Hunter Wooden decks

[Graham T]

So, I picked up one of the above for the Tamiya 1:350 KGV from a Chinese seller on eBay.  Arrived promptly enough but there are NO instructions.  How does the deck fit to the plastic parts?  Should there be a glue of some sort?  My concern is that the packaging states "for sale in mainland China only"!

[clipper]

Usually a backing sheet to pull off.

 

[Clogged]

Wooden decks are great.  To apply you need to ensure any fittings on the ships deck are removed if they are going to interfere with the fit of the wooden deck.  The fittings may have photoetch replacements.  The deck needs to be clean and dry.

I apply the deck by very carefully removing only a portion of one end of the backing and aligning the adhesive backed sheet over an obvious structure of the deck such as the foremost gun turret base.  This helps to line up the wooden deck correctly.  This way you are more likely to the align the sheet evenly over the whole deck.

Once you've placed the intial portion of the wooden deck on the ship's deck, you can then proceed to peel more of the protective backing sheet off, and carefully adhere the rest of the wooden deck down.

The adhesive can be very strong and once the deck is laid down can be very difficult to remove without causing damage.

Be aware you need to ensure the wooden deck is burnished and pressed well down.

I've got one ship with a wooden deck that has infortunately bubbled a little in places! 

However a Prontos wooden deck I've used recently seems to be holding well.

I think some modellers will seal the wooden deck along the edges with superglue.

I hope this helps.