Now we come to part 11 and 12. Either because of my assembly of the skeleton or assembly of the hull plating, as I installed each hull section I noted that I was further and further forward of the rib bulkheads at each section. This was a gradual result but it built up so that as I formed part 11 & 12 and test fit them, a 5mm overlap was to be seen. Now maybe it was good that I hadn't followed the instructions since I was able to trim both parts equally to get the fit and not interrupt the sequence of the outer hull vents too much.
Once that was completed, I added the bow section took a few weeks off and hid the model at a top shelf somewhere.
Next, the deck plating. I started as instructed at the stern and immediately regretted not looking at reference photos. The last section should have stood about vertical, to the hull. later when the dorsal tail is added I'll cry a bit more for this mistake.
As I moved forward along the deck, I again worked one section at a time. I wanted to be sure that I had good adhesion and an opportunity to fix mistakes. But the result is a rather "dented" appearance. Okay, not terribly un-Russian (sorry friends) but still a bit ugly. My method was to slightly form the sides downward, then glue the spine down, wait for it to dry and then work down one side, waiting for the glue to try before moving to the other side. As you can see, MOSTLY the plating was
just covered by the deck.
I did at least have the wherewithal to round-over the "nuclear" warning hatch.
The instructions do warn you about part 11a and 10a being fragile and needing extra support. I cared not by this time and didn't really experience any difficulty. Sorry, have to add pictures of it later.
But I did learn my lesson on these last bits and i think the bow came out best of all.
