Got a small update for y'all...
My next objective was to work on the hawsepipes; I ran into annoying issue that I am still trying to work out...
First, the Pontos instructions call for removing almost all of the molded deck detail, including replacing the deck side of the hawsepipes with more accurately shaped/located resin pieces:
I started by grinding of the majority of the raised molding with my trusty dremmel and a cutting bit. Then I used a combination of a chisel xacto blade and sanding block to level the surface.
Next I used the wooden deck to mark and cut out the new hawsepipe holes:
Pontos includes a PE template for this but I had already obliterated the template "landmarks" and wanted to make sure I still got 'em in the right place.
I first thought the resin hawsepipe pieces simply replaced the molded hawsepipes with the wooden deck installed around it afterwards but as it turns out they are intended to be installed overlapping the wooden deck. This complicates things for me because I want to add the entire pipe interior as it would have been on the real ship...
... so I have two choices, either modify the resin pipe pieces and wooden deck so I can install the deck after forming the pipes or install the deck earlier than I had planned, then mask it off. Decisions, decisions.
Another thought on the deck itself... it is well known that Pontos decks often have a nasty habit of unsticking and lifting after a while. A lot of modelers blame the adhesive Pontos uses for the stick-on decks but I think it's really the Trumpeter plastic (also notorious for poor paint adhesion in it's OOTB form) plus the nature of the molded deck itself which cases the problem (aggravating natural wood expansion/contraction and causing the deck to debond).
If you look closely at the molded deck surface, you can see it's molded with rounded and deeply outlined "planks"... this is definitely a
less than ideal bonding surface.
In an attempt to get a better surface I decided to fill the molded plank lines with Squadron putty and sand them smooth:
It's not as labor intensive as it sounds but it's extra work that will hopefully give me some insurance against the deck lifting up in the future. Other modelers have had good results by neutralizing the deck stickyness and gluing them down with another adhesive; I imagine that fills up the deck lines and accomplishes the same thing. Whatever works I suppose!
As we move into winter I hope to have more time to devote to this project... guess we'll see how it goes!
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