Subject: SMML VOL 859 Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 23:29:52 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Warship do-it-yourself RN chip colors 2: JJohn Marco / 4 Star 3: GREAT ship models 4: Re: washing parts 5: Intrepid Museum 6: Let's wash Helena! 7: Re: accepted limits 8: Re: Battleship Cove 9: Re: ARGONAUT CAMOUFLAGE 10: American Asheville Frigates 11: Re: Tacoma Class Frigates 12: Camouflage of HMS Naiad 13: Yamato Deck Markings, '44-'45, vs. Tamiya 14: Re: Long Lost Aircraft Consortium... 15: Re: Yamato 16: Re: CVN-65 Enterprise Aircraft 17: What ever happened.... 18: Re: 1/542 planes 19: Re: Lindberg PT109 20: Re: Warship do-it-yourself RN chip colors 21: Re: US Canadian Frigates 22: Re: Washing parts 23: Re: Trading problems 24: Minic Ships 25: HO Scale 26: Re: HO 'Scale' 27: Re: Washing resin parts 28: Long Lost Aircraft Consortium...and deck markings 29: SMML in San Francisco 30: Color of New Jersey's hull 31: Re: PH & Battle Line 32: Ballasting Nimitz, et al 33: Re: 1812 and the "Best Navy" 34: Book Thanks 35: Musuem Ships -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: More News from Atlantic Models 2: ICM Konigs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "John Snyder" Subject: Re: Warship do-it-yourself RN chip colors I hate to say "we told you so"...but we did. The hazard of matching to any commercial paint line is that they change the lines, color names, etc., so frequently that it's a waste of time. As to trying to equate Munsell numbers from the 1929 Munsell Book of Colors to those in the present Munsell Book of Colors, forget it. I deal with Munsell frequently in my historic preservation business, and that was one of the first things we tried when Snyder & Short began business. I've spent a good deal of time in conversation and correspondence with the folks at Munsell, and the brief answer is, "You can't get there from here." Munsell began revising its Book of Color in 1943 and finally finished in the 1960s, and the early and present chips just don't match. Other than finding a 1929 Book of Color (we did--don't ask the price!), the best you could do is ask them to make you some custom color sheets based on their own copy of the 1929 book. You don't want to know how much that would cost: their off-the-shelf sheets of color run $23.00 each... Custon runs of large numbers of colors? Take out a second mortgage on the house! All of which is to say that we've done the matching, have the formulae archived so we can always reproduce the same colors, and have the chip sets out there so you can mix and match using your favorite model paints... John Snyder Snyder & Short Enterprises The Paint Guys http://www.shipcamouflage.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Rod Dauteuil Subject: JJohn Marco / 4 Star I traded once with John Marco/4 Star (he works in the next town over from me, and we have some mutual friends) and it took almost forever to get my order. This is stuff he supposedly has in stock and is ready to ship. It took about 2 months to get my order. Contact me off-list if you want further details. Rod. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: GREAT ship models I came across this company's site by accident. Without a doubt, these are the best, high quality and detailed models I have ever seen! Photos of the Fletcher destroyer and Arizona models have to be seen to be believed. Obviously, no expense is spared producing these amazing models. I haven't gone through the whole site to find pricing, but certainly they must run in the many thousands. Check it out and be amazed. http://www.fineartmodels.com/about_us.htm Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: washing parts I sympathize with the fellow who let his wife "help" him with his model by washing the parts. Too bad. She only wanted to help. HEY, TAKE HER OUT TO DINNER AND TELL HER YOU APPRECIATE THE EFFORT, if you haven't already. My wife tried to "help" me with my 250 gallon marine aquarium. It was getting a little low on water so she was going to add the water to bring it up to the top of the tank. Unfortunately, she used an old Clorox bottle to add the water. Within minutes over $500.00 worth of salt water fish went belly up. The tank had to completely drained and washed down with fresh water and set up again. She cried about it for weeks. I told her if that was the worst thing that ever happened in our lives, then we would be doing okay. I told her I appreciated the fact that she wanted to help, but she started crying again. What can you do? Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: GrafSpee34@aol.com Subject: Intrepid Museum The Intrepid (AKA Insipid) museum is just lame. The management does not have an appropriate concept and is derelict in their duty as custodians of American History. For example, I recall that not too long ago the Intrepid hosted "raves" (dance and narcotics parties). Disgusting, disrespectful, undignified, LAME! And it is not for lack of sufficient funding that it is a miserable failure as the monument to "Air Sea and Space" history it claims to be. They are currently building a large new "visitors greeting center" there where you will be able to buy potato chips and rubber dinosaurs in air conditioned luxury. (You have another chance to buy them on the ""overcrowded"" hangar deck) No, it just seems the director there decided that soft ice cream and snow domes will ensure his paycheck's future, which is probably a lot more important to him than that noble warship's past. However, New York has plenty to offer for everyone. So in case anyone is travelling to the NYC area and wants to visit a self-respecting military or maritime museum, I recommend the spectacular Hall of Medieval Armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (yeah Armor is Art) and the West Point Museum, (where interacting with the exhibits will lead to some very realistic interaction with Military Police) about an hour and a half out of NYC. South Street Seaport is also worth a visit, and is an excellent place to rest and have lunch or dinner outdoors. Recently there was some discussion as to founding a new military museum, at Governor's Island, the former Coast Guard base off the southern tip of Manhanattan. I don't know any more about it at this point but will be following the story. Dave -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Cataldo Torelli Subject: Let's wash Helena! Hello, Just to thanks to Steve, Rusty, Mike L., Duane, and even Joe about the washing tips. This Helena needs a bath ............... Best wishes, Cataldo Torelli Madrid, Spain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: SantMin@aol.com Subject: Re: accepted limits >> Acceptable Limits: Ratio Known as Accepted limits Scale shown 1:152 N – Scale 1:148 - 1:160 2mm = 1 foot 1:100 TT – scale 1:96 - 1:105 3mm = 1 foot 1:87 HO –scale 1:80 - 1:96 3.5mm =1 foot 1:76 OO – scale 1:72 - 1:80 4mm = 1 foot 1:43 O – scale 1:43 - 1:48 7mm = 1 foot 1:34 1:32 - 1:35 9mm = 1 foot 1:30 1:30 - 1:35 10mm = 1 foot << Not everyone accepts those limits. I don't. An HO figure looks way too big on a 1/96 model. I know many use them because they are readily available and if you look real close from manufacturer to manufacturer you sometimes can find same "small" HO figures that look OK, but for the most part they could not fit through doors and hatches of a well made 1/96th model. Preiser made a set of WWII German Paratroopers some years ago in 1/96 scale (I don't know why) but I bought several boxes of them and ever since I have been converting them to sailors for my models. There is quite a difference standing one next to a regular HO scale figure. Cheers, Bob Santos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: SantMin@aol.com Subject: Re: Battleship Cove >> Along the lines of a terrific place to visit, is Battleship Cove in Fall River, Mass. The model exhibit on the USS Massachusets is FANATSTIC!!! The USS LIONFISH takes ones breath away when you walk thru it and see just how cramped those boats were!!! << I SECOND THAT STATEMENT. A WELL DONE TO THE FOLKS IN FALL RIVER. And if those pretty old steamships tickle your fancy, just walk up the street about two blocks and visit the Fall River Maritime Museum, VERY INTERESTING ! Bob Santos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Dimitrios Apostolopoulos Subject: Re: ARGONAUT CAMOUFLAGE Bob, Argonaut came to service on 8 August 1942 wearing a 3-color scheme. I agree with John's thought that the colors were 507A, 507C and B5. Starboard and portside schemes were different. I have a nice set of IWM and US NARA photos including a couple of overhead shots showing the main decks in their natural color. Steel decks are painted in 507A. The funnels are painted as follows: front funnel portside B5 / starboard 507C, aft funnel portside 507C / starboard B5. Raven-Lenton's Ensign #2 on the Didos has illustrations of this scheme (starboard in color) and are overall quite accurate. When Argonaut was torpedoed on 14 February 1943 in the western Mediterranean by an Italian submarine and practically lost her stern and bow, she was still wearing the 3-color ADM scheme. She spent about 10 months in Philadelphia's dockyard undergoing repairs and modifications. I have seen a number of photographs of her as she emerged from the long repairs. The pictures are dated 4 November 1943. The Didos Ensign indicates that the 1943 scheme was a slight modification of the 1942 one, but I am skeptical about that. There are some similarities in the panel shapes but the colors are, in my opinion, different and the chances are pretty good that they were from the G/B range. Another observation is that at least two photographs show 4 colors in the scheme and I do not think it is because of lighting or reflection tricks. If I had to make an even bolder guess I would say that the colors were G10, B15, B30 and G45 (or B55), but I would seek much information before I would suggest them. I do not have any information on her camouflage scheme in 1944 and 1945. For those interested here is the list of IWM photographs: Late 1942 FL914 Off bow starboard view FL915 Off stern starboard view FL918 Broadside starboard view FL919 Direct overhead view US NARA has two beautiful aerial starboard views and a brilliant aerial portside broadside view (this has been well published). November 4 1943 FL921 3/4 portside view from bow FL923 Off bow starboard view FL925 Aerial broad portside view (shows four colors and unpainted decks) FL920 Portside view (shows four colors) US NARA photos: 1. Off bow portside, clearly shows 4-color scheme 2. Off bow starboard, somewhat overexposed, tough to distinguish the pattern 3. Stern elevated view Unfortunately I do not have the NARA negative numbers. If you need some more help, please contact me off-line. Dimi ps. I researched a number of book references which contain images of Argonaut and found many mistakes in the dating of the photographs. The most reliable source is Raven-Robert's "British Cruisers of WWII." Even the Dido Ensign contains some errors in Argonaut's operational history section. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Tom Dean Subject: American Asheville Frigates Hi Gang: I was just going through a stack of old magazines looking for an article and came across an edition of Sea Classics with a story and pictures of the Asheville/Tacoma class of frigates. I remembered that some one on the list was enquiring about the same. It's a pretty good article with stories about what some of the ships accomplised during the war and what happened to them a wars end. I don't know what resources are available to you but the article is in Sea Classics, Vol25, No 2, Feb 1992. Maybe your local library has back issues available, or you have a local model boat club that can help. Tom Dean Hamilton, Ontario Canada -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "hugh1lottie2" Subject: Re: Tacoma Class Frigates The Asheville class frigate was a British design [River class] and the two ships in that class were Asheville and Natchez. The Tacoma class were two and a half feet longer and one foot wider in beam. They were not used as extensively as DE's due to their larger turning radius and their lack of adequate ventilation made them more suitable for northern climates where several were used as weather ships. Loose Cannon Productions has a master finished in 1/700 scale and is making adjustments at this time. Hugh -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: WRPRESSINC@aol.com Subject: Camouflage of HMS Naiad To the person who is interested in the colors of the Naiad. Please write to me off line. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: Paul Borchers Subject: Yamato Deck Markings, '44-'45, vs. Tamiya Skulski's Battleship Yamato (Anatomy of the Ship Series) shows, in figure C15/8, the white markings that appear on the Yamato in 1945. My questions concern the markings on the aft portion of the weather deck. First, the diagram indicates that the area between the "deck rails" (the rails used to move the aircraft around) should be painted white. This would seem to differ from the markings/decals that Tamiya issued with its 1/700 Yamato. Is Skulski correct, or has new information surfaced? Second, inboard of each outboard pair of deck rails, Skulski indicates (in figure H14/1) a portion of the deck was covered with "non-slip linoleum sheets." Is it safe to assume that these sheets are the typical brown IJN linoleum color, and were still in place in 1945? Paul Borchers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: drwells@hogpb.mt.att.com (David R Wells) Subject: Re: Long Lost Aircraft Consortium... Ralph Batykefer wrote: >> There are a few of us SMMLies that are searching for aircraft to fit our old Revell 1/542 carriers. With the old USS Wasp, Midway, Shangri-La, and Lexington kits you can get a collection of A-4, F-8, F-4, SH-3, HUP, UH-1, F-9, T-28, F-4U, A-1, Trackers, and T-2's. But few of us can find the aircraft we may want to fit a carrier for the mid-50's to mid-60's. Even still there are no Cutlasses or Skywarriors in 1/542 that I know of so these will need to be scratchbuilt. << Not so! The old (pre-1989) issues of the Revell Forrestal (old Revell kit number H339) and Independence (kit H359) came with both F7U Cutlasses and A-3 Skywarriors. The old Renwal Essex class came with Skywarriors. The old Aurora 1/600 Forrestal came with a large number of Cutlasses, (with folded wings) but they were not terribly accurate. >> I myself only have the USS Lexington w/o aircraft (an old "toy" I had from childhood in which all the aircraft "flew" the coop). What some of us are wondering is if SMML could develop a swap where we can share old, o-o-p aircraft at no cost and then make our own resin copies for personal use. Would that break copyrighting? Again this is not for sale, but rather share. << You're walking on some very thin legal ice here. I'd talk to a lawyer..... David R. Wells "There seems to be something wrong | David R. Wells with our bloody ships today" | AT&T Middletown, NJ Adm. D. Beatty, May 31, 1916 | Email: drwells@hogpa.mt.att.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: Dave Swindell Subject: Re: Yamato >> what are the large portholes on both sides of the hull in way of the after centre 6inch turret below the flying deck << If you're referring to the square openings, 5 on the port side, 6 on the starboard side, Skulski notes the spaces behind and slightly forward of these as Raft Stowage. However, blueprints for the armament mods to Yamato shows a large winch in the port space. These blueprints show doors/hatches on these ports, and what appears to be a small platform with steps up to it behind each. I'm guessing here, but as the only readily available lifesaving appliances on deck appear to be half a dozen lifebelts, I'd say these could be ports for the launch of liferafts in an emergency. I seem to remember mention of liferafts in the water in Requiem for Yamato when the ship was sinking, but no mention of where they came from. Unfortunately, I can't check this out at present as my copy is on loan in exchange for Battleship Musashi (got as far as the launch last night, good reading) >> These were used for boat storage. Due to the immense blast of the 18.1" guns, it was not possible to store ships boats on the deck as was conventionally done. Boats were therefore stored in these storage areas on either side of the hull and were lowered/raised into the water by a set of davits which are not visible from the exterior. << The boats were each hung on a four point sling from a travelling hoist which ran on an overhead beam immediately below the flightdeck. The beam is included in the new tamiya kits, but the diagonal bracing is missing. All the ships davits were arranged along the deck edge and folded down flush when not in use. >> The 1/700 Tamiya re-issue of the Yamato/Musashi has this feature correct and from the stern looking forward, one can see the boats tucked in there. << Well, nearly. These tunnels were closed at the aft end by a door which would normally be shut at sea. As the door opened outwards (hinged inboard and swinging aft) the tunnel should be either blanked off, or a door modelled against the hull side. The other boats were stowed in tunnels either side of the hangar well, Tamiya have blanked this area off too far aft and got the angle wrong as well. It's not readily visible when finished, but niggling if you know its wrong (Oops, sorry guy's if I've spoilt your day! ;-) ) Dave Swindell -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: william cardamone Subject: Re: CVN-65 Enterprise Aircraft I Recently completed the tamya cvn65 and found the airplanes a little boring so a had a search for decals of the relevant squadrons and with a bit of luck found them at the floating dry-dock web sight. I highly recommend that you try the same. It will give you the extra look and feel to the model. also they had a good selection of brass fittings the might come in useful. William Cardamone Melb. Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: william cardamone Subject: What ever happened.... A friend and myself are both building the "Calypso" except his got kidnapped by his In-law (a Model enthusiast) and Im slowly Plugging away with mine. We would appreciate if anyone knows the whereabouts of the original ship and if anyone knows what's happened to the wonderful documentaries. The last I heard the Calypso ended its days in Singapore. Ps: What about the New Calypso has it been completed and Is there a model of her. Regards William Cardamone Melb. Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: David Sepos Subject: Re: 1/542 planes Hi Ralph, As I recall, there were Skywarriors and Cutlass in the early run Revell Forrestal kits. I build one, longer ago than I care to admit. Maybe you could find one from a collection, or on eBay. It's the original boxart packaging and I believe it shows Cutlass, Skywarriors, Tigers, etc. Hope this helps, Dave -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: Shirley Sachsen Subject: Re: Lindberg PT109 thanks for the suggestions on aftermarket bits and figures. Of course you know I now HAVE to have that book, regardless of how it'll show up the model. I hadn't even thought of the multi-pose figures, I'll have to do some searching for those... by the sound of it, it looks like I should just give in to fantasy, built the kit as is, bolt on some aftermarket bits, like guns and stuff, and call it even. The thought of having to razor saw the hull scares the heck out of me. That's a little too superdetailed for me at my current skill-level. again, thanks for the help! s -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: "John Sheridan" Subject: Re: Warship do-it-yourself RN chip colors >> My question is since the munsell values are listed... how would I go about determining what the munsell values are under the new system so that I can still build my color chart. Even if I can't use all DB colors... there are plenty out there that I can use...I just have to figure out how to match the numbers to a chip...Any ideas? << By the time you finish doing all of the research, sampling, and testing, the cost of the Snyder & Short paint chips will seem like a bargin. I have to ask: Why you are you duplicating work that has already been done by a professional ? John Sheridan www.shipcamouflage.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: "John Sheridan" Subject: Re: US Canadian Frigates >> I haven't had much luck trying to compile a list of all the US PFs. JFS of WWII has a number of them listed, but not all of those listed include their hull numbers. << I will have the complete list of PFs, including hull numbers and classes on the shipcamouflage.com website in about a week-or-so. John Sheridan www.shipcamouflage.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: Mike Settle Subject: Re: Washing parts >> They say that experience is what you get the instant after you need it. They're still married and the dishwasher was repairable. And someday he might be laughing about it too. I told him to be glad he wasn't a ship modeler... << A sad story indeed. BUT --- Did she then give him the checkbook and carte blanche at the hobby shop? :-) Mike Settle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: Mike Settle Subject: Re: Trading problems >> I am a modeler from Greece, subscribed a few months ago in this list and I feel uncomfortable using it to complain, but I hope I'll get help. On 1/30/00 I sent an order to a trader by fax, including my credit's data.The trader is John Marco. http://www.nebiz.net/4star/ord2.htm. Mr. Marco charged my card the very next day with the amount we had agree with former emails. After a month or so, I send some emails asking for the order's history and at last he asked for my patience. I made patience and came back after some time with emails, which had no answers at all. I worry for my money of course,but mostly I feel rejected. Any suggestions? << I am sure others will suggest this also, but how did you agree with the vendor to have the items shipped from the USA to Greece? Overseas surface mail can sometimes be very slow if that was the method used. However, this does not explain why they have not responded to your e-mails. If you believe that you may not have been shipped the merchandise that you have been charged for, then I would call your credit card company, explain the situation to them, and dispute the charges made to your card. Good luck in resolving the issue. Mike Settle I am not agent #1908 of the non-existent Lumber Cartel (tinlc)tm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: "John Rule" Subject: Minic Ships >> I would greatly appreciate any information that can be provided on how to acquire more of these wonderful kits if any still exist. I've done some investigating of both company names but am not making progress. << The line of 1:1200 model ships to which reference is made were produced by Triang under the Minic name. They probably can be found at swap meets in the UK. John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25) From: "John Rule" Subject: HO Scale I was interested to read the post from Jeffry Fontaine on the subject of model railway (or railroad) scales. What divine authority appointed Scale Link the governing authority on what are acceptable tolerances for model railway scales. I have been a railway modeller for 30 years and certainly have not encountered these tolerances before. I agree that some of the Continental (Europe) model railway manufacturers did permit themselves quite a bit of leeway in adherence to scale bit in no way can that be said to have created an acceptable standard. Acceptance is a subjective luxury. John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26) From: "Tim Perry" Subject: Re: HO 'Scale' Hi SMMLies, This thing abut 'HO' et all is all very interesting, but the point is, HO is not HO SCALE, but HO GAUGE, or GAGE to our trans-oceanic brethren. ie what matters is the gap between the rails, from which you can derive a scale ratio. Trouble is, the rail cross-section of the commercial tracks is not to scale, neither the flanges on the wheels; things that put railway enthusiasts into paroxisms of fury and delight. You thought we were weird...... O gauge is from a series of model railway guages running the other way, ie bigger scales, than the ones we use. These things were TOYS or model engineering projects and as such had to WORK. Remember, the earliest electric railway models even had three rails! Just like the London Tube. Does this mean somewhere there is a London Transport operative with a giant Hornby R45 controller? (sorry if I got the code number wrong, it is 20 years since I left the employ of Beatties) The actual sizes of the models and all the constituent parts, wheels, motors, couplings, track, etc had to function first and foremost, scale fidelity was originally way down the list of priorities. That is why the original scales selected were such a mishmash. O gauge was the original indoor floor toy scale, and HO was the original 'table-top' scale. Only after the little lads of the Edwardian era grew up into full-blown enthusiasts did such things as scale start to matter. Then the fun started. Some manufacturers (mostly Brits, eg Hornby) were prepared to compromise the scale fidelity to encase crude, big motors in strictly oversize bodywork, while retaining compatibility with existing HO guage track. That is OO. 4mm to the foot above the footplate, 3.5mm to the foot below. It also made our generally smaller locomotives as impressive as the bigger European machines; this was the days of Empire remember, and Britannia could not be seen to be less in stature than all those Johnny Foreigners (BRITISH JOKE, I didn't mean it, before you all start shooting from the hip!) Others, mostly Continentals such as Marklin, Fleischmann, Roco, Riverossi, stuck more firmly to the ratio of HO track. Their models have traditionally been much more refined, petite and expensive. And still are. Anyway, Most of the other 'gauges', ie TT (short for Table-Top), N, S, even Z, are standards for interoperability rather than scales in the true meaning of the word. Calling a product HO/OO is a marketing ploy to hopefully prevent potential purchasers avoiding buying products of the 'wrong' scale. It just means 'Close enough to Hornby for most people not to notice'. Again, remember the vast majority of such purchasers were 8 year-olds with pocket/birthday/Christmas money burning a hole in their pockets, or indulgent elder relatives checking if their purchase will match the rest of Sonnys railway set. If you really want to see some modelmaking, and find out about the 'True' model railway scales, P4, 4mm, EM, Scalefour etc, get hold of a copy of "Model Locomotive Construction in 4mm Scale" by Guy Williams, published by Ian Allen, ISBN 0 7110 0843 4. Its enough to make you want to forget modelling and take up stamp collecting....... Hows that for off-topic. Hi for now, Tim Perry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27) From: "Tim Perry" Subject: Re: Washing resin parts Hi all again, yes, wash your parts thoroughly in strong detergent, or even better abrade their surfaces with steel, or aluminium wool. I wash all my parts regularly in this fashion, and never have any problems with things sticking to them. Oh no. I even use an old tooth brush, just to get into those awkward nooks and crannies. Give it a jolly good scrubbing I say. No need to go mad like some I know, and go using a wire brush, or sand paper, or flap wheel in your Black and Decker. After all, your parts may be small, but probably beautifully formed. Eventually when you have finished working on your parts, you will want to put them on display. Wouldn't it be a shame if instead of OOOHs and AAHs of delight, you get groans of disappointment. No-one wants to see parts that have been over-abraded, do they. Oh no. Seriously, the problem you are facing is Silicone Oil, and not much in the way of household cleaners will dent it. Being water based, most household cleaners just roll of the surface. Lighter fluid, or automotive cleaners such as Gunk or Jizer might shift it better. This oil is either sprayed into the mould prior to casting, or, or even and, exudes from the silicone rubber mould during the casting process. Object of the exercise is to delay chemical attack of the rubber mould, hence prolong its shot life, hence make more castings before having to scrap the mould and make another. Commercially we use 'Silicone Digester' to clean our castings, but it is fearsome stuff. I'm glad I have had my children..... I am sure it is not available in hobby amounts. Otherwise, if you have access to some fine grit blasting kit a gentle waft will remove it and give a good key surface for your paint. Be VERY gentle with it though! Just a whiff..... Joe Demato wrote >> ....I would recommend you wash any of Steve's kits. You never know what he did with them before he sent them out. I'm just starting to understand how passionate he is about his craft. Just a warning...... << Steady on old chap; Not really called for, don't you think? We don't want any kind of 'inuendo' on this List, do we? I'd go and give those parts of yours an extra scrub, just to be on the safe side. Tim Perry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28) From: "kenny_II" Subject: Long Lost Aircraft Consortium...and deck markings Thanks to everyone to replied to especially Bob LaBouy. I was always curious about the deck markings, and now I know. I would also like to vote for 1/500'ish aircraft becoming available for the 60's through 90's carriers. If these Trumpeter kits go over well, there will be a big market, since the ones that come with it are just plain awful. Tim -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29) From: "Doremus, Mark" Subject: SMML in San Francisco I made it, out and back, with most of my sanity and a bit of my wallet left. Many, many, many thanks to SMML'ers Shirley S -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30) From: mingzhon@netease.com Subject: Color of New Jersey's hull I have a 1/350 Tamiya's New Jersey kit. I am puzzled by the variety description of the hull's color. Could anyone here just simply tell me how I can get such a color by mixing up Tamiya's paints? Thank you very much in advance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31) From: ECammeron@aol.com Subject: Re: PH & Battle Line Naval Works did a T-3 Cimarron that could be turned into a Neosho without much work. It was issued as Cimarron (1942) and Salamonie (1944). Eugene -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32) From: CapnAgee@aol.com Subject: Ballasting Nimitz, et al About 25 years ago (gawd) a Phoenix modeler built at 12 foot long Queen Mary and used water ballast to get down to waterline. She was extremely stable and her electric pumps on-off loaded the tanks. At the time, he was using water bed pillows for tanks but said next time he would build baffled tanks (sloshing). Dave Manley of San Diego used a baffled tank/pump system in his 1/96 Yamato and I'm looking into it for my BB-63. Now you see why some people like Lindberg tugs! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33) From: Shane Weier Subject: Re: 1812 and the "Best Navy" James Johnson opines: >> The point of all this is that the US (i.e.. the American Taxpayer) has born the brunt of defending the "free world" since the end of WW2. This is not to belittle the contributions made by other countries, but most other countries and their navies have had to defend only themselves and their possesions. The US and her navy has to defend herself, her allies in NATO, her allies in SEATO,and her interests in the Persian Gulf. << Without wishing to appear ungratefull about all this, I should point out that the US was not alone in Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, the Balkans, etc. and this attitude shows considerable disrespect to the armed forces of many countries and their own taxpayers. Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34) From: Stuart Robottom Subject: Book Thanks Hi all. I would like to thank those people who helped with finding the Captain of the Queens book. I finally found a copy!!! Their help was really appreciated. Regards, Stuart Robottom mailto:robottom@deakin.edu.au http://www.deakin.edu.au/~robottom/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35) From: James Corley Subject: Musuem Ships I agree with the rest of you about turning our monuments into amusement parks, but look at it from their side. If they don't keep the ship at a certain material level it can either be reclaimed by the navy and scrapped or condemned by their host city and closed and returned to the navy and get scrapped. What they are doing appear to be the only way to turn a profit on such a venture. Lets face it, how many people really care about the navy and the ship. Kids get tired of it after a few times, after all the planes and the ships don't change. The veterans are all slowly fading away and can't support the ship with reunions alone. Something has to give. If you don't like the Intrepid, just wait till the Forestall gets to Tampa! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SMMLcon Infomation & posts The Deadline to pre-register for the SMML convention is April 1st 2000! If you want to attend, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can get a accurate head count. Also, for those who plan on coming to the convention from far away, the special rate on the Hotel expires on April 6th. Hotel arrangements can be found at: http://www.smml.org.uk/help/smml_hotels.html The SMML convention date is May 5th and May 6th onboard the USS Salem (CA-139) Ship Museum. For more information, check out the SMML website at: http://www.smml.org.uk/help/smml_con.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Subject: More News from Atlantic Models Hi Folks, Ok, Ok, I surrender. I am getting back to work on the 1/350 Kirov, so rather than reply to you all individually (Those of you who have bombarded me with e.mails and those of you who were about to) to let you know that, despite the problems being encountered with the superstructure pattern, a solution will be sort after. Joe Damato of JAG has kindly offered his expertise so between the two of us the end result should be reached. Please be patient a while longer and many apollogies for the wait you have had already. I did not realise what a popular subject this had become. Thank you for your support. All the best Peter Hall PS. Glad you liked the Trenchant, Mike. It was born out of a sudden rush of something to the brain!!!!!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Mike Hall Subject: ICM Konigs ICM 1/350th Konigs on their way! I have just spoken with Michael Lipovich of ICM, and the Konigs are leaving the Ukraine right away, and we should have them in the states in a couple weeks. If anyone wants one, we are taking pre-orders for $62.99, which is 30% off the retail price of $89.99 until March 31. Just e-mail me at MikeH@Kitlink.com or wait until tomorrow night and I will have them on the web-site for online ordering. Thanks Mike Hall Kitlink.com http://www.Kitlink.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for having SMML at your home, why not stop by our home at: http://www.smml.org.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume