Subject: SMML VOL 2489 Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 23:33:25 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http//sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1 19th C. Russian ships 2 Hecker & Goros Figures 3 The digital imaging abyss... 4 Ballard's Black sea expedition ship 5 Re 196 Figures 6 Re Pass the Prozac 7 Can any body help 8 Re Pass the Prozac 9 Desaster ... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1 Warship Books 2 out of town ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "Russell Adams" Subject 19th C. Russian ships Recent ref. to site wunderwaffe.narod.ru/Reference/Fleet/ I suggest you contact Horatio Tarsia at redstarmodels.com He specialises in "Iron Curtain" models,mags, etc. Pick a possible from the one site, then contact him for better description and ordering. Nice fellow. Regards, Russell Adams ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From "Ed" Subject Hecker & Goros Figures Mike, was he at the APMS show in Harve de Grace? I must have missed him!!! *beats head on desk* Weird that I see my first 1/72 Type VII-C at an Armor show... Ed Wandall ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From "Victor M. Baca" Subject The digital imaging abyss... I enjoyed reading Mr.Simpkin's recent review of Roger Chesneau's books on "KGV Class Battleships" and "German Pocket Battleships" in SMML 2485. His analysis of digital imaging needs some clarification, though. Modelers rely on clean crisp images in their research material and almost 100% of print publishing is accomplished using digital images. As a matter of fact, you will not likely find large format process cameras at most modern publishing houses anymore. They went the way of paste ups and wax adhesive when computers and scanners transformed the publishing industry. The problem comes when images are scanned at a resolution that is too low, say 72 dpi, as is common when images are presented on the internet. Add JPEG internet file compression and you have an image that looks great on your 72 dpi monitor but suffers in the real world of print. Try routing an image from a website to your printer and you'll see what it really looks like mottled, pixellated and jagged. It will also most likely be very small (especially if you print a thumbnail image.) And, if that compressed low-res image is brought into print, it will look fine on the page layout monitor--until it rolls off the printing press; same ugly result as the image from your printer. A photo needs to be scanned to at least 300 dpi (if using a 150 line screen--or at least at 800 dpi for plans and line drawings) and then worked up in an image processing application like Adobe Photoshop. If the image processor saves the digitized scan as a compressed JPEG instead of saving as a TIFF file, resolution problems will again rear their ugly head when the print comes off the press. If the proper pre-press steps are taken, a scanned image will look great, given a decent original print. As a matter of fact, I would argue that, with the advent of the computer, publishers are presenting images far better than anything that came out of the old style darkroom due to the ability of Photoshop to give the technician complete and efficient control over the image. What used to take hours of darkroom work now takes seconds to accomplish on the computer. With the efficiency of computer image applications, we are seeing more and better photos in any given ship oriented publication. Do you wonder why so many high quality books are available in relatively quick succession, with tons of excellent photos, from publishers like Classic Warships and Squadron/Signal? It's directly due to digital imaging and digital page layout applications. Although I have not had a look at the Chesneau books, the problem sounds very much like the images were either used directly off the internet without proper processing or were scanned by a graphics person more familiar with on-line requirements than those of the print world. Moire pattern problems are most likely the result of scanning an image from a previously published image where the original "dot pattern" is out of sync with the dot pattern applied by the page layout program. Almost all photos published in print are made up of a tiny series of dots that are the counterpart of the electronic pixel. There are ways of processing images from printed pages to electronic form and back to the printed page again, but you really have to pay attention to what you're doing or moire will result in print. Even at that, the image will almost always holler, "I was copied from a book!" to the trained eye. Should the image be originally taken using a digital camera, it needs to be at least a 600 megapixel instrument or problems will result if the image is printed without prior pre-press work. Most consumer digital cameras don't cut the mustard when their photos are translated to the printed page. So, it appears that these Chesneau images were either taken from the internet or the disk supplied to the publishers was composed of scans that did not conform to normal pre-press specs. When we're chagrined at our research material, let's not blame the process, but lay it squarely where it belongs on the image processor's lap and the editor who did not take the time and/or effort to assure the publication would meet the standards we modelers have come to expect. Victor Baca Editor & Publisher MODEL SHIP JOURNAL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From "William H. Shuey" Subject Ballard's Black sea expedition ship Question for knowledgeable SMML people. There was a program on Public Television last evening about Robert Ballard's expedition to the Black Sea hunting for ancient shipwrecks. That ship he is using, is that an ex Canadian Navy Frigate?? Vessel looked familiar. If it is, it would make J. Costeau green with envy. I understand poor old Calypso is beyond repair. Bill Shuey ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From Ned Barnett Subject Re 196 Figures >> I'm afraid not Ned. You'd need to cut their feet or heads off to bring them to scale. There is a company in England called Dean's Marine who have 196 scale figures and I think they may be sailors. << Yeah, my bad. I had it backwards. The best way to do it is to either trim the feet off or - my preference - cut them in half at the waist then cement them back together - the cut will shorten them without being obvious, and the cut itself will take about enough out to make them look right. Thanks for catching my error, John. Ned ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From Ned Barnett Subject Re Pass the Prozac >> I could cry!! Yesterday evening I was putting the final touches, in fact, apart from a coat of varnish to the sea, it THE FINAL TOUCH, to my Combrig 1/700 Potemkin, and looking forward to the IPMS Scottish Nationals this weekend, when disaster struck. Not sure quite what happened, I think the tweezers caught on the rigging and then my hand twitched and the whole ended upside down in my lap!!! It was horrible. Both topmasts and half of the mainmast gone, and a spider's web of the finest rigging I've ever managed to do turned into a failed game of cat's cradle. Carrying out a post-action damage report, it has to be said that the standing rigging for the foremast was largely intact and replacing the resin topmasts and yards with brass meant that they came away as complete units, but it was just about a total weekend's work putting all these nylon fibres on. Maybe I'm turning into an anally retentive obsessional, but I've got the wife's permission to work till midnight tonight and perhaps through the night tomorrow, and hopefully have it repaired again in time for Saturday. On second thoughts, never mind about the Prozac, I'll take a beta blocker to steady the hand and snort a couple of lines of cocaine to keep me going! -) What about the rest of you? What have been your worst disasters? << I'd flown in to an IPMS Nationals with my entries and a very limited set of tools. Too limited. When I unpacked, I discovered I had a model Huey without a left-front lower window - on my hotel room, I tried to stretch vacu-form a replacement window using my left thumb as the template. My pain (and the blister) was the least of the problem - the clear plastic picked up my thumb-print, and I didn't have any polish with me. To make it worse, the helicopter class was under-represented - I could have won something if I could have replaced that clear part. Aargh. Fast forward to IPMS Nationals 1983 - I took with me a boxed diorama of a national model contest, with a builder watching helplessly as his magnificent scale model B-17 fell off the table. I "caught" the modeler in mid-fall, with the plane half-on and half-off the table. I used Tamiya pit crew figures (1/20th) scale, doll-house furniture (scaled down from 1/12 to 1/20) and various Skywave and Pit Crew (among others) models of aircraft in 1/700 and 1/350th scale, along with 1/288 scale armor and other sub-scale models to fit on the display table. I even converted some - P-40 with a radial to a P-36, etc. It was a lot of fun and got a lot of comment from modelers, and perfectly captured the pain of a competitive modeler seeing all his efforts disappear in last-minute disaster. David, you have my sympathy. Ned ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From "Don Macdonald" Subject Can any body help Hey all I am looking for parts for an LST 1156 class, Early 50s and up. We are needing in 1/192 scale LCVP boats and divats, WE cant fine any So dose any body have any ideas on who may have some parts, So for we have been able to come up with what we need eather by getting parts made or Me Scratch building, So Now I am throwing it out to all of you , I know I can count on ya. so far you have never let me down Thank you. DON That Portland Rustbucket ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From "Pirie and Kathy" Subject Re Pass the Prozac The same thing happened to me with Royal Sovereign. I was left speechless for a moment and then said a few words appropriate to the occasion - which were no doubt heard by the father down at Santa Rosa's (it's only six blocks). I'm almost over it now, though. Maybe it's something in Combrig kits. Although, I have managed to complete Tiger without any undue mishaps. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From "Baumbach, Werner" Subject Desaster ... Can't quite compete in drama. But a fellow modeller had completed a competition miniature and wanted to apply varnish. Only after pressing the button he realized it was white colour. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From Robert and Rose Brown Subject Warship Books Hi everyone Keith at Warship Books is having computer problems. He asks me to pass along that he should be back up and running by April 26 but if you sent him anything after April 12, please resend. Cheers Rob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From Randy Short Subject out of town Snyder and Short will be out of town until May 1. We carry our color chip sets, WR Press and Classic Warship books, WEM naval paints. For you GHQ fans, we can give you good prices on custom orders. Can also provide WEM photoetch. www.shipcamouflage.com rshort@macnexus.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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