The busy boat and pompom deck
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The cranes have to be fitted; once again it is weathered before attaching to deck. I tried to get a bit of depth to the searchlight by applying black gloss and then a thin line of white over the top left then a layer of Tamiya Smoke X-19 (lovely paint that is).
As I mentioned before I have hardly ever seen the lower part of the hull weathered in a model. If one is going to treat the top it would seem illogical for the hull underwater to remain pristine. I painted the lower hull with the anti foul colour and the black waterline.
Out came the hairspray. I treated the whole area. Then I mixed various colours to make a mud solution, this I applied thinly in several coats till I was satisfied with the look. During the application of this coat I added other colours (greens yellows and browns) to vary the texture. It was sprayed with downward strokes.
I used a toothpick to pick out at the plating (it is not accurately portraying the real thing just a suggestion). This took ages and I began to understand why no one does it! The rust spots were picked out using black, rusty oil paint and Mig powders applied with a pointed brush.
At this stage I fixed all the superstructure and other fittings to the deck. The railings were something that I regarded with trepidation as I have big hands and they are so delicate.
By and large I used the Pontos railings as they had very good looking stanchions which seemed correct to me and they were a smidge more robust than those from White Ensign.
I used this method of cutting the railings from the frets, applying sufficient pressure to keep them rigid. You may all have different ways but this seemed pretty good.
Once cut away I used tweezers to handle them. I fixed bit of tape to the side of the ship and rested the railings on them. This kept them upright and I could apply cement (superglue thin) along their length. Apart from problems of length (I used WE brass to fill the gaps) they went on far more easily than I anticipated and therefore I enjoyed the process!
Finally the anchors were attached and the chains and their drive motors weathered.
