Subject: SMML VOL 2388 Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 04:13:09 +1100 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http//sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1 USS Arizona Preservation Plans? 2 Kits of offshore rig vessels 3 IJN Mogami deck colors 4 Re Spanish Cruiser Reina Mercedes 5 decals 6 Truman & the Revolt of the Admirals? 7 colour of Prince of Wales 8 Re Revell U-Boat 9 Gearing Class Destroyers 10 Concrete Liberty Ships 11 Spanish monitor Puigcerda, 1874 12 RNLI 13 Dragon/Skywave Ticonderogas 14 One U-Boat built! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1 Yankee Modelworks 2 new 1/700 DML Arizona ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "Devin J. Poore" Subject USS Arizona Preservation Plans? Since we've been on the topic of the Arizona, I thought I'd toss this out. Several years ago studies were started to see what needs to be done to save the Arizona as she is today. Concerns on what will happen to the harbor when the hull finally rusts through and all of that fuel oil spills free and all. A National Geographic I have around somewhere tossed around ideas of welding steel to the hull to strengthen it, building a dam around the ship and pumping it dry, etc. Does anyone know what, if anything, has been decided to do to the wreck, and a time table for it? Devin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From "Jimmy Bloom" Subject Kits of offshore rig vessels I'm interested in kits depicting offshore supply or anchor handling ships, but was unable to locate any. No RC, just static models, preferably plastic kits in "desktop" scale, 1200 - 1400. Does anyone know whether anyone is making these? Thanks for any assistance. Jim Bloom ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From Tim Burke Subject IJN Mogami deck colors SMML, Does anyone have any information on the deck colors for the IJN Mogami as she appeared after her post-Midway refit as a hybrid cruiser/carrier? I am assuming that the fore decks are the standard red/brown linoleum (is that correct?). What was the surface of the flight deck? What color was it? Any advice/opinions/assistance would be most appreciated. Thanks. Tim Burke ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject Re Spanish Cruiser Reina Mercedes To Julio Pillet Thank you for the link to the Reina Mercedes. When I first tried to seek information on this vessel, I was swamped by all kinds of information about Mercedes automobiles. My interest was related to the six 110 Ft. submarine chaser that were assigned to Annapolis during World War One for the training of Naval Reserve officers to take command of some of the 440 chasers as they became commissioned. The training chasers were manned by regular enlisted crewmen who were quartered aboard the ex-Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes, along with other enlisted Navy personnel stationed at Annapolis. This was a good use for the vessel, which had been sunk in Havana during the Spanish-American War in 1898. After the S/A War it was salvaged by the U.S. and converted into living quarters. Franklyn ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From "D.G. MacAhonic" Subject decals Hi all, I just acquired about 300 aircraft (WWII & Mod.) in 1/700 scale at a yard sale. They need to be repainted so I have started cleaning the paint of with (Easy-Off oven cleaner) does this stuff work great. I need to find some decals in 1/700 scale to finish these planes off with (as I don't have enough in my extras) .....Japanese, German, USA, British and modern too. Does anyone on the list have any extra decals they want to get rid of, email me off list please. Thanks all Douglas MacAhonic (from the family of Ernst MACH and WE all know who he was.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From Dboykap@aol.com Subject Truman & the Revolt of the Admirals? I've been out of town for several days and am just catching up on SMML. I've come across references to this episode before but am not entirely familiar with it. Having literally just finished a biography on Truman, I wonder if this has to do with the cancellation of the CV USS United States in the early '50s. Can anyone enlighten me? Dan Kaplan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From "johnny.geldhof17" Subject colour of Prince of Wales Can somebody help me with the colourscheme of the Prince of Wales, when he had the fight with Bismarck. I have colourschemes, but these are all of a later date (10/12/1941) I'd like to make one fighting Bismarck in one display! time 22/05/1941 Thanks for your help. Johnny Geldhof www.royalnavy-sectionbelge.tk ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From "johnny.geldhof17" Subject Re Revell U-Boat It's indeed a great addition to the Revell collection. I'm very impacient to beginn with it. Unfortunately, I just began another U-boat model. We have now already E-boats, PT-Boats, MTB's, S-Boats, Corvettes and now the U-boat on 1/72. I find it's now the right time that they bring out some figurines on 1/72. We need to have these also, like sailors, divers, USN-crew, German crew, RN-crew to put with our models. There are already many figurines on 1/72, but Revell should bring out these also! As the comments on this U-boat are all positive and as it has been sold (and still is selling) very intensivly, we should contact Revell.de all of us, perhaps they can listen to us and bring out some nice things next year? Have a nice X-mas and please contact Revell all of you! Johnny Geldhof www.royalnavy-sectionbelge.tk ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From "John Bloomfield" Subject Gearing Class Destroyers My Father served on the U.S.S. Charles P. Cecil D?DR-835, Gearing Class Destroyer during the Korean War. I am interested in building a model resembling this ship? Also I am looking for the U.S.S. Juneau of WW II the Sullivan's served on? John Bloomfield ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From RCClem@aol.com Subject Concrete Liberty Ships My father served in the Pacific in a Landing Craft Battalion (Engineer Boat & Shore). Between landings along the northern shore of New Guinea, they unloaded cargo vessels. Some of the freighters were concrete Liberty ships. He asked me to find out what shipyard they were built in. Do any of you know? Thanks, Roger Clemens ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From david@dhathaway.freeserve.co.uk Subject Spanish monitor Puigcerda, 1874 People I am looking for plans or drawings for the small (41m) Spanish monitor Puigcerda, bought from France in 1875. I have been able to find a photo online and some history but no source as yet for drawings or plans. Anyone out there able to help? David ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From "Allen Stevens" Subject RNLI I work for the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)in the UK in the design department,if anyone ever needs help re Lifeboat models please feel free to ask I will try my best to help. Ps I have to admit, before anyone ask's, that I have never made a lifeboat model myself (busmans holiday etc) 1700th is the game for me! Regards and happy Christmas to all Allen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From Michael McMurtrey Subject Dragon/Skywave Ticonderogas Further to my request for copies of the instructions for the Dragon 1/700 Ticonderoga kits, a copy of the instructions for the Skywave Vincennes (kit #41) would also be helpful, if anyone has a copy. I'll be away from this email address for the next two weeks, but anybody has copies of these, my snail mail address is Michael McMurtrey Kappa Kappa Psi/Tau Beta Sigma P.O. Box 849 Stillwater, OK 74076-0849 USA Many thanks, and happy holidays to Smellies everywhere! Michael McMurtrey ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From "Daniel Taylor" Subject One U-Boat built! U-Boat Type VIIC Revell £40 (Rising to £50 from February) Revell have created another masterpiece. There's no other way to describe it. Given the limitations of creating moulds for styrene, it is difficult to conceive of how they could have produced a better, more simple or better looking kit of the U-Boat in 1/72 scale. The finished model looks very good indeed. It is menacing in shape and captures the look of the original splendidly. Anyway, enough of the plaudits, what do you get for your money? The stout box looks to be approximately the same size as that in which their Corvette is supplied. The box art, though stilted, is a quantum improvement over the laughable effort on the Schnellboote box (that kit's one flaw). Inside the box, the hull halves are provided in separate bags with runners already removed. Six further sprues are provided although none of them are over-burdened with parts - this is a simple kit. I found a couple of the finer parts to have minor breaks in them. With regard to this, Revell may have tried to make the modelmaker's life too easy by creating the handrail around the flak gun in only two parts. This has meant that the parts protrude a long way from the rest of the sprue, which means that they may be prone to damage in transit. It is a small matter though. Not a fault, just something to take account of. There are a couple of other items in the box a length of black cotton wound round, what appears to be, a plastic Ninja death star; a set of transfers; and a sheet of thin paper with flags and pennants printed on it. The instructions are straightforward, if read carefully, although there are a couple of points that seems created to catch the unwary. But more of that later. You are provided with options for five different boats, two of which have camouflage patterns. In fact, U552 is represented twice, first early in the war and second as upgraded in the mid-war period with a few modifications, so actually, you are getting six possible finishes. Most of the differences between the optional finishes are in the conning tower. The breakdown of parts allows for a number of different configurations, although by-and-large the instructions allow for two real types - an early version with the net cutters on the bow and side intakes on the conning tower - or a later type which has top intakes inside the conning tower and an antenna 'bulge' on the port side of the tower. Further early types can be built simply by omitting the spray guard from the top of the tower or changing the cut of some of the parts. This offers the possibility to build vessels from around 1938 up until 1943 when the deck was simplified on new vessels and more and greater 'Wintergarten' flak configurations were built as extensions to the rear of the control tower. Now then, I've been pleasant to it, what can I start hacking at? There are a number of areas where the limitations of moulding have led to compromise. This is quite normal and allows the modelmaker to stretch their creativity. I'll deal with the two hull halves first. Mainly because I can deal with them quickly because they represent a wonderful feat of engineering. The area where it is lacking is in a few missing details on upper and lower surfaces where moulding made detail impossible. This involves re-scribing the access plates on the top surface of the saddle tanks, redoing some of the small, round receptors under the bow and attention to the flooding vents near the stern. Oh, and then there's the small matter of what you want to do about the flooding vents in general. The hull is covered with vents to aid water flow when submerging and surfacing. In depicting these Revell have chosen (wisely) not to have holes going all the way through the moulding, but rather to depict them as deep depressions on the parts. You now have an option. Do you want to drill them all out? There are hundreds and it would be easy to make a mess of it. Also, if you do then you will have to put some thought into what you are going to put behind them, otherwise you will be able to see straight through. On the original there are all manner of pipes, lockers and an inner hull that prevent you from seeing from one side to the other. The exception to this is the set of three vents right at the bow which are unobstructed on the original and you should, therefore, be able to see straight through. One other (final) observation about the hull. You are given the option of having the bow torpedo tubes in an open position. The structure fitted inside the bow to represent this are very crude, to the point of inaccuracy and would need quite a lot of work to make good. I'd avoid this unless you have an awful lot of reference material. Anyway, the chief area for attention lies within the conning tower. The kit represents the basic structures tolerably accurately but severely lacking in detail and, in the case of the main periscope standard and UZO stand, somewhat too short. The periscope standard should be just taller than the sides of the bridge, whilst the UZO stand should be even taller, so that a pair of sighting binoculars placed on top could actually see out. The accompanying diagrams suggest how these modifications could be accomplished and additional detail that may be added. Note also that the forward face of the bridge can be substantially embellished. There is a hand wheel and locking mechanism missing from the top of the hatch and, whilst you are at it, it might be good to add interior detail to the hatch so that you can have it open. The inside face of the bridge is lined with a representation of the wooden strips used to prevent the crew sticking to the metal walls when coated in freezing spray. These are okay, but different vessels had this applied differently, so it is a case of checking references for specific vessels. Now, the vents at the rear of the bridge. There are two versions an earlier type that vents outwards; and a later type that vents upwards. In my opinion the later type are too wide. That is they protrude too far into the bridge and the vent at the top is, therefore, not narrow enough. I sanded some of the thickness out of them and carved out the top to replace the moulded mesh effect with some old Trimaster fine etched mesh. Now, back to the instructions. The first thing of note is that there are some images that are described as 11 scale that show you where cuts are to be made in order to create different versions. Unfortunately, those pertaining to the spray guards have been reduced during the printing process. Matching them with the parts can, therefore, be problematic. Another issue is that, in order to be followed in any language, some of the notation is a bit vague. Where different versions are being created it is not always apparent which parts they want you to use. There was an instance where I stared at a drawing for some time, trying to work out what the difference between the sequences was, only to discover that they were merely suggesting that there was a choice of colours at that point. And what the box with the exclamation marks in the bottom of section 19 is meant to advise is quite beyond me. Oh, the guns. These are very nicely rendered. The only obvious omission from the 8.8cm was the slot on the front face of the mount where the barrel plug is placed when the gun is in use. Curiously, it is shown in the instructions, but not on the model. Wait, maybe I filed it off. In any case, I put a new one on with a hole in the centre. I also added the cord that connects to the muzzle bung wound around the barrel from 3 amp fuse wire. The 2cm is lacking it's elevation buffer and a magazine (if you feel it should have one). The cotton thread provided is too thin for the aerial cable that passes from bow to sterna ad too thick for the handrail abaft the conning tower. To get round this, I used stretched sprue for the handrail and doubled up the tread for the main cable dowsing it with PVA glue for good measure. I'm not utterly convinced about Revell's method of creating the blocks on the main cable. They look a little under-scale whilst the moulded cable between them looks over scale, I thinned the 'cable' sections by scraping with a craft knife but am still debating a better way of doing this for the next kit. Oh, didn't I mention that? I've just embarked on a second hull. It's compulsive this beast. This ones going to be a late vessel with the full Wintergarten flak arrangement. But that's later. Conclusion A remarkable kit. Not for the beginner perhaps, but simple enough to put together in around ten hours if you do the sort of improvement regime outlined above. Good enough to build a delightful model straight from the box, but with a number of small challenges for those who like to push the boundaries. And if those good folk at WEM might be persuaded to reconsider their decision not to provide an etched set, I have a list of bits that I'd love to see produced.... Now then Revell, how about a Fairmile D? If you would like a scan copy of my sketches to accompany the text, please send a message to me at d-taylor(replace this with an @ symbol)dircon.co.uk. Best wishes, Dan Taylor Kent, UK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "John Sheridan" Subject Yankee Modelworks For those of you who do not know, I have formed a company called Yankee Modelworks. www.yankeemodelworks.com I have taken over all of the Masters from Blue Water Navy and I am now producing those kits under my name. Over the next few months, we will be releasing some new kits and bringing back a few old ones as well. If you are a dealer and wish to carry my products, please contact me at the website. For those of you who wish to buy kits, My VISA/Mastercard/AMEX machine will be online in a week-or-so. John Sheridan "Only one human captain has ever survived battle with the Minbari fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else." - Delenn ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From shaya novak Subject new 1/700 DML Arizona Attention Builders we just got in the new 1/700 waterline DML Arizona. This kit is a real beauty. It comes with beautifully cast metal turrets, tapered brass cannons that can be put in any firing position. The casting is even better than the regular 1/700 DML kits. It also has clear aircraft parts, anchor chain. The aft crane and tripod tops are in resin with photoetched rails and other parts. All for 26.95 this I hope pushes other kit manufactures to make as nice of kits as them. The Captain Naval Base Hobbies www.totalnavy.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