rcmdrvr

Your build is really moving along.  Very impressed with the details you are adding.

I have just started working on the Revelle kit if the New Jersey (premium edition).  I contains alot of photo etch and also wooden deck.  I have spent time with the directions; which are the old kit directions for basic model build order and assembly and a separate set for the wooden deck and photo etch).  You have to bounce back and forth between the two sets of instuctions.  I have come across my first question.  When assembling a module which contains wooden decking would your order of build be (1) assemble and glue all the components of that module (including photo etch railings), (2) paint and finally (3) install the wooden decks.  An alternative order of build would be (1) assemble and glue all the components of the module but exclude the railings, (2) paint, (3) install the wooden decks, (4) form the railings to the proper shapes (5) paint railings and finally (6) install the railings.
 
I hope this question makes some sense.  I have roamed this forum and other internet sources looking for guidance but have not had a bunch of luck.  Hopefully one of you skilled plastic modelers out there finds this and lends a hand.
 
I will start a build log when I get a bit further down the road.
 
Thanks for the help.

I should probably start another topic but here we go with another question.  I am toying around with a build of Revelle's New Jersey (premium edition).  I have been roaming about the internet looking for New Jersey photos (quite plentiful) and I cannot find any that show the wooden decks unpainted.  Most show the wooden decks painted a fairly dark grey.  Raises the question, should I paint the wooden decks?  Has anyone ever painted wooden decks provided in a plastic model?

DocRob, I just read you Arizona build.  The finished model looks great.  Your build log is very thorough and really helpful in my planning my build.  The New Jersey I am building does not contain the same level of PE that you encountered in the Eduard build but I thing there is enough to give me an education using PE in model building.  Thanks for the help.

DocRob, I just read you Arizona build.  The finished model looks great.  Your build log is very thorough and really helpful in my planning my build.  The New Jersey I am building does not contain the same level of PE that you encountered in the Eduard build but I thing there is enough to give me an education using PE in model building.  Thanks for the help.

DocRob, I just read you Arizona build.  The finished model looks great.  Your build log is very thorough and really helpful in my planning my build.  The New Jersey I am building does not contain the same level of PE that you encountered in the Eduard build but I thing there is enough to give me an education using PE in model building.  Thanks for the help.

I have just started working on the Revelle kit if the New Jersey (premium edition).  I contains alot of photo etch and also wooden deck.  I have spent time with the directions; which are the old kit directions for basic model build order and assembly and a separate set for the wooden deck and photo etch).  You have to bounce back and forth between the two sets of instuctions.  I have come across my first question.  When assembling a module which contains wooden decking would your order of build be (1) assemble and glue all the components of that module (including photo etch railings), (2) paint and finally (3) install the wooden decks.  An alternative order of build would be (1) assemble and glue all the components of the module but exclude the railings, (2) paint, (3) install the wooden decks, (4) form the railings to the proper shapes (5) paint railings and finally (6) install the railings.
 
I hope this question makes some sense.  I have roamed this forum and other internet sources looking for guidance but have not had a bunch of luck.  Hopefully one of you skilled plastic modelers out there finds this and lends a hand.
 
I will start a build log when I get a bit further down the road.
 
Thanks for the help.

I have just started working on the Revelle kit if the New Jersey (premium edition).  I contains alot of photo etch and also wooden deck.  I have spent time with the directions; which are the old kit directions for basic model build order and assembly and a separate set for the wooden deck and photo etch).  You have to bounce back and forth between the two sets of instuctions.  I have come across my first question.  When assembling a module which contains wooden decking would your order of build be (1) assemble and glue all the components of that module (including photo etch railings), (2) paint and finally (3) install the wooden decks.  An alternative order of build would be (1) assemble and glue all the components of the module but exclude the railings, (2) paint, (3) install the wooden decks, (4) form the railings to the proper shapes (5) paint railings and finally (6) install the railings.
 
I hope this question makes some sense.  I have roamed this forum and other internet sources looking for guidance but have not had a bunch of luck.  Hopefully one of you skilled plastic modelers out there finds this and lends a hand.
 
I will start a build log when I get a bit further down the road.
 
Thanks for the help.

I have completed my Harriet Lane model.  I have to apologize, however, that my photo taking and postings to this build have been somewhat ignored in the process.  I want to thank Cathead for his rigging suggestions.  I spent some time on this site reading other postings and builds that focused on rigging.  I learned quite abit.  As I read, the plans and rigging views provided with the kit began to make more sense.  Where possible I did some re-rigging and I think I managed to get most of the standing rigging where it belongs.  Looking at the completed model, it is not a museum piece but it will be a nice addition to my shop.  I will continue to follow SalD's build because he is taking a more meticulous approach to the model that I admire and will use in the future.  Finally, I want to thank the designer of this kit.  It is a fairly complex build; but, for the most part, the plans and instructions lead the builder thru the process without too much difficulty.  I very much like the photographic approach in the instructions; I would recommend even more.  If any of the readers have wanted a model of an early steamer; this would be a nice addition.
 
I have to decide on my next project.  I have a few kits of various sailing vessels sitting around; but I think I would like to try a model of a more modern ship.  Looking at some of Bluejacket's offerings of WWII ships.  Any suggestions.
 
Thanks to all that read and commented on this build.  Here are photos of the completed model:
 

I have completed my Harriet Lane model.  I have to apologize, however, that my photo taking and postings to this build have been somewhat ignored in the process.  I want to thank Cathead for his rigging suggestions.  I spent some time on this site reading other postings and builds that focused on rigging.  I learned quite abit.  As I read, the plans and rigging views provided with the kit began to make more sense.  Where possible I did some re-rigging and I think I managed to get most of the standing rigging where it belongs.  Looking at the completed model, it is not a museum piece but it will be a nice addition to my shop.  I will continue to follow SalD's build because he is taking a more meticulous approach to the model that I admire and will use in the future.  Finally, I want to thank the designer of this kit.  It is a fairly complex build; but, for the most part, the plans and instructions lead the builder thru the process without too much difficulty.  I very much like the photographic approach in the instructions; I would recommend even more.  If any of the readers have wanted a model of an early steamer; this would be a nice addition.
 
I have to decide on my next project.  I have a few kits of various sailing vessels sitting around; but I think I would like to try a model of a more modern ship.  Looking at some of Bluejacket's offerings of WWII ships.  Any suggestions.
 
Thanks to all that read and commented on this build.  Here are photos of the completed model:
 

I have completed my Harriet Lane model.  I have to apologize, however, that my photo taking and postings to this build have been somewhat ignored in the process.  I want to thank Cathead for his rigging suggestions.  I spent some time on this site reading other postings and builds that focused on rigging.  I learned quite abit.  As I read, the plans and rigging views provided with the kit began to make more sense.  Where possible I did some re-rigging and I think I managed to get most of the standing rigging where it belongs.  Looking at the completed model, it is not a museum piece but it will be a nice addition to my shop.  I will continue to follow SalD's build because he is taking a more meticulous approach to the model that I admire and will use in the future.  Finally, I want to thank the designer of this kit.  It is a fairly complex build; but, for the most part, the plans and instructions lead the builder thru the process without too much difficulty.  I very much like the photographic approach in the instructions; I would recommend even more.  If any of the readers have wanted a model of an early steamer; this would be a nice addition.
 
I have to decide on my next project.  I have a few kits of various sailing vessels sitting around; but I think I would like to try a model of a more modern ship.  Looking at some of Bluejacket's offerings of WWII ships.  Any suggestions.
 
Thanks to all that read and commented on this build.  Here are photos of the completed model:
 

I have completed my Harriet Lane model.  I have to apologize, however, that my photo taking and postings to this build have been somewhat ignored in the process.  I want to thank Cathead for his rigging suggestions.  I spent some time on this site reading other postings and builds that focused on rigging.  I learned quite abit.  As I read, the plans and rigging views provided with the kit began to make more sense.  Where possible I did some re-rigging and I think I managed to get most of the standing rigging where it belongs.  Looking at the completed model, it is not a museum piece but it will be a nice addition to my shop.  I will continue to follow SalD's build because he is taking a more meticulous approach to the model that I admire and will use in the future.  Finally, I want to thank the designer of this kit.  It is a fairly complex build; but, for the most part, the plans and instructions lead the builder thru the process without too much difficulty.  I very much like the photographic approach in the instructions; I would recommend even more.  If any of the readers have wanted a model of an early steamer; this would be a nice addition.
 
I have to decide on my next project.  I have a few kits of various sailing vessels sitting around; but I think I would like to try a model of a more modern ship.  Looking at some of Bluejacket's offerings of WWII ships.  Any suggestions.
 
Thanks to all that read and commented on this build.  Here are photos of the completed model:
 

I have completed my Harriet Lane model.  I have to apologize, however, that my photo taking and postings to this build have been somewhat ignored in the process.  I want to thank Cathead for his rigging suggestions.  I spent some time on this site reading other postings and builds that focused on rigging.  I learned quite abit.  As I read, the plans and rigging views provided with the kit began to make more sense.  Where possible I did some re-rigging and I think I managed to get most of the standing rigging where it belongs.  Looking at the completed model, it is not a museum piece but it will be a nice addition to my shop.  I will continue to follow SalD's build because he is taking a more meticulous approach to the model that I admire and will use in the future.  Finally, I want to thank the designer of this kit.  It is a fairly complex build; but, for the most part, the plans and instructions lead the builder thru the process without too much difficulty.  I very much like the photographic approach in the instructions; I would recommend even more.  If any of the readers have wanted a model of an early steamer; this would be a nice addition.
 
I have to decide on my next project.  I have a few kits of various sailing vessels sitting around; but I think I would like to try a model of a more modern ship.  Looking at some of Bluejacket's offerings of WWII ships.  Any suggestions.
 
Thanks to all that read and commented on this build.  Here are photos of the completed model:
 

I have completed my Harriet Lane model.  I have to apologize, however, that my photo taking and postings to this build have been somewhat ignored in the process.  I want to thank Cathead for his rigging suggestions.  I spent some time on this site reading other postings and builds that focused on rigging.  I learned quite abit.  As I read, the plans and rigging views provided with the kit began to make more sense.  Where possible I did some re-rigging and I think I managed to get most of the standing rigging where it belongs.  Looking at the completed model, it is not a museum piece but it will be a nice addition to my shop.  I will continue to follow SalD's build because he is taking a more meticulous approach to the model that I admire and will use in the future.  Finally, I want to thank the designer of this kit.  It is a fairly complex build; but, for the most part, the plans and instructions lead the builder thru the process without too much difficulty.  I very much like the photographic approach in the instructions; I would recommend even more.  If any of the readers have wanted a model of an early steamer; this would be a nice addition.
 
I have to decide on my next project.  I have a few kits of various sailing vessels sitting around; but I think I would like to try a model of a more modern ship.  Looking at some of Bluejacket's offerings of WWII ships.  Any suggestions.
 
Thanks to all that read and commented on this build.  Here are photos of the completed model:
 

Well again, a few weeks have passed since my last post.  During that time I have worked on the masts and rigging.  In my last post I mentioned that the material for the masts are cut from the basswood sheets and then sanded round.  I kind of cheated.  I fashioned the lower portion of each mast from dowelling purchased from the local hardware store and then, using a drill motor and sandpaper, I tapered the dowels so they pretty much matched the dimensions on the plans.  The other sections of the masts were fashioned from the provided material.   Turning tapered square pieces into tapered round pieces actually was easier than I thought.  First, I built a jig to hold the square pieces on edge.  The edge was then flattened by sanding and then the piece was rotated 90 degrees.  Four rotations and you have a tapered octagon stick.  Next I sanded lightly while rolling the octagon stick on my work table.  Soon you have a tapered round stick you can use for a mast section.  You do have to be careful when rolling and sanding because it is easy to end up with an elliptical stick (I know).  Since all the mast pieces were made from light woods; I opted for painting.  A coat of primer; light sanding and then a few color coats completed the masts.  I then epoxied the lower sections of each mast into their appropriate locations on the deck.
 
Next comes rigging.  The first step is constructing the chains and dead eyes.  The chains are photo ech brass.  I purchased some blackening agent and soaked the pieces for about 15 minutes.  I then epoxied the deadeyes into the "slot" on the chains.   I followed the instructions to affix the chains to the hull.  I did, however, have to touchup the chains with black paint as much of the blacken surface rubbed off.  Next came the shrouds.  Again I followed the instructions.  I did build a jig from music wire which I used to maintain the same spacing between each dead eye in the chain and the dead eye in the shroud.  Look at the side view of the model provided in the plans when working on this task.  Most of the shrouds are secured around the top of the lower section of the mast; but a few are secured around higher sections.  I didn't discover this until I had mislocated a few and had to undue my handywork.
 
With the shrouds in place I am now working the the rigging.  The best way to describe my efforts is  I AM LOST.  I find the written directions difficult to follow so I am using the side view on the plans and the photos on the box to get thru this task.  I am sure I have rigging running to places that rigging is not supposed to go and I am sure that I am not using the correct attachments; but, it looks pretty authentic to some who knows little about sailing ships.  I have a lot to learn about how to rig a model.
 
Here are a few more images of the build.

I have completed my Harriet Lane model.  I have to apologize, however, that my photo taking and postings to this build have been somewhat ignored in the process.  I want to thank Cathead for his rigging suggestions.  I spent some time on this site reading other postings and builds that focused on rigging.  I learned quite abit.  As I read, the plans and rigging views provided with the kit began to make more sense.  Where possible I did some re-rigging and I think I managed to get most of the standing rigging where it belongs.  Looking at the completed model, it is not a museum piece but it will be a nice addition to my shop.  I will continue to follow SalD's build because he is taking a more meticulous approach to the model that I admire and will use in the future.  Finally, I want to thank the designer of this kit.  It is a fairly complex build; but, for the most part, the plans and instructions lead the builder thru the process without too much difficulty.  I very much like the photographic approach in the instructions; I would recommend even more.  If any of the readers have wanted a model of an early steamer; this would be a nice addition.
 
I have to decide on my next project.  I have a few kits of various sailing vessels sitting around; but I think I would like to try a model of a more modern ship.  Looking at some of Bluejacket's offerings of WWII ships.  Any suggestions.
 
Thanks to all that read and commented on this build.  Here are photos of the completed model:
 

I have completed my Harriet Lane model.  I have to apologize, however, that my photo taking and postings to this build have been somewhat ignored in the process.  I want to thank Cathead for his rigging suggestions.  I spent some time on this site reading other postings and builds that focused on rigging.  I learned quite abit.  As I read, the plans and rigging views provided with the kit began to make more sense.  Where possible I did some re-rigging and I think I managed to get most of the standing rigging where it belongs.  Looking at the completed model, it is not a museum piece but it will be a nice addition to my shop.  I will continue to follow SalD's build because he is taking a more meticulous approach to the model that I admire and will use in the future.  Finally, I want to thank the designer of this kit.  It is a fairly complex build; but, for the most part, the plans and instructions lead the builder thru the process without too much difficulty.  I very much like the photographic approach in the instructions; I would recommend even more.  If any of the readers have wanted a model of an early steamer; this would be a nice addition.
 
I have to decide on my next project.  I have a few kits of various sailing vessels sitting around; but I think I would like to try a model of a more modern ship.  Looking at some of Bluejacket's offerings of WWII ships.  Any suggestions.
 
Thanks to all that read and commented on this build.  Here are photos of the completed model:
 

Made some significant progress on getting the hull painted.  This is another one of those tasks that I was dreading, as once you start spraying it's hard to turn back.  I spent the most time on the lower, red section of the hull.  This involved a process of fill, sand, paint, repeat to get to where I was happy with the finished product.  It's not perfect, but I am happy with the result.  Once the red was completed, I masked off for the upper black section.  This went faster, as I did not need to do as much sand and fill between coats.  Before I removed the masking for the black section, I added parallel masking to create the white stripe.  I will likely add a clear coat to protect paint the finish as the last step.
 
Tim

Small update.  The aft companion ways and skylights were assembled and installed along with the rudderhead housing and compass pedestal.  The companion ways are a little smaller than the laser etched guidelines in the deck used to position them so the lines do show a bit at the ends.  For future reference to myself, I like the simulated decking but I wish I hadn't showed the butt ends of the planking.  It came out too dark.

The bulwark rails were fitted and glued in place.  I chose to stain the railing.

Ship as of today.  I need a better background

I also would like to thank everyone for all the likes.
 
 

Thank you bobandlucy for the comment.  As I fashioned the upper sections of the masts I began to realize that this was a good way of shaping the masts and yards.   I did find, however, that you have to remove material slowly (both when planning and sanding) and inspect the wood often or you can easily end up with an oblong cross section.  I will look for the mast shaping threads you mentioned.

Well again, a few weeks have passed since my last post.  During that time I have worked on the masts and rigging.  In my last post I mentioned that the material for the masts are cut from the basswood sheets and then sanded round.  I kind of cheated.  I fashioned the lower portion of each mast from dowelling purchased from the local hardware store and then, using a drill motor and sandpaper, I tapered the dowels so they pretty much matched the dimensions on the plans.  The other sections of the masts were fashioned from the provided material.   Turning tapered square pieces into tapered round pieces actually was easier than I thought.  First, I built a jig to hold the square pieces on edge.  The edge was then flattened by sanding and then the piece was rotated 90 degrees.  Four rotations and you have a tapered octagon stick.  Next I sanded lightly while rolling the octagon stick on my work table.  Soon you have a tapered round stick you can use for a mast section.  You do have to be careful when rolling and sanding because it is easy to end up with an elliptical stick (I know).  Since all the mast pieces were made from light woods; I opted for painting.  A coat of primer; light sanding and then a few color coats completed the masts.  I then epoxied the lower sections of each mast into their appropriate locations on the deck.
 
Next comes rigging.  The first step is constructing the chains and dead eyes.  The chains are photo ech brass.  I purchased some blackening agent and soaked the pieces for about 15 minutes.  I then epoxied the deadeyes into the "slot" on the chains.   I followed the instructions to affix the chains to the hull.  I did, however, have to touchup the chains with black paint as much of the blacken surface rubbed off.  Next came the shrouds.  Again I followed the instructions.  I did build a jig from music wire which I used to maintain the same spacing between each dead eye in the chain and the dead eye in the shroud.  Look at the side view of the model provided in the plans when working on this task.  Most of the shrouds are secured around the top of the lower section of the mast; but a few are secured around higher sections.  I didn't discover this until I had mislocated a few and had to undue my handywork.
 
With the shrouds in place I am now working the the rigging.  The best way to describe my efforts is  I AM LOST.  I find the written directions difficult to follow so I am using the side view on the plans and the photos on the box to get thru this task.  I am sure I have rigging running to places that rigging is not supposed to go and I am sure that I am not using the correct attachments; but, it looks pretty authentic to some who knows little about sailing ships.  I have a lot to learn about how to rig a model.
 
Here are a few more images of the build.

Well again, a few weeks have passed since my last post.  During that time I have worked on the masts and rigging.  In my last post I mentioned that the material for the masts are cut from the basswood sheets and then sanded round.  I kind of cheated.  I fashioned the lower portion of each mast from dowelling purchased from the local hardware store and then, using a drill motor and sandpaper, I tapered the dowels so they pretty much matched the dimensions on the plans.  The other sections of the masts were fashioned from the provided material.   Turning tapered square pieces into tapered round pieces actually was easier than I thought.  First, I built a jig to hold the square pieces on edge.  The edge was then flattened by sanding and then the piece was rotated 90 degrees.  Four rotations and you have a tapered octagon stick.  Next I sanded lightly while rolling the octagon stick on my work table.  Soon you have a tapered round stick you can use for a mast section.  You do have to be careful when rolling and sanding because it is easy to end up with an elliptical stick (I know).  Since all the mast pieces were made from light woods; I opted for painting.  A coat of primer; light sanding and then a few color coats completed the masts.  I then epoxied the lower sections of each mast into their appropriate locations on the deck.
 
Next comes rigging.  The first step is constructing the chains and dead eyes.  The chains are photo ech brass.  I purchased some blackening agent and soaked the pieces for about 15 minutes.  I then epoxied the deadeyes into the "slot" on the chains.   I followed the instructions to affix the chains to the hull.  I did, however, have to touchup the chains with black paint as much of the blacken surface rubbed off.  Next came the shrouds.  Again I followed the instructions.  I did build a jig from music wire which I used to maintain the same spacing between each dead eye in the chain and the dead eye in the shroud.  Look at the side view of the model provided in the plans when working on this task.  Most of the shrouds are secured around the top of the lower section of the mast; but a few are secured around higher sections.  I didn't discover this until I had mislocated a few and had to undue my handywork.
 
With the shrouds in place I am now working the the rigging.  The best way to describe my efforts is  I AM LOST.  I find the written directions difficult to follow so I am using the side view on the plans and the photos on the box to get thru this task.  I am sure I have rigging running to places that rigging is not supposed to go and I am sure that I am not using the correct attachments; but, it looks pretty authentic to some who knows little about sailing ships.  I have a lot to learn about how to rig a model.
 
Here are a few more images of the build.

Well again, a few weeks have passed since my last post.  During that time I have worked on the masts and rigging.  In my last post I mentioned that the material for the masts are cut from the basswood sheets and then sanded round.  I kind of cheated.  I fashioned the lower portion of each mast from dowelling purchased from the local hardware store and then, using a drill motor and sandpaper, I tapered the dowels so they pretty much matched the dimensions on the plans.  The other sections of the masts were fashioned from the provided material.   Turning tapered square pieces into tapered round pieces actually was easier than I thought.  First, I built a jig to hold the square pieces on edge.  The edge was then flattened by sanding and then the piece was rotated 90 degrees.  Four rotations and you have a tapered octagon stick.  Next I sanded lightly while rolling the octagon stick on my work table.  Soon you have a tapered round stick you can use for a mast section.  You do have to be careful when rolling and sanding because it is easy to end up with an elliptical stick (I know).  Since all the mast pieces were made from light woods; I opted for painting.  A coat of primer; light sanding and then a few color coats completed the masts.  I then epoxied the lower sections of each mast into their appropriate locations on the deck.
 
Next comes rigging.  The first step is constructing the chains and dead eyes.  The chains are photo ech brass.  I purchased some blackening agent and soaked the pieces for about 15 minutes.  I then epoxied the deadeyes into the "slot" on the chains.   I followed the instructions to affix the chains to the hull.  I did, however, have to touchup the chains with black paint as much of the blacken surface rubbed off.  Next came the shrouds.  Again I followed the instructions.  I did build a jig from music wire which I used to maintain the same spacing between each dead eye in the chain and the dead eye in the shroud.  Look at the side view of the model provided in the plans when working on this task.  Most of the shrouds are secured around the top of the lower section of the mast; but a few are secured around higher sections.  I didn't discover this until I had mislocated a few and had to undue my handywork.
 
With the shrouds in place I am now working the the rigging.  The best way to describe my efforts is  I AM LOST.  I find the written directions difficult to follow so I am using the side view on the plans and the photos on the box to get thru this task.  I am sure I have rigging running to places that rigging is not supposed to go and I am sure that I am not using the correct attachments; but, it looks pretty authentic to some who knows little about sailing ships.  I have a lot to learn about how to rig a model.
 
Here are a few more images of the build.

It has been awhile since I last posted to this build.  During that time I have completed most of the deck structures and assembled the cannons and placed them on the deck.  As mentioned in my last post I had to "scratch build" most of the deck structures to insure that the positioning scribes in the deck were covered.  I think that I was able to accomplish this.   I purchased various thicknesses of basswood sheet at my local hobby store and using a zona saw and hobby knife I cut block to appropiate sizes.   It was actually kind of fun to fashion my own structures.  The only kit supplied parts I used were the vent louvers; which were PA provided in the kit.
 
Next came the cannon carriages.  The sides of the carriage were those provided by the kit but the pieces connecting the sides were again scratched as I found the carriages were too narrow for the metal cannon barrels.  It took quite a bit of fitting and filing to get everything to fit.  Preparing the cannon barrels for painting was also a lengthier task than I thought.  It took quite a bit of filing and polishing with a dremel tool to get them ready for priming.  Once completed I was surprised that they would only fit in their positions if the barrels were pointed down.  Otherwise they would not fit below the railing.  I am convinced that the provided cannons are too big for the scale of the model.  Rigging the carriages was the final step.  I chose to minimize the amount of cannon rigging as was suggested in the instruction booklet.
 
I have provided photos of the build to date.  While I have expressed some difficulties with my build so far; I think the final results are pretty nice.  Next task; figure out how to make round masts from squate basswood sticks cut from the provided sheets.
 

With the paddlewheels and housing complete it was time to move to the cabin and pilot house.  This deck structure was a relatively straight forward build until I got to the pilot house.  This rounded section of the structure consists of a "sandwich" of three separate parts.  There is a photoetch piece that is on the inside which are the frames that would have held the glass in the forward windows.  Next there is a 1/32 sheet piece of basswood that contains the window frames and finally there is a paper piece that is the decorative surface on the exterior.  All of these three pieces must be "bent" around the forward end of the housing which is a pretty sharp bend.  In addition the window portions of these pieces must be properly aligned such that the window supports of the bass and paper line up and the glass photo etch frames are centered in each window.  I struggled for days with this task.  Soaking the basswood sheet and bending around the base of the structure was not too difficult.  I did have to add a roof piece to get the basswood to maintain its shape.  Next came the photo etch on the inside.  I could not get the piece to line up with the windows in the bent basswood so I had to cut the larger piece into individual window pieces and after alot of trial fitting I achieved a result I deemed acceptable.  The last struggle was with the paper piece that was to be glued to the exterior.  Again, I could not achieve proper alignment of the windows.  I end up cutting out the window frames in the basswood, applying the paper piece and then replacing the supports I had removed.  I hope all of this makes some sense.  In summary, the pilot house part of the assembly was not fun.
 
After completing the pilot house, I discovered that I had some how mis-aligned something and the drive shaft holes in the cabin did not line up with the drive shaft hoses in the paddle wheel structure.  A bit of cutting, fitting and drilling cured this issue.  I painted the structure white before epoxing to the deck.  This exposed another issue.  The deck has been "etched" to show where all the structures are positioned.  In the case of the cabin and pilothouse; no matter how I positioned the structure; some of the etching peeked out from under the structure. 
 
The final step to completing this structure was to add some windows, vents and the funnel.  The windows and vents are no problem but the funnel took a bit more time.  The funnel is essentially paper rolled around a dowel.  This actually went pretty smooth.  Before painting you add a steam escape pipe and a whistle.  These parts are made from "britiannia" metal.  They are very poorly cast.  I was able to scrape and file and get the whistle to look like a whistle but the steam escape pipe was a diaster and ended up in the trash.  I constructed another steam escape pipe using brass wire, a small piece of wood dowel and some brass rings.
 
Well it is the structure is complete, I think it is OK....you be the judge.