Moving forward here, I have assembled the hull and have started assembly of the various deck and components. But first a little PE process.
I like to use a piece of Plexiglass with some 1/2 inch foam gasket on the bottom to work with Photo etching. The foam keeps the Plexi from sliding on the bench surface and the smooth hard surface of the Plexi is ideal for cutting out PE sections.
With a sharp #11 or flat razor,taking your time, I cut the small sections out. The black base of the foam showing through the Plexi make it real easy to see the pieces you are cutting off the tree.
To aid in setting the tiny piece of PE, I use a tooth pick to set a tiny drop of CA where I want to install the piece, then turning the tooth pick around I dampen the end of the toothpick and place it on the piece of photo etching.
The dampness on the toothpick clings the little pice to the end and you can then place the piece where you want.
Taking breaks from working with all the tiny PE, I jump over to drilling out the portholes in the side of the hull.
With pin-vise in hand and a selection of drill bit sizes to accommodate the numerous differences in the sizer of the portholes, I started drilling away!
Here I am showing the fruits of my labor. This extra detail will go a long way in bringing out that depth to the model when complete.
So in between preparing PE for installation and drilling the many portholes out, I began what I was to have been a daunting task, construction of the walls for the deck sections. I was wrong though.
As you can see in the pictures, the sections have a really nice cross section bar system that install inside all the deck sections. This not only make the section a lot stronger with an impeccable fit to the corresponding deck sections, this also make construction a snap!!
So after a couple of hours, there it was, the walls and deck section....
...just fall together!!
Here I have a dry fitting session to check things out. This shows you how great the fit (and Kit) are.
This is a prime example of why I have not glued anything but the hull and only the wall section together. In this shot you can see several of the floors on all the decks. These will be painted soon and this would be impossible after they are glued.
A few more deck pieces and I will be ready to begin to start the deck painting.
More to come soon! Thanks for tuning in!!
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