Stage 14 - Contains bow plates x8, platform, anti-aircraft gun x3 and platform castings.

Continue gluing in place the bow block plates up to #15, then cut away what remains of the dowel, then add plate #16, ensuring that it is flush with the back and overlaps evenly at the sides, leave the assembly to dry overnight.

Sand the rear of the block flat being careful not to sand too much, then test-fit to the assembled hull at the bow. Make sure the top of the bow block and the frame 9 are aligned, if not sand the bottom of the bow block until it does.

Remove the bow block, and sand a curve at the front stepped edge, then start to profile the sides of the block to remove the steps.
I will leave final sanding/smoothing until the bow planking is laid and finish the bow block at that stage.
Because theRe is no defined height noted at step 9 of the angled height adjustment of the block (steps 9/10), I will leave this until a later stage.

Remove any burrs from the metal parts, then prime and paint grey, highlight the gun tips black and the rangefinder scope lenses silver.
(Two short lengths of railing are added to the front of this platform at Stage 15, therefore you might want to wait to add these railings before painting the platform).

Add the guns to the bases, then glue them into place on the platform at the marked positions, then add the two detail parts between.

That's it for this stage.

Future stages:

Stage 15 - Contains stern plates x9, dowel, railing length and boat.

Stage 16 - Contains short planks x8, long planks x6 and a D3A dive bomber kit.

Stage 17 - Contains 8 short planks, 8 long planks and an ant-aircraft gun.

Stage 18 - Contains bow frame thin x2 & thick x2, deck plate & anti-aircraft gun & gun platform.

Stage 16 - Contains 6 short & 8 long planks, and an Aichi D3A dive bomber kit.

In preparation for attaching the hull planking, you'll need to chamfer the edge of the frames as shown in the steps, which is to provide a smooth flow for the planking, not forgetting to chamfer stern frames 24, 25 & 26; place a plank across the frames as a guide for material removal, being careful not to remove too much.

The hull planking is started at bow frame 9 on the port (left side) of the model, and is flush with the forward edge of frame 9.
I used PVA wood glue and opted to pin the planks in place and the pins removed after the glue has fully dried. To avoid gaps and get a good fit, chamfer the bottom edge of each plank to correspond with the meeting angle.
Lay the planking in sequence as shown in the steps, and as well as gluing the planking to the frames, glue each plank along its full length to the next plank.
Ensure that the slot in the side edge of frames 12-14 are not covered by the planking, and that you have 1mm of plank which extends above the shoulder of frames 9 to 11.
The planking which falls at frames 13 & 14 is positioned half way across the frame.

A comprehensive 'tips' section within the instructions covers gap filling and tapering.

This planking stage is repeated on the opposite side of the hull in the next issue/stage 17.

Assemble the dive bomber kit as before and carefully store it.

Future stages:

Stage 17 - Contains 8 short & 8 long planks and anti-aircraft gun.

Stage 18 - Contains 2x thin & 4x thick bow frames, deck plate and anti-aircraft gun & gun platform.

Stage 19 - Contains 7 long & 7 short planks, chamfered moulding, and anti-aircraft gun parts.

Stage 20 - Contains 7 long & 7 short planks, chamfered moulding and an A6M Zero aircraft kit.