Train sets and inaccuracies

I always like the fact that every time two or more space ships meet up with each other, they are always orientated in a single plane! It's almost as if space has a definite "up" and a definite "down" orientation.

Reply to
Mark Mathu
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And "weathering" on starships etc.?

-- Cheers Roger T.

Home of the Great Eastern Railway

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Reply to
Roger T.

I think those were Alco spaceships. I heard they smoked a lot when transitioning to warp speed.

Reply to
Mark Mathu

I don't think so. PH has those airplanes going way too fast and making maneuvers that are physically impossible (A WWII plane can't pull 11 Gs and stay together). Makes it look like a cartoon to me. Artificial effects would describe it better.

Reply to
SleuthRaptorman

Well look at people and G-scale. They will buy an F unit (1:29 scale) and put European (1:22 scale) cars, and narrow gauge cars (1:20 scale) all in the same train.

In the deep south 4-6-0's were run on the short lines well into the 1960's.

But I have noticed this more and more. Take the movie "Radio Flyer". Set in the 50's but the trains they show are obviously modern as there are no roof walks or cabooses.

Reply to
SleuthRaptorman

I was glad to see the last episode of "Star Trek the Next Generation" where they had the Enterprise attack from the bottom at an obtuse angle. I thought, "finally they've broken from the 2D paradigm".

Reply to
SleuthRaptorman

"Mark Mathu"

LOL.

-- Cheers Roger T.

Home of the Great Eastern Railway

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Reply to
Roger T.

Whatever - it was still Hollywood formulaic schlock. Get the director's cut DVD of Das Boot. Watch it in German with the subtitles. See what they did using "primitive" in-camera effects and model shots, immensely better than the U-571 stuff done 20 years later - and a much better story as well.

Fun commentary track as well.

Reply to
Steve Caple

"T> > > The *original* Star Trek attempted to have a properly soundless flyby of "T> > > the Enterprise during the opening, by the network execs asked Gene R. to "T> > > add a 'woosh' sound effect, even though it really should not be there. "T> >

"T> > I always like the fact that every time two or more space ships meet up "T> with "T> > each other, they are always orientated in a single plane! It's almost as "T> if "T> > space has a definite "up" and a definite "down" orientation. "T> "T> And "weathering" on starships etc.?

Actually, this is probably prototypical. *Solar* wind, micrometeorites, cosmic dust, etc. Space is only a *relative* vacuum. I'm not saying that the "weathering" applied by the Hollywood special effects dept. is necessarily correct, but there is probably a 'correct' "weathering" for starships. We (humans) just don't have the historical prototypes to compare with. That is we *know* what a beat up box car that has spent

30 years out in the 'weather' looks like -- visit your local rail yard and you will find *hundreds* of examples... I imagine that in 200 years or so, there will be space yards with 'weathered' and beat up spaceships to look at.

Plus when you add in the odd laser/phaser 'burn'... Stuff will 'burn' in space if a supply of O2 is available (or some sort of oxidizer -- your basic combustion thrusters include some sort of oxidizer). You will also get discoloration from heat alone, depending on the materials and temperatures involved.

"T> "T> "T> -- "T> Cheers "T> Roger T. "T> "T> Home of the Great Eastern Railway "T>

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"T> "T> "T> "T>

\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@cs.umass.edu

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Reply to
Robert Heller

Unless it is a European movie. They tend to handle railway scenes a lot better. But then, they tend to make better movies, period.

Reply to
mark newton

Ja, eine U-boot gehört ein immer dazu!

Reply to
mark newton

Sure enough! Another fine example of revisionist history.

Fantasy is FUN, but history should stay history.

Dan Mitchell ==========

Jim Stewart wrote:

Reply to
Daniel A. Mitchell

Actually, they "muckeled" it up quite well! :-(

Accuracy is quite a different matter.

Dan Mitchell ==========

Jim Stewart wrote:

Reply to
Daniel A. Mitchell

Actually, a fair amount of 'weathering' can occur in space.

Gradual erosion form high speed impact with space dust, 'outgassing' from all sorts of ports and minor leaks, exhaust, liquid 'dumps', thruster firing debris, etc. Then there's the possibility of residual dirt from repair work in space dock (welding, etc.). And battle damage.

Dan Mitchell ==========

"Roger T." wrote:

Reply to
Daniel A. Mitchell

I DID say the 'better' special effects footage. There is SOME in 'PH'.

But, as you say, a lot of it, while it may look good, is just plain inaccurate.

Dan Mitchell ==========

SleuthRaptorman wrote:

Reply to
Daniel A. Mitchell

According to P W Higginbotham in "The Ultra Secret", the Brits were approached by some Poles that had built copies of the machine for the Germans, saw what was coming, and offered it to the French. The French refused it. The British grabbed it, installed it in Bletchley Park, outside of London, and were reading German signals through most of the war.

Once America got in the war, Ike was briefed on it and was thrilled at once. It was kept a secret among top American general staff.

However, the machine did have a downside.

Churchill knew the raid on Coventry was coming. Should he evacuate the town and tip his hand, or sacrifice citizens and keep the secret?

Jay CNS&M North Shore Line - "First and fastest"

Reply to
JCunington

I would agree with Mr. Zane. I just wish that the better quality makers (Athearn, s.o.m.e. Bachmann, Proto 1K, etc.) would make and promote more train sets. The low quality of some which are sold is off putting to those who might someday graduate from toys to models. But if the first experience is one where trains derail constantly, the loco runs jerkily, the couplers uncouple randomly, well, that impression survives. Sort of like department store telescopes: sell the "200x" scope which wouldn't have a clear image if you removed the lenses, and you can be sure that one potential amateur astronomer will be turned off for life.

Ed.

in article snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com, Howard Zane at snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net wrote on 1/9/04 4:51 PM:

Reply to
Edward A. Oates

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