Today sees the completion of around 100 portholes being fixed to the hull, which took over 20 hours as every one had an individual eyebrow. In addition some of the portholes needed grills or bars to be added, as these were in areas that needed protection such as the shower / wash rooms and even the prison cells.
The build time now is reaching the 200 hour mark and whilst there may not be a lot to show for all this effort the hull being the largest piece needs to be 100% correct otherwise what is to follow will be incorrect.
Once all the glue had set I then gave the upper section of the hull a quick spray with the light grey, as this helps to identify any minor marks or pits in the filler around the top of the hull. With a scratch build of this size its only to be expected to need further work, as no matter how good you have finished a section there will always be a few places that have been missed and only when using a light coat of paint can these be seen.
The rear and midships case-mates have been fitted and blended in, so after some final filling and finishing it will be time to start to airbrush black shadows and lines on to the hull. Once complete it will then be time to re-spray the lower section of the hull, then mark up the water line before moving on to the upper hull. This however will have to wait for a few days as I am waiting for the bespoke water-tight doors and hatches to arrive from the photo etch company, as the toilet blocks, case-mates and rear deck need these doors and the hull has a couple of hatches on each side.
