Newsletter Volume 41, Number 11, Nov. 2014

Contacts Work in Progress President: Larry Van Es (7140 936-0389 October 15, 2014 E-Mail [email protected] Reporter: Bill Schultheis Vice President: Bill Schultheis The SMA members are reminded that (714) 366-7602 our annual SMA Auction will take place this E-Mail: [email protected] month, November, so bring the items you wish Secretary: Paul Payne to auction off. More details to follow in this (310) 544-1461 Treasurer: Mike DiCerbo newsletter. (714) 523-2518 15320 Ocaso Ave, #DD204, As 1900 hours approached (7:00 pm for La Mirada, CA. 90630 landlubbers), apprehension mounted. The fleet Editor, Don Dressel had not yet arrived. Lookouts were posted at the (909) 949-6931 crosstrees (actually the front door of the Red Cross 908 W. 22nd Street building) and no ship approached! Upland, CA 91784-1229

E-mail: [email protected] For the first time in forty-two years, the Web Manager: Doug Tolbert: (949) 644-5416 SMA meeting started with no models for the Web Site “Works in Progress”. There were a few www.shipmodelersassociation.org announcements to be taken care of and it looked like it would be a very short meeting. Your Editor Meeting – Wed., Nov. 19, 7 PM, knew the NRG Conference would have an impact Red Cross Building, 1207 N. on the SMA meeting, but did not dream it would Lemon, Fullerton, CA. 92832 be so extreme!!

Officers meeting –Wed., Dec. 3, However, Roy Roberts got up to share with 2014, 7 PM, Bob Beech’s house, the club. He explained that getting to the 130 Clove Pl., Brea, CA. 92821 – (714) 529-1481. meetings was getting harder and that he would probably be attending meetings less often in the future. He wanted to express his appreciation for the club and all its members. Then he explained why we never saw any models from him.

1 He has been building models all his life, but he cannot bring them in to meetings due to the fact that they are too big. You see, his models are in 1:1 scale.

He worked on two brigantines in San Pedro that were rebuilt by volunteers. He started by painting blocks. Then he graduated to the Sampson posts, installing planking, and just about everything else that was done on the ships. It was a great deal of fun. He also met many fine people along the way. For instance, there was an Irish guy whom the crew paired with Roy. His language was unintelligible to the English speaking Roy and the crew had a good time seeing the non-communication in action. However, Roy and he did belt out a decent rendition of “Danny Boy.”

He replanked the Argus for the Boy Scouts. He also worked on the Pilgrim which is now in Dana Point. Then he built a Sabot and donated it to the Boy Scouts.

How did he gain the experience and skills to build these 1:1 models? Well, he apprenticed in a wooden boat building shop in Maine back in the thirties.

He had always wanted to be a naval officer and then a buddy of his was appointed to the USNA. Since Roy didn’t have any connections he joined the Navy Reserve in 1938. He was appointed to Annapolis but was not taken since he was one- half inch too short!

However, he was commissioned in May 1941 and spent a few months on the East Coast. Then he transferred to Hawaii to work on several ships that needed some extensive repairs after the attack on Pearl Harbor. One of his projects was fixing the 16” guns on the USS Wisconsin. Now that is some 1:1 scale model!

There were some smaller models through the years. Someone gave him a kit of the Jylland, a ship that is now in Denmark. He appreciated the gift but hated the looks of the ship. (Could it possibly be the fact that it was a Billings Boats model that contributed to his dislike?)

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Finally, Roy saved the day as he reached into his pocket and brought out a model of the America’s Cup “Ranger” in a bottle. Now we had a model at the meeting and didn’t have to accept the dubious honor of the first model-less meeting of the SMA.

Larry Van Es then got up to say a few words about how he also had a desire to go to Annapolis. He didn’t pass the physical so he spent a few years bouncing around job to job. Then he married his wife and after a Hawaiian honeymoon returned home to find himself drafted. He declined the offer and things it was a good thing, since he is so easily sea sick.

Steve Lund related that he has been working on a San Salvador model this last month. He took a trip down to San Diego to get some photos of the 1:1 scale model being built there. He was in luck as all the scaffolding was down and he got some great pictures, which he shared with the club. This picture is taken from the San Diego Ship Modelers Guild Newsletter – my apologies to Chuck. The model is 12”:1’ scale, under construction. According to the San Diego Modelers Guild Newsletter, the model is scratch built by Dr. Ray Ashley (multiple builders) for the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

Steve brought us up to date on the San Salvador’s progress. The spars and masts are all complete and the crow’s nests are finished. They project to launch the ship in a couple of months or so. Before the launch the ship, however, they will

3 temporarily install the masts to make sure everything fits correctly, then will remove the masts and launch the ship. Of course, they will again install all the spars and rig the ship!

The ship is very impressive and is built to USCG standards so there is more headroom below the decks, as well as a power plant and radar. However, even though the historical accuracy is less than perfect, it will be a magnificent addition to the historical sailing community.

David Okamura represented the SMA at the recent IPMS show held at California State University Fullerton earlier this month. The SMA sponsored the ship model trophy which went to a well-done model of the battleship IJN Nagato.

Speaking of the IPMS, we should be seeing more of their president and fellow SMA member, Sean Fallesen, since the show is now over and he will have so much time on his hands……..

Doug Huntzinger then talked about a trip to Australia where he visited a person who made BIG models, about eight feet long. He was so succinct in his presentation that by the time we realized he was starting, he had finished.

Bill Lindhall was going to present a letter of appreciation to Bert Goldstein; however he did not attend this meeting. It seems Burt had done a presentation of how to make cardstock models to a group of amputees. He was a great hit and it

4 looks like we may be getting some new members. What a great guy.

Larry then wrapped up the meeting with a little talk about the state of the world’s maritime museums. He mentioned how they were reducing their collections and were concentrating on more modern ships as well as more interactive displays. The displays are generally well done but the tall ships will be missed.

Nevertheless, there will always be some older models as well as the few 1:1 scale models such as; HMS Mary Rose, HMS Victory, Cutty Sark, USS Constitution, Charles W. Morgan, the Ship of Cheops, etc. Never fear, ship models are with us for all time.

Post Script: We thought the meeting was over until someone spied another ship model that had sailed in unnoticed. It was a paper model that was brought in by David Okamura. There was no scale and the boat was unnamed. We can be pretty sure it was scratch built!

Your editor wishes to thank Larry Van Es and Bill Schultheis for filling in for him while he and Dave Yotter were attending the NRG Conference in St. Louis. They did a very fine job and the meeting was covered very well by these two gentlemen.

REMEMBER: November’s meeting is the AUCTION meeting!! Don NOT bring your Works in Progress, but instead the many maritime items which you wish to part with. For those who desire, bring your money. We are sorry, but there is no credit card capability. Cash and checks only, thank you.

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By Don Leyman

Old Salts in Port: John Bakker, Steve Jones, Don Leyman, Guy Bell.

Ship in Port: USS Rattlesnake, HMS Pegasus, Cutty Sark, Reale De France.

On Sunday, following the Wednesday SMA meeting, the Mayflower Group meets to alk about the details of “How to Build Ship Models”. From Beginners to advanced modelers, everyone contributes their knowledge in solving problems members are having with their models. This month, with several members in St. Louis for the NRG Conference, there were only four attendees but we had lots to talk about.

Buy Bell brought in his 1:64 Mamoli “Rattlesnake” kit, which he hasn’t started but looks it will be a fun project. We had a discussion on whether he would be able to bend a supplied cast metal decorative transom into a curve to fit the stern of the model. Steve Jones suggested that he thought Guy could bend the metal by heating it to about 200 degrees (F) in water and then gently applying pressure in repeated steps. Others were not so sure. Another idea was to use the casting to make a mold that is curved and recasting it in resin.

Don Leyman brought in his 1:48 scratch “HMA PEGASUS”. Since the last meeting he has

6 added the gratings to the lower deck hatches. He also finished the curved waterways. He cut the 1/16 inch waterways from boxwood sheet stock then used a small scraper from Lee Valley to shape the cross section from 1/16 at the outside to 1/32 on the inside to match the deck thickness. Don said the hardest part was developing paper patterns to match the inside curve of the ribs of the hull and fitting the joints between sections.

John Bakker always has several ship models going and since we meet at his house he usually can be urged to bring out more than one to discuss. On this Sunday he showed us the progress he has made on his 1:78 Sergal/Mantua “Cutty Sark”. He is busy shaping and filling the plank‐on‐bulkhead hull before putting on a second set of planking and perhaps lots of copper plates. This will be a big model, so John may need to add on to his house to display it!

John also showed us his “Reale De France” which is nearing completion. It is a beautiful model. He is presently detailing each of 59 oars with rope wrapping and wood reinforcing at the fulcrum point. He also has to add hand holds on the side of teach oar for the seven oarsmen who man it.

Finally, as sometimes happens the conversation got off the subject of ship models and we had a discussion on cooling our homes with heat pumps and whole house fans. You can learn all kinds of things at these meetings!

7 NRG Conference – St. Louis – 2014

By Don Dressel

The NRG Conference this year in St. Louis was held with fewer members than normal but, for those who attended, a successful and enjoyable conference. There were fewer speakers than normal, but several of them were very good. The innovative round table discussions were well received by some and were also very good, but there were a few people who could not attend the round table discussions they had signed up for due to crowding. The ship model turnout was exceptional, with over 20 fine ship models on display along with a good number of vendors. The talk by David Antscherl on his new book and model of the fire ship Comet was of particular interest to your editor, which included a round table on frieze painting in the afternoon. Greg Herbert also had an excellent round table presentation on scale moldings, which was very well done. The talk by Glenn Greico on the steamboat Heroine was excellent and fit the current venue very well. The latest technology was offered by Pat Mathews on his presentation of 3‐D printing for modelers.

The tour this year was the day before the actual conference started, which was a Thursday. A cruise aboard the Tom Sawyer started the cruise down the river to the little town of Kimmswick, Missouri. While the river boat trip was fun, it was not quite what was originally expected, as the stern paddle wheel did not

function at all (see photo). It was a peaceful trip, however, and was also impressive, observing the many floating obstructions coming down the river. I can now fully understand the dilemma’s involved in navigating this river onboard the early stern wheelers. The photo above shows the group boarding the riverboat, while the picture below is of

8 the stern paddle wheel with another photo of the river itself. There was a lively discussion, while proceeding down the river, as to just which direction the river was flowing.

After docking at Kimmswick, this quant riverside town was the location of our lunch at the Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery, which was very good. The town itself was “unique”, full of a lot of “brick a brake” , for those who may be interested. This was followed by a bus trip back to the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel, where the bulk of the conference took place Friday and Saturday.

There were, as stated above, a number of excellent ship models brought in and put on display in the vendor’s room. Unfortunately, some of the modeler’s names I did not see, but many of them I did. One model that was very intriguing was of a bomb vessel of 1742, with plans drawn by Jeff Staudt, the model of which is shown here. There was also the cross section of the Echo built by Greg Herbert. Admiralty Models sells this scratch kit for those who may be interested and is also the subject of one of the lectures that David and Greg conduct which your editor was trying to have done here in the West Coast, but could not obtain enough people to attend the class. Maybe someday in the future this class can be conducted, which is usually on the weekend. If anyone is interested, please let me know.

There were two models brought in by our honorary member, Gus Agustin, an exquisite model of the Royal William at 16”=1’ scale and the other of an English yacht in even a smaller scale. Space in the newsletter does not allow me to present the photos off all the models, but I have to include the model of the Royal William, which is Gus’s latest effort. This model will be brought to Tokyo next April for the ROPE 40th Exhibition. Right alongside Gus’s model of the Royal William is the very exceptional Swan Class model of the Fly by Bill Maxwell. The model is so well done that Bill even provided a flashlight so that the viewer could use it to see all the detail inside the model, which

9 otherwise would be virtually impossible to see. Bill even went to the detail of installing a “scale” coin at the base of the main mast – only to be seen via the flashlight, since it gives off a “sparkle”.

There were several other exceptional models on display, the Hannah by Tony Levine, an un‐ named boat by Steve Wheeler (who did an excellent presentation on Electroplating at the round table sessions), a New England pink stern Schooner ca. 1840 by Bob Filipowski, a Queen Hatshepsut obelisk barge by John McGann and many others.

The following page has pictures of the pink stern schooner, the Queen Hatshepsut obelisk barge (which was also at our 1998 Queen Mary Conference), several representative models of Mississippi stern wheelers and the side paddle wheeler Portland along with several overall shots of the vendor/model display area, one featuring the fine model of the HMS Ardent of 1764. All in all, this was a good conference. I only wish there had been more speakers!

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11 The Royal Navy Fireship Comet of 1783 A monograph on the building of the model

By David Antscherl Florence, OR: SeaWatchBooks, LLC, 2014 11” X 8 ½ “, hardcover, 160 pages with color illustrations 6 sheets of plans Photographs, appendices, notes, references Case bound with Jacket ISBN: 978‐99040341‐0‐1‐2 Manufactured in the United States of America

The first thing I would say about this latest creation by David is that, if you have purchased the Swan Group series of books by David and Greg, then you MUST have this book as an addition, as there are many details in the book that are not covered in the Swan series. Conversely, reference is made to the Swan series of books as required and is NOT repeated in this volume.

The subject of the book itself is of great interest, as this is the only book on modeling a Royal Navy fireship that I am aware of. There is a full description of the history of the HMS Comet including her initial construction by a private ship yard for the Royal Navy. To start off, there are 6 sheets of plans included with the book which are highly detailed, providing the ship modeler with all the necessary details for the actual construction of the ship’s hull, with many added details. The plans are also drawn by David to the correct scale.

The present model was completed, with full frames and planking, up to the level of the gun deck, where this book starts. Chapter one begins by describing the fire deck. There are MANY differences between a standard sixth‐rate ship‐ rigged sloop and a fireship and this book details all the differences. For one thing, the galley stove is in the wrong location – astern. The fire port arrangements are fully described, as well as the fire troughs and other incendiary devices in chapter one.

Chapter two describes, in detail, the weather deck details including the windlass (an unusual feature in itself), and other details of the weather deck. David then goes into great

12 detail on the lower counter and tafferel construction. For those who went to the NRG Conference in St.

Louis, David’s round table on his method of installing the frieze was fully covered – it is also fully covered in the book. The ship was highly decorated for a sixth rate and the stern is a real work in decoration – this is fully detailed and explained in the book in chapter three including his method of carving the small details on the stern tafferel, the cap rail, and the coves required.

Chapter four involves the differences between the normal sixth‐rate weather decks and bulwarks and those built into the fireship, some of which are identical to the normal sixth‐rate and some of which are completely different, such as fire trunk scuttles. It is amazing that such detail went into this ship, which was ultimately “expended” (burnt) in the attack on Dunkirk in July of 1800.

The completion of the deck fittings, including the cathead installation, is covered in Chapter five. Descriptions include the very different installation of the windlass and pawls, the brake pumps, and the unusual “Quarter Deck” rail, capstan, and ships wheel. In an appendix, David also describes his method of making scale belaying pins, which I found very interesting.

Chapter six describes the unusual fire ports, hinges and hooks along with some painting techniques that were intriguing. The headwork was then fully described and illustrated, which again was different from normal ship installations, since the bolsters were mounted high. The upper planksheer and carronade mounts amidships were also fully described along with many additional details on ship construction, including the tafferel rail.

Other details on bulwark construction are included in chapter seven, which include, among other things, chesstrees, fenders, entry steps, and channels and stools. All of the detail involved in many of these items is fully demonstrated and explained both verbally and with excellent drawings and pictures. The next chapter involves a full explanation of the methods of construction for the headwork, including the lower rail, head timbers, false rail, head beam, head carlings, head ledges and even the

13 Chapters nine and ten cover the very difficult construction of the quarter and stern gallery, which is one aspect of ship model construction that is NOT covered in the Swan group series, since those ships did not have quarter galleries. Again, many drawings and pictures are included in a step by step description of the method used to construct these difficult aspects of a ship model.

The methods used to carve the quarter gallery figures and the figurehead are illustrated and described in the next chapter. Again, this is a “tour de force” on carving and is something every modeler will eventually have to try. I am, by no means, an expert in this area but consider myself at least a beginner in this type of effort. I gained a lot of information from this entire book and had some things explained to me that I was formally unsure of.

Included, at the end of the volume, are some fine color prints of the ship itself at the time of publication of the book. As David indicates, the model will eventually be fully masted and rigged in the future. This book is a fine addition to any ship modeler’s library and is highly recommended. THE ROYAL NAVY FIRESHIP COMET OF 1783 by David Antscherl is available from www.seawatchbooks.com at a cost of $65.00 plus shipping/handling. Check out Bob Friedman’s web site above!

14 NOVEMBER AUCTION

The auction this month should be a good one. There will be a lot of items up for bid at VERY GOOD prices. Some of the items will be brand new, others will be older but still in excellent condition. There will be a lot of kits, both plank‐on‐frame and solid hull, plans, and other items including tools. In addition, there are a few items which will not be at the Wednesday evening auction, but will be available for those who are interested as indicated below. A List of some of the items that will be there are:

Starting bid

1. IJN NAGATO – a premier plastic model kit by Hasegawa ‐ $50.00 2. HMS Swift – Aeropiccola kit – plank –on‐frame ‐ $25.00 3. Wille Bennett – Model Shipways – Solid hull ‐ $25.00 4. H.M.S. Bellona – Corel – Plank‐on‐frame ‐ $50.00 5. Mayflower – Model Shipways – Solid hull ‐ $35.00 6. Dorado – Bluejacket – solid hull ‐ $20.00 7. Gjoa – Model shipways – solid hull ‐ $20.00 8. Flying Fish – Model Shipways – plank‐on‐frame – started $25.00 9. Scottish Maid – Artesania Latina – plank‐on‐frame ‐ $30.00 10. New Bedford Whaleboat – Model Shipways – Plank‐on‐frame $25.00 11. H.M.S. Victory – Mantua – Plank‐on‐frame ‐ $75.00 12. Ships plans (portfolio) $25.00 13. Many other items which will be brought in by SMA members.

Also, there are a few items pictured below that will NOT be at the auction but are for sale for SMA members who may be interested. They are available from Frank Wilhite and available for pick‐up from his house: 1195 N. Caswell Ave, Pomona. If anyone is interested, please call him at (909) 865‐1238. Pictured at left is the Cummins Precision Mini Lathe with

15 accessories. The next two pictures are of the Taig Micro Mill with mounted vice (2) and the Delta 18” scroll saw with stand (3). These items are too large to bring to the auction. There are additional items

The additional items are:

1. 10 in. Ryobi Compound Miter Saw

2. Ryobi bench table saw

3. Ryobi bench 5 speed drill press

Also, there are a number of started kits that Frank will part with (Free):

1. 1:78 scale CUTTY SARK (kit)

2. 1:78 scratch Admiralty model CONFEDERACY

3. 1:75 BLUENOSE II (kit)

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SMA Auction

This is another reminder that this is the auction month. You MUST be an SMA member to participate in the auction. All proceeds will go to the SMA individual who is donating the items for auction unless they are designated for the club.

Female quartet to sing again

The CHRISTMAS SMA MEETING will again feature an all girl quartet to sing for us and help us celebrate Christmas and the New Year. They will be the same group that performed for us last year. Thanks, Bob.

Japan in 2015

The ROPE in Tokyo, Japan will have a very special Exhibition #40 next year in Japan. The SMA is a sister club of the ROPE, and as such, I would like to have SMA members think about going to Japan next year for their 40th Exhibition as well as bringing a model. Please consider this opportunity. Contact Don Dressel if you are at all interested. The dates are April 12 through April 19, 2015, which includes a special event on April 19th.

Treasurer’s Report

Mike DiCerbo reports that there is $1779.61 in the SMA account for the end of October.

Web Manager’s Report

The Webmaster, Doug Tolbert, is pleased to announce that there are now 480 SMA Newsletters of the past on line in pdf format on the SMA website. The issues go back to 1974. The latest 12 issues are restricted to SMA members only.

Chart of the hits experienced by our SMA web page through the end of Oct. 2014.

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John Bakker’s HMS Roebuck

Donald C. Dressel 908 W. 22nd Street, Upland, CA. 91784-1229

Next meeting Wednesday, November 19, 7:30 PM, Hillcrest Park Red Cross Building

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