Famous Museums

Newsletter
Volume 42, Number 4, April 2015
Contacts
Work in Progress
President: Bill Schultheis
March 18, 2015
(714) 366-7602
E-Mail: [email protected]
Vice President: Don Dressel
Reporter: Dave Yotter
Continental Gondola Philadelphia – Dave Yotter
(909) 949-6931
E-Mail: [email protected]
Secretary: Paul Payne
(310) 544-1461
Treasurer: Mike DiCerbo
(714) 523-2518
15320 Ocaso Ave, #DD204,
La Mirada, CA. 90630
Editor, Don Dressel
(909) 949-6931
908 W. 22nd Street
Upland, CA 91784-1229
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Manager: Doug Tolbert:
(949) 644-5416
Web Site
www.shipmodelersassociation.org
Meeting – Wed., April 15, 7 PM,
Red Cross Building, 1207 N.
Lemon, Fullerton, CA. 92832
Officers meeting –Wed., May 6,
2015, 7 PM, Bob Beech’s house,
130 Clove Pl., Brea, CA. 92821 –
(714) 529-1481.
Your reporter has made some progress in the
last little while on his never-ending Philadelphia
project.
Some minor things that have been recently
addressed include adding some of the battens to the
canopy framing. I have been a little reluctant to finish
this part of the model because much of the deck clutter
has to be installed and having the canopy finished will
just make this more difficult. The racks for the sweeps
were installed however and the sweeps lashed down for
secure
storage.
The
big
accomplishment
completion of the fireplace/ship’s stove.
was
I had been
puzzling for some time on how to accomplish this task.
I felt that the fireplace should look somewhat rustic,
having been built in the back woods of Vermont and
during the colonial time period. Supplies of nice new
bricks were probably non-existent and the services of
an experienced mason probably equally rare.
After
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thinking that I could carve the thing out of
wood or foam and painting the thing and
knowing that this would not work well it
finally hit me – just make bricks. I had some
terracotta colored Skulpy purchased some
time back – should be perfect. I made up a
small jig from 3mm plywood in a long ‘L’
shape for two of the long side of the bricks (2
¼ X 3 ¼ scale inches) and placed partitions at
8 scale inch intervals resulting in seven brick
shaped cavities (see photo). The Skulpy was
kneaded to make it soft and then pressed into the cavities in the stick with the other two sides
trimmed off with a knife. The directions say: bake at 275°F for 15 minutes for each ¼ inch of
thickness. This worked really well and the newly fired bricks popped out of the mould relatively
easily after a little prodding with the hobby knife. A little rough handling and randomness in
brick clean up helped with the rustic look. I also discovered, after leaving the mold stick in the
oven for too long one time that the bricks turned darker brown, again helping with the
randomness. So now, how do you make mortar? I had some acrylic artists supplies purchased
some time ago (all Liquitex brand). Modeling Paste with a little Gel Medium added made a nice
mortar consistency and with just a touch of Mars Black added turned it slightly grey. This was
buttered onto the bricks and the fireplace took the shape shown in the plans.
This acrylic
mortar sets up quickly, allowing a little time to adjust the position and the building to proceed
apace. Any mistakes made are easily cleaned up using a #11 scalpel blade to pare off both
bricks and mortar. In the plans the firebox is shown placed in a wooden tray on top of a bed of
clay or sand. The tray, made of beech wood was nailed together and finished with tung oil. I
chose to use some fine sand, which I gathered along one of my local hiking trails. To bond the
whole thing together I again turned to acrylic Liquitex products. I used Matte Varnish thinned
with flow-Aid. The Flow-Aid is used in a diluted fashion, one part Flow-Aid to 20 parts water.
I then made a 50-50 mixture of the diluted Flow-Aid with the Matte Varnish. After putting the
sand in the tray and then the brick fireplace onto the sand, the diluted Varnish was just dripped
into the sand. The Varnish penetrated deeply and easily into the sand and dries clear, with no
gloss whatsoever. The resulting assembly is very solid.
Do artist’s acrylics have a place in ship modeling?
Success of using the 50/50 mixture of Matte Varnish and Flow-Aid has suggested
another potential use. It occurs to me that this might make an excellent tool for use in posing
rigging line. Preliminary experiments show that, for the line that I use, made from linen thread,
the mixture penetrated completely, allows a little time to tease the line into position and leaves
it posed but still somewhat flexible. If nothing else it should prove useful for securing knots,
splices and seizing with much more desirable properties than a dab of superglue. The Liquitex
varnish I used is labeled as archival quality, a UV protestant and non-yellowing among other
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features so it seems to me that it should have excellent qualities for our type of model work.
Artist’s acrylics are used heavily in mixed media artwork. Wood and string (not to mention
baked Skulpy and sand) are good examples of such mixed media materials.
I would also
caution that I think that it is important that professional artist grade acrylics be used. There are
other grades such as student grade and stuff like house paint that will have vastly different
capabilities. Experiment! There is no end of research material available on-line.
HMS Halifax – Don Dressel
There apparently were a number of
ships during the revolutionary period which
bore the name of Halifax, but one has
extensive
records.
HMS
Halifax
was,
according to Wikipedia, a schooner built for
merchant service at Halifax, Nova Scotia in
1765 and purchased in 1768 by the British
Royal Navy for coastal patrol in North America
in the years just prior to the American
Revolution.
documented
America.
She
is
schooners
one
from
of
the
early
best
North
The schooner was built by a group of Halifax merchants with government support as the
Nova Scotia Packet, to establish a reliable packet service of mail and passengers between
Halifax and Boston in 1765.
The managing owner was Joseph Grey, the son in law of the
commissioner of the Halifax Naval Yard where the schooner was likely built. Launched in late
September 1765, the schooner made her first voyage on 15 October 1765 under the command
of Benjamin Green Jr. Weather permitting, the packet sailed every eight days between Halifax
and Boston and made 23 round trips during her merchant career. In July 1768, the Nova Scotia
Packet was chartered by Commodore Samuel Hood in Halifax to take dispatches to Portsmouth,
England. Hood also recommended that the schooner be purchased by the British Royal Navy.
The schooner was renamed Halifax and purchased by the Royal Navy on 12 October 1768 to
meet a need for more coastal patrol schooners needed to combat smuggling and colonial
unrest in New England.
The careful record of her lines and construction by Portsmouth
dockyard naval architects, and the detailed record of her naval service, make the schooner a
much-studied example of early schooners in North America.
After being surveyed in September 1768 she was commissioned in October and fitted
out at Portsmouth between October and December.
Her first commander was Lieutenant
Samuel Scott, who sailed her back to North America in January 1769.
In 1769 the Halifax
confiscated and towed the schooner Liberty, later HMS Liberty, belonging to John Hancock.
Halifax returned to Britain for a refit in December 1770, and the following year was under the
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command of Lieutenant Abraham Crespin, Lieutenant Jacob Rogers took command in 1773, and
was succeeded in 1774 by Lieutenant Joseph Nunn.
After an active career on the coast of North America she was wrecked on 15 February
1775 at Foster Island near Machias, Maine. It was reportedly intentionally run aground by a
local pilot. The wreck played a role in the Battle of Machias later that year, where its guns were
ordered to be recovered by Admiral Samuel Graves. A later schooner named Halifax serving in
North America was recorded as being purchased in 1775, though her lines were identical to the
Halifax sunk that year and she may therefore have been salved and returned to service.
Don has been working on the 1:48 model of the Halifax for a number of months now
and is just about completed with the work on the hull. The quarter badge and stern counter
carvings have been completed.
Don could not think of a great way to make the various
windows, so they were carved out of one piece of wood, with the decorative inlay added after
the
carving
completed.
of
the
basic
structure
was
See photo of the stern with the
model enclosed in its case.
Some research
was done on the swivel cannon and a good
representation of the swivel cannon found on
the Web. Using this as a guide, the six swivel
cannon were made using brass wire and
tubing to form the handle, the resultant
handle silver soldered to a small brass cannon
(the cannon obtained from Admiralty Models).
The six carriage cannon were detailed and
installed on the ship complete with full
rigging. Both fore and main channels and deadeyes were made and installed, the deadeye links
being soldered together using a soldering iron instead of a torch (there was fear that the
wooden deadeye would be “torched”). A figure to the proper scale was painted and installed on
the model. As of this writing, the anchor has yet to be installed but will be completed before
the model is taken to Japan for the ROPE 40th symposium and exhibition.
Once the model
returns from Japan, it will be masted and rigged. It is planned that all the masts will be turned
from Lemon wood (used to make archers bows) and all standing and running rigging will be
linen line as required made on the Barnes rope walk. Sails may also be considered.
HMS Pegasus – Don Leyman
Don is making progress on his 1:48 scratch built model of HMS Pegasus. HMS Pegasus
was a 14-gun ship sloop of the Swan class, launched on 27 December 1776 at Chatham
Dockyard. She was commissioned on the same month under Commander John Hamilton Gore
and – after completing on 3 March 1777 – sailed for Newfoundland on 3 April. She was lost,
presumed foundered with all hands in a storm off Newfoundland in October. Her particulars
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were Tons burthen: 301 87/94; Length: 96 ft. 7 in. on the gun deck, 78 ft. 10 in. on the keel;
Beam: 26 ft. 10 in.; Depth of hold: 12 ft. 10 in.; Complement: 125. The ships armament was 14
X 6-pounder long guns.
Don is building Pegasus using the
Antscherl/Hubert books on the Swan Class
Sloops and two sheets of drawings of Pegasus
itself sourced at the National Maritime Museum.
With most of the lower deck done, the gun deck
framing looks mostly completed. He said that
the mast partners along with the mast chocks
have proven to be challenging. He used aniline
dye for blackening the wales. Alder wood is the
planking material of choice. He plans to plank
above the wales and to add some planking
below the wales.
But then he may decide to
plank one side completely and to leave some framing exposed on the other.
Planning/Foiling Dinghy Speedy – John Simmons
John realized that his collection of
original designs of high-speed sailing craft
did not include a monohull. The result is a
design for an 18’6” dinghy, scratch built in
1:32 scale.
The model’s hull was carved
from solid with built-up bulwarks. The two
part rigid main is carved balsa.
Speedy is
turned out with an attractive blue hull, white
deck and sails with sail number one and
John’s distinctive JS logo.
This Dinghy is
small enough for trailering with the hiking
wings that fold up and a retractable keel and
rudder. The rig folds as well. The plywood built hull should weigh about 200 pounds. The
rigid main rides on a pivoting mast built into the leading edge of the sail, which is adjustable
for camber and angle of attack.
The camber needs to be adjusted on either tack and is
accomplished by running lines to each hiking wing from a mid boom traveler. The main boom
traveler is on a small stern deck with the tiller running under it.
The hull is designed for
plywood construction. Rigid mainsail material is covered closed cell styrene. Furling jib is built
using Tedlar (polyvinyl fluoride) film. The main foils are placed just forward of amidships and
there is a small endplate on the rudder to balance and steer. John things that the boat’s foiling
speed should be between 8 and 20 knots.
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IJN Yamato – Sean Fallesen
About one year ago (actually, March of
1914), Sean got a commission to rebuild this
model of IJN Yamato. In its original condition,
the 1:200 Nichimo kit (late ‘70s to early 80s)
was configured as an RC model. The owner
wanted it to be converted to an accurate
display model.
The result represents IJN
Yamato as she appeared in October 1944.
The model was completely torn down and
rebuilt.
The
original
hanger
well
was
incomplete and the kit-supplied mast was
wrong for radar so the hanger well and the
main mast were scratch built. Gold Metal Models photo-etch was added supplying detailed
parts such as the railings, ladders, aircraft catapults, handling trolleys and crane and much
more. An ArtwaxModel wood deck was applied. The kit guns for the 5-inch and bigger caliber
guns were replaced with metal barrels. Several missing parts were replaced by casting resin
replacement parts using existing parts as patterns.
The ships screws were repaired in this
manner. Two fo the ships boats were shifted to the stern leaving two on davits amidships.
Disassembling the model proved interesting.
Much of the model was painted with
Tamiya paint, which responded well to Windex as a point remover. Superglue was used in a lot
of places to attach parts. Superglue tends to get brittle with age and many of the parts just
snapped off, particularly those parts that were attached over paint. Putting assemblies in the
freezer helped break some joints. Dark gull grey was the color used to finish the model and
there was a dark wash applied over that.
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Dave Yotter’s Continental Gondola Philadelphia Don Dressel’s schooner Halifax Don Leyman’s sloop HMS Pegasus John Simmons Planning/Foiling Dinghy Speedy Two views of Sean Fallesen’s IJN Yamato 7
By Don Dressel Old Salts in Port: John Bakker, Steve Jones, Don Dressel, Guy Bell, Paul Robert Ship in Port: Reale De France, Cutty Sark, Syren, USS Essex, Halifax. The small group of modelers made the meeting very informal and enjoyable, although I still wish other SMA members would take advantage of the opportunity to discuss model construction methods and the tools available today. Lots of other items of interest are also talked about, many of which are also of great general interest. We missed Don Leyman this time, but he did bring his HMS Pegasus to the SMA meeting the previous Wednesday, so Don did get to show the SMA members the great progress he is making on his model. One thing is evident – many ship modelers are having a fun time working on their projects. John Bakker started the session talking about one of his current ship model builds, the Cutty Sark. He finally got the stern straightened out and looking good. He is now working on the bow area with the out houses and decking. He has also started working on the pumps (windless), where a discussion with Don and Steve took place as to exactly how the pump worked in relationship to the gears, etc. John is also trying to figure out just how the port and starboard bulkheads on the outside are installed, with the metal etched parts fitting as required. Again, a lot of advice and help was offered by Steve, Don and other members of the group. In many cases it really helps to talk about the problems a modeler is having with other modelers and getting suggestions on how to solve the current problems one is having. As John also indicated, it also helps to be able to go to the Web and see 8
how other ship modelers are working on the same model you are working on. John also indicated the problems he was having with the wood supplied with the kit, particularly the deck planking. The wood strips were not of uniform thickness or width. So John recommended (from experience) that a modeler first run the planks through a good saw to make sure they are of the same width, then through a thickness sander to make sure they are the same thickness. It makes life a lot easier on the modeler. The job of copper platting the hull is also something John is thinking about, so looking ahead is not a bad idea. But John assured us all that he is having fun figuring out all the details and will eventually finish the model. John also talked about the plans that came with the kit and how difficult it can be to find information on the parts of the model. There are no plans “to scale”, but just drawings indicating how things are supposed to go together. The group assisted John in looking over the plans and pointing out different details that were not at first obvious. It appears that careful study of the plans is a must. A sample is included here of the type of plans offered in many of the current kits. John also brought out another of his ongoing projects, the USS Syren. This model is the one where John discovered that you did not glue the planks on the model first then try and stain the planks. It does not work. You have to stain the planks FIRST then glue them in place. Painting, of course, is no problem. Also, with this Model Shipways kit, the carronades do not look like carronades to John, but more like little cannon. The instructions that come with the kit look to be very good. There was one question that John had that was a problem for the group for awhile, but finally solved (by reading the instructions!) Sixteen of the guns have only lower half ports installed, with the upper half port being later “buckled” in place, with the cannon sticking out through the lids. The assumption is that tampons have to be installed in the bore of all the cannon. This is an interesting bit of information that I was not aware of until the meeting. 9
The last ship model that John started to work on (or at least looked at) is the USS Essex, a Model Shipways kit that was introduced last year. It is such a poor kit that the frames are not even done correctly, according to John, although one of the SMA members, John Simmons, has built the model from the kit. There is, however, a new kit of the USS Essex which is being released now by Model Expo with a totally different set of plans, instructions and material supplied. It is understood that this new kit is a vast improvement over the old one – only time will tell. The new kit does cost more money than the old one did. John did indicate that if Model Expo sent him a new set of plans for the bulkheads (done correctly), he could build the model and may try and build the model anyway, even with the incorrect bulkheads which will have to be modified to correct them. It does come in a nice box (see photo). Many of the laser cut parts are also very poor and will have to be redone. Don Dressel brought in his current project, the HMS Halifax. There is a write‐up of the history of the ship in the Works in Progress section of this newsletter taken from Wikipedia. This also indicates, at least to Don, that there must have been more than one Halifax in existence during this period. There are some differences between the Hunt plans and the Harold Hahn plans with respect to this ship, so some modifications were made before Don discovered the differences. One aspect of the model that Hunt suggests is to install belaying pins, which are NOT on Harold Hahn’s plans. On investigation, it was found that the Harold Hahn plans showed belaying CLEATS installed in the rigging rather than belaying pins, which is the way Don will install the rigging once the model is brought back from The ROPE Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan next month. Only the anchors and maybe a figure on the deck are left to be done. Don did explain the construction of the various items that were part of the model, including the “Charlie Noble”, the cannon, the swivel cannon, the windless, the channels and deadeyes, and various other details. The carvings on the model were a great deal of fun, particularly the windows. The original galleries, stern counter, figurehead, cannon and anchor were made from plastic as supplied in the kit. All were redone – there is no plastic on Don’s model. The model is on its building board, which Don will 10
use to take the model to Japan. It is the same building board used when Don made the Fair American. Don, like John, has more than one project he is working on, so he will have to return to his Egyptian Ship and complete it first, as his younger daughter has finally finished the sail that will be on the ship – more to follow on that in a few months. Don also presented a demonstration on his method of silver soldering using silver bearing solder manufactured by Tix solder and Tix flux, available from almost any hobby or train shop. Tix claims that this solder is the hardest soft solder on earth and I believe it. It is more than sufficient for most of the soldering needs of the ship modeler. The next stage up is silver solder it required. A micro‐
torch using butane as fuel was used for the heat source to melt the solder, which worked very quickly and easily. The micro‐torch is available from Micro‐Mark or any good hobby shop for about $35.00. It can be refueled using a butane canister, which costs an additional $6.00 or so, but the torch will work for quite awhile before it has to be recharged. Just prepare the object for soldering, apply a little liquid flux, cut a very small piece of the solder and place it on the location to be soldered, and apply the flame via the torch. This works much better than any kind of glue, including CA, when you are soldering pieces of brass or copper together. As an added item, the brass or copper must be clean before soldering – do not attempt to blacken the object prior to soldering – it will not work. Annealed wire also does not work. The soldering station shown in the photo is one of Dave Yotter’s recommended tools described in last months issue of the SMA Newsletter – highly recommended. It is difficult to see, but Don is soldering a wire “handle” onto the swivel cannon, the beginning stage of making the swivel guns for the Halifax. Once again, John Bakker’s model of the La Reale De France was shown and talked about a little. John has just about completed the model and is in the stage of trying to find a case for it. Also briefly discussed was John’s Greek Trireme – he still has to make all the oars for that model, but it is otherwise completed. John will never run out of things to do! 11
Famous Museums: The National Museum of the U.S. Navy Don Dressel The following information was taken from the official U.S. Naval Museum web site. I had the privilege of visiting this museum in Washington, D.C. when I attended the NRG Conference in Annapolis. It is another great ship model maritime museum to visit – you can spend all day there. I have included pictures of a very few of the models and other things to see in the museum. “The Mission statement: The National Museum of the U.S. Navy collects, preserves, displays, and interprets historic naval artifacts and artwork to inform, educate, and inspire naval personnel and the general public. The History: The National Museum of the U.S. Navy was established in 1961 and opened to the public in 1963. As one of 14 Navy museums throughout the country, it is the only one that presents an overview of U.S. naval history. Permanent and temporary exhibitions commemorate the Navy’s wartime heroes and battles as well as peacetime contributions in exploration, diplomacy, navigation and humanitarian service. Known for 40 years as the flagship museum of the U.S. Navy, The National Museum of the U.S. Navy celebrates a legacy of educating the public. In the tradition of its predecessors on the Washington Navy Yard beginning in 1865, the current museum features a collection that dates from 1800. The museum’s collection moved twice before Admiral Arleigh Burke established the current museum, building 76, in 1963 to create an American naval history museum comparable to those in Europe. The National Museum of the U. S. Navy continues to embody Burke’s vision of sharing the Navy’s history and traditions with the world. As the Navy’s collection of artifacts grew, so did the need for a space in which to display them. In 1865, the former Paint Shop (Building 10) opened as the Museum of Naval Relics and Weapons where the Dispensary is today. The museum was amongst America’s earliest federal museums. Listed as one of Washington’s most popular tourist attractions in Morrison’s Strangers Guide to Washington, the collection impressed visitors with such artifacts as a gun from Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes’s conquest of Mexico, and the sloop Kearsarge’s original sternpost containing a shell she received during her fight with the Confederate raider Alabama off the French coast. In 1913 the museum’s artifacts moved to Building 120 where the museum shared space with the Seaman Gunner’s Quarters and the Recruiting Office. This site is now a parking lot west of the 12
Washington Navy Yard. The building was demolished in 1927, which left the Navy’s collection of artifacts in storage for eight years. In April 1935, the third museum opened in building 40, at the north end of the Breech Mechanism Shop constructed between 1887 and 1899. When World War II ended the yard officially changed its name to the Naval Gun Factory, so the museum became the Naval Gun Factory Museum. After gun production ceased, Admiral Burke obtained the entire building in 1961 to house a new and more complete collection of artifacts. Today The National Museum of the U.S. Navy is the only museum to chronicle the history of the U.S. Navy from its creation to the present. Artifacts like USS Constitution’s fighting top, the world’s deepest diving submersible, Trieste, and the khaki uniform of former Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz make The Navy Museum’s collection second to none. More than 90,000 individuals visit The National Museum of the U.S. Navy annually and admission to the Museum and its programs is free.” One of the very first things I remember seeing when I entered the museum was the very large display of the fighting top and bulkhead on the USS Constitution with a huge selection of ship models, naval artifacts, paintings and displays to see! The museum was huge. It was immediately apparent that many hours could be enjoyably spent in this museum. The bulkheads of the USS Constitution were also on display, along with several cannon on the deck poking though the gun ports as shown in the photo to the right. The next thing that caught my immediate attention at the time and happens to be very relevant to what I am doing today was the model of the Halifax built by Harold Hahn. I only which I had taken more pictures of the model when I was there, but then, at that time, I had no idea that I would be building my own ship model of the Halifax. Harold Hahn’s carving skills were second to none and his crewmen manning the model were exceptional. I am very glad to know that one of his models is on display at one of the best museums in the world. It was also very satisfying to know that the U.S. Navy Museum covers the entire range of ships that existed from the very beginning of U.S. history until the present. There are many sailing ship models in evidence along with the more modern steel ships, all in model cases. 13
I only have space in this newsletter to give a very small sample of the many models that are in the museum, not to mention the artifacts and paintings. Of course, a ship model of the USS Constitution was prominently displayed, a photo of which is to the right. At the time, I did not take a photo of the name plate on the model, which I would do today, so I do not know the history of the model or the maker! I also do not know the date of the model construction – note the apparent lights below the lower gun deck and the paint scheme of the hull. To go from the sailing ship era to one of the most modern boats is not hard to do at the U.S. Navy Museum. As indicated in the introduction, a very fine model of the submersible Trieste is displayed prominently. All of the models, artifacts and other objects do have name plates or other information supplied which fully explains the accomplishments of the item in question for those who may not know everything. The battleship is well represented also, depicting one of the major and last battleships built for the U.S. Navy. I am sure most of you will have no trouble identifying the model as shown to the right below the submersible. You can also observe the rather large scale of the model with extremely fine details. I do not know if it was the builder’s model or note, but it was very impressive. There were a number of ship models to this scale, most of which were highly detailed. World War I is also finely represented by a model of a “four stacker”, although again I did not take a good photograph or notes of the name of the destroyer. It would be interesting to note if this model is of one of the four stacker destroyers that survived World War I and was part of the “lend lease” arrangement with Great Britain before the U.S. became fully involved in World War II. There is a photo of the four stacker on the next page, along with a photo of the U.S. Presidential yacht, the case of the presidential yacht offering a lot of information and history in the case along with the model. It is also a sample of the many great ship models shown on 14
display I cases which also have a lot of information and history included with the model along with other artifacts that contribute to the story. Also shown in the USS Panay which figured in a lot of U.S. History in the Far East – again, a full description of the action and main reason for the ships fame is fully explained. There are also displays of U.S. Navy air power in the guise of both air craft carriers and planes, in this case a full size plane from World War II. The plane behind the Navy plane in the photo is a Japanese plane of some kind. You can also see how large the building is in this photo. Even the Confederacy is not ignored – there is a model of the C.S.S. Virginia with full descriptions and artifacts on display. There is one more page of photo’s of models that I have included along with pictures of the real thing, also there to visit, for your enjoyment. A maritime museum highly recommended for a visit. Plan to spend at least a full day! 15
Pictured above is the Baltimore Clipper USS Shark and the frigate USS Congress Pictured below is a bone prisoner of war model, the USS New York and USS Barry, a Vietnam veteran. 16
SMA Dues are Due!!
The editor wishes everyone in the SMA and related organizations a very Happy New Year. For
the members of the SMA, this means Dues are again due for 2015. Remember, we have to pay
for our club meeting place, unlike some other lucky organizations, so please contact our treasurer,
Mike DiCerbo. Dues for email members is still $25.00, while dues for snail mail SMA members
is $40.00, primarily due to huge postal costs at this time. Email SMA members, beyond 100
miles from the meeting site, is still $20.00.
NRG Conference to be held in Mystic this year
Look for details on the upcoming NRG Conference in Mystic, Connecticut this coming October.
It should be a great conference.
Potential location for upcoming SMA Show
As the announcement was made at the January meeting, it is past time for the SMA to put on a
ship modeling show and demonstration, possibly with the assistance of other clubs in the
Southern California area. Please inform any officer if you have any suggestions for a venue for
such an event.
Treasurer’s Report
Mike DiCerbo reports that there is $2,547.54 in the SMA account for the end of March.
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 Mar. 2015
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IJN Yamato – Sean Fallesen
Donald C. Dressel
908 W. 22nd Street, Upland, CA. 91784-1229
Next meeting Wednesday, April 15, 7:30 PM, Hillcrest Park Red Cross Building
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