Force9

Titanic Decks…
 
For those not familiar with the Titanic I think it’ll be useful to insert a quick overview of the decks/levels of the ship:
 

 
I captured part of the box art and added some quick labels.  (The A deck can also be labelled as the Promenade deck)
 
Some of these decks will get referenced at various points in my build log and this perspective might help folks follow along.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Titanic Decks…
 
For those not familiar with the Titanic I think it’ll be useful to insert a quick overview of the decks/levels of the ship:
 

 
I captured part of the box art and added some quick labels.  (The A deck can also be labelled as the Promenade deck)
 
Some of these decks will get referenced at various points in my build log and this perspective might help folks follow along.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Ahoy Roger... Indeed, not only is the out of the box stern plating wrong - most of it is missing entirely.  A victim as I say above of the limitations of plastic injection molding.  There are terrific online resources that show the correct under counter plating for the Titanic and I have already added it all using styrene strips.  I'm a few posts away from catching everyone up on that effort.
 
(Love the work shown in your post!)
 
Stay tuned!
 
Evan

Wemattson - Thanks for following along!
 
Sharp eye to notice the pinewood derby carrier on the workbench... Dates back a bunch of years when the kids were young!
 
In the spirit of the current build I'll disclose another Pinewood derby ship:
 

 
RMS Titanic and USS Midway.
 
Both won the Grand Prize for design in their respective tournaments (slow as molasses down the track though!)
 
Cheers
Evan

Let’s discuss the Trumpeter Hull
 
Titanic was a beautiful ship. Her lines were clean and graceful, and she sat on the sea with genuine stature.  I think Trumpeter has done a very reasonable job in reflecting all of that in their one-piece hull.  
 

 
Unfortunately, this kit does suffer from underbody inaccuracies that seem inherent in all of Trumpeter’s 1/200 single molded hulls.  I’m no expert on the injection molding process but it seems to me that it introduces limitations on the types of curves and angles that can be achieved in a plastic kit of this size.  The kit designers had to make some practical compromises… 
 
I suspect that the large scale compels Trumpeter to use one-piece hulls – there’d likely be too much warpage if they tried two-piece half hulls.  The larger size also means that the molding needs to be thicker than scale to minimize warping and waves in the form.  We also see some of the hull plating detail missing on the bottom and underneath the counter because of the same injection molding limitations.
 

 
The hull plating and rivet details are also a bit pronounced, but that is typical in many kits.  Welcome to plastic modeling. 
 

 
With all this in mind, I still think that this hull is a nice effort and is very representative of the great ship.  I can work with it.  I will add plating to the underside (clinker built which adds to the fun) and underneath the stern counter.  I will also try wherever possible to mitigate the overscale thickness of the sides.
 
I have added some internal reinforcement bulkheads that I had ordered a few years ago from the Titanic Honor and Glory website store.  This will eliminate any flex across the long hull span and help keep the lower decks aligned. I might only utilize the vertical bulkheads… The horizontal top pieces may not be needed – especially since they could interfere with the lower deck D Grand stairway in the kit.
 

 
I’ll need to wait until after I drill out the portholes before finalizing the bulkheads into position.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Thanks to all who've viewed my intro to this build.
 
Don - Thanks for grabbing an early seat for this voyage... Hopefully I can figure out enough of the KA kit to do a representative job.  The instructions provided for the upgrade set are a bit thin on detail.
 
John - Aye - I'll not get too caught up in the exactness of detail, but you might be surprised at how deep I'll be willing to go.  But ultimately I only need to please myself!
 
Cheers,
Evan

I decided to start a build log for this project after tinkering around a bit with the kit across the past year or so.  I’ve hesitated because I know that there are many passionate folks out there who scrutinize every aspect of the great ship and can be very strong minded about the myriad details in play.  I will make plain my intention to do justice to Titanic but will likely fall short on complete historic exactitude… Especially considering that the ground is constantly moving as scholars and enthusiasts refine our understanding of the ship’s details.
 
I need to confess up front that I am not a Titanic guy.  The great tragedy and human folly of her demise has always pushed me away from the subject… Just too sad.  Additionally, I need to confess that I have never seen the entire James Cameron movie.  I went with my wife to see it in the theater back in the day, but we left halfway through – literally right after the ship struck the iceberg.  I leaned over to my wife and whispered “spoiler alert – this doesn’t end well, and I couldn’t care less if all the spoiled and selfish main characters go down with the ship.  Let’s get outta here and beat the crowd to the good restaurant nearby”. I’ve never seen the rest of the movie.
 
That is not to say, however, that this project won’t be a labor of Love.  I am building this for my daughter.  She has been fascinated by the Titanic tragedy from a very young age.  At age six she could tell you all about Captain Smith going down with the ship and nurse Jessop and her surviving multiple sinkings, etc. She made me get up in the wee hours on the exact date/time of the 100th anniversary of her sinking to ring a bell in commemoration. We’ve even toured Margaret Brown’s home in Denver (nobody called her “Molly” in her lifetime).  She is more interested in the human stories than the ship itself but will very much appreciate this representation when it is finally completed.
 
It was always a head scratcher for me that Trumpeter started their new line of 1/200 scale ships with the USS Arizona back in 2012.  It seemed to me that Titanic would’ve made more sense.  It was the 100th anniversary of her sinking and is clearly a very popular subject as we can see with the explosion of 3rd party add-ons and doo dads that have proliferated in the marketplace to enhance the model. There is a significant cottage industry that has since formed just around this kit.  I suppose better late than never for the folks at Trumpeter.
 
The workshop out in the garage has been reorganized and made shipshape:
 

 
Hopefully you get some sense for the size of the model.  It is big.
 
I have thrown all the relevant documentation into a binder so that I can have quick access to key references.  Sliding the pages into clear sleeves also allows me to overlay notes with a grease pencil or Sharpie pen.
 


 
 
I will forego the box opening and contents review – folks can find all that in many other logs and online resources. I will however include this quick view of the Trumpeter packaging… All very neat and carefully laid out (as is the case with all their kits that I’ve got in my stash).
 

 
Most modelers will splurge and invest in either the KA Models upgrade set or the one made by Pontos.  Both have their pros and cons, but I have opted for the KA set.  I like the extensive 3D print and resin components and the etched brass is very comprehensive.  Again – I won’t lay out all the contents here… That is easily found in other logs or the KA website.
 
I do have various other add ons including several brass sheets from Woody’s Model Works.  Very nice stuff and highly recommended.  (Neil Woods is in a bit of a hiatus right now as he figures out how to deal with UK VAT requirements).
 
I’m not sure I’ll go down the LED route.  Certainly, Titanic is the perfect model for LED treatment, but it generally isn’t my thing – not sure the extra time/effort will be worthwhile.  Still pondering…
 
A note about online resources.  Ken Marschall has long been a great visualizer of the Titanic, but anyone who is taking this kit seriously will find their way to three key players:
 
Robert Read – Mr. Read has a great catalog of white papers and research material that he has created and maintained on his website Titanic CAD Plans.  He illuminates many fascinating details, resolves conflicts and controversies, and explains many of the inner workings of Titanic’s systems and gear. Terrific resource.
 
Vasilije Ristovic’ – Most Titanic aficionados will know Vasilije’s work.  His digital renderings of Titanic bring the great ship back to life and are breathtaking. His thoughtfully researched images shed light on many unique details and provide a terrific color guide for those of us trying to navigate our paint choices. He also has a very impressive 1/200 Titanic model of his own in progress.
 
Cyril Codus – Mr. Codus is a gifted digital artist who has created some outstanding full-length profiles of Titanic and her sisters. He also has very detailed overhead deck views that highlight the positioning of deck equipment and rigging.  Incredibly useful stuff. You can find samples on his website RMS Titanic Art Work.
 
For those who can stomach Facebook, there are several terrific resources utilized by the Titanic community:
 
RMS Titanic Model Research and Tech hosted by Zeno Silva and friends.  You’ll find Bob Read, Cyril, and Vasilije all contributing here.
 
Trumpeter TITANIC 1/200th model ONLY building tips and tricks hosted by Gene Davis.  This is an essential meeting place for the Titanic modeler community with extensive Guides and downloadable files to facilitate enhancement of the kit.  Gene shows remarkable patience and perseverance amongst the wide spectrum of modelers that post on his pages. (Although I’m sure that Gene’s head will explode if one more novice jumps in to ask about three bladed props versus four…)
 
RMS Titanic – 3D Illustrations by Vasilije Ristovic.  This is where Vasilije posts most of his incredible Titanic renderings (and offers images for sale).
 
Visiting the Midwest Model Shop Youtube channel is also recommended.  Ben and his charming wife Nora walk through every stage of their 1/200 Titanic build and give a terrific overview of their process along the way.  It is refreshing to see an experienced modeler identify his own mistakes and show how he goes about correcting for them along the way. Includes terrific episodes about 3rd party upgrades – in particular the brass sheets from Neil Woods.
 
Regarding more traditional resources I do have a small library of books with lots of photos and tech specs:
 

 
I have not invested in the two-volume set TITANIC – The Ship Magnificent.  I think I have other sources for most of what I would glean from those pages and the investment just seems a bit much for now.  I’ll use those funds to purchase additional upgrades instead.
 
Give me a few days and I’ll start to catch everyone up on my progress to date.
 
Cheers
Evan
 

Titanic Decks…
 
For those not familiar with the Titanic I think it’ll be useful to insert a quick overview of the decks/levels of the ship:
 

 
I captured part of the box art and added some quick labels.  (The A deck can also be labelled as the Promenade deck)
 
Some of these decks will get referenced at various points in my build log and this perspective might help folks follow along.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Titanic Decks…
 
For those not familiar with the Titanic I think it’ll be useful to insert a quick overview of the decks/levels of the ship:
 

 
I captured part of the box art and added some quick labels.  (The A deck can also be labelled as the Promenade deck)
 
Some of these decks will get referenced at various points in my build log and this perspective might help folks follow along.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Titanic Decks…
 
For those not familiar with the Titanic I think it’ll be useful to insert a quick overview of the decks/levels of the ship:
 

 
I captured part of the box art and added some quick labels.  (The A deck can also be labelled as the Promenade deck)
 
Some of these decks will get referenced at various points in my build log and this perspective might help folks follow along.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Wemattson - Thanks for following along!
 
Sharp eye to notice the pinewood derby carrier on the workbench... Dates back a bunch of years when the kids were young!
 
In the spirit of the current build I'll disclose another Pinewood derby ship:
 

 
RMS Titanic and USS Midway.
 
Both won the Grand Prize for design in their respective tournaments (slow as molasses down the track though!)
 
Cheers
Evan

Let’s discuss the Trumpeter Hull
 
Titanic was a beautiful ship. Her lines were clean and graceful, and she sat on the sea with genuine stature.  I think Trumpeter has done a very reasonable job in reflecting all of that in their one-piece hull.  
 

 
Unfortunately, this kit does suffer from underbody inaccuracies that seem inherent in all of Trumpeter’s 1/200 single molded hulls.  I’m no expert on the injection molding process but it seems to me that it introduces limitations on the types of curves and angles that can be achieved in a plastic kit of this size.  The kit designers had to make some practical compromises… 
 
I suspect that the large scale compels Trumpeter to use one-piece hulls – there’d likely be too much warpage if they tried two-piece half hulls.  The larger size also means that the molding needs to be thicker than scale to minimize warping and waves in the form.  We also see some of the hull plating detail missing on the bottom and underneath the counter because of the same injection molding limitations.
 

 
The hull plating and rivet details are also a bit pronounced, but that is typical in many kits.  Welcome to plastic modeling. 
 

 
With all this in mind, I still think that this hull is a nice effort and is very representative of the great ship.  I can work with it.  I will add plating to the underside (clinker built which adds to the fun) and underneath the stern counter.  I will also try wherever possible to mitigate the overscale thickness of the sides.
 
I have added some internal reinforcement bulkheads that I had ordered a few years ago from the Titanic Honor and Glory website store.  This will eliminate any flex across the long hull span and help keep the lower decks aligned. I might only utilize the vertical bulkheads… The horizontal top pieces may not be needed – especially since they could interfere with the lower deck D Grand stairway in the kit.
 

 
I’ll need to wait until after I drill out the portholes before finalizing the bulkheads into position.
 
Cheers,
Evan

I decided to start a build log for this project after tinkering around a bit with the kit across the past year or so.  I’ve hesitated because I know that there are many passionate folks out there who scrutinize every aspect of the great ship and can be very strong minded about the myriad details in play.  I will make plain my intention to do justice to Titanic but will likely fall short on complete historic exactitude… Especially considering that the ground is constantly moving as scholars and enthusiasts refine our understanding of the ship’s details.
 
I need to confess up front that I am not a Titanic guy.  The great tragedy and human folly of her demise has always pushed me away from the subject… Just too sad.  Additionally, I need to confess that I have never seen the entire James Cameron movie.  I went with my wife to see it in the theater back in the day, but we left halfway through – literally right after the ship struck the iceberg.  I leaned over to my wife and whispered “spoiler alert – this doesn’t end well, and I couldn’t care less if all the spoiled and selfish main characters go down with the ship.  Let’s get outta here and beat the crowd to the good restaurant nearby”. I’ve never seen the rest of the movie.
 
That is not to say, however, that this project won’t be a labor of Love.  I am building this for my daughter.  She has been fascinated by the Titanic tragedy from a very young age.  At age six she could tell you all about Captain Smith going down with the ship and nurse Jessop and her surviving multiple sinkings, etc. She made me get up in the wee hours on the exact date/time of the 100th anniversary of her sinking to ring a bell in commemoration. We’ve even toured Margaret Brown’s home in Denver (nobody called her “Molly” in her lifetime).  She is more interested in the human stories than the ship itself but will very much appreciate this representation when it is finally completed.
 
It was always a head scratcher for me that Trumpeter started their new line of 1/200 scale ships with the USS Arizona back in 2012.  It seemed to me that Titanic would’ve made more sense.  It was the 100th anniversary of her sinking and is clearly a very popular subject as we can see with the explosion of 3rd party add-ons and doo dads that have proliferated in the marketplace to enhance the model. There is a significant cottage industry that has since formed just around this kit.  I suppose better late than never for the folks at Trumpeter.
 
The workshop out in the garage has been reorganized and made shipshape:
 

 
Hopefully you get some sense for the size of the model.  It is big.
 
I have thrown all the relevant documentation into a binder so that I can have quick access to key references.  Sliding the pages into clear sleeves also allows me to overlay notes with a grease pencil or Sharpie pen.
 


 
 
I will forego the box opening and contents review – folks can find all that in many other logs and online resources. I will however include this quick view of the Trumpeter packaging… All very neat and carefully laid out (as is the case with all their kits that I’ve got in my stash).
 

 
Most modelers will splurge and invest in either the KA Models upgrade set or the one made by Pontos.  Both have their pros and cons, but I have opted for the KA set.  I like the extensive 3D print and resin components and the etched brass is very comprehensive.  Again – I won’t lay out all the contents here… That is easily found in other logs or the KA website.
 
I do have various other add ons including several brass sheets from Woody’s Model Works.  Very nice stuff and highly recommended.  (Neil Woods is in a bit of a hiatus right now as he figures out how to deal with UK VAT requirements).
 
I’m not sure I’ll go down the LED route.  Certainly, Titanic is the perfect model for LED treatment, but it generally isn’t my thing – not sure the extra time/effort will be worthwhile.  Still pondering…
 
A note about online resources.  Ken Marschall has long been a great visualizer of the Titanic, but anyone who is taking this kit seriously will find their way to three key players:
 
Robert Read – Mr. Read has a great catalog of white papers and research material that he has created and maintained on his website Titanic CAD Plans.  He illuminates many fascinating details, resolves conflicts and controversies, and explains many of the inner workings of Titanic’s systems and gear. Terrific resource.
 
Vasilije Ristovic’ – Most Titanic aficionados will know Vasilije’s work.  His digital renderings of Titanic bring the great ship back to life and are breathtaking. His thoughtfully researched images shed light on many unique details and provide a terrific color guide for those of us trying to navigate our paint choices. He also has a very impressive 1/200 Titanic model of his own in progress.
 
Cyril Codus – Mr. Codus is a gifted digital artist who has created some outstanding full-length profiles of Titanic and her sisters. He also has very detailed overhead deck views that highlight the positioning of deck equipment and rigging.  Incredibly useful stuff. You can find samples on his website RMS Titanic Art Work.
 
For those who can stomach Facebook, there are several terrific resources utilized by the Titanic community:
 
RMS Titanic Model Research and Tech hosted by Zeno Silva and friends.  You’ll find Bob Read, Cyril, and Vasilije all contributing here.
 
Trumpeter TITANIC 1/200th model ONLY building tips and tricks hosted by Gene Davis.  This is an essential meeting place for the Titanic modeler community with extensive Guides and downloadable files to facilitate enhancement of the kit.  Gene shows remarkable patience and perseverance amongst the wide spectrum of modelers that post on his pages. (Although I’m sure that Gene’s head will explode if one more novice jumps in to ask about three bladed props versus four…)
 
RMS Titanic – 3D Illustrations by Vasilije Ristovic.  This is where Vasilije posts most of his incredible Titanic renderings (and offers images for sale).
 
Visiting the Midwest Model Shop Youtube channel is also recommended.  Ben and his charming wife Nora walk through every stage of their 1/200 Titanic build and give a terrific overview of their process along the way.  It is refreshing to see an experienced modeler identify his own mistakes and show how he goes about correcting for them along the way. Includes terrific episodes about 3rd party upgrades – in particular the brass sheets from Neil Woods.
 
Regarding more traditional resources I do have a small library of books with lots of photos and tech specs:
 

 
I have not invested in the two-volume set TITANIC – The Ship Magnificent.  I think I have other sources for most of what I would glean from those pages and the investment just seems a bit much for now.  I’ll use those funds to purchase additional upgrades instead.
 
Give me a few days and I’ll start to catch everyone up on my progress to date.
 
Cheers
Evan
 

Ahoy Roger... Indeed, not only is the out of the box stern plating wrong - most of it is missing entirely.  A victim as I say above of the limitations of plastic injection molding.  There are terrific online resources that show the correct under counter plating for the Titanic and I have already added it all using styrene strips.  I'm a few posts away from catching everyone up on that effort.
 
(Love the work shown in your post!)
 
Stay tuned!
 
Evan

Wemattson - Thanks for following along!
 
Sharp eye to notice the pinewood derby carrier on the workbench... Dates back a bunch of years when the kids were young!
 
In the spirit of the current build I'll disclose another Pinewood derby ship:
 

 
RMS Titanic and USS Midway.
 
Both won the Grand Prize for design in their respective tournaments (slow as molasses down the track though!)
 
Cheers
Evan

Ahoy Roger... Indeed, not only is the out of the box stern plating wrong - most of it is missing entirely.  A victim as I say above of the limitations of plastic injection molding.  There are terrific online resources that show the correct under counter plating for the Titanic and I have already added it all using styrene strips.  I'm a few posts away from catching everyone up on that effort.
 
(Love the work shown in your post!)
 
Stay tuned!
 
Evan

Wemattson - Thanks for following along!
 
Sharp eye to notice the pinewood derby carrier on the workbench... Dates back a bunch of years when the kids were young!
 
In the spirit of the current build I'll disclose another Pinewood derby ship:
 

 
RMS Titanic and USS Midway.
 
Both won the Grand Prize for design in their respective tournaments (slow as molasses down the track though!)
 
Cheers
Evan

Let’s discuss the Trumpeter Hull
 
Titanic was a beautiful ship. Her lines were clean and graceful, and she sat on the sea with genuine stature.  I think Trumpeter has done a very reasonable job in reflecting all of that in their one-piece hull.  
 

 
Unfortunately, this kit does suffer from underbody inaccuracies that seem inherent in all of Trumpeter’s 1/200 single molded hulls.  I’m no expert on the injection molding process but it seems to me that it introduces limitations on the types of curves and angles that can be achieved in a plastic kit of this size.  The kit designers had to make some practical compromises… 
 
I suspect that the large scale compels Trumpeter to use one-piece hulls – there’d likely be too much warpage if they tried two-piece half hulls.  The larger size also means that the molding needs to be thicker than scale to minimize warping and waves in the form.  We also see some of the hull plating detail missing on the bottom and underneath the counter because of the same injection molding limitations.
 

 
The hull plating and rivet details are also a bit pronounced, but that is typical in many kits.  Welcome to plastic modeling. 
 

 
With all this in mind, I still think that this hull is a nice effort and is very representative of the great ship.  I can work with it.  I will add plating to the underside (clinker built which adds to the fun) and underneath the stern counter.  I will also try wherever possible to mitigate the overscale thickness of the sides.
 
I have added some internal reinforcement bulkheads that I had ordered a few years ago from the Titanic Honor and Glory website store.  This will eliminate any flex across the long hull span and help keep the lower decks aligned. I might only utilize the vertical bulkheads… The horizontal top pieces may not be needed – especially since they could interfere with the lower deck D Grand stairway in the kit.
 

 
I’ll need to wait until after I drill out the portholes before finalizing the bulkheads into position.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Thanks to all who've viewed my intro to this build.
 
Don - Thanks for grabbing an early seat for this voyage... Hopefully I can figure out enough of the KA kit to do a representative job.  The instructions provided for the upgrade set are a bit thin on detail.
 
John - Aye - I'll not get too caught up in the exactness of detail, but you might be surprised at how deep I'll be willing to go.  But ultimately I only need to please myself!
 
Cheers,
Evan

Wemattson - Thanks for following along!
 
Sharp eye to notice the pinewood derby carrier on the workbench... Dates back a bunch of years when the kids were young!
 
In the spirit of the current build I'll disclose another Pinewood derby ship:
 

 
RMS Titanic and USS Midway.
 
Both won the Grand Prize for design in their respective tournaments (slow as molasses down the track though!)
 
Cheers
Evan

I believe that the stern plating is wrong.  The upper strakes of plating normally do not wrap around to the sternpost.  Instead they twist up to end at the counter.  The ends of this plating are often covered by a decorative moulding that wraps horizontally around the counter.  Plating around the fantail stern is as shown on your model.  The stern lines also appear to be overly full.  Pictures of usual plating arrangement posted below.

Wemattson - Thanks for following along!
 
Sharp eye to notice the pinewood derby carrier on the workbench... Dates back a bunch of years when the kids were young!
 
In the spirit of the current build I'll disclose another Pinewood derby ship:
 

 
RMS Titanic and USS Midway.
 
Both won the Grand Prize for design in their respective tournaments (slow as molasses down the track though!)
 
Cheers
Evan

I'm looking forward to following along on this build.  Also, I like the pinewood derby aircraft carrier on your workbench.

Let’s discuss the Trumpeter Hull
 
Titanic was a beautiful ship. Her lines were clean and graceful, and she sat on the sea with genuine stature.  I think Trumpeter has done a very reasonable job in reflecting all of that in their one-piece hull.  
 

 
Unfortunately, this kit does suffer from underbody inaccuracies that seem inherent in all of Trumpeter’s 1/200 single molded hulls.  I’m no expert on the injection molding process but it seems to me that it introduces limitations on the types of curves and angles that can be achieved in a plastic kit of this size.  The kit designers had to make some practical compromises… 
 
I suspect that the large scale compels Trumpeter to use one-piece hulls – there’d likely be too much warpage if they tried two-piece half hulls.  The larger size also means that the molding needs to be thicker than scale to minimize warping and waves in the form.  We also see some of the hull plating detail missing on the bottom and underneath the counter because of the same injection molding limitations.
 

 
The hull plating and rivet details are also a bit pronounced, but that is typical in many kits.  Welcome to plastic modeling. 
 

 
With all this in mind, I still think that this hull is a nice effort and is very representative of the great ship.  I can work with it.  I will add plating to the underside (clinker built which adds to the fun) and underneath the stern counter.  I will also try wherever possible to mitigate the overscale thickness of the sides.
 
I have added some internal reinforcement bulkheads that I had ordered a few years ago from the Titanic Honor and Glory website store.  This will eliminate any flex across the long hull span and help keep the lower decks aligned. I might only utilize the vertical bulkheads… The horizontal top pieces may not be needed – especially since they could interfere with the lower deck D Grand stairway in the kit.
 

 
I’ll need to wait until after I drill out the portholes before finalizing the bulkheads into position.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Let’s discuss the Trumpeter Hull
 
Titanic was a beautiful ship. Her lines were clean and graceful, and she sat on the sea with genuine stature.  I think Trumpeter has done a very reasonable job in reflecting all of that in their one-piece hull.  
 

 
Unfortunately, this kit does suffer from underbody inaccuracies that seem inherent in all of Trumpeter’s 1/200 single molded hulls.  I’m no expert on the injection molding process but it seems to me that it introduces limitations on the types of curves and angles that can be achieved in a plastic kit of this size.  The kit designers had to make some practical compromises… 
 
I suspect that the large scale compels Trumpeter to use one-piece hulls – there’d likely be too much warpage if they tried two-piece half hulls.  The larger size also means that the molding needs to be thicker than scale to minimize warping and waves in the form.  We also see some of the hull plating detail missing on the bottom and underneath the counter because of the same injection molding limitations.
 

 
The hull plating and rivet details are also a bit pronounced, but that is typical in many kits.  Welcome to plastic modeling. 
 

 
With all this in mind, I still think that this hull is a nice effort and is very representative of the great ship.  I can work with it.  I will add plating to the underside (clinker built which adds to the fun) and underneath the stern counter.  I will also try wherever possible to mitigate the overscale thickness of the sides.
 
I have added some internal reinforcement bulkheads that I had ordered a few years ago from the Titanic Honor and Glory website store.  This will eliminate any flex across the long hull span and help keep the lower decks aligned. I might only utilize the vertical bulkheads… The horizontal top pieces may not be needed – especially since they could interfere with the lower deck D Grand stairway in the kit.
 

 
I’ll need to wait until after I drill out the portholes before finalizing the bulkheads into position.
 
Cheers,
Evan