Thanks for the replies guys! Sorry I took so long to respond - works been hell lately!
I WAS wondering what those bumps were on the hull - all my reference pics show a smooth hull, but as I was building this kit strictly OOB I could not modify anything. It's for Stevens International's booth at the hobby convention in Chicago this fall.
(I am a former employee and I get to build stuff for them on a fairly regular basis.) A couple other guys build stuff for them too and we get together at the store and ogle everything!
Anyway, next time off come the tie rings! Thanks for lookin' and HAPPY MODELING everyone!
Mark