Started my Akagi for the Carrier campaing on the first. After a couple miscues, I finally got a small portion of the rear deck PE done. Encouraged I started on the front. Cut out the long pieces and then attached a cross piece (all this is free standing). Well after adding more pieces the thing looked like a twsted mess. Laid it out on the bottom of the deck and it looked horrendous. So i opted to use the plasitc underdeck sections. I will try to salvage something out of this as it was a $100 PE set. but man -o-man this stuff is just to thin and bendy for a ham fisted fella like me

I hate to hear that Steve. That's why I always think twice about doing photo etch.

Sorry to hear that,it must give you a little bit of a sick feeling that's why mine some day will be OOB,but I hope yours comes out OK and you are going to be happy with it.

I figure to use the replacement girders and smll pieces of the underside. I will find a way to get some use out of the pieces. They really are gorgeous and if you can handle all the long pieces without bending them, it will look gorgeous. Thinking about cutting some of the outer sections of the plastc pieces off and laying a few strips of the PE. A side view will look great that way and I'll save a lot of hassle. Thwe kit itself is going pretty well. Advice----- follow the intial steps in order. I went stright to the cross pices for the hull and luckily did not cement the hull halves to gethr. There are several small assemblies that have to be doen before that step (#8) is done