While making a separate deck and casemate might help with installing 5"/51 guns, it creates a host of unpleasant, expensive and therefore very undesirable problems that far outweigh the advantage.

Printing the casemate integral with the deck produces a better product for the modeler and us by solving many problems. Among them:

1. Cost. Printing a single model rather than two significantly reduces the cost of the model. This is important because many of our customers have a limited modeling budget and are therefore sensitive to the high cost of 3D-printed models. A single model costs less than two similarly sized models because a separate casemate and deck requires more resin and time to produce than a single integrated model. Two models requires a second printing raft and more supports. The additional raft and supports require significantly more resin. Two models vastly increases printing time (time = money). The model in 1/700, 1/426 and 1/350, if made in two parts, are large enough that a second 3D printer would be required to make both parts at the same time, or a second print cycle from the same printer, effectively doubling production time.

2. Fewer supports. Two models require significantly more supports that the modeler has to cut and more nubs to trim. Many customers of 3D-printed models find cutting supports and trimming nubs very difficult and unpleasant. Thus, more supports is highly undesirable for those customers.

3. Less prep work and assembly. Two models creates an additional mating surface, the joint between the top of the casemate bulkheads and the bottom of the deck. This second joint requires more modeling effort and prep time since supports along the edges of the joint on both parts must be trimmed and support nubs smoothed by the modeler. Once properly prepared, the two parts must be correctly aligned and joined along very thin bulkhead tops by the modeler using unforgiving super glue, which can be difficult for many.

4. Strength. Integrated bulkheads and deck provides increased strength to the model which is a huge advantage during the brutal printing and cleaning processes. Stronger models are more likely to emerge from the printing and cleaning processes undamaged reducing the number of costly and time-consuming reprints required. Stronger models are also more likely to survive packing, shipping and handling by both the shipping carrier and later unpacking and handling by the customer.

5. No warping. An integrated deck and casemate increases the model's resistant to warping during printing and curing. Large, flat models like a deck and long, thin bulkheads are more susceptible to warping. A deck braced by walls, and likewise, walls braced by a deck, stabilize and strengthen each other and are therefore much less likely to warp.

So for these reasons, and some others, installing the guns through the gunports is the much better option for both the modeler and us as the manufacturer.

We're confident that our customers will be able to install the 5"/51 guns satisfactorily and be very pleased with the quality and accuracy of our new deck and casemate model.

So back to HMS Belfast funnels. If you have any further questions or comments about our USS Arizona boat deck or any of other products, please email us at the link on the bottom of our main catalog webpage (click here). We'll see that sooner.

Thanks again and very kind regards, Leo!