Dave...
STOOOOOOoooooooooop.........
!!!!
Here is my tuppeneth worth...
Whenever I see an excellent modelrailway--I always simply blanch when I see figures on bases....
It absolutely cancels out the benefits of any other finescale modelmaking ...---==> circular bases.... arghh.!!
(in MY opinion anyhow....

)
Now then--here is my suggestion:
The vessel will spend 95% of its time as a static exhibition model--and the quality of build is soooo high that putting it in
non-1/144 scale water( the water is just too 'big' !

) seems almost sacrilege...
as such--I fully agree that figures on catwalks, bridge, hangar and other non-knock offable postions should be permanetly mounted. For the flightdeck... here is an alternative suggestion( as used on modelrailways)
Drill a 0.2 or 0.3 mm hole in the left foot and up into the leg of each figure before getting too involved with fine painting.
Insert into each corresponding size tungsten or stainless steel wire.
Lacking the incredible multitude of convenient tiedown points of US carriers ( to disguise the corresponding hole in the deck) ====> You could drill 0.2mm holes in the deck, suitably disguised by their position--ie among the skid marks ( putting those on?) ahead of the arrester wires for example--in the vicinity of deck-markings have the hole drilled at the grey side of the juncture of white to grey etc etc.
Also making small cameos of figure groups around the deck tractor for example--having one the aircraft being serviced ,with the mechanics being attached to the aircraft via their hands, hips, top of head if underneath the 'plane-- anything rather than blokes on circular bases on the the flight-deck....
You could also try using some stuff called 'museum wax'--its a non-staining posh version of blu-tack
http://www.preservationequipment.com/St ... Museum-Wax
adheres really well-- but separates really easily when a rotational sheer force is applied
Phew-- I am breathless now....
Of course... it is your model....
whatever--it will be a thing of beauty--and I really hope to see the Kiev at Telford in the bigger class-I am sure she will sweep all ahead of her!
JIM B
