More detailed photos of my tools & a few more pieces, I have all the tools & nothing to do with them.
I want my parts so I can get going will have loads to do when they get here, cant wait, like being a kid in a sweat shop

These are the basic tools.

Photo 1 - I have a selection of different scalpels & blades, the calliper is a must have piece of kit, great for making sure everything is equal.

Photo 2 - A selection of the clamps I have, have a lot more of each of these, amazing how many you can use at one time.

Photo 3 - Some of the different glues, fillers & sanding materials.

Photo 4 - The multi tool is a great piece of kit, can use for so many jobs, I've added a flexi shaft, will make it easier to use, rather than holding the much bigger tool.

Photo 5 - After reading AK's build where he uses 'Green Stuff' to add extra detail, I felt these modelling tools would be a very good idea.

Photo 6 - Without this magnifying light I would be stuffed, eye sight isn't the best parts are small enough without the bad eye sight, this will be invaluable to me.

Photo 7 - The paints I have so far, some of these are for the cannons, again got the details from AK's build diary, his cannons are fantastic, the colour & detail is really inspiring.

Photo 8 - I know you can paint the parts by hand but I have always wanted to be able to use an airbrush, not just for building this model. This is the reason I haven't started on the cannons, Im learning & practising with the airbrush.

Photo 9 - The only problem with using an airbrush is the spray, if your spraying outside, not a problem but with the temperature this time of year, I don't want to be out in the cold, plus the paint wouldn't dry very well.
There is a large extractor which pulls the spray into the large filter, stopping any spray ending up on other things within the room.

Photo 10 - Even folds away neatly for storage

Photo 11 - My tile press, got the idea off MWG's build diary, 5 large tiles at £1 each, so simple but really useful.

I know I have probably over done the tools thing but I am really enjoying the build & want to make it as perfect as I can, these tools will help me to achieve that, I know there will be more tools I need as we go along, but it will be money well spent, the end result will be worth it.

Hi PB with your squinty bit why don't you soak your build so far in warm water this will enable you to remove your frames from the keel cleanly
While still wet place between flat surface ie tile or glass and weight it down so it dries flat
As you have reordered issues you have nothing to lose

Back order's & delivery arrived today, now have issue's 1 through to 9

Issue 5 has been sitting in the draw while wait for the other issue's.

Will keep me busy for a while

I would recommend soaking in warm water to release the glued sections and making parts slightly damp in preparation to placing them in a form of press to remove any warps.

Photo 1 & 2 - Assembly jig, now that I had all the pieces of the keel I could work out where all the brackets needed to go, to ensure all the brackets were in a straight line, I used a spirit level.

Photo 3 - As you can see, when the keel is laid out next to the brackets, none of the brackets get in the way of where the ribs will fit, least I got them in the right place, no taking brackets off, then putting them back on in the correct place

Photo 4 - Now with all the brackets in place, I have fitted the keel loosely to the jig, not glued yet.
Nice to see the whole keel together.

As usual will update as things take shape.

Would like to thank everyone for their build diaries, I have learnt so much, I hadn't realised what a motivation they would be, the quality of models already built & under way is amazing.

Thanks Mike, your build diary has been a great help

Hi Paul, Watching your very tidy build Good stuff Regards Mike

I'm learning all the time as my build progresses, having glued all my ribs, was time to add them to the keel.
Thought I would check them all before I started only to find out they weren't all flat
as I had put the in my tile press after glueing them I wondered why they weren't all flat ?
After checking the tiles realised they didn't have a totally flat surface

I had already been reading about this issue other builders had, so went ahead with adding water to the affected area to soften it up, before putting them back in the tile press, this time with glass between the ribs & the tiles, totally flat

Didn't have anything heavy to put on top of my tile press so I have been using a watering can full of water, fairly heavy & does the job.

I know the work on the cannons is going to be hard work & will take some practice to get right, with that in mind I ordered 10 copies of issue 1, this will give me plenty to develop my skills on.

I have also brought a selection of wood stain, with so many cannons to build I can try he different stains to see which colour looks the best.

Hope to have some photos of my cannons soon, at the present time I am working on the balsa infills for the bulkhead & the hull.

I will be working behind the issue's as I have learned so much from the build diary's on here, excellent work from everyone, invaluable to all us newbies

Cheers, will have a look at that, going to try all the different stains on some of the left over wood, then I can compare them to see which looks best.