Subject: SMML VOL 2434 Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 01:41:51 +1100 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http//sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1 Pearl Harbour salvage 2 Battleship Potemkin 3 1/350 scale light carriers 4 Potemkin kit 5 Re 1960's RN warships 6 Re Iron Shipwright USS Maine / Heller Potemkin 7 Otters 8 Re Potemkin, Otter 9 merchant ship colours 10 Re 1/350 HMS Dreadnought 11 Small Scale waterline and full hull drawings -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1 Kits for sale ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From keith.vokes@exxonmobil.com Subject Pearl Harbour salvage Does anyone know of the existance (i.e. in print) of any good books about the salvage and reconstruction of the battleships sunk/damaged at Pearl Habour. Thanks in anticipation, Keith Vokes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From David Wells Subject Battleship Potemkin "Sean O'Brien" wrote >> I have been seeing a russian modelkit of the Potemkin in 1/400 scale and was wondering if it were a reissue of the Heller kit. Does anybody know anything about this kit? << As far as I know, it is a re-issue of the Heller kit. David R. Wells "There seems to be something wrong | David R. Wells with our bloody ships today" | Adm. D. Beatty, May 31, 1916 | http//home.att.net/~WellsBrothers/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From "The code" Subject 1/350 scale light carriers Hello list, Ive a fellow modeller who doesnt have a computer who keeps asking me about a kit of a 1/350 scale independence class light carrier that he heard was in the works.. Anyone know anything about this?? regards Bill Code ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From Richa5011@aol.com Subject Potemkin kit Sean asked >> I have been seeing a russian modelkit of the Potemkin in 1/400 scale and was wondering if it were a reissue of the Heller kit. << Yup...it's the ex-Heller, ex-Novo kit. >> Does anybody know anything about this kit? << The quality of the kit is not up to contemporary standards (it was originally done in the 60's) but is quite buildable...and at 11 dollars (US) it's available at a good price. To build this kit well will require a fair amount of effort. I have replaced the deck parts as the kit originals are loaded with injection pin marks. The casemates are poorly represented, and I am reworking that aspect along with refining many of the deck structures and bridge. Almost all of the parts above deck level need should be cleaned up and refined (if not replaced) to improve the looks of the kit. The boats need to be replaced with ones that more closely resemble boats. I have a set of Potemkin plans from a French source. Generally the shape and size appears pretty good. Reference to photos have provided a lot of detail which can be added if you are so inclined. Nat Richards ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From "George Peat" Subject Re 1960's RN warships Try contacting John Lambert he should be able to help. Failing that Chris get back to me of group. George Peat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From "Leonard, Michael W" Subject Re Iron Shipwright USS Maine / Heller Potemkin Tom Ruprecht asked - >> Can anyone either comment on or refer me to a review of the Iron Shipwrights 1/350 USS Maine? << I finished it about a year ago, having started it a couple of years before that. Hull is very good with few bubbles or blemishes. Most of the small resin parts were unusable due to poor casting quality. Most obvious problem is that all of the small boats provided are incorrect for 1898 and are actually WW2-era motor whaleboats. I scrounged replacements from sources such as a spare Revell SMS Emden. Made new masts and davits from brass rod. Replaced props and shafts. Replaced all gun barrels with brass or hollow stainless steel tubing. Photoetched parts were very good and ISW even sent me a free replacement set when I screwed up some railings. Instructions were terrible. Fortunately, I had a number of photos of a 1/48 (?) model from the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in Norfolk, VA, to work from. Lastly, I added a few dozen crew figures (flat PE type) but now want to replace those with the outstanding 1/350 resin figures available from L'Arsenal. Overall review has potential, but be prepared for an awful lot of work! You can e-mail me at "mike.leonard@erols.com" for some photos. PS I understand that the larger 1/192 scale Maine kit by ISW had more accurate boats. Sean asked - >> I have been seeing a russian modelkit of the Potemkin in 1/400 scale and was wondering if it were a reissue of the Heller kit. Does anybody know anything about this kit? << Good news is that the Potemkin and Aurora kits that Heller designed for the USSR in the 1970s are easy to find (Squadron Mail Order, eBay, etc.) and inexpensive (about US$10-12 each). Bad news is that the mold quality is pretty poor and nowhere near the typical Heller kit. Many small parts are so crude as to be worthless. Again, be prepared for a lot of work... MWL Reston, VA USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From "elisha w" Subject Otters In Minesweeping for moored contact mines the principal method used in WW II was the "Oropesa Sweep". The sweep consists of a long wire, with a float at the end. There are 4 (more or less) cutters near the end. The sweep wire hits the mooring line of the mine, guides it down the sweep to the cutters, and, lo and behold, the positive bouyancy of the mine make sit pop to the surface once the mooring line is cut. It can then be destryed by gunfire from the sweeper. There is a small problem. The sweep wire is held up at one end by the ship, and at the other by the float. Somewhere in between it has to be held at some depth under water in order to avoid just getting pulled over the top of the mines. This is done by two frames that have angled slats in them and work like the diving planes of a submarine. One is located near the sweeping ship and is called a "kite". The other is attached near the float and is called... You guessed it! an "otter". Aryeh Wetherhorn Elazar, Israel ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From Brooks Rowlett Subject Re Potemkin, Otter >> I have been seeing a russian modelkit of the Potemkin in 1/400 scale and was wondering if it were a reissue of the Heller kit. Does anybody know anything about this kit? << AFAIK the only injection molded POTEMKIN is the Heller kit. I believe the POTEMKIN and AVRORA (AURORA) were both produced simultaneously in France and the Soviet Union when new; and re-issued by two or three generations of 'company' names in Russia since then. >> and in these she is wearing the black/white/buff scheme << Buff? The Russian funnels were not buff, they were a yellow ochre color in all fleets. Buff was not used on the superstructures, either. >> I can't imagine many people wanting to portray her at any other period than the few days of the mutiny. << Oh I don't know, portraying her at the time of the Cape Sarych battle, when she and two other Pre-Dreadnoughts drove off the GOEBEN, could be neat. >> What the heck is an "Otter"? << One of the in-water components of minesweeping gear is an otter. In addition, there was an aircraft, the U-1 Otter. Brooks A. Rowlett ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From Subject merchant ship colours I am currently building a small colection of coastal merchants/escorts from the Skytrex range, I am ok for camo information for the escorts but could use some help on the merchants,would the ships regularly used on the UK East Coast Convoys have retained their civilian colours or would they have been repainted into camouflage.Also does anyone know any sites dealing with the ships of these covoys? Regards Chris ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From "Keith Bender" Subject Re 1/350 HMS Dreadnought Hi SMMLies, About the Steel Navy HMS Dreadnought 1350 model. I was in touch with him a few months ago. He does have them but he is in the service and currently deployed. When he returned my email he was home on two weeks leave and ready to ship out again. I been there and done that so I didn't want to give him one more thing to do on his off time. (I keep saying him because I don't remember this mans name ) I told him when he returns to let us all know on the SMMLie so we can order things again, when he has time. But yes the kit is still there and waiting. Keith ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From "George Peat" Subject Small Scale waterline and full hull drawings I have been checking through my magazine archives and have come across small scale drawings for mainly warships, The first is a series of drawings by Michael Ainsworth called Fighting Fleets in Miniature. 259 subjects covering all types of warships including some unusual models[Finnish Coastal defence ships] and series of ships involved in different battles, ie River Plate, Midway etc The second is a series of drawings Marine miniatures for full hull models by RA Sweet these cover both warships and merchant ships.15 warships and more in the merchant ship lines [not catalogued so would take longer to find] The list is too long to publish but if anyone is interested please contact me off group with some subject names and I can see what I have along the lines required, The Scales Vary from type to type. George Peat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "Rod Dauteuil" Subject Kits for sale Just an FYI, I have a few kits for sale on Ebay under my username of c177guy. They are the Revell USS Lexington, USS Yorktown (Essex class angled deck, apollo recovery) and a Revell of Germany USS Saratoga with updated and better decals. Rod ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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