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As the 1900sclose out in a few daysit kidding." Somemore kit ideas.I guess givesme pauseto wonderwhat we'll see we'll haveto wait and see.Oh yes,the in the next century (andmillenium) that will aliens will look nothing like the big headed, crossour model benches. pointy eyed types that appearin the movies or even in kit form. They will all The 20th Century saw some of the greatest look like RossPerot. Or Milton Berle in technological advancesthe planet has drag.Ewww. ever seenand since the vast majority of the subjectswe chooseto model are We have abbreviatedthe years to the last '98,'99 products of the 20th century,will our 2 digits- andso on.Is thereagood grandchildrenwant to build models of B- abbreviation for 2000? I've stretchedthis 52sandF-15s? one about as far as I could whilst waiting for the glue to dry on my Buffalo canopy: Who knows,they'll probablystill be in ought-ought, zed-zed,naught-naught (or front line service. doublenaught, courtesy ofJethro Bodine), zero-zero,or just plain 2000. Maybe I Will there be new airplanesand vehicles shouldjust changeglues to something developedthat somefuture kit manufac- that dries faster... turerwill produce? And lastly to all the membersof our fine Will something yet to be invented take the group: It has been my sincerepleasure to placeof our hobby or modify it someway? talk to you, ask questionson techniques Will we evenhave plastic model kits in (and answerquestions on techniques)and twenty or thirty years?My heirs apparent sharein this most enjoyableof hobbies show little interestin my garageo' kits but with you all. I think we havethe finest possiblyin a few decadesplastic may group of modelers anywhere and on behalf becomeas valuableas gold....Nahhh.Who of the rest of the executive staff of IPMS/ knows what will happento them. Predict- Seattle,I wish you happinessalways and ing the future is damn near impossible' We best wishes for the New Year. all laugh at the guy who a hundred years or so ago claimed that "there is nothing Seeyou at the meeting (and remember to left to invent." Let's see:airplanes, TV 8- bring goodies!), track tapes,electric guitars, Siegfried and Roy, to name afew. Admittedly, there have been a handful of clunkers like the Edsel Terurt/ and the Fisher P-75 Eagle.We all have bad days. Who knows what fabulous machine will show up in the next century that Tamigawarevellogramfix will produce a kit of. Maybe someonewill actually produce an affordable and workable flying car.Two or three kits right there. Then again,not all 20th Century subjectshave been rendered in kit form. Maybe we'll seea modelof the Curtis-GoupilDuck or CapelisXC- 12 ! Also, the aliens that have been tricking us for the last fifty yearsby flying over just out of camerafocus range or turning on all their lights and flying at night will finally tire of the joke, land somewherein a denselypopulated area and say'Just IPMS-USA Newsletter

SBATTLE CHAPTER CONTACTS President: Treasurer: Editor: President: Vice ) TerryMoore Keithlaird NormFiler RobertAllen 3612- 201stPl. S.W. 528 South2nd Ave. 16510N.E. 99th 12534NE 128thWay #E3 Lynnwood,WA 98036 Kent, WA 98032 Redmond,WA 98052 Kirkland, WA 98034 Ph: 425-774-6343 Ph: 253-854-9148 Ph: 425-885-7213 Ph: 425-823-4658 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

IPMS SeatrleWeb Site (Webmasters,Jon Fincher & Tracy White): ht@://www.ipms-seattle.org

Public Disclaimers,Information, and Appeals for Help

This is the official publication of the Seattle Chapter, IPMS-USA. As such, it servesas the voice for our Chapter, and dependslargely upon the generouscontributions of our members for articles, comments, club news, and anything else involving plastic scale modeling and associatedsubjects. Our meetingsare generally held each month, (seebelow for actual meeting dates),at the Washington National Guard Armory, AM' and usually off 15th Ave. NW, just to the west side of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. Seethe back page for a map. Our meetings begin at l0:00 last for two to three hours. Our meetings :re very informal, and are open to any interestedplastic modeler, regardlessof interests. Modelers are encouragedto bring their models to the meetings. Subscriptionsto the newsletter are included with the Chapter dues. Dues are $24 a year, (or $18 a year for Internet newsletter only) and may be paid to Norm Filer, our Treasurer.(See addressabove). We also highly recommend our members join and support IPMS-USA, the national organization. See below for form. Any of the members listed above wiII gladly assist you with further information about the Chapter or Society. The views and opinions expressedin this newsletter are those of the individual writers, and do not constitute the official position of the Chapter or IpMS-USA. you are encouragedto submit any material for this newsletter to the editor. He will gladly work with you and see that your material is put into print and included in the newsletter, no matter your level of writing experienceor computer expertise. The newsletter is currently being edited using a PC, and PageMaker 6.5. Any Word or WordPerfect document for the PC would be suitable for publication- Articles can also be submitted via e-mail. to the editor's addressabove. Deadline for submission of articles is generally ten days prior to the next meeting. Pleasecall meat425-823-4658ifyou have any questrons. If you use or reprint the material contained in the newsletter, we would appreciateattribution both to the author and the source document. Our newsletter is preparedwith one thing in mind; this is information for our members, and all fellow modelers, and is prepared and printed in the newsletter in order to expand the skills and knowledge of those fellow modelers.

Upcoming Meeting Datcs The IpMS/Se attle 199912000meeting scheduleis as follows. To avoid conflicts with previously scheduledIPMS eventsand National Guard activities at the Armory, pleasenote that some of our meeting days fall on the third Saturdayof the month, not the traditional secondSaturday. We suggestthat you keep this information in a readily accessableplace. All meetings begin at l0:00 AM.

December 11,1999 (2ndsaturday) January 8,20fi) (3rd saturday) February 12,2OOO(2ndsaturday) March 11,20fi) (2nd Saturday) SPRING MEET!

I |i1,.,!f; fr;fi.: li*Jva blat4i ,&.r3{ilEF,r"t Remember to bring

glei*: cookies, cakes, soft drinks, C''its*...... , . Jip and other goodies to the the Iii{*etEr+ by P*i: irer}uir*(l . x meeting. It's I December LL [J *r*utt: $tp ff Jr:n'i*r{':1f t€ers tld or:d]ilftg.e{l SS I our Holiday munchfest il Tr..iti*lu,lsnl{-rer; $1 I fJf"w^snh * ,ri{e}nif,$]S25 t Ottter Fnraillr: $n* r il Fa#rii^vIp,dGlt liuati .'S5" *itd tel rus0iirit'les-#uf ln*m'b+:lshiL,c*trls r#rj*ir:sd--. meeting! fl lf recorrrmerldgri'lri* err lFldl5 n'iemb*f,. ---J,IFEIEEI l:.$lliiti;}.,f I riirnl# ir|ll .."1*'xst,r'lulli*6f iriirTl|] j ---. 1:-1." l.: ,j i. ; lr'.{.}.Xlnx: frl-4$ !\'atner tr{uhins"tl.t -lI t}-q5"fi 1-1$

Lss--.gr ---rr Seattle Chapter I PM S-U SA Newsletter Page 3

Selling Out The Children: A of enemy shipping were sent to the bottom the Swordfish'simportance as a biplane? of the seasdue to Swordfish activity. And Again, look at the numbers produced: Swordfish Model or a almost every major Germancapital warship 2,392, andflying in a total of 89 Squadrons. College Education? was at one time or another engagedby Surely this ranks the airplane near the top Swordfish: Scharnhorst. Gnei senau, P rinz of any list of military biplanes,either Eugen, Tirpitz, andBismark, the attacks WWl, post-war,or WW2? And in the by Andrew Birkbeck on the latterbeing the most well known. history of world naval aviation? Again, surely it must place in the top ten in terms Time was when a new modelrelease cost The Swordfish squadronsas mentioned, of missions flown and enemy ships sunk $1.49.Now they areheading towards servedin every theaterof the war, from the or damaged?The Swordfish, then, is a bankrupting the children's college fund. opening campaignsin Norway, to Atlantic very important aircraft, period. While a slight exaggeration,Tamiya and Mediterranean convoy duties. They America really has pulled out all the stops were involved in ground attackson Italian Now back to the Tamiya kit. What do you on the cost of Tamiya'snewest l/48th forces in Libya, and the defenseofCrete get for your $88? Five spruesof aircraft aircraft release,the Fairey Swordfish. This and Cyprus. They took part in Operation parts, plus two of ordinance,and one small baby weighs in at a full retail price of $68, Torch in North Africa, attackson Vichy clear sprue,make up the kit. For an plus the obligatory$13 Tamiya-supplied French forces in Madagascar,and RAF additional $13, you can purchasethe etched set, so that with tax, you are out Coastal Command operationsin support of etched metal set covering bracing wire and $88. But more on the price a little later. the D-Day landings. And of course against engine details plus some other odds and Japaneseforces in the Far East. However, ends. I personally feel that to do the model The questionreally is, how badly doesone justice, you needthe etchedset. needa Swordfishmodel in one'scollec- That the etchedset wasn't tion? The answer,I would argue,is that if includedas part ofthe regular you have any interest in British WW2 kit is a crime, given the $68 price aircrafl, then you must have a Swordfish. If tag. (ln Japan,where the kit you have an interest in carrier based retails for a yen equivalent of aviation, then again, you must have a $40,the etched set omission is a Swordfish. And if you have an interest in little more acceptable). military biplanes,then yet again, you must havea Swordfish.If you fall into any of The plastic parts themselvesare these interest categoriesread on. probably the best so far from Tamiya. The fuselagehalves are The Fairey Swordfish first enteredBritish simply gorgeous,and the fabric squadronservice in 1936,and hard as this effect on the winss I think is might be to fathom,it soldieredon until the it is with their key role in the attackon the very well done.The engineis very well very end of WW2, with a staggeing2,392 Italian fleet at Tarantothat the Swordfish detailed,especially when the etchedset is aircraft being manufactured,in three squadronsare most identified. For on employed,with detailbeing clearly visible Marks. Only the British enteredand exited NovemberI lth l940,twowavesof on the Swordfish from both the front and WW2 with a biplane actively engagedin Swordfish launchedfrom the carriersIIMS rearof the engine. front line squadronservice in their Fleet air Illustrious and HMS Eagle, totaling 12 force in any numbers.And not just in small and 9 Swordfish respectively,attacked the And what of thewings, and how easily numbers, as the Swordfish was to be Italian fleet at Taranto.Despite the dark of they attach to the fuselage?Judging from found on every front in WW2, serving in a night operation, strong flak installations, the instructions,the builder shouldhave 30 front line squadronsand no less than 59 barrage balloons, and torpedo nets, this little difficulty aligning the wings well, due secondarysquadrons. small force of aircraft managedto severely to the engineering that has gone into the damagethree battleships, a cruiser and kit's design. And the etchedbracing wires From the immediate outbreakof hostilities two destroyers,along with seaplane and alsolook like they positionvery positively. betweenGerman and British forces in oil storagefacilities, for the loss of two September1939, the Swordfishwas in the aircraft. If nothing else, the JapaneseNavy There are two areasof major weaknessin thick of things, and servedwith distinction noted this little episodewith great interest. the kit. The first is in the ordinanceset, both as a carrier basedaircraft, as well as which contains what looks like the same from land bases.Swordfish were credited Obviously, then, the Swordfish was a very poorly produced rockets that came with with 12 outright U-boat kills, as well as important aircraft, both in numbers the Beaufighter kit from Tamiya.There is sharing a further 8 kills with surface ships. produced, and in missions engaged,for however a very good torpedo, as well as On top of this, tens of thousandsof tons the British forces in WW2. And in terms of 250 pound bombs,and smokebombs, Seattle Chapter IPMS-U SA Newsletter Page 4 although why Tamiya refer to the bombs Classic Airframes might have produced the British modelingpress showinglhat a as ll3 kg, I don't know. Yes,I know I 13 kg one. And if they had, the kit would not be jn:ilJ,:',::lJjffJiff is just about 250 pounds,but the British in the sameleague as this kit on offer from ::il*: :';:o didn't go metric until well after the end of Tamiya. So if you fit into one or more of Well worth acquiring. ww2. the three categorieslisted earlier, then I supposeyou haveto make a choice.Since The Swordfish Story by Sturtivant and The second problem with the kit involves you need a Swordfish, you can spendnext Swordfish at Warby Harrison are also the color and markings instructions and to nothing on the old Smer kit, wherein worth having, but for the history behind the decals.The latter are by Tamiya in your model will not be to the samescale as the Swordfish, rather than the photo- Japan, and are consequentlyon the thick anythingelse in your collection(Smer's kit graphic coverage.I have always felt that side, although my experiencewith these is is 1/50th),and willbe apoorrepresentation the "At War" seriesof books slipped that they do settle down nicely over of the Swordfish. You could opt for the rather badly when it came to the quality of surfacedetail. Xtradecal of the UK have $200 resin kit, wherein the relatively much its photographic reproduction. already issued an aftermarket set of decals cheaperTamiya kit will look like a bargainl for the Swordfish, basedon the artwork The Tamiya kit will also go together a lot A very useful article ifyou can find it, is from the MDC kit's decals(a resin kit easierthan the resinkit aswell. from an old issue ofScale Aircraft issued a few years back, and costing Modelling, in the "Ian Huntley column" o $200!) and printed by Microscale. How- However, thanks to the good fortune of series,titled "The evolution of FAA ever, there are no Mark I schemeson this your living in or nearSeattle, you don't camouflage TTIE FAIREY SWORDFISH decal sheet.However, I am sureyou will haveto pay $68 plus $13 for your Sword- 1938-1942".I havethis article,should seea number of other aftermarket sheets fish. For Kevin Callahanof The Supply anyone wish a photocopy, but unfortu- rL''.|- from the various British producers,and Depot is charging$48 (tax included)for the nately, I don't have the exact issue of perhapsAeromaster. There certainly won't kit, and$9.75 forthe etchedset. Emil SAM it came from. [Vol. I 3, No. I 0, July t, t. ,a 7 be a lack of potentialschemes ! Minerich of Skyway Model Shop also had tgg I - EDI You seeI tear up every model 4 -"4 the Swordfishon a pre-orderspecial. And magazineI get, keeping only the articles i It is the kit's color andmarking instruc- at $48,I canunreservedly recommend that interestme. And I must be subcon- ",'s\c as I don't note which tions however, where some terrible, and Tamiya's Swordfishto anyoncinterested sciouslyselfish, ^ul from. sinceafter all. inexcusableerrors exist. First, there is one in having a first rate kit that will give many issuean articlecomes ry of my pet peeves.Tamiya has decided to hours of pleasureto anyonewho chooses already have it, and such information V call out the colorsfor the various schemes to actuallybuild thekit. However,if your would only be usefulto someoneelse... basedon the paint namesfrom their own intention isjust to look over the plastic line of paint. Consequently,what should parts prior to tossing it onto an already Finally, thanks to the powers of the be listed as Dark SlateGrey is in fact listed high pile of unbuilt kits, I suggestlooking Intemet, we have the following web page as "Luftwaffe Grey Violet". But there is at somethinga little more affordable. which containsa "SwordfishWalk- worseto follow, for what shouldbe listed around" so to speak: asExtra Dark SeaGrey is listed as "AS-9 On the subjectofreferences to help build RAFDark Green"! Sorry folks, butDark your Swordfishkit, one shouldlook out for http://homepages.tesco.neU Green is an RAF color, not a Fleet Air Arm thefollowing, -veronica. hubbard/lValkrounds/Sword- color.Perhaps Tamiya used the Alan Hall , fish/swordfish.html "Warpaint" book on the Swordfish for Warpaint SeriesNo. 12 Fairey Swordfish their color information, Iooking at the color by W.A. Harrison. This book offers a great chart supplied in this book, without numberof color profiles,as well asdecent actually reading what the colors were. For photographic coverageof the Swordfish, in the "Warpaint" book, the square listed and is certainly the most readily available Magazine Wanted asExtra Dark SeaGrey does indeed look to sourcein Seattle.Both The Supply Depot be Dark Green.Anyway, two out of the and Skyway Model Shop have had this I'm looking for a copy of ScaleAviation three schemeslisted in the Tamiya book recently. Modeller,Vol. 3, Issue3. I'm interestedin instructions are therefore grossly in error. c the 7172dscale drawings for the Brewster A more useful book in terms of pure "detail FZA-l/z.If you havea copy (not a So is the kit "worth" the money asked? shots" is AeroguideClassics No.4, Fairey photocopy), I'd like to buy/borrow it to Well, this all dependson where one Swordfish Mks. I-il. The Aeroguide series help build a model of a Finnish Brewster stands.Firstly, one year ago, I would have was an excellent source on post-WW2 239.Thanks. bet my hard earnedmoney that we would British military aircraft, and also covereda never see a decentinjection molded few W-W2 types in their "Classics" series, MichaelMorrow Swordfishkit in l/48th scale.And if such as the Swordfish, Tiger Moth, Spitfire Q06937-285r pressed,I might have concededthat one etc. Sadly, they are now out of print, e-mail: aeroaces@ netzero.net of the limited run firms, such as HiPM or although I have seenan advertisementin

44 -4|/' AF +a seattlechapter I PM s -u sA Newsletter Page 5

Cockpit: An Illustrated The shots are naturally aimed at the main that raises some doubts about the abso- History of World Wur II instrument panel, but usually manageto lute authenticity of what you seehere. There are a few aircraft from private Donald include a significant portion of Aircraft Interiors, by windscreen,stick, floor, one sidewall and a collections(he P-51 andP-47, for example) Nijboer with photographs bit of seat and harness.The views are that I have reservationsabout, but nearly by Dan Patterson accompaniedby a smaller annotated all of the other subjectsare in the collec- version in black and white. There's not tions of museumsrenowned for their enoughhere to build a whole cockpit,but scholarship' review by Greg Reynolds there more than enough to paint a whole cockpit. Of course,the book would be a little dry This book has been out for a while, but it for the generalpublic if it were recentlypopped up in FSM andon R.M.S. exclusivelyinterior photos,so I first read about Cockpit in Air and Space thereis alsoa fine collection Smithsonian several months ago. There of exterior views. Theseare was a mini article describingthe co- mostly rare WWII color operation of the NASM and other muse- photographs,many of which ums, the photographic techniquesand are stunningly printed full vision of the authors.They soughtto page.Each subjectis com- capturenot just instruments in technical pleted by a brief aircraft detail, but the cockpit ambianceon film. history andpilot's comments. Despitethe sub-title,it was illustratedwith a full pageillustration of the cockpitof the Now I can answer the HughesH-1 racer.Well, I was sold.I had to questionI posed several haveone immediately. When it came,I was issuesago: the interior ofthe disappointed.But, I was a victim of my P-39is indeedblack overall! own expectation.Now that I've had a few months to re-read and mull over the book, Aircraft coveredare: I've changedmy mind completely. United Kingdom: Gladiator First, I'll spareyou my disappointment. MkI. SwordfishMkII. This book is NOT a "walk around". If you Hurricane Mk IB, Spitfire Mk are looking for a Maru Mechanic, Model tr,BlenheimMkIY Graphix,ortech manual,forgetit. You will BeaufighterMk IC. Mosquito not find anything like comprehensive Mk 35.Typhoon Mk IB, coverageofthe subjects.Cockpit is, in the LancasterMkVII end. a coffee table book. Furthermore, despitemy palpitationson seeingthe H-1, USA: P-35.A.,P-38L, P-39Q, the subjectscovered are strictly WWII P-408. P47D, F-6D (P-5lD military, and mostly prosaic onesat that. recon),P-59B, A-20G, B- 17 G,B-24D,8-25B' Having gotten that out of my system,does After my disappointmentwore off, I B-26G,B-29, FM-2,F6F-3,FG-1D, SBD-5 the book have any value to the model realizedthat this book is an invaluable builder? You bet! Color. Lots and lots of resourcefor finishing WWII cockpits. Japan:A6M3, Ki-46-tr, N1K2-Ja,Ki-1 00-IIB colors. Those old axioms I learned25 years ago aboutinteriorcolors - Germany:RLM 02, Russia:Yak-3 The centerpieceof each subject is one US: zinc chromate,Japan: metallic blue - (regrettably,only one) full-page cockpit are laughable.The truth is: there are no Germany:Bf 109G-2,Fw 190D-9,Ju 87G-2, photograph. Thanks to Dan Patterson's "rules". The variety of shadesof grays, Me 470AllJ2, Me 1638, Me 2624-I A masterful use of lighting and lenses,these green and blues is amazing, sometimes views capture a lot. More than you and I evenin the samecockpit. Then,there's the Howell Press.USA. 1998.ISDNl-57421- have ever managed,popping our heads colors of all the handles,knobs, straps, 068-0. Hardbound,9 x 12", l76pages, and camerasinto cockpits at airshows! tubing, wiring, instruments and so on. The indexed.List $39.95. Amazon$27 .97 . Whatever Dan gets in the lens is well lit only rule I can see,is that you can't tell and in striking focus. There are no dark squat from black and white photographs! and murky corners in these photographs. These are of course, restored aircraft and IPMS-USA Newsletter

The Image of Modelers in Airfix car modelsin the 1970swhile he was youth, by the way.) This got me thinking the Real World between bands.I'll mention in passing that about "Private Lee" and how I portray my he was strung out on heroin during that statusas a modeler to the rest of the world. period, but that shouldn't diminish the I chooseto keep it pretty close to the vest by Lee Kolosna,IPMS Eagle endorsementtoo much. More often than and not make a big deal about it. Too often Squadnon not, it has been the other way around, with I've seenmodel railroadersget teasedby modelersbeing thought of in more or less their colleaguesat the office. While the the same light as model railroaders: grown kidding is generally good natured,it still On an X- F iles episodeentitled "Piper up men and women who still play with has the underlying implication that a Maru", Dana Scully and Fox Mulder are toys. We modelersknow this not to be modeleris a personwho is in a stateof looking at a video taken by an underwater true, of course,but it definitely tempers the arresteddevelopment - that despite being submersibleof a crashedWorld War II image we sharewith outsiders. adults, they still play with toys. Spending airplane in the Pacific. As the camera hours poring over photographs in books works its way around the barnaclesand I've noticedthat wooden ship modelers attempting to discern the differences other sealife, the windscreen comesinto seemto escapethis scrutiny, or at least between different variants of a vintage view. Agent Scully says,"What a minute, they appear to be more respectedby the aircraft is dehnitely not child's play. But Mulder! I know that airplane.It's a P-51 generalpublic. This may come from the explainingthat to thosewho don't Mustang!I rememberwhenI was achild fact that they generally eschewplastic kits, understandrarely is worth the time, I've that my father and brother built a model of which has been associatedwith kids and found. My hobby is for me and my one." Mulder looks at her incredulously childish pursuitsever sincestyrene enjoyment, so I tend to keep it personal, and says,"Ijust got incredibly turnedon!" modelswere introduced in theearly 1950s. sharing the experienceonly with other Wow! DanaScully knows P-5ls! And The fact that wooden ship models have modelers.I also happento collect porce- better yet, models! In typical X-Files beenbuilt by artisansfor centuries lain Christmasvillage pieces and don't fashion,however, Scully reactswith probably helps,too. It seemsthat a lot of make that very public, either. Oops. I guess indifference to Mulder's retort. No matter. millionaires (or at least the oneson TV) Ijust did. In my book, Dana (or perhapseven Gillian have a model of a racing schooneror Anderson) has a positive view of model- clipper ship festooning their smoking A member of the IPMS Houston chapter ers.Same with Mulder. In fact. it seems rooms, placedprominently next to the bar once posted on RMS the story of how his that someoneon The X-Files is a big fan of with crystal decantersof Scotch, bourbon, club got a local TV station to come out to modeling. Another episode depicts an Air and other spirits. Score one for the ship one of their meetingsand film a human Forcepilot assignedto Area 51 who is modelers.But us mundaneplastic model- interestpiece. They showedcompleted having some personal problems causedby ers,who wrestlewith the newestrelease models, all of the referencematerials that strangeoccurrences around the base. In from Hasegawa,aren't in that category. were used,how seriousresearch was one scene,he is clearlyworking on a 1/ required to do a historically accurate 48th scaleMonogram F-l l7 modelas Perhapsit's becausewe "cheat" by using representation,and so on. There were Mulder questionshim. Too bad the pilot a pre-manufacturedkit wherepractically all modelsof Bf 109s,a Tigertank, and some later commits suicide.We'll take what we the work (ha!) has been done for us ahead soldier figures at the meeting. They were can get. of time. All we haveto do is glue and very pleasedat the questionsthat were paint,just like when we were sevenyears asked by the reporter and how he focused Unfortunately, the few appearancesof old. Right. GeorgeCostanza, the character on the referencematerial. When they modelersin movies and TV have not on the show Seinfeld, once noted that all watched the broadcastthe next day, they always been so kind to us and our hobby. people have two sides to their individual were horrified to find out the real theme of Tim Allen on the show Home Improvement being, a public side and a privateside. He the story: Houston areaNazi lovers has shown models on a number of had a "Public George" that is the everyday recreatethe Third Reich in miniature. It occasionsin apositive light. [In a less personality the world sees.But "Private was a public relations disaster.To the positive light, what British comedy lover George" is the side that is deeply personal, generalpublic I supposethat books like can ever forget the sight of the title and contains his innermost thoughts and Uniforms of the SS,orGemany's Infantry character inThe SecretDiary of Adrian fears and deeds.In the caseofthe TV Weapons1939-1945,or Lufruaffe Em' Mole with an Aiffix l/48'h scale Spitfire V show, "Private George's" AIM password blems (alltitles in this month's Zenith glued to his nose?- EDl It's public was in contention. He didn't want to give Books catalog,by the way) look a little knowledge that Jay Leno frequents hobby it out to Elaine becauseit revealedmore dubious, no matter how scholarly the shops and buys kits of cars that he is about his private life than his wished to research. interestedin purchasingfor his real-world expose.(It tumed out to be "Bosco", the I collection. Ken Griffey Jr. builds model page 9 chocolate syrup that he enjoyed in his continuedon cars.Eric Clapton has said that he built Seattle Chapter I PM S-U SA Newslette r Page 7

Book Reviews: Halifax many years ago, sitting in the boat. Three recent books have Squadrons of World War 2 reminded me that airplanes have by Jon Lake; Percivals a direct connection with men and women.and very specificones Aircraft by Norman E. for me in thesecases. Ellison; English Electric by Derek James Halifax Squadronsof World War 2 is number 14 in the Osprey Combat Aircraft series,which reviewsby RobertAllen with its companion series Aircraft of the Aces, seemsto be When we're building a model of a pieceof one of the great aviation hardware,whether airplane,car, or ship, publishing successstories of the that's clftenall it is to us - a piece of decade(although the author of hardware.We sometimesforget that these one of the other books in the machineswere made by and for people. seriesrecently told me that he Oh, we may know the nameof the pilot or was surprised to have boxes of race car driver, and perhapsa little about remainderedcopies in his them, but more often than not, they're just basement).There's a subtlebut disembodiednames. Of courseif we've significanttwist to this seriesas actually been involved in someway with opposedto the Aces one, the aircraft, or driven the car, that's a relatedto the different nature of different story. Terry Moore's model of the fighter versus bomber opera- Miss Exide hydroplane, featured last tions;it's much more concerned month, is a perfect example - Terry was with the units than singling out spurredinto building the model by individual pilots.Lake's book is on-going controversy about the merits of rediscovering a photo of himself taken one of the better ones in the seriesfor threereasons - he's a writer RAF areabombing and USAAF precision than will offer his opinions bombingis virtually meaningless,because on things, whetherthey're in practicethere was little difference, and the prevailing viewpoint or RAF Bomber Commandwas more accurate not; the Halifax servedin a anyway. "In the latter part of the war," variety ofroles often not Lake states,"RAF Bomber Commandwas covered by other books; actually more successfulat placing its and Halifax variants(with bombs on target than was the Eighth Air differing engines,turrets, Force." Lake may be starting his own and tail configurations), and firestorm here, but he backs up his ,esrt [*]se markings, changedmuch assertions. more widely than other British aircraft, making the Less controversial, but handled equally forty color platesmore than well, arehis sectionson the Halifax's use just a mush of Dark Green, outside regular Bomber Command squad- DarkEarth, andNight. rons, as a Pathfinder Force aircraft, Special Operations aircraft (an RAF Halifax flew a Lake makes a couple of Soviet spy team into Austria, with tragic claims at which many will results),ECM jammer, CoastalCommand raise their eyebrows.First patrol aircraft, glider tug, and transport. he statesthat, "the Her- Like the B-24, with which it is often cules-enginedHalifax was compared,the Halifax was supremely even superior to the adaptableto a variety of roles. Lancaster,with bettermulti- role versatility and a lower The personalangle? My namesake,Bob lossrate by war's end." Allen, my grandfather'sbrother's son (if Secondly, he statesthat the any of you out there are genealogists,I'd love to know the exactrelationship), flew book's title is not a misprint; it late-modelHalifaxes with Nos. 76 and 17I CaptainEdgar Percival gave his Squadrons.I've alwaysmeant to do a name to severaldifferent model of one of his aircraft, using the companiesover the course of his ancient Airfix kit. He no longer has his career.The most well-known, of logbook, so he can't quoteme a specific course,was Percival Aircraft aircraft, but he maintains that most aircraft Ltd., which manufacturedsuch were not assignedto an individual crew aircraft a"sthe VegaGull, Proctor, anyway. Lake's book hasnice profiles of and Provost, and which meta- aircraft from both squadrons- pity about morphosedinto Hunting- the hard-to-reproducenose art shown on Percival. both aircraft! Ellison providesan excellent Chalford Publishing/Iempus Publishing' s selectionof photosshowing the two series,Archive Photographs,and rangeofplanes madeby the Images of England (which is part of the different companies,their varied aforementionedseries), are hard to find in uses,and the markingsapplied this country,which is a pity, becausethe to them. BecausePercival made books are gems. Paperbackbooks measur- mostly trainer and light transport ing9.25" by 6.5" andcontaining 128 aircraft, thereare a number of pages,they are picture essayscovering differencescompared with a specific aircraft companies,with just history of a companythat made enoughtext to put things in perspective. combat aircraft.Percivals were The photos are printed on good-quality, flown by many prominent private though not glossy, paper. Strangely pilots; there are photos of the 'O enough,the Percivalbook has a glossy famous aircraft usedby Beryl cover and the English Electric one a matte Markham and Alex Henshaw, - ; a.".ur,p,oau cover. The aircraft books are actuallyjust and two of authorNeville ShuteNorway " tion,",r.,-r";;,;", English Electric againbegan to part of a much largerseries; I can't for the taking delivery of a Proctor. The book is produce license-built aircraft, first life of me figure out the difference between also a treasuretrove for the small air force Hampdens,followed by Halifaxes, and the two series, becausethe design and enthusiast;Percival's planeswere tailor- Vampires;and post-war, original planes presentationare identical. The books are made for smaller air forces, and photos can were onceagain built, including the reasonablypriced, at 10 pounds(about $16 be found of an Egyptian Lebanese Q.6, brilliant Canberraand Lightning. The or so).Most of the major,and minor, Proctor,Argentinean Prentice, Belgian company was amalgamatedin 1960 with British aircraft companieshave been Pembroke,Malayan Provost...you get the Bristol and Vickers (at government covered, and the line has recently idea.There is evena photo of a pre-war request)to form the British Aircraft branchedout to profile its first US manu- Lithuanian civil-registered Percival Q.6. Corporation,primarily to build the TSR.2, facturer, Cessna.Although the focus is on aircraft have often got short shrift when possibly the greatestmight-have-been in the aircraft, one feature ofthe seriesis that comparedwith those of other British aviation history. Don't get me started. these are company histories, not just aircraft companies.Ifyou have any Since then, the Warton design offices have aircraft referencebooks - you'll find interestin the subject.I can't recommend handled the British contributions to the pictures of the design office soccerteams, this book highly enough. Jaguar,Tornado, and Eurofighter programs and even unposed photos taken at - an enviable record indeed. company Christmas dances! Derek James'English Electric inthe Images of England seriesis a marvelous James navigates this convoluted history Percivals Aircraft,in the Archive Photo- book, exceptfor one horrible error. English with skill, concentrating on the indigenous graphs series,was written by a friend of Electric (or its predecessors)had four aircraft of the between-the-warsand post- my family, Bellevue resident,and ex- distinct phasesas an aircraft company - war eras.The section on the rarely seen Percival employee,Norman Ellison, who during WWl, it built otherpeoPle's 1920sflying boats is exceptional,with was one of the flood of British aircraft designs,such as the Short 184 and many excellent photos. The Canberra gets designersand workers who came to work Sopwith Snipe; during the 20s,English the heaviestcoverage of any aircraft. as itl at Boeing in the mid-60s. Other Seattle-area Electric was amalgamatedfromfive should.with a coupleof photosof US B- J friends contributed several of the photos. companiesand began designing its own 57s thrown in for sood measure. The somewhat cumbersomeplural in the aircraft, mainly flying boats;in 1938,after Seattle Chapter I PM S-U SA N ewslette r Page 9

the symmetries and out and out The horrible error? My father,George Revell-Monogram Stdr changing Allen, worked for EE/BAC from 1949to defying (if not breaking) the laws of 1966,when my family cameto this country. Trek: Voyager Kazon physics,it was time to Paint. On page92,there is a photoof the EE Torpedo Flying Controls Group design staff, shot in The color schemeon the box was different 1959. My father is standingfourth from the from the box sidepanels, as well asthe by Bob Jones,IPMS Oklahoma right in the back row, smiling (he should direction sheet.Seeing how I had no +L Modelers Society like be, as it was takenon my secondbirth- i t Historical referencematerial (I was in the kitchen day). Unfortunately, the caption identifies the rest of you), I chosethe box lid as it him asGeorge Miles. Now I havenothing Well, as far a strangeand unusual goes, was the "studio model". Frankly, it was againstdesigner George Miles, one of the this one hits the mark as it does satisfy all simpler, but more importantly, far more Miles Brothers,but he's not my father. of the criteria - that is: There are few things in life as satisfying as public recognition, and few things as 1. It came ftom a Star Trek: Voyager deflating as getting a name wrong. There is episodethat hardly anybody saw or also a photo of the TSR.2 designteam, remembers. taken on a day when my father was meeting with Rolls-Royce at Derby. Oh, 2. It probably occupied about twenty well. Many of the photos featurefamily secondsin the obscureepisode that friends, and in other casesit's great to be nobody saw as they were fixing a able to put faces to the namesfrom my sandwich in the kitchen at the time. father's many stories. 3. Finally,the infamous"box-scale" Aside from the personalirritants, this is an that is so indicative of Star Trek fine book. As mentioned,Tempus books models leavesno doubt. believable.It was finished in brown and are hard to find in the US, but they are TestorsMetallizer Gunmetal, dry-brushed available from British merchantssuch as I am glad it fits the criteria becausein true with all sortsof stuff I can't remember, Midland County Publications,or from the Star Trekmodel fashion,that's the only weathered with oils and washedout the publisher.(Tempus Publishing Limited, thing that does fit. Now I know why I have sameway. The Mill, BrimscombePort, Stroud, never seenone built before.The challenge Gloucester,GL5 2QG, England). is to get four sideswith sixteen different In conclusion,I can sayI havefinally gone anglesto line up all at once. So, after where no man has gone before.

,-r-"*rr*r" from page 6

So, does the "Public You" boast loudly your passion,or are you much lower key about it? Do your coworkers know that you make models? Do you show them them your reference collection, oohing and aahing at your cherished copy of The Official Monogram GermanAircrafi Color Guide 1939-19457Or do you just keep a low profile? A modeler friend once told me of a successful approachhe uses to garner a glimmer of respectfrom the non-modeling world. Insteadof telling a stranger that he builds models, he instead starts with a question. "Do you know what those guys in Hollywood do, building miniatures of spaceships for Star Wars page 16 Canberra 8.2, Lightning F.6, and TSR.2on the Wartonflightline, 1965 (photo continued on BAC, via GeorgeAllen) Seattle Chapter I PM S-U SA Newslette r Page l0

Book Report: Italinn walking out of a crash site in the AIps Centocelleairport on February 14,1920. before D' Annunzio's stirring speech. The flight as,far as Delhi, was quite Aviators Rome to Tokyo in D' Annunzio, himself, withdrew from uneventful.They had flown via Bari, 1920 by Lt. Gen'I. (Ret.) leadershipofthe adventure in September Valona(Albania), Thessaloniki(Greece), of 1919to dedicatehimself to the liberation Izmir, Aydin, and Antalya (Turkey), Domenico Ludovico of Fiume, asthe Italians called Rijekain the Aleppo, Baghdad and Basrah Carnaro province of NW Croatia. MY (Mesopotamia),Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, reportby Jim Schubert Grasp of Italian history is insufficient to and Chah Bahar (Persia),an unscheduled know why the liberation of Fiume was so repair stop in the wilds of Baluchistan, IPMS-SeattlememberBill Johnsonis a importantto D'Annunzio. Hyderbad, another repair stop at an remarkablefellow in many ways;one of unnamedplace in India, to Karachi and which is his possessionof a large and After much hard lobbying, of the holders Delhi. Aniving behind Masiero, and after eclectictechnical library built over many of the purse strings of the war-weakened dark, Ferrarin made a hard landing at Delhi yearsof discriminating buying. If you're Italian economy,a plan was finallY and damagedthe undercarriageof his doing a researchproject and are stuck - approved and funded. The plan was to plane. Whilst Ferrarin's plane was being call Bill. In all likelihood he'll havemore sendtwo SVA-9 two seat trainers, each repairedMasiero took off for Calcutta but thanjust a little bit of what you're looking with a pilot and mechanic, aheadas route sufferedengine failure on climb out and for in his library to loan to you. In this case provers, pathfinders and "Hares" for a crashedheavily destroying his plane I was researchingthe civil Dornier Wals formation flight of three Caproni Ca.3 tri- without injury to himself or to Maretto. usedby explorers.When Bill handedme a motor bombersand five additional SVA-9s Ferrarin, his plane repaired,flew on to bag of books on that subject, he picked to follow. In the event,onlY the two Calcutta while Masiero and Maretto oneout and said,"I think you'll be "Hares" made it all the way to Tokyo; all continued on to Calcutta by train. After a interestedin this. "This" was the book that the others having either crashedor broken fuel stop at Allahabad and a diversion to becamethe subject of this report. down. The logistics of such an undertak- Agra to seethe Taj Mahal from the air ing were,and still are,enofinous; spare Ferrarin and Cappannini arrived safely in I've been an aviation enthusiastsince age parts,fuel, oil, spareairplanes, and even Calcutta.The Italian groundcrew severely four and have worked in the field for 47 placesto land all had to be organized, damagedFerrarin's plane while servicing it years;I pride myself on knowing a little bit procured, transported,built, staffed, and and both he and Masiero were forced to about aviation history and aeronautics; protected. take spareSVA-9s pre-positioned against but I had never heard ofthis epic flight of just such an eventuality. On final into fourltalian aviatorsin 1920.I'm calling Rangoon,the next stop, Ferrarin's over- this a "book report", like we usedto do in heatedengine seizedforcing a dead stick school to prove we'd actually read the landing and another delay for an engine book insteadof just skimming the Classic change.Masiero went on aheadto joined Comicsversion. I'm not calling it a "book Bangkok where he was a day later review", which connotessomething more by Fenarin. serious,intended to help the reader decide whether or not to buy the book. The next leg to Ubon and Hanoi was This book, anyway, has been out of print uneventful. Enroute to Canton from Hanoi for, probably, 28 years.I'm so excited to they both got lost and landed in Portu- have leamed of this episodein aviation gueseMacao to wait out the weather. The history that I want to shareit with next day they continued on to Canton. evervbodv. Due to the weather and flooding the takeoff from Canton for Foochow was GabrieleD'Annunzio, soldier,hero, poet extremely difficult. Ferrarin made it but and erstwhile aviator of WWI presented Masiero crashedin the attempt destroying the idea of a Rome-to-Tokyo flight in a the airplane; again with no personal i' &lljl'}i'#+ 5,r-;,$." S I injuries. Masiero and Maretto continued speechto "fellow" aviators at Rome's I Centocelleairfield in July of 1919.It was on to Shanghaiby boat. After the difficult his intent to lead the flight with his favorite take off from Canton Ferrarin's flightto pilot, Natale Palli. Palh flew theirAnsaldo The crews of the "Hares" were: Lt. Arturo Foochow was fairly easy.His departure SVA-9 leading sevenSVA-5s on the Ferrarin and mechanicGino Cappannini celebrated620 mile round trip, leaflet and Lt. Guido Masiero and mechanic ::il:;?:1",:":T:1il"i"'"ffi:il:*''| "bombing" raid on Vienna of August 9, Roberto Maretto; all Italian AirForce which flooded the racecoursethey were 1918.Lamentablv. Palli frozeto death veteransof WW1. They left Rome's using for a flying field. With the team Seattle Chapter I PM S-U SA N ewsletter Page Il

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safelyreassembled in Shanghai,the speeches,sight-seeing, bestowing of delaysoccasioned by weather,logistics Chineselaid on a sevenday celebrationto orders and honors, etc. the four aviators and celebrations.The averagespeed for mark the event. Having picked up and were given a rare Imperial audiencewith the time actuallyspent in the air was 99.5 preparedanother spare airplane for the Empress as surrogatefor the Emperor MPH. Masiero and Maretto the four airmen left who was ill and convalescingelsewhere. In for Tsingtao(yes, the home of the beer,) this person-to-personencounter it was Thesefour bright, clever, brave, self- then held by Japan as a mandateof the discovered that the Empress and the confident, adventurous,foolhardy aviators Treaty ofVersailles. Enroute they encoun- Italians all spoke French, at which point all died young: Ferrarin at 46 in a crash at tered another typhoon, the turbulence of she dismissed the interpretersto speak Romein 1941,Masiero at 47 in a mid-air which induced the first air sicknessof the directly with the aviators.This kind of collision over Milano in 1942,Cappannini trip. The Japaneselaid on four days of direct Imperial contact with commoners,as at 40 in actionat Tobrukin 1940,and celebrationsbefore releasingthe aviators reportedin all the Japanesenewspapers, Marettoat 50 of illnessin Paduain 1942; to continuetheirjourney. To ensurethe was shockingto the populace. all whilst still servingin the ItalianAir Italians stayedfor the fete, the Japanese Force. This is a truly great, but little refusedto give them fuel for the next leg of As a gesture of friendship the Italian known, epic in the history of aviation. It the flight to Peking until the partying was government presentedFerrarin's plane to should be noted as an epilogue, that in the over.Seven more daysofcelebrations the Japanesenation. The plane was very early 1970sAlitalia, the stateowned were held in the capitol before the flyers immediately placedin the Imperial Muni- airline of Italy, named its secondBoeing could continue again. After a fuel stop at tions Museum in Tokyo, where it remained 747 theArturo Ferrarin in its name series Mukden, they flew on to Sinuiju in Chosen displayed until destroyedby B-29 raids in of famous explorers; the first was named (Korea; anotherJapanese mandate). 1945. The author did not mention the fate theNeil Armstrong.In my opinion this is a Thence on to Seoul and Taegubefore of Masiero's airplane. good pairing of colleaguesin aviation. crossingthe SeaofJapan to Osaka.For the last leg of the trip the two planes, Orderedhome on the Italian liner Pilsna at Finito! freshly cleanedand serviced,left Osaka at the end of the 42 days of celebration,the 10:00AM on May 31, 1920for Tokyo, aviators were greetedupon arrival at Bari The unarmedAnsaldo SVA-9 two-seater where they landed at 1:30 PM at the with bills from the Ministry of Financefor chosenfor the flight was a modification of Yoyogi Army Field. their fares, meals, and entertainments!Ah, the SVA-5 singleseat 1918 fighter. The long live bureaucracy. two-seaterwas intended for use as a Forty-two days of exceptional festivities, bomber,trainer and communications orderedby Imperial decree,celebrated the The adventurershad been enroutefrom airplane. Savefor the two cockpits, a 200 conclusion of this incredible flight. In Rome to Tokyo for 106 calendardays, of page 15 addition to all of the wining, dining, which only 23 were flying days, due to continued on Seattle Chapter I PM S-U SA N ewsletter Page 12

the stabilizersgiven in the kit. They are bear a similar resemblanceto the actual Maquette 1172"dScale threescale feet, a whole 7l2",too far markings. Boeing 307 Stratoliner - An forward. However, the position is correct if you were to use the stabilizers from the All is not lost.It is a30'7.It ain't Tamiya.It In-the-Box Review Minicraft B- 17ClD kit. The other major is certainlyeasier than using the old error in the fuselageis that the contour of Airmodel vacuform or even by Terry D. Moore the lower fuselagefollows the undersideof scratchbuilding.My recommendationis to the wing. It shouldbe flat acrossthe buy it ifyou areinterested in building a When I saw the model at a recent meeting I bottom at the wing, with only a small model of this aircraft and are looking for a just knew I had to haveit. As a relativeof portion of the lower fuselage extending real challenge,using copiousamounts of the B-17 how could I not havethis airplane below the flat. There is no interior. You filler putty, and putting that Black & modelin my collection? could usethe flight deckfrom the B-17 bits Decker heavy duty angle grinder you got but then you would have to polish the for Christmasto good use. Oh yes, a little clearcockpit section. help fromJackDaniels might make it easier to assemble. Then there are the wings.No Stratoliner Sources: flew with turbo- superchargers.Those AirpowerYol28No 5 will haveto be filled in WingsVol28 No 5 and the contours of BoeingAircraft Since 1916,by Pete the underside of the Bowers inboard nacelleswill Boeing: An Aircraft Album, by Munson have to be rebuilt to and Swanborough h,r::: match the contours of "Ten Big Boeings...TheSratoliner Saga" i:4, the outer nacelles.You in Air Enthusiastkn (includesa nice two- will also have to fill the page cutaway drawing) intakes on the leading Plus: photosby the author of the last edgeof the wings and surviving aircraft, when it was still in Pima, the intercoolervents Arizona. Oooooh,a Boeing 307. Then I openedthe on top of the wings. Researchthe specific box. Ewww, aBoeing 307?(Before I get aircraft you wish to build as intakes, PS: You know, the more I think about it, any further into this review let me state exhausts,cowlings and other items varied this soundslike a model for Bill Osbom. that I do occasionallybuild in the so-called on different aircraft and in some cases,the Bill?Bill?BTIr ! "divine scale,"mostly for large multi- sameaircraft at different times in their enginedtypes. I still havea few in my history. Decals are provided for one TWA, garageo' kits. So there.) What you first one Pan American, and one C-75. They seewhen you open the box are two streakedtanlwhite/brown fuselage halves, a direct throwback to the Jurassicage of plastic models, a few bits that resemble flap hinges, and a sprue of clear (?) parts. The fuselagehalves are thick, up to l/8" in places, some heavy flash, no alignment pins, and crude engravedpanel lines. Not much else.Dimensionally, it appears reasonably accurate,but I have not yet put my ruler to it. The remainderof the kit consistsof a Frog B- 17E,for the wings, landing gear,and stabilizers.

Now, to the model. As boxed, you cannot build any ofthe 10 Stratolinersbuilt at any time in their history ! First of all, the stabilizer position location is incorrect for Seattle Chapter I PM S-U SA N ewsletter Pagel3

Golden Age Stars of IPMS as an actressshe was overshadowedby Mandl was a shady character.Bom in - heroineslike Ingrid Bergman and 1900,he had taken over his father's #3 Advanced Weaponry KatharineHepbum. In 1966she published armamentsfactory at the age of twenty- of the Stars her autobiography,Ecstasy and Me. four. The VersaillesTreaty forbade weaponsmaking in Germany and Austria, byHans-JoachimBraun so he set up subsidiar- - Invention & Technology Spring ies in Poland. the 1997 Netherlands,and Swizerland and gradually becamethe [I can't take credit for this one. Greg armaments Reynoldssent this to me, and since it fit in chief so well with the tone of the series,I supplier to the decided to use it verbatim. Thanks, Greg. Austrian army.In 1933 - ED] he and the Austrian governmentbecame It's the old story:A glamorousmovie the center of scandal: actressand a brash avant-gardecomposer World War I weapons get together to invent and patent a device had been sold to that controls torpedoesby radio. Naturally Hungary in contraven- their foray into military-technology tion of the Versailles innovation affects the way defense Treaty. Mandl and satellitesare designedin the next half- Austria got out of that century. business.but soon the former was supplying This seeminglypreposterous sequence of arms for the Abyssin- events actually happened,but it is as little ian War and the known asit is improbable.I stumbledon it Spanishcivil war. He while doing researchon the relationship appearsto have been betweentechnology and music in the willing to do business twentieth century.I came acrossthe with anyone on any composerand concertpianist George side of any war, and Antheil's 1945 autobiography,Bad Boy of becauseof that. the Music, and found that in it he mentionshis Nazis confiscatedhis collaboration with Hedy Lamarr. How did this lead to torpedo research?To factory even before the Anschiussjoined answer that, I must introduce her first Austriato Germany,in 1938.Mandl moved The screenstar was born in Viennain 1914 husband(she had six altogether),Fntz to Argentina, opened a weaponsplant or 1913,according to some,or I 915, Mandl, before I get to her collaborator, there. and becamea close adviser to Juan accordingto her, asHedwig Eva Maria George Antheil. Mandl was the most Per6n. After Argentina enteredWorld War Kiesler. Shewent to Max Reinhardt's important Austrian armamentsmanufac- II, his property was confiscated,but he famous acting schoolin Berlin during her turer of his time and one of the four or five was given it back after the war and lateteens, and in 1933she showedthe leading onesof Europe. He married Lamarr ultimately returned to Austria, where he world her acting skills and most of herself in 1933.During their marriage,which broke diedin 1977. in the film Ertase (Ecstasy),which quickly up in 1937,Madame Mandl was an becamenotorious for its extensivenude institution in Viennese society,entertain- GeorgeAntheil, Lamarr's co-inventor,was scenes.The movie played in America after ing, and dazzhng,foreign leaders,includ- bom in Trenton,New Jersey,in 1900;his After severecutting, [The copy in the KCLS is ing Hitler andMussolini. Mandl special- pirents were from East Prussia. the censoredversion. Dant. - EDI artdin ized in shells and grenades,but from the studying music at what is now the Curtis 1937its leadinglady went to Hollywood. mid-thirties on he also manufactured Institute, in Philadelphia,he went to Louis B. Mayer, of MGM, hired her and military aircraft. He was interestedin Europe to pursue a career as a concert gaveher the nameLamarr. Soon shewas control systems and conducted researchin pianist, headingfirst to Berlin and then acting opposite such starsas Clark Gable the field. His wife clearly learnedthings settling in Paris in 1923.He becameone of and SpencerTracy. Some thought her the fromhim. the top avant-gardecomposers of the time, most beautiful woman in Hollywood, but writing andplaying machinelike,"mecha- r IPMS-USA Newsletter

researchdirector of GeneralMotors. Over nistic," rhythmically propulsivepieces jamming was and remainsa drawbackto its lifetime, which lasteduntil 1974,the with nameslike "Airplane Sonata," radio control - will knock out only bits of it, council collectedmore than 625,000 "Sonata Sauvage," "Jazz Sonata," and often leaving enough untouched to do no suggestions,few ofwhich ever reached "Death of Machines."His "Ballet harm at all. the patent stage.But according to Antheil, Mecanique" was scoredfor sixteen player Kettering himself suggestedthat he and pianos,xylophones, and percussionand Lamarr brought up the idea of radio Lamarr develop their idea to the point of was first performed in Paris in June 7926,in control; Antheil's contribution was to being patentable.With the help of an a version that had only one player piano suggestthe deviceby which synchroniza- electrical engineeringprofessor from the but also had electric bells, airplane tion could be achieved.He proposedthat Califomia Institute of Technology they propellers, and a siren. It causedan uproar' rapid changesin radio frequenciescould out its bugs, and the patent was be coordinatedthe way he had coordi- ironed grantedon August ll,1942.It specified Antheil knew practically everybody in nated the sixteen synchronizedplayer that a high-altitude observation plane Paris's literary, artistic, and musical circles, pianosin his "Ballet Mecanique". could steerthe torpedo from above. but in 1933 he returned permanently to the United States.He becamea film composer Putting the idea into practice was not in Hollywood and a writer for Esquire so simple.Despite the enthusiasmthat magazine,producing a syndicatedadvice- Antheil said Kettering expressed, to-the lovelorn column and articles about otherswere skeptical.One examiner at romance and endocrinology. He even the InventorsCouncil doubtedthe published a book titled Every Man His clockwork mechanismthat moved the Own Detective: A Study of Glandular perforated tape could be accurate Endocrinology. In 1939 he sent an article enough.Antheil lobbied for supportfor to Esquire about the future of Europe that further researchfrom, among others, proved impressively accurate:It predicted William C. Bullitt, SpecialAssistant to that the war would start with Germany the Secretaryofthe Navy. He argued invading Poland, that Germany would later -- attack Russia, and that the United States would be drawn into the conflict. filJff:Tilil";T::ilff::i'O that something had to be done about it. He seemeddriven in part by an urge to He met Hedy Lamarr in the summerof I 940, prove his patriotism after all his years when they were neighborsin Hollywood in Europe.Hedy Lamarr meanwhile and she approachedhim with a question demonstratedher loyalty by raising about glands: She wanted to know how sevenmillion dollarsin a single shecould enlargeher breasts.In time the eveningselling war bonds. conversation came around to weapons, and Lamarr told Antheil that she was DespiteAntheil's lobbying, the Navy contemplating quitting MGM and moving The analogywas completein his mind: By turned its back on the invention, conclud- to Washington,D.C., to offer her services the time the two applied for a patent on a ing that the mechanismwould have to be to the newly establishedNational Inven- "secret Communication System," on June too bulky to fit into a torpedo. Antheil tors Council. They began talking about 10, I 941 , the inventionused slotted paper disagreed;he insisted that it could be radio control for torpedoes.The idea itself rolls similarto player-pianorolls to made small enoughto squeezeinto a was not new, but her concept of "fre- synchronize the frequency changesin watch. And he thought he knew why the quency hopping" was. Frequencyhop- transmitter and receiver, and it even called Navy was so negative: "In our patent ping, which today is usedextensively in for exactly eighty eight frequencies,the Hedy and I attemptedto better elucidate military communications,means broadcast- numberof keyson a piano. our mechanismby explaining that certain ing a signal (which might carry commands parts of it worked like the fundamental for directing a torpedo) over a seemingly Lamarr and Antheil worked on the idea for mechanismof a player piano. Here, random seriesof radio frequencies, severalmonths and then, in December undoubtedly,we made our mistake. The switching from frequency to frequency at 1940,sent a descriptionofit to the reverend and brass-headedgentlemen in split-second intervals. A receiver hopping National Inventors Council, which had Washington who examined our invention between frequenciesin sync with the been launchedwith much fanfare earlier in transmitter can pick up the message,while the year as a gathererof novel ideas and any eavesdropperwill hear only random inventions from the generalpublic. Its ;:*J:ft'.*'j:TJffJ:li:J'ff1, -_ 'we shallput a playerpiano in a torpedo."'|) blips. An attempt to jam such a signal - chairmanwas CharlesE Kettering, the t 15 SeattleChaote r I PM S-U SA N ewsletter Page

supposedto have a radio-control system Rome to Tokyo ready by the end of 1939, but the outbreak t o l;,:ffil:fl;llt'f,1,1T:::l",':ffi,.J:, frompage II consideringthe idea that musical technol- of war redirectedmilitary R&D priorities, ogy could play any part in a complicated and the project went by the wayside amid pieceof weaponry.ButAntheil's explana- continuing uncertaintiesabout jamming, insteadof 270 HP engineand a maximum (MGTOW) of 2,500 tion is too simple; the invention had other cumbersometransmitters, and underwater grosstakeoff weight problems.To explain them requireslooking penetration. insteadof 2,40Opounds, the SVA-9 was fuselagewas a at other developmentsin torpedo control identical to the SVA-5. The T.E. at the time, especiallyin GermanY. In the United StatesHedy Lamarr and plywood box from the radiator to the George Antheil, shunnedby the Navy, of the lower wing; from that point aft to the In the first half of the 1930s, military pursuedtheir invention no further. But in stern post it narrowed sharply to an The researchersfavored using wire for torpedo 1957the conceptwas takenup by engi- inverted triangular cross section. control. Thomas Edison had advocated neersat the Sylvania Electronic Systems wings were conventional, fabric covered, tail this early on. Wilhelm von Siemenshad Division, in Buffalo, New York. Their two-spar wooden structuresand the suggestedwireless control back in 1906, arrangement,using, of course,electronics group was, fabric covered,welded small was an but the problems it posed included rather than piano rolls, ultimately becamea diameter steel tubing. The engine in-line. developing an antennathat could receive basictool for securemilitary communica- SPA6A liquid cooled six cylinder signalsunderwater. tions. It was installedon shipssent to For this flight the engine was slightly de- blockadeCuba in I 962, aboutthree years rated to enhancereliability. On the flight Only very long waves can penetratewater, after the Lamarr-Antheil patenthad the airplaneswere routinely loaded and even with a very strong and therefore expired. Subsequentpatents in frequency beyond their design MGTOW. The initials bulky transmitter penetration could reach changing,which are generally unrelatedto "SVA" representedthe initials of the only a few yards. Furthernore, the plane torpedo control, have referred to the designers,Savoia and Verduzio and the Ansaldo & controlling a torpedo's flight would be an Lamarr-Antheil patent as the basis of the manufacturer.Societa Giovanni obvious target for the target's own fire. field, and the concept lies behind the Compagnia. principal anti-jamming deviceused today, In 1935the Germannavy begangiving for example,in theU.S. government's According to IPMS ltaly, the only kit of ll1znd serious attention to the question of Milstar defensecommunications satellite the AnsaldoSVA-9 is a resinkitin torpedo control. Although many special- system. by RVHP. I have not seenthis kit. There ists advocatedwire, it presentedmajor aretwo kits, however,of the SVA-5, which -9 problemstoo: A wire would haveto be up In short, Hedy Lamarr and GeorgeAntheil could fairly easily be converted to the produced a to ten miles long, and it would be apt to were inventors aheadof their time. Their configuration. Pegasushave -5 break,which would mean losing command idea neededits technological shortcom- very fine, delicatekit of the in ll7Znd all of the torpedo. The champions of radio ings to be overcome,which took years. scale.This is really quite surprisingas seen control developed a three hundred-foot- But their story holds anotherlesson: the other Pegasuskits that I have of long antennathat a torpedo could drag like Wartime is not always the besttime for havebeen unbuildable, being comprised unusable a tail. Then they tried to tackle the chal- advancingmilitary technology.If there are non-descript misshapenlumps of lenge of guiding the torpedo from the air. too many obstaclesto the deployment of a plastic. Artiplast have produced a typically -5 One solution was to have it leave bubbles new system,it will likely be castaside, crude,for them, 1/50th scalekit of the lot of or a paint streak on the water's surface,but especiallyif the existingsystem, in this that is buildable, but only with a evenif good enoughvisibility could be casewire control, works acceptably.And effort and angst. ensured,the trail would likely follow too Lamarr and Antheil's experienceoffers one 1920 far behind the speedingtorpedo to be additionallesson: It showsthat a concept Italian Aviators Rome to Tblcyoin useful. or device from an utteily unrelated by Lt. Gen'I. (Ret.) Domenico Ludovico, technological context and the most Etas Kompass, (for the Historical Branch In 1938the German navy gave the firm of unlikely people can sometimesoffer a new of the Italian AirForce), Rome, 1970. Siemensand Halske a substantialdevelop- solution to an old and vexing problem, ment contract for torpedo control research. though you can't expect military men to As attention turned more and more to realizethat right away. wirelesscontrol, the idea offrequency shifting emerged;it was definitely dis- Hans-JoachimBraun is a professor of cussedat a meetingin July 1939,and it modern social, economic, and technical seemslikely that the notion had already history at the Universitit der Bundeswehr come up in Fritz Mandl's conversationsa in Hamburg, Germany. few yearsearlier. Siemensand Halske was Seattle Chapter I PM S-U SA N ewsletter Page 16 A Note from Carlo Medina John McCarty Auction greatunwashed masses. I think this is a at Williams Brothers brilliant way of introducing your interest Models others. Of course, we know that the byJimSchubert Imperial Star Cruiser consistsof nothing more than fiberglass, paint, and hundreds At the Februarymeeting IPMS-Seattle will viaKeithLaird of parts from Tarniya armor and ship kits, auction the unbuilt kits, and the books and plus a lot of weathering with airbrushes, magazines,of memberJohnMcCarty, who "We thank IPMS for their support of our washes,and pastels.We model guys and died of natural causesearlier this year. The company.We will not do any more 1/53 gals know how to do this. And the public kits are mostly airplanes,but there are scalemodels. All future kits will be in loves the Industrial Light and Magic model severaldesirable car, ship, and armor kits standardscales. Williams Brothers Inc. is makersfor it. They just don't know that as well. The proceedsof the auctionwill currently forming the cast to the Folkerts the sametechniques and skills also apply go to John's family with the club retaining SpeedKing SK-3 Jupiter. The plane to miniatureShermans, P-38s, and'32 Ford 10%. resemblesthe SchoenfeldtFirecracker. We Coupes. hope to have test shots completed within a Norm Filer has donatedto the club about year.The LockheedSirius, which was one I've also found that family membersare thirty 54mm metal figure kits including a of CharlesLindbergh's planes,will follow. just as clueless.As you presentto your completecollection of Monogram Merite The kit will be offered with floats and brother-in-law your latest masterpiece,the figures. All thirty figure kits will be conventional landing gear.The Folkerts best you can hope for is a faint smile and a auctioned at the end of the McCarty Racerwill be offeredin 1/32thscale. This lukewarm,"That's nice." Orworse,you'll auction. The proceedswill be retainedby will complimentthe restof our historic haveto calmly tell him that no, the the club. racersnicely. The Lockheed Sirius will propeller doesn't turn and the wheels mostlikely be in l/48th althoughwe are don't spin. Like that somehow makesthe For severalyears the executive council of still tossing that one around." model better?I mean - really ! To be fair the club hasbeen discussing what, if though,it is a rareindividual that will listen anything, we should offer to do for the Carlo also saidthat Williams Brothers will to you describe the agonY You went families/heirs of memberswith regardto always stay 7007oAmerican produced. throughdeciding which shadeof gray was disposingof the member'scollection of correct lor the camouflage.So go tn uno f do what you want. tt's o"ntyyoi rt u, unbuilt kits. and oftheir books and The Image of Modelers V magazines.I will propose,at the January decideswhich items are part of the "Fbblic from page 7 meeting,that we makeit apolicy to offerto You" and the "Private You". Feel confident do forthe family of any member what we andStar Trek?"he says.Usually he gets a that you practice your hobby becauseit are going to do for John's family. Think nod in the affirmative. "Well, that's exactly gives you pleasure.If you choose to share aboutit; it will happento you too. what I do." Insteadof ridicule, he saysthat it with others,then so be it. If you don't, he experiencesgenuine interestfrom the then that's fine too.

Meeting Reminder

t National Guard ArmorY, Room 114 F{ Seattle B 1601WestArmory WaY' I'J.E,45th St. Directions: From North or Southbound I-5, take the 45th St. exit. Drive west on 45th, crossing under Highway 99 (or Aurora Ave. North) toward N.W Market Street in Batlard. Continue west on Market St. toward l5th Ave N.W. Turn left (soutfi) onto 15th Ave N.W. and drive acrossthe Ballard Bridge until you reach Armory Way (ust as you seethe Animal Shelter.) Watch for signs. Park in the Metro Park & Ride lot.

If coming from the South, take Highway 99 onto the Alaskan Way viaduct to WesternAvenue. Follow Western Ave. north to Elliot Ave. until it turns

ll- into 15th Ave N.W., then to Armory Way itself. fl