Project Landship Update 4

My last update was less than riveting, so....

Yes, this week has been all about rivets; experimenting with options to make hundreds of them. Was thrilled to get advice from the legendary Colonel O'Truth along the way too! Thanks indeed Joe.

Ultimately, my chosen process was to use a 1/16" circular hole punch on thin plastic. I got one (plus a 1/8" and 1/4" punch) for $10 on Amazon, so I'm good for larger size rivets too. The smaller size allows me to do them in two rows which looks great, especially in rows on a piece of filler card, which looks like metal added as a joining piece which was a typical technique of the period.

So having punched out a bunch of would-be rivets, my application process goes something rather exactly like this picture: 

Yes its fiddly but the rivets are consistent in size and I can apply about 50 before I go a little cross-eyed. 

I've been using Evergreen 0.5x2.5mm (0.20x.100") plastic strips and adding rivets to that by eye (to give some variation) using plastic cement, which works neatly and gives a strong weld (I'm still redoing the PVA ones as they fall off - realistic battle damage!)

 Really pleased with the overall effect.

While doing this I built a few hatches for the tread sections, and did some detailing in the steersman's position (some dials and such, so it looks more "bridge like") and gun deck from the bitz box.

Valuable, satisfying progress.

Rivet count: 72 (treads) + 186 (upper hull) + 82 (bridge) + 46 (cannon) = 386

and yes I'm procrastinating on the Bridge structure and the mast to go behind it (I may make that into a larger funnel; not sure. Suggestions welcome)