From: Think Tank Subject: Think Tank Vol. 0065 27/02/2001 Think.tank@tesco.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS' INDEX 1: Workbench tip: Those flying parts 2: Mr Surfacer 3: SMML 4: WWI tank drawings 5: 75mm vs. 6pdr revisited 6: WWI tanks 7: Japanese vehicle colour 8: Saracen Mk 3 colour scheme 9: WWI tanks 10: Wish list: Rub-on crew insignias 11: New subscriber -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: London MAFVA Open Competitions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Kelvin Mok [klmok@home.com] Subject: Workbench tip: Those flying parts I came across a picture of a wel-used jeweller's workbench and, like everyone else working with small parts, they have a problem with small parts dropping off the table and disappearing. Only in their case it's even more pricey. Their regular office sized worktable has a semicircular cut-in to accommodate the body. The cut-in provides extended working surfaces on either side for the arms. On the bench edge are mounted the usual jeweller's vise, strake holder and a couple more special bench fixtures whose names escape me but look pretty useful for modelling work. The bench tip most useful to modellers is a leather hammock stretched between the cut-in extensions. The body can rest right against the leather hammock in comfort to form a debris catch for anything falling off the bench. Leather is used as it is practically fire-proof and jewellers do a lot of blowtorch work. It is stiff enough to keep its hammocky shape and doesn't fold onto itself. Most of their work material does not stick to leather. So anything falling into it be it valuable gold filings or parts can be easily recovered by tapping on the hammock to bounce debris to the center where it can be picked off. Keeps the floor clean too. I think this is a great design idea. The back and sides of the bench has uprights lined with shelves and parts boxes, all within easy reach. That implies flying parts are not likely to go beyond the confines of the bench. Even if lost at least some fine day that part may yet be found rather than gone forever at the next floor vacuuming. Kelvin Mok klmok@home.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: John Harris [john@ukmilmod.force9.co.uk] Subject: Mr Surfacer Does anyone know of a UK source for 'Gunze Sangyo Mr Surfacer', any particular grade? Various magazines extol the virtues of this wonder product, but I've never seen it advertised here (in the UK), I have managed to find Gunze's paints in the parts and I've found them much better than Tamiya's incidentally. Thanks in advance. John Harris john@ukmilmod.force9.co.uk UK Military Modelling http://www.ukmilmod.force9.co.uk I believe that I saw an advertisement or a review for MDC in the Tamiya magazine a couple of years ago which mentioned stocking the stuff. I had to go to Melbourne to get mine, so it has to be the most expensive modelling product I ever bought (and no, I still haven't actually used any of it ;-). I have both grades (500 and 1000) however. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Craig Brown [cprr@mvp.net] Subject: SMML Robert, Has anyone heard anything about the SMML getting back in operation, or did I miss something along the way. Craig Brown Shrewsbury, MO USA SMML came back up on 17th January with Volume 1113. If you were lost from the list, it is probably related to Shane's hard disk crash, so if you email him at shipmodels@tac.com.au I am sure he will get you back in the loop. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Clifton W. McCullough [mccullou@hal-pc.org] Subject: WWI tank drawings I appreciate the wide and enthusiastic response from everyone. To: Richard Marks - Do you have accurate drawings/dimensions of the MkIV female sponsons? Does John Church have e-mail? ...a mailing address? I would like a set of Mk.II female sponson drawings (sounds almost pornographic). I'll e-mail you my mailing address. To:John Baumann - I am an MAFVA member, #1241 (I joined originally in the early 1970's while I was stationed in Belgium with the U.S. Army; I let my membership lapse and only recently renewed it). I would be happy to send IRCs. I would send a "listing", but I'm not sure where to start. Do you have a list from which I could select? To: Mike Cooper - I would indeed like to have a copy of your bibliography. Does Mick Bell have e-mail?... or a snail-mail address? I've ordered a copy of the extant Tankette 11/2 (among many others) from Gary. I used the Bellona print of the A7V, too; I know the front/rear plates are wrong because I couldn't get a 3D model to fit all the angles shown on the drawing. I used the Bellona FT17 drawings for my model. To All - is the Emhar MKIV exhaust correct? The Bellona print shows the pipe coming out of the side of the muffler, then bending sharply to the rear. Emhar's comes straight (sort of) out the rear of the muffler. Wayne McCullough #1241 Houston, TX mccullou@hal-pc.org To save time, I can answer a few of those: Mick Bell's email address is mick@the-belfry.demon.co.uk and John Church’s postal address is: "Honeywood", Middle Road, Tiptoe, nr. Lymington, Hampshire, UK. I have never come across an email address for John but I recall that his service was fairly prompt when I last purchased plans from him. My source did not contain a postcode. I do not profess any knowledge of the Emhar kits, as I do not own any. However, I have a review of the 1/72 examples by Dick Harley in AFV News 33/1 (1998). He reports that the same faults of the 1/35 examples have been repeated, which were covered in AFV News 29/2 and Tankette 29/4. He does comment that the female sponsons are almost exactly 1/76 and that they can be used with the driver's plate and a scratchbuilt rear fuel tank, tow rope box, exhaust pipe and unditching rails to convert Airfix’s Mk.II male to a Mk.IV female. The criticisms Dick made of the 1/35 kits were, briefly (!): 1.Trackframe panels wrong widths 2.Trackframe too short (hence spacing of details wrong) 3.Trackframes wrong shape 4.Hull roof wrong shape 5.No mud chutes or drive chain inspection ports 6.Hull too short at rear 7.Rear roof, nose and driver’s rear plate at wrong angles 8.Incorrect (modern museum modification) hinged panels in roof 9.Unditching rails inside out 10.Male sponson faces at wrong angles and floor too wide, gun apertures too high and shields too large 11.Female sponsons have wrong bolt and rivet patterns, too large apertures and incorrect MG/mount combination 12.No unditching beam provided He does not refer to the exhaust but from the above, you may conclude that the accuracy of the whole thing is at least suspect in major places. I have heard from others who are less scathing and in the absence of any personal knowledge, I make no comment of my own on the subject. However, I believe that it is appropriate for reviewers to know their subject before rushing into print with the "it comes in a large stout box" type comments so form your own opinions. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Listmaster Subject: 75mm vs. 6pdr revisited Recently there was a post about the armour penetration capability of the 6pdr vs. the British 75mm tank gun. While searching for something else, I found a review by Dick Harley of Dan Taylor's book "Villers Bocage through the Lens" in AFV News, in which Dick gives the following figures: Weapon and ammunition Penetration of homogeneous armour at 30%, range 500yds 75mm Mk.V with M61 APC 66mm 6pdr Mk.IV with APCBC 99mm 6pdr Mk.IV with APDS 132mm As I recall, the principal reason for the switch to 75mm was the better HE capability, and HE was used in perhaps surprisingly large volumes compared to AP. However, there was no APDS for the 75mm, so 6pdr would be preferable for that, if it would penetrate at all. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: john.baumann@talk21.com Subject: WW1 tanks Fellow members, Here are my sources; I am not saying they are accurate, but on file I have the following drawings: 1.Mother: Tankette 16/5 2.Mark I Male: (Jap) Panzer 1/1983, (Czech) Atom 3/1989, Bellona MVP No.1, Engineering 12/9/1919. 3.Mark IV Female: Bellona MVP No.14, MM 6/1983. 4.Mark IV Female: (Scots) Centurion No.23 5.Mark IV Male: (Jap) Panzer 1/1983 6.A7V: Tankette 23/2, (Jap) Panzer 8/1984, Bellona MVP No.10, MM 9/1978, "Encyclopaedia of the German Army in the 20th Century". 7.FT17: Bellona MVP No.24, Pierre Touzin, Ken Musgrave 8.Schneider: Tankette 11/1 & 22/5, Plan VM/001 J Rue, MM 9/1986, Ken Musgrave, Mick Bell, + Anonymous. 9.St.Chamond: AFV News Canada 20/2, +Anonymous. John Baumann -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Michael Starmer [Mike_Starmer@hotmail.com] Subject: Japanese vehicle colour Two veterans of 14th Army that I once worked with told me that all Japanese vehicles that they had seen were an overall dirty mid brown colour. One of them pointed out the colour as close to pebbles on a shingle path. I also came up with two reasonably reliable references that confirm this description. Model Art No. 329, Japanese Army Aircraft Camouflage, has a colour swatch named 'KHAKI'. A translation of the last part of the information with this swatch states, 'This colour was used for the other Army equipment.' Colour plates of aircraft servicing vehicles in this book have captions which carry the Japanese symbols for this colour within the text. The other reference is the oddly named 'Ian Baker's Aviation History Colouring Book'. Part 40 deals with Japanese aircraft colours and has a colour swatch which closely matches the colour in Model Art, and the caption for this says in part, 'A general Army equipment and vehicle colour.' Both colour swatches are very close. MIX 2 x Humbrol 187, 3 x Humbrol 155 for this yukky colour. Scary huh? Regards, Mike Starmer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Michael Starmer [Mike_Starmer@hotmail.com] Subject: Saracen Mk 3 colour scheme The standard colour for Saracen cars in the Middle East at the time of Suez was BSC 381C No. 361 LIGHT STONE. Although the name is the same, IT IS NOT THE SAME COLOUR as that used during WW2. MIX 4 x Humbrol 103, 3 x Humbrol 94. This was the colour on which Humbrol wrongly based their 8th Army Desert Yellow HM1. Most of the Saracen and other desert painted vehicles that I saw also carried disruptive patches, either in gloss Black or BSC No. 23 Middle Bronze Green; very few were a single colour. Regards, Mike Starmer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: John Maze [jmaze@neo.rr.com] Subject: WWI tanks TT'ers, While we're on the subject, I'd like to here comments on the accuracy of the RPM FT-17 kits. Thanx! JohnM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Kelvin Mok [klmok@home.com] Subject: Wish list: Rub-on crew insignias My eyes aren't getting any sharper and painting figures brings real tears to my eyes, pun intended. Now in an artist's painting a play of light and shadow can simulate an illusion of depth and substance on a flat surface. And this is often done by blending colours (e.g. reds, whites, yellows) quite unrelated to the base colour of, say the grey in a German uniform. This I have got down to a fine art and the trick is to suggest to the observer an effect rather than to try to duplicate a real thing. In fact it is a lot easier and more effective to paint this way. Twenty minutes or so instead of painful hours trying to define every fold and colour separation. An imprecision, but the depiction of certain items require precision. To get to the point, I wish there is a producer of rub-on decals depicting the insignia of military figures, the chevrons of NCOs, the arm badges, decorations and medals, etc. And while I am at it, perhaps printed eyes and fine coloured lines for uniform piping too. These are too difficult to paint well and possibly a reason why figures that come with the kit rarely get used. Rub-on decals are preferred because the clear carrier film of the usual water slide decals just wouldn't look realistic on that small a scale. It is not necessary that the complete decal be transferred and missing spots from applying such a small decal will probably be the norm. But our brains are good at recognizing patterns and can fill in those missing portions and make everything look as if they were meant to be painted that way in the first place. But the appearance of a geometrically shaped item must be reasonably precise to start with, therefore rub-on decals seem a good and much needed solution. Any takers? Kelvin Mok klmok@home.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: Adam Armstrong [adamaia@gte.net] Subject: New subscriber I am a die hard "scratch builder" 1/76th scale. I am working on a collection of models that has a defined boundary. I am planning to have all German WW2 AFVs, + British AFVs in the Western Desert + Egyptian and Israeli armour up to the 73 war. I do not use any parts from kits, tracks wheels and zimmerit are dealt with in a special way. I will start photographing some of the work and techniques used, and hope that very soon this will be available to fellow MAFVA members. I would be glad to answer any questions on camouflage and markings used by Egypt in 1973. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Daniel Taylor [d-taylor@dircon.co.uk] Subject: London MAFVA Open Competitions The London MAFVA Open Competition 2001 will be held at St Mary's Church Hall - Edith Road, West Kensington - on Saturday 6 October. The event opens at 10am and, besides the competition, there will be a number of traders and clubs displaying their wares. The show also boasts some of the best bacon sandwiches known in modelmaking circles - come early to avoid disappointment. One noteworthy element of the competition is its voting system open to all MAFVA members and to members of other bona-fide clubs. If you would like details on competition classes or other information about the show please e-mail me back. For information sent by post, please send an SAE to the club secretary, Peter Bailey, at 8 Vicarage Drive, Northfleet, Kent, DA11 9HA. Dan Taylor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Lockie (Think Tank Listmaster) Visit the Miniature AFV Association website at http://homepages.go.com/~mafva/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume