RGL

The most recent Super illistration published in Japan last month pretty much sorts it. Not so much a rigging plan but join the dots. Whilst it will be too late for me I have ordered the new AOTS as well. Maybe that will be better and I don't think I'll be up to rigging by March 2017.

The last of the support structures for the main superstructure are the 4 bases of the type 94 director and the navigation lights, including handrails, MG controller, the crew ready room. This is pretty much it and the convoluted mast will be next.

Dryfitting the assembly you can see how many vacant spots there are and how much piece work is to go.

Oh, the little steps? After much thought I left most of them on as I an pretty much crap at aligning the after market ones so they look worse than what I could achieve with a few washes later. Given the overall amount of detail I think a bad job on them would just draw the eye to poor workmanship. I will post some more later when my 11 year old lets me use my computer.

I'll try that thanks

Vossy, there are no plastic handrails included. Pontos includes rails but I prefer the individual stanchions, whist it's a LOT more work I think it's more realistic

This is like the spine, not many appendages yet

Loving this build Mr Rabbit

Making a start on the main superstructure, there are a lot of individual stanchions to place, and ladders in the first instance.

then moving on to the triple 25mm gun tubs, each one has 12 support struts to me placed and each is 1mm. I set up my usual production line placing each one in bluetack and using a pin to drop glue in.

The lots of foot and handrails and plonked them on. The little radio shack has little vents as per the reference material so it has been bashed a little using tiny funnels.

Next are the gun controllers supports which will also require handrails.

Looks great but how do you keep your desk so clean?

Just awesome, it is huge!

Only for railings to fill gaps between the hull and deck, PVA is a bit too thick for me

It's because PVA is for wood, CA works better

This is plastic, but I've never had a problem with PE and resin. If anything it works better.

The funnel is now pretty much complete. There is a gantry to go but I won't put it on till later as well as a ships whistle. 

The 150cm spotlight platform is next. The reference has support struts along the entire sides but the metal platform below is too wide so I'll leave good enough alone. The crew quarters whilst a nice addition will not sit flush so I used rivet strips to cover them which will be OK when painted. 8 extra sets of doors were added as well as a couple of hatches and pipes.

and steps over the grill.

Finally how she sits on the superstructure which will be next.

It's pretty much follow the dots so far, the handrails are a punish and I'm still considering how much additional detail I need to add. As it sits at an angle, handling is very painful so it has to be top to bottom and trying to seat it in blue tack. This is the last main bit that seats on the centre island where it will really get very crowded. You've probably noticed I've done none of the control turrets or smaller guns which will be done last after the superstructure as it will be mass production.

The more you do PE the better the muscle memory as a fine motor skill, and it becomes a VERY fine motor skill at this scale. Like a tall ship, when you move on from planking it's a whole new skill set, which ends with rigging.

Moving on to the funnels, lots of details be be added here.

Again, the base...

Then the pre after market aftermarket, including hatches, steps and internal ladders plus support struts

then the pontos funnel grille

Looks great, sometimes it seems painful to paint all that beautiful brasswork.

The aft control tower is similar to the front one, just a little smaller and the only real addition is the control arms that go the end covers. A simple fabrication.

You can see the little fly wheel I have used to create rivet lines.

The tower it sits on has gun controllers which I will add later, the sum total of the parts don't seem to add up to much, and I have added rivet lines throughout and I have added handrails, replaced the support struts in white card and extra rails on op that are not mentioned by tamiya. About a days work.

Final shots of where she sits on the ship

Pontos has a lot of assumptions, mainly that you are an expert on the ship that your are building and know what goes where and have extensive research materials at hand. Then they leave bits out that one would think would be naturally included. That being said their products are first class.

I love this build and look forward to seeing you cover the deck in aircraft!

Sorry Banyan, I missed your question, I got them with the PE bender from some place online in Queensland but they would be very easy to fabricate

Banyan, the holder is from a rivet maker set, basically a tiny metal wheel with teeth that I am using to make rivet lines which you won't see until it is painted and washed.

Amateur, I hope you're not put off from the scale

Hof, where are your logs?

So, the build, firstly drilling out the .3mm holes in the top piece. You can see from the Pontos instructions they provide 1 piece of Pe but I prefer this.

Then using the perspex holders, cut the individual stanchions off the fret. Tamiya does these in steel and whilst very sturdy, they are very hard on blades.

Because they will be curved, I add all the stanchions to the .3mm copper wire.

The using the patented Ca applicator, add tiny drops of glue to the holes....

And there it in on my fingernail. Note I use bluetack to hold the pieces stable whilst working on them. They are my third hand.

Then the small hatches which are used with spares (none in the kit or Pontos, applied with a grease pencil。

Next are the ladders which are Tamiya and steel, obviously to save on brass, but hard to cut.

There are applied to the PE bender and folded on each side, using the blunt end of tweezers.

They are then applied with a piece of bluetack on the eｎd of a paint brush handle.

Then the aerials from the fret, as I said, there is no reference from pontos to say there are two type, but I figured it out, the PE bending as very fragile but achieved in the PE bender and very soft hands.

Hope it answers those questions.

Greg

So after a few requests, I have broken down the next component, the main gun control tower.

Firstly, the main tools I use:

1. A small shop photo etch bender

2. PE holders that keep the piece flat when cutting

3. Tweezers

4. Scalpels, (chisel ends work best for cutting)

5. Uschi applicators for large pieces and thin glue that go into the end of the scalpels

6.Beading flat pliers

7. Tamiya PE benders which I cannot master as they refuse to align properly.

All on a black perspex cutting board.

My PE applicators , offcuts of PE frets.

Xuron metal cutters, thin and medium CA , any old piece of plastic that I can drop glue onto.

Moving onto the piece itself, 34 is the Tamiya instructions, then the reference and then the Pontos detailed instructions. I discovered that of the four photos provided, that whilst there are two aerials, one is pre and one is post 1944 but they make no reference to this.

Well done, that looked like hard work mate.

And another book to buy, released next year