[FRD]

Michael, sorry to hear of your difficulties, the best way to keep a shape is to use a solid form from the inside, this is particularly important when forming the cannon breechs.

On the two that I assembled I used the handle of an artist brush the same diameter as the cannon, sanded the end to a hemisphere, shaped the breech and cannon body around it, once done I removed the brush.

To easily align the anchor chain hawsepipe I used a toothpick inserted between the two openings in the fourth bulkhead and the anchor well to align it, this hawsepipe should be kept cleared as the anchor chain has to pass through it.

There are a lot of small parts on the 1:100th that's why a 1:72nd is in order.