street from any large naval base) and have your pants taken in at the knee, thus creating a bell bottom. You could also get a set of tailor made (actually ready mades tailored to you) gabardines that were bell bottoms. These were actually black instead of blue. If you wore either of these pants to personnel inspection, you would get in trouble. (actually, most sailors had an inspection uniform that they never wore for anything except inspection). Most sailors wore Seafarer brand dungarees. These were not navy issue, but were purchased at the same place as you got your tailor made uniforms. They were bell bottoms and had a zipper instead of buttons. They were much more stylish that navy issue, but were sometimes not allowed depending on the commanding officers tastes. One thing people may not realize is that we folded our uniforms inside out. The creases on our pants and sleeves were concave instead of convex. This is another reason that the pants were straight legged. They were easier to fold properly. << Jim is 100% correct on all details mentioned above. As a former E-1 (ADJ-1) in the 1960's serving at NAS Oceana in Virginia where I administered tender loving mechanical care to F-8 Crusaders, F-4 Phantoms, A-4 Skyhawks, T-33B's, TF-9J Cougars, UH-2 Seaprites, and on rare occasion, even C-47's and C-45's, the uniforms were exactly as Jim described. Nearby Norfolk had a well-known civilian-owned uniform company called "The Big O" (their radio commercial tagline: You can owe the Big O!) where any self-respecting U.S. Navy sailor could get "tailor-mades" at a reasonable price. The legs were "pegged" (taken in at the knee) to create the "bell-bottom" look. Men serving overseas (especially in the Far East) could have local tailors embroider elaborate dragons and other decorative designs in multiple colored threads inside the sleeves of the blouses. Basic Training (boot camp to you civilian pukes) provided practical instruction in a swimming pool on how to make emergency flotation devices out of them. If you were washed overboard, you quickly pulled off the trousers, fastened the front closed with buttons (or zippers) and in a large sweeping motion, swung the trousers over your head and down into the water. This trapped air in the water-soaked legs like a pair of waterwings and a man could position himself in the middle and stay afloat until the ship's boat (or helicopter) arrived. You could also use the sailor's hat in the same fashion to hold a bubble of air that could keep your head above water. In the 1970's then-Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt tried to update the fleet's look by replacing the traditional "sailor suit" with double breasted coat and tie uniforms like officers and CPO's were wearing. This evolution took a few years to complete to allow cash-strapped troops a grace period to more easily make the changeover. During a period in the late 1970's through early 1980's, U.S. sailors could actually be observed at a typical U.S. Naval base wearing about a dozen different uniforms while still legally being "in uniform". Hardly anyone liked this situation, and even the general public expressed dissatisfaction. There were a few uniform variations that were fairly "cool" such as the "Winter Working Blues - Long" which I personally liked, but some people thought it made a sailor look too much like a cop. So the uniforms were ordered changed back again after Zumwalt departed. During this same period, the replacement of Jimmy Carter by Ronald Reagan as Commander in Chief, and the arrival of John Lehmann as SecNav and Caspar Weinberger as SecDef had a dramatic positive effect on morale throughout the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Military as a whole. Those sexy "sailor suits" came back with a vengeance and once again all was right with the world. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "maeisen" Subject: skulski and chesneau shipmodeling books All: Having seen favorable reviews on the SMML mssg board regarding the new Japanese book on the 1/1000 scale models of Janusz Skulski, I would like to order this book, and was wondering if any SMMLies can direct me to a mail order source for this book. I checked the HLJ site but couldn't find the book listed. I was also wondering if anyone knows the status of the book by Roger Chesneau on modeling the King George the Vth class battleships that was supposed to be released by now? Several of the large on-line book venders list the book in their on-line catalogues, but when I tried ordering the book, was told that the book had been cancelled. Anyone know the truth of the matter? Grateful for your help. Yours truly, Mike E. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: ALROSS2 Subject: Need a resin caster BlueJacket Shipcrafters is looking for someone to do production resin casting, primarily 1/192 aircraft (FM2 & TBM-1C) for the GAMBIER BAY kit. Masters are available. Interested parties contact Jeff Marger - jam@bluejacketinc.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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