Books, Bomb Squigs, and Blue Tape

Today sees off the Bomb Squigs and started the interior prep for the Thunderhawk.  Since the model will be lighted I decided to caulk the interior with a paint-able caulk to eliminate light leaks.  Once the caulk is dry I'll spray the interior flat black.  I'm also spraying the interior engine well so the whole model ended up being taped.  The front assault door has been a huge issue.  The hull is not perfectly square and neither is the assault door.  Ultimately I had to set in four (4) pins to compensate for warp.  I elected to align the top of the ramp with the door, set the sides and an even elevation all round.  This left the bottom join slightly out of square but will sit in the position of least visibility.  I may add some flashing to the bottom lip to restore a square appearance

The interiors of the wing assemblies should not require much caulking as the LEDs associated with them are mounted on plugs and should be largely external.  I'll still spray the interiors black just to aid in painting.  Similarly the upper superstructure is separated from the main hull and should get the same treatment as the wings.  Once the caulking is finished I'll start on the cockpit detail.  My initial idea is to start with a land speeder cockpit.  It should get painted,  assembled, and illuminated prior to installing it in the hull.  Prior to affixing the cockpit the lighting harness will have to be installed.

Finally is a shot of the Codex binding for the Arbites Army.  Its a great job and will be fun to work with.