I have a reference book that has a bunch of historic photos and other images that I am using to make sure I am not missing anything. This is a scan that was posted on Facebook of what the Pontos/Trumpeter deck looks like. Side by side it presents a pretty stark contrast between their approach and the Scaledecks approach. Namely, we print in color prior to cutting, so we can achieve finer details and a rich palette of tones and color variations in the wood planking.

When you use the laser to burn in plank lines, is moves slower over fine details so they burn more intensely and produce darker lines in those areas (For example, look at the very tip of the bow and the details around the edges in the Pontos deck. See how dark the lines are there?) WHen you print in color you get the same intensity of detail over the entire sheet.

Also, Pontos cuts out areas to fit around features - so they have large circles for the crane mounts, whereas the scaledecks wood will tuck underneath those.

Lastly, notice the black waterways on the edges. Those are printed in color on the deck when you receive it. If you want to have "recessed" waterways you can even trim those off and let the thickness of the wood represent the channel for the waterway.

In some places I got the margin planking really perfect. Notice the margin around M4, as well as on the main bulkhead off the upper right corner of M4. Spot on!

Notice also how CLEAN the joint between wood and plastic is here. That is because I don't cut around the shape of the compartment - I tuck the wood UNDER it, so there is no exposed laser cut there. 

Pretty nifty, huh?

Other places the margin planking was off by a plank width or two. This is because the plastic bulkheads were thicker than I was expecting. No problem, though; the margin planks are on a separate layer from the pine strakes underneath them, so I can just shift them over to see the amount that I want to see. They are really going to pop.

This deck is buried inside the ship, so you will hardly be able to see it. But with the effort that some of you are putting into your interiors, I figured you would want gorgeous EXTERIORS to match.

Am I right?

More Margin planking that wored out really right. I think I will move the seams on the corners over over by a plank width. This is the type of fiddling that I do. But I think it makes for an amazing result when it's all said and done.

I mean, I HAVE to spend the time to get it right. If I do, it will be right on hundreds of your builds. If I do it wrong, every one of your builds will have these errors. That would make me CRAZY!!!

I like the thickness of the margin around the hatch and to the right of the crane base. I don't like it on the front edge of the crane base on the right. It's weird - they one on the right is lined up with the one on the left in the plan, so why is it too thin there? I have no idea, but I will adjust it to fit the kit versus being geometrically correct. After all it has to LOOK right, even if the math is wrong.

And to give you an idea, each of those planks is 1/32 of an inch wide, or about .75mm. They are VERY fine detail.

A good overview of the poop deck, aft well deck, and aft end of piece Q1.

And a comparable view of the bow, forward well deck, and forward area of Q1. The black waterways really make it pop, don'd they?

The difference in color between the pine and teak is very subtle; the teak has a bit richer tone, and is a bit redder

Here is roughly the same view with R1 stacked on top of Q1. I love the looks of the different layers and the individual plank colors playing off of each other.

I confess. I love what I do! (I just wish I could do it faster.)

And the stern view with the R1 deck in place. The contours back here are a little more interesting. Again, I think the waterways really pop. They are going to look AMAZING on the Boat Deck!

As a comparison, I placed a different brand of deck alongside my Titanic work. This is for a 1/200 USS Missouri (I am not sure of the brand.) But notice how they use straight grain wood so the same grain lines run all the way down the length of the deck? Of course, real planking doesn't look like that at all.

In fact... Way back in 2010 I bought the Academy 1/350 Graf Spee Deluxe Edition that came with a wood deck/ It looked like deck on the right, with the burned in plank pattern and the long grain lines. I hated that look, and being a computer graphics kid of guy, I started experimenting with different planking schemes.

A friend of mine had a laser cutter that he was using to make RC airplane kits, so we experimented making wood decks for a couple of years, and this scaledecks was born! Since that time I have upgraded my technology that allows me to do ever more sophisticated products compared to my initial offerings.

Want to know the funny part? I am still waiting to start that Graf Spee... As soon as I get around to making a wood deck for that kit!

Here is a close-up of my wood plank pattern. I was kind of sloppy with this one when I laid it down. It's just a temp test - I will peel it off and replace it with one with corrected margin planking.

Oh, that's ANOTHER big difference between scaledecks products and "the other guys." They use sticky-back self-adhesive. I hate that stuff.

So my decks just have fleece fibers on the back to prevent splitting and to provide a material for the glue to bite into. I love using Gorilla Wood Glue; it's water based and holds the decks down with tackiness. If you don't like the results, you can just peel them off and make another pass. A lifesaver when working on kits as expensive as the Titanic.

Last photo - this is a close-up of that 1/200 Missouri deck - THIS IS NOT A SCALEDECKS DECK! 

I HATE THIS!!!

;-)

My next BIG project after the Titanic will be the 1/200 HMS Hood, followed by the 1/200 USS Missouri and USS Iowa.

But Titanic FIRST. Gotta get a wrap on that bad boy.

Off to bed, then back at it tomorrow!