when to paint

nice build.

what bronco models are you referring to? i have the new sino-japanese war (1894-95) chinese ships by bronco and they look great and i haven't heard any problems. the alanger i think is an early '60s heller kit and has all the problems kits of that era had plus more. at least i don't have to cut off railings.using it to practice all my techniques

Bondoman,

Nice job on the Borodino!

As far as painting is concerned, I paint mine in subassemblies and worry about touching up areas of poor fit later.  For example, I will tackle the hull and the deck separately, then fit the deck. If the deck fits poorly, I will fill and sand, then touch up the area as necessary.  All superstructure and fittings are painted before fitting onto the decks.

Bill

Quite a list of questions.

The Alanger I have no idea.

The Bronco ships are not very good kits. The details are rough etc. I have not tackled the PE but the masts and spars are really pretty crude, and all need to be replaced. I also think thats true for the boat frames. I am dissappointed in the kit and am in a bit of a funk about how much time to spend fixing it. Initial idea is to do that.

The Borodino is worth as much time as you are willing to devote to her. The end result is a piece that is the centerpart of any good collection of predreadnaughts.

Trust me on this.

It's a very hard model to make right. I spent a year in research and a four month build, but she is my pride and sits over my monitor in my study.

I do not like real wood decks.