Small progress while I wait for paint to come in stock and 3D parts to arrive. Here are all six grills test fitted. The outer ring angles are a bit approximate (so hard to get 100% with superglue). The thick bars are slightly off on one, but you can't see that with the naked eye so I'm happy the others all seem to line up under magnification!
Also, I've thinned more of the pipes that go in the cavities on the top. This was painstaking and done by digging them out from the back with the very tip of a scalpel. Hours of work! Although it's not 100% and not as good as replacing them with wire, they actually blend in now and will look OK I think with weathering. Also a close up of the starboard front scar, which I worked on more to make it slightly more screen accurate.
This is such a nice kit. With care and some modifications, it really starts to take on the look of a much bigger model
Also, I've thinned more of the pipes that go in the cavities on the top. This was painstaking and done by digging them out from the back with the very tip of a scalpel. Hours of work! Although it's not 100% and not as good as replacing them with wire, they actually blend in now and will look OK I think with weathering. Also a close up of the starboard front scar, which I worked on more to make it slightly more screen accurate.
This is such a nice kit. With care and some modifications, it really starts to take on the look of a much bigger model