Hi Andy!
Sometimes, a person has to wait.
I have to point out an error of DeAGOSTINI Japan here. I guess you have already noticed it. As shown in pic #1, the hole where the motor shaft is inserted into is closed by the another parts. I attached wood chips under the motor and put it on the floor. If we would watch the floor from the top side of the lift, the error is not able to be noticed.
And I additionally point out another error about the cables around the hull. Although they were attached above the 20cm guns as pic #3, DeAGOSTINI Japan told us to let them be attached under the guns. I think they were incorrect. I hope UK builders not to be fallen into this trap.
Best Regards,
Yutaro

Hi All
started on the bow lift today and im glad that i did as Yaturo sugested and waited till i had the parts before glueing the lift in place
as the fitting out of each lift can be very fiddly with all the small parts involved and it was so much easyer to fit things with them free of the hull.
The parts come in a handy blister type pack that helps you keep everything in situ till there needed,after the ussual metal bashing to remove burrs/mould marks i made up the two motors then used the template to mark out the pulley positions inside the lift.
As for the supplied thread i didnt use it as i thought it was out of scale[ too thick] so i substituted some thread i had,i also used lengths of 200mm rather than the way its done on the build so no loose ends just one run of thread per run.One thing i do wish is that it was pointed out when the lifts were first constructed that the gaps between the runners is most important, i ended up with a couple of fillets to fill gaps and tidy things up.
Yaturo also pointed out the smaller of the two motors fowls the winding gear so it cant be fitted to the hole provided, i did as he sugested and used some packing to rectify this[if you look closely on the downloaded instructions you can see this motor sitting slightly upwards towards the lift pulleys,it also says in the instructions that this might be a problem]
If your wondering why theres 2 floating threads on each side these are the lift attachment hawsers i plan to use these if possible on the lift platforms,as ussual all questions and comments are welcome
regards
Andy

Hi all
iv been busy preparing the hull before i continue with the hangars,i wont be repeating how as its more fully explained in my Yamato build diary and i have used the same process on the Akagi hull.There are a couple of blemishes to fill and put right but overall its looking ok,just a word of advice here try not to use too much paint around the armour belt panels as you need to keep the edges looking sharp and well defined.As ussual all comments and questions are welcome
regards
Andy

Wonderful looking build, especially the hull

Is that spray putty you put on it?

Hi Andy!
What a great job you have done! I like such a smooth hull very much. I think it's very difficult to delete wood pattern of the hull's planks. I had to repeat the work of the polish repeatedly on my model and struggle in powder.
Best Regards,
Yutaro

Hi Smuggler and Yaturo
Yes i am using spray putty to achieve the smooth finish,after using several diffrent brands my favorite is halfords own brand.As its yellow colour its easy to spot if you have missed a patch and also when it comes to sanding it back its colour becomes lighter so again its easy to see any blemishes as these stay a darker yellow untill they dissapear with sanding back,also its very easy to sand, just be prepared for lots of dust.Thanks both of you for your comments
regards
Andy

That lift looks like it actually works (it don,t, does it?) .The hull looks well pucker

hi andy,it's a great shame 'bout the lifts not working,and the next issue you do get the last lift,also you get the lift floors to cover up your lovely mechanics,so you don;t see any of it, and all the details in the hangers,great shame,

Great work as usual

Thanks Ger C for your encouragment