For the definitive comment by another kit reviewer, Chris this will make your day,
"there are no instructions in the......... kit" therefore There is no truth.
So staying true to the kit, means the sky's the limit
billings kits although have " instructions " or guide notes.....leaves a tremendous amount of imagination to the builder hence why they say generally there kits are for the experienced builder....that was from a kit reviewer also.
ive only partially built a model slipway kit, although the overal scope of my project was to completley change to a modern incarnation of the Maggie M....i built about 60 % following the kit template adn instructions....RJR was doing a build at the same time and was doing a superb job of following the kit. At this point i thought meh!!!! hes doing one and most others ive seen follow the kit quite closely, me being me chose ro re do a fairbit to reflect a modern look
even when i was following the kit, a few observations that should be thought about
* the wheelhouse if built by instructions turns out to be flimsy, the side walls bend inwards because there is only a thin plastic with very little support...i doubled this up in my version
* the wheelhouse front is too high at the eyebrow level, meaning the wheelhouse hood rises far too high, the hood also if cut to the kit spec gives it an under oval shape which is too exaggerated
* the winch that sits on the roof is made of cast metal, as explained if you follow the kit the wheelhouse is understrengthed this roof winch is a bit heavy, as you need to press firmer in weaker areas to compensate the weight which can create more pressure on glue joints when you need to remove complete wheelhouse.
* i notice alot of builders carry on with the kit instructions at the stern removeable deck, where the net shoots are....this basically sits in, and doesnt create a watertight seal, yes you could put grease, or tape round, in my opinion its a weak are for water ingress, if the builder wants to stay true with the kit look, this aft deck could get away with a 5mm combing as its a fair size and wouldnt be noticable......ive done mine with a combing, i also have halved the size of the area
Chris