A happy New Year to all.
I knew it would just be a matter of time before I got interested again and it's happened.
At some point, I think in October, I started doing some work on the windows in the super structure. Using some left over clear plastic from packaging from kids toys. I didn't finish it, as I started to get annoyed with it a bit.
In November I was inspired to do the ballasting, something I had look at a bit earlier, but this was effectively made complete and all the lead shot was sealed into place, albeit with fibreglass reinforced tape.
A few weeks before work finished for Xmas holidays I started doing some more and finished that off.
That also lead me to realise that there wasn't actually that much left to do.
So the windlass for the anchor got finished and put in place:
Painting of the port and starboard running lights was required and completed without too much incident. I did need to make use of a sharp knife to tidy up around the edges where the colour had bled under the Tamiya masking tape. I also discovered that the red paint I was using (Tamiya Acrylic) needs a few coats before it gets totally opaque:
There was also much fitting of railings and other bits and pieces:
One of my considerations was transport and with my previous models I have built boxes to transport them. The height of the mast and the aerials etc. on top of that was going to be too tall for a box of the normal height I use, so it was a question of how to make things fit.
The solutions was to make the flying bridge and mast assembly detachable from the model - but then it must be able to be secured to the model well enough that it would not fall off in wind or rough seas. (Seas? You know what I mean...).
My solution, after much thinking, was to make use of some 4mm gold connectors as plugs and sockets:
And this works very well - except for a pair of rigging wires that needed to be made detachable too - well, they slip on and off as needed and provide a little more security to the solution.
More later...