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CL-52 update
Hi All;
Further development of the forward superstructure is under way. Drawings of the upper deck houses and tops have been made, but are not yet cut and folded. Three turrets are now in place. Since this is still the mock up stage, all fine parts are intentionally omitted until the large sections are fitted and lined up. At first look all those tubs along the side of the pilot house area were thought to be the same, and accessed through doors from the inside. Turns out that there is a very narrow walk way behind all of them and the shapes are suited to the instruments located in them. Each one is different. It is now very clear why the designers of plastic and resin kits were having trouble. In 1/700 and 1/350 scale it must be a mold makers nightmare. With such scant information on the first two ships and the very tight fit, it is extremely hard to keep the number of parts down and avoid becoming cost prohibitive. This is especially true if there are a large number of photo etched parts involved. The days of spitting out thousands of dubiously accurate kits are long gone. The demands of the modern market are such that cost estimates are very tight. Companies can only make a limited number of kits and sell all of them to be able to make enough profit to stay in business.
Regards, rjccjr
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