Greg,
Strange moniker (Mr. Nobody)
Sometimes when I'm out in public I wear a nametag that says "N. Cognito".........................
Anyhow, more to your question re. the hole in the hull - say, that might be a good Beatles-type of nautical disaster song....has all the earmarks...
OK, must be the COVIDs got me!!!!
About the hole - here is a picture of the beginning stage of my build back in 2012 - just so we're talking about the same hole, right??? The hole is located about an 1" to the right of the hull joint, correct?
Attachment:
Bow in Place (Large).JPG [ 65.21 KiB | Viewed 1366 times ]
If memory serves me right, this is just ONE of several holes, slots, indentions, etc. that you'll find in the kit that has no reference at all in the instruction manual. Why is it there? Well, it's there because of 3rd party accessories that are produced to enhance the basic kit. At least, this is my theory on it based on having purchased the Pontos Detail Up kit - the items in that upgrade matched quite clearly the "unknown" types of hull indentions you describe. I have another theory about this and that is that the kit mfgr is somehow in cahoots with these 3rd party providers (whoever they are) and someone is getting a kickback somewhere each time you buy one of their upgrade offers. When the kit first came out in the early 2000s, Pontos was the only 3rd party mfgr. to offer a MISSOURI kit upgrade so I'm pretty sure they are the ones in bed with Chicken Chow Mein, if you catch my drift.
Hope this helps - my build is located somewhere in the completed forum and also on the SMF Gallery - look for 1/200 USS NEW JERSEY (1967-68) ETC. - I did a 6 year project on her using this kit as the basis to begin with. Also, over on Works in Progress, create a build log so we can see what's happening in Mr. Nobody's shipyard.
Hank