Soluyanov Sergey

Once the decision was made to keep only the plastic hull, work moved into a practical phase. The two hull halves were carefully cleaned up, dry-fitted and glued with maximum precision. I reinforced the internal seam with polystyrene strips to prevent future deformation. After the adhesive cured, the external seam was repeatedly filled, sanded and polished to a perfectly smooth, invisible finish.

At the same time, I began making the decks. Rather than using the unsatisfactory kit parts, the forecastle, main and poop decks were cut anew from sheet polystyrene. Each piece was test-fitted, trimmed and adjusted until it sat snugly. I also marked out the future openings for manifolds, ventilator cowls and other fittings at this stage.

Next came the bulwark. Both forward and aft sections were scratch-built from thin polystyrene sheet and brass wire for the capping rail. The bulwark was carefully bent to the hull contours, securely glued and reinforced from inside. The top edge received a neat rail of uniform height, its lines flowing harmoniously with the vessel’s silhouette.

With all major structure in place, I moved to filling and priming—the stage that turns separate parts into a monolith. I used Tamiya products throughout. Basic Putty was applied in thin layers to all joints and imperfections. After each drying period, sanding followed with progressively finer abrasives. The fill-and-sand cycle was repeated until the surface was flawless.

I completed this stage with Tamiya Surface Primer from a spray can. It revealed the slightest remaining imperfections (which were immediately spot-filled) and created a durable, uniform base for painting. Once dry, the hull took on an even matt tone, and for the first time the future tanker Shell Welder could be clearly read—still without details, but already possessing character.