Here are the five turrets, eight secondary mounts and six boats glued to sticks for easier painting. The hull is more or less complete, with the rear mast and the stacks installed. I found that the section behind the second funnel is not actually the continuation of the deck, but a two-storey boat bay, this will be simulated by shading the lower areas and letting half a boat show below the upper tier.
Now onto the dreaded task of completing the quasi-pagoda. This is connected to the large tripod mast and the first funnel. I've done the large conning tower with the raised gun director first, then connected it with the funnel as per the period photos and blueprints. For added difficulty, the three members of the class had slightly different superstructures, and this had to be taken into consideration when building Bretagne specifically.
I re-did the gun director once, then a second time (not visible on these photos). Then I thought I could drill holes for the tripod and install it in one piece... a bad idea, had to remove the supporting pieces and re-work the uppermost platform as well.
So this is where we are now, the platforms are mostly complete; I'll slice up a plastic mast or spear or something, and insert the pieces between the platforms one by one, then add a tiny piece of paper around each platform for depth. I really like the cluttered superstructure and would like if this came through on the model. You can also see the barbette around the center turret, an interesting feature.
Since making this post, I have almost completed the superstructure, so stay tuned for the next one.
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