Subject: SMML VOL 2441 Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 23:15:27 +1100 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http//sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1 camo 2 Re Card Models 3 Re Krupp railroad guns 4 Re Krupp Railroad Guns 5 Niko Model company request for new kit details 6 Re card models 7 Re off topic railroad guns 8 Pensacola 9 Scottish waterways 10 Re Points of interest for the hobbyist in Germany 11 USS Coral Sea CV-43 12 Re Krupp Railroad Guns 13 Re card models 14 Re "otter" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Information 1 Task Force 72 Annual Regatta 2 Reminder 1/1200 show at Theale, UK, 14 March 2004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "David L. Fisher" Subject camo While gray colors might be technically correct as a typ/e of camouflage most people are probably referring to dazzle types of camouflage which is intended to break-up the perceive pattern of a vessel or to make it appear as on a course other than the one it is on. Dave Fisher ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From Bill Weckel Subject Re Card Models I recently bought a Japanese aircraft-carrying I-boat with exactly that in mind. My plan is to have several WWII subs in 1/72nd scale (I have a vacuform S-boat and the new Revell VIIc is on order). At that scale the thickness of the plastic shouldn't be a major problem and it should be easy to find stock that is thin enough to substitute for paper card. I was just planning on cutting out the parts and using them as templates to trace onto the styrene. Bill ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From URUDOFSKY@aol.com Subject Re Krupp railroad guns Take a look at this site! There are a bunch of kits. http//www.one35th.com/model/k5/k5_model04.htm Ulrich H. Rudofsky Delmar, NY, USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From "david harris" Subject Re Krupp Railroad Guns Don't know whether it is a Krupp made gun, but DML do this kit. Some links with info on it http//www.internetmodeler.com/2003/august/first-looks/DML_Leopold.htm http//www.justplanehobbies.com/desc.ydev?prod_id=2166 http//www.internethobbies.com/internethobbies/drmo1geragun.html It is in 1/35th scale, so is quite big when finished. Have seen it in my local model shop priced at around £60-£70. It is quite a big box. Also seem to remember seeing some smaller, maybe 1/72 scale railway gun kits a few years back, but can't remember who they were made by. Regards. David ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From "Harold Stockton" Subject Niko Model company request for new kit details I have just received the following comments from the Niko Model, niko@nikomodel.pl, company in Poland. They are requesting assistance in what modeling subjects to do in the future. The assistance does not only mean what would everyone like to see, but also in the documentation to back it up. Below is the excerpts from their last letter to me. Anyone interested in this project should either contact them directly at pawel@nikomodel.pl , or through me. >> Dear Harold, "I read all mails from you and this is a very good source of information for us which helps us to choose the direction of our development. We started our production from ships related to the Polish history because to these ships we have a very good documentation. We are aware of that other companies also produce these models. However all our attention is payed to the quality and precision of our models. "All the models are designed for us by the repeated Champion of Poland in modeling. So we are able to produce every model if we only have the correct documentation. We would like to cover the demand for models that are not produced at the moment. I will appreciate your suggestions and help in which models would be the most needed. Of course precise documentation is needed so I will appreciate if you could help me in getting it. "Adam" << Here is your chance to actually get into and participate in the production of the models that you would like to see produced, but it will take assistance with documentation to bring any subject to life. Harold Stockton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From "Vess Irvine" Subject Re card models >> Has anyone tried or had any (good) luck using card models as templates for scratchbuilding ships? It looks so tempting, with all those pesky angles and curves already figured out....it appears that it would be easy to transfer all that stuff to plastic and fashion everything one needs to produce a good model. Any input will be greatly appreciated. << Cardstock models themselves are quite strong and free of warping once the eggcrate structure is glued together. The trick is to glue or tape the base cardstock to a flat surface so that the final hull is nice and straight once the glue dries. Glue drying itself can induce warping, which you want to prevent. I have yet to do this myself, but if you apply some Minwax wood hardener, used to solidify rotting wood, as applied to window sills of your house, then the cardstock becomes quite plastic like in texture. The voids could be filled with insulation foam that comes in a spray can dispenser from the hardware store, sanded and sealed. I know that on some of the Polish card model sites they are doing just that to create smooth puttied and spray painted hulls. Although I do not read Polish, the pictures speak for themselves and results appear to be impressive. See .... http//www.kartonwork.pl/forum/viewtopic.php?t=627&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30 where the hull itself is shaped, and http//www.kartonwork.pl/forum/viewtopic.php?t=627&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=120 for the final painted results. While at this tread, click the next ..... last .... page buttons, at the bottom right corner of each screen, to see the entire model build process. This particular model is not finished yet, it is a piece of art work in progress. It is the fishing trawler Regulus. Perhaps going to styrene frames is unnecessary. Of course, a DeWalt scroll saw would be just the thing to cut out the styrene frames with the cardstock template paper glued on for cutting reference. I am not sure, but one of these saws might cost around $200, I think a worthwhile investment. Dremel has one for sale found in Home Depot stores. Although most cardstock models use the eggcrate method, one firm, JSC, uses a folded box method for hull shapes in 1/400th scale. This would be less useful for your purposes, I would think. Plus JSC kits are only waterline. And the boxes have to be folded perfectly for good results, which can be tricky to do. The idea of using card models as a basis for accurate hull shapes is sound and using the computer to rescale parts is a technology whose time has arrived. Plastic, resin, cardboard, wood strips, toothpicks, Lego blocks or poker chips; the line is blurring on the media used in these models. If you use a cardstock ship kit for the frames and bulkheads, is your model still considered "scratch built." Hmmmm ... ../V ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From "Tony Mattson" Subject Re off topic railroad guns >> Not that it is a nautical subject but has nayone come across any kits for the huge railroad guns made by Krupp during WWI & WWII? Would appreciate any leads. << Try these two kits DML/Dragon 1/35 scale German 28cm Railroad Gun K5(E) "Leopold" plastic model kit. Trumpeter 135 German 280mm K5(E) Leopold Railroad Gun (00207) Trumpeter offers a separate seven man crew kit (00406); Dragons kit comes with crew Tony Auckland, New Zealand ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From "David Judy" Subject Pensacola John, Looking at the book, I see on p-54 drawings for Pensacola for Mar.'42 (stbd profile) and June '45 ( strbd profile & plan view. Still want "em ?? In Christ Dave Judy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject Scottish waterways This may not seem to be model related, but I do have a model connection, through the 148 scale model I made of a 110 Foot U. S. Navy sub chaser of WW 1 (no, it's not a centipede). After WW1 several American subchasers crossed Scotland from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, via the Caledonian Canal. They were assigned to destroy Allied mines in the North Sea, in concert with some Royal Navy and some U. S. Navy mine sweepers in the summer of 1919 (after the Armistice of November, 1918). I have generated a history (pro bono) of one of these chasers for a relative of an original crewman, and would like to include a marked up map of its travels. Any information will be appreciated. Question No. 1 for our Scottish cousins) Is the Caledonian Canal man-made or is it a natural waterway? Or is it indeed both (a man-made improvement of a natural phenomenon) ? Question No. 2) According to my miserable maps there seems to be another route across Scotland, roughly parallel and somewhat south, connecting the Firth of Clyde with the North Sea. Can anyone please give me its name? Is it man-made etc.? Is it navigable for a 110 foot long vessel drawing about 6 feet? Question No. 3) Do these aquatic passageways make northern Scotland into two islands ? Franklyn, from Nova Albion, USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From "David N. Lombard" Subject Re Points of interest for the hobbyist in Germany From "Stephen Varhegyi" >> I'll be in Germany for a couple of weeks in May. Mainly in Bavaria but also doing a drive up the Rhine to Koblenz. I've heard about the Reichs Museum in Munich but are there any other attractions of interest for military history, particularly war ships and aircraft? << The Deutsches Museum. It's maybe a 10 min walk from the Marienplatz. An *amazing* museum of science and technology, extremely accessible in English. Check out the website complete with Quicktime panoramas! http//www.deutsches-museum.de/e_index.htm http//www.marienplatz-muenchen.de/ http//www.aviewoncities.com/munich/marienplatz.htm David N. Lombard Rossmoor, Orange County, CA N 33 deg, 48', W 118 deg, 5' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From andrew jones Subject USS Coral Sea CV-43 Hi Guys I rcvd an email via my clubs email account from a guy looking for a list of kits available for the USS Coral Sea CV-43..so what is out there for the ship...I gave him a few shops he could email or look at their web sites, but thought might see what you guys & girls might know of regards Andrew Jones ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From "Allan and Crystal Plumb" Subject Re Krupp Railroad Guns Huge? They're wimpy, mere 280mm. See Trumpeter and Dragon for recent kits of the K5 Leopold in 1/35 scale. Among many other sources, see www.greatmodels.com (I am a customer only, etc.). You want huge, try Dragon's 600mm Karl Morser. I have that, but not a Leopold. (OK, wider, anyway.) Ob Naval reference umm, how about an amphibious Karl? No? I didn't think so either. Allan Plumb, who, sadly, also builds non-floating-things ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From PolTexCW@aol.com Subject Re card models >> Has anyone tried or had any (good) luck using card models as templates for scratchbuilding ships? It looks so tempting, with all those pesky angles and curves already figured out....it appears that it would be easy to transfer all that stuff to plastic and fashion everything one needs to produce a good model. Any input will be greatly appreciated. << I have done so - sort of. I build in 1/400 and the paper models I have used were 1/200, 1/100 and one 1/75. I scaled them down on a copy machine. These were all small ships so I end up with hull lenghths of around 2 - 5". Therefore, with hulls that small, using the paper as patterns and building them up piece by piece from plastic is an exercise in masochism. But, I cut out all the hull formers - and throw them out and use the "scrap" as templates for carving the hull out of wood. The paper pieces are also excellent as templates for proper positioning of portholes, hawse holes etc. I do use the paper pieces as patterns for plastic deck houses, superstructure etc. and sometimes the paper itself, to very good effect. For instance, a wall of superstucture, say 3" long and 3/4 " high in 1/100 with a great deal of printed detail - hatches, ports, life rings (with the ship's name on them), piping etc., when scaled down results in a piece 3/4" x 3/16 with all this detail and is extremely impressive. Certainly I do not have the skill to create that kind of detail in any other fashion. (I adjust the color on the copier to get the background color to match as closely to the appropriate paint color as possible, but in such a small scale a slight variation in tone is not noticeable). John Biskupski ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From "Chris Hughes" Subject Re "otter" Listen carefully, I shall say zees oanly wurnce... Eet ees not a "otter", eet ees a "eater" A "watter eater"... Zut alors! Monsieur Leclerc, Master of Disguise ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Information ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From M Brown Subject Task Force 72 Annual Regatta Task Force 72's annual regatta is being held this weekend at Wentworth Falls on Saturday & Sunday from about 10 am till dark (for the night run) on Saturday and about 3 > 4 on Sunday. The yanks are trying to put out a Task Force with Enterprise, Tarawa plus Ticonderogas & an Arleigh Burke. Michael Brown Task Force 72 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From "Reid, John (AFIT)" Subject Reminder 1/1200 show at Theale, UK, 14 March 2004 Waterline Ship Enthusiasts (WSE) in the UK run collectors/distributors meetings for 1/1200 models several times a year. The next one is 14 March at Theale, near Reading, Berks, UK - about one hour by car from Heathrow (leave M4 at Junction 12, follow signs to Theale, ask in village for "village hall"). Open 1100-1600, and there is a small admission charge. If 1/1200 is your thing, it is worth travelling to attend (I will be going over from Rome). There will be several SMMLies there, both as dealers and buyers - maybe we should have a badge or something, because no doubt many email faces are unknown? The sellers at WSE shows are largely of finished models both new and second-hand, but there are also ship _kits_ as such, which require you to exercise your own modelling skills before there is anything to display, and books. Last time, one of the book vendors had a limited selection of Fujimi Aoshima etc 1/700 unmade second-hand kits at very reasonable prices - presumably he will return. In 1/1200, most of the kits are white metal, or resin, but vintage unmade plastics do pop up from time to time. In 2004, WSE are only running two shows, this one on 14 March and 17 October, both at Theale. There are other gatherings, too, of course, about which maybe other UK SMMLies could enlighten us. John Reid The Aussie in Rome ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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