Subject: SMML VOL 3021 Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 00:14:26 +1100 The Ship Modelling Mailing List (SMML) is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http//sandlehobbies.com For infomation on how to Post to SMML and Unsubscribe from SMML http//smmlonline.com/aboutsmml/rules.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1 CMB-4 Boat Colors 2 Re A Modeling Opportunity - DC-3s onboard the Philippine Sea 3 ISW's HMS Invincible 4 Re Super Bug - Getting way OT, but oh well, it's almost Christmas!! 5 Old US model kits 6 Any CV-47/RD-4 "Operation Highjump" photos? 7 Re Jovial is Invincible 8 Revell Polaris Sub propellor 9 Re Old US model kits ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From Joe Hinds Subject CMB-4 Boat Colors Hello All, I am looking, with no luck so far, in finding information about the colors for the CMB's that made the successful attack on the Russian fleet in Kronstdadt Harbor, 1920. I find out anything about these boats and this action with no difficulty. All but how they were painted. In the book,'Baltic Episode', Captain Agar, CMB-4 is shown in a photo taken in the Thorneycoft yard at Hampton-on-Thames. There is very large, white, lettering on the side that spells out C.M.B. 4 with a large symbol in front of it. I doubt that a mission requiring absolute stealth maneuvers would allow for monstrous white lettering on the sides of the boat. I have also sent a couple of email inquires to the Imperial War Museum,Duxford and no response so far. So, anybody out there who knows for sure? This is the sixteenth MTB in my series of MTB's from 1863 to 1945.It has been seven years and I'm hung up on one boat. Drat the luck.And I thought this would be an easy boat to do. Thank you all, Joe IRON 2 ART ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From mflake@airmail.net Subject Re A Modeling Opportunity - DC-3s onboard the Philippine Sea Actually, this does pique my interest. I have a couple of R4Ds in a Skywave box, too. Did the documentary provide any clues as to the painting schemes of either the planes or the carrier? Did it show the actual launching of the "birds?" If so, was there any floating ice nearby? Marc Flake ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From martinjquinn@aol.com Subject ISW's HMS Invincible From "Allan and Crystal Plumb" >> But on topic Commanders Series says their 1/350 HMS Invincible (WWI) is available, never mind their web site. Has anyone any comments? Now that I've said that I'll go check out Rajen's list. << Allan, I have the ISW kit, which is supposed to represent Invincible at the time of the Falklands. It's a pretty good kit - one of their better efforts. Ted Paris cast mine waterline upon request, but at first inadvertenly sent me a full hull kit. This gave me the opportunity to check out the full hull version before swapping it - the hull was relatively free of bubbles and pitting like some of their other kits. The only thing missing is the hull plating - which was pretty prominent on these ships. IMO, this should have been represented. Also, the torpedo net shelf on mine in warped in a few spots. Some of the deck fittings have holes and are not fully formed, but again, not nearly as many as some of the older ISW kits. The smaller parts (there aren't many, actually) have some flash, but it should be easy to clean that up. Otherwise, I like it and would recommend it. IIRC, there is a full blown review over on Steel Navy. This is supposed to be a limited edition kit, so you should call Ted for availability. Regards, Martin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From Darren Scannell Subject Re Super Bug - Getting way OT, but oh well, it's almost Christmas!! My 2 cents worth, As an employee in the Canadian Nuclear Industry, I have the dubious pleasure of working on Digital Electronics Corp PDP11's! And other ancient c**p that we have to keep working!! Can you recall 10 inch disk drives that weigh 30 lbs and hold 128KB? The state of the art Nuke power plant was completed in the early 90's, took almost 10 years to build and was designed 10 years before that! Equipment and spares were purchased when designed and tested, by the time they were installed and commissioned, there weren't many company reps left that could help us with problems!! We are now in the position of having to custom make spare parts and circuit boards until new equipment can be designed, tested and installed. Long slow process. The Transportation and Technology museum in Ottawa has this stuff on display!!! Arrgghhh....... Anyway, one article I read that interviewed a Tomcat mtce boss said that the navy needs to replace the Cats with Bugs to prevent the technicians from burning out. The bugs need less than a third the mtce times and the Navy is concerned about a shortage of techs. When you're short of people, I guess you can justify anything. Personally, my late 70's era Nimitz will be my personal show piece with all those Cats on deck, if I ever get a chance to build her!!! Darren Happy Holidays to all!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From Subject Old US model kits You're not out to lunch, Rick. Try googling on "monogram speedee bilt" and you will get information on the planes you remember. These show up on eBay now and then as well. Mine was a B-25 that my dad built for me around 1953 when I was five years old. As I remember it had injection molded cowls, props, landing gear and other parts in red plastic. It had to be around 1/48th scale. The plane lasted long enough for a trip down to my best friend's house six houses down the street where the twin tail was broken off during a hard landing. I don't remember what happened to the B-25 after that - it must have faded into the obscurity of my bedroom closet. The next model was the Revell PT-212 and the Aurora Panther Jet followed by the Revell B-36 and carrier FDR - the first in a long line of "flat bottom boats". I have a few later issues stashed in my basement waiting for my retirement. The 1950's were a great time to be a kid, everybody built models and there was always something new on the store shelves drug stores, hardware stores, supermarkets, any store that sold anything had it's stock of new models just waiting to snag the next passing kid. Makes me feel sorry for all you young guys. Rick Lundin Hopkinton, RI ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From "Ralph Batykefer" Subject Any CV-47/RD-4 "Operation Highjump" photos? Hey Robert (or others), Are there any photos online available showing the aircraft and carrier? That would make an interesting model! IHS, Ralph B ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From David Wells Subject Re Jovial is Invincible "Allan Plumb" wrote >> But on topic Commanders Series says their 1/350 HMS Invincible (WWI) is available, never mind their web site. Has anyone any comments? Now that I've said that I'll go check out Rajen's list. << Nobody has reviewed ISW 4-077 yet. You can always be the first...... David R. "How 'bout Algol '60" Wells ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From Rob & Rose Brown Subject Revell Polaris Sub propellor Anybody know where I can get a propellor for the old Revell 1/250 cut-away George Washington class Polaris sub? I'd like to put replace the kit propellor with one of the ones that have the curved blades. Cheers Rob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From "Tom Detweiler" Subject Re Old US model kits >> The reference "Old US model kits" also reminds me of the Monogram balsa wood kits with plastic bit features that I built in the '50s, specifically a P-51 and a F-80. They were most likely in the range of 1/32. My cousin and I used to argue about whether to sand the leading and trailing edges of the wings/stabilizers or not. I couldn't convince him that the leading edges had to be rounded and the trailing edges tapered, he was lazy and bigger than me! However, his planes sure looked stupid! That balsa sure absorbed a lot of silver paint!! Another great find if I could. Does anyone else remember such kits or am I "out to lunch"! << Hi Rick -- Your post on the built up plane kits brought another memory. I think you are remember the Guillow/later Testor's built up rubber powered model airplanes. Some of them had vacuum formed plastic cowlings, fairings, canopies and the like. Guillow made quite a line of rubber powered kits and I built a Focke Wulfe up and later on the Nieuport, both from stick on former kits with rice paper coverings. They also make a built up B25 Dolittle Raid bomber, and Dauntless carrier planes, and I believe a Seaplane kit if I remember right. After a lot of tweaking and adjustment, and better flight rubber than the kits provided, you could eventually get them to fly in circles, rising to 50 feet or so before coasting back down. My friends were dumbfounded that I could actually get them to fly like this. I had good advice and an indulgent father who bought them for me, so I always did my best. You had to build them carefully to fly to start with though, or they ended up as dust collectors. They were fun to build, simple enough for adolescents and teens, and flew suprisingly well, although I didn't have a parking lot big enough for Rise Off Ground flights. Out at the local flying circles, some folks converted these same kits to use the little Cox .010 or .020 engines and flew them Free Flight, or even U control. I haven't a clue on the war-era wooden model tanks and stuff, but I bet someone else will! PS, I love this group, I never stop learning on it -- 25 years of programming and I had never even heard of Jovial code. Never did any DoD work, though. Tom D. over and out ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Reviews, Articles, Backissues, Member's models & Reference Pictures at http//smmlonline.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume