The superstructure, there are two main parts to this build. The wheelhouse/cabin and rear hatch covers (for want of a better description). The cabin constructed from lasercut ply panels which went together well once the little nibs are rubbed off with all the panels glued with a waterproof woodglue. Usual proceedure of sealing the wood prior to painting. The floor and walls of the cabin are lined with African Walnut, nice wood strips supplied in the kit. Two shelves and a line of coathooks added to the rear wall a bench seat and table to one side. A 'shelf unit' that supports the binnacle, control panel, levers and wheel made from two lasercut ply panels fits to the front of the cabin and the walls are then panelled as the rear. The windows are framed with walnut strips, very fiddly but looking great once done. I glazed the windows with some clear plastic sheet (acetate? maybe, collected from packaging over the years) getting the door to stay in place was a nuisence but eventually the glue went off and it stayed in place, slightly open looking like it's in use. I didn't glue the roof on as I wanted to fit working lights. The kit provides cast white metal lamps and two small dome shapes that took an age to decide where they went. Finally I worked out that they were supposed to be the cabin lights, I didn't use any of these a instead opting for LED lights. I will discuss the lights later.
The rear Hatch covers were cast white metal and quite heavy. I used them but for weight saving probably should have replaced them with scratch built panels that would have been much lighter. The covers fit into a wooden structure, lasercut ply again, looking rather like a small greenhouse. It fits on the rear deck over the aperture giving access to the motor and drive coupling. There is a further box that fills a hole in the deck over the drive coupling where it connects to the prop shaft. This box looks like a fish tray and would appear to be for containment of the tow ropes.
With the ply boxes glued, sealed and filled I painted them using matt white and matt mid grey Humbrol enamel. The colour scheme on the box lid which I quite liked.
It was a relief when they fitted in place with no problems, no adjustment necessary so I must have done something right. Along with these items I also added the capstain, a nicely turned piece of dowel whic I painted Gunmetal grey and black and a square patch of grid made from pre cut strips of wood that locked into each other very nicely making a large rectangle of grid from which two squares are required. One for behind the capstain the other on the cabin floor by the wheel. To finish things off I coloured some tissue yellow and roughly formed two oilskins to hang on the cabin coathooks. I also took the opportunity to cut down a 1:25 scale rail passenger that I had in stock, reducing him to 1:30 to match the scale of the boat and adjusting his arms to hold the wheel. Suitably painted, Fred now steers the ship.