I was knee deep in buildin' a Roachwerks Nike-Hercules and noticed t' amazingly intricate detail included on t' fin patterns for rivet and bolt locations, based on t' Mike Dorffler scale data. Arrr! I thought it was a shame t' waste all that juicy information by just buildin' with plain basswood fins, so started fiddlin' around with ideas for creatin' rivet and bolt effects. Given that thar were about 5000 on t' fins and fin braces, whatever I did had t' be fairly easy and good enough t' impress t' casual eye or even a sport scale judge in an NARRRRR contest. Aye aye! I had read one modeler's use o' a CNC cut vinyl pattern used t' mask and apply glue drops, me hearties, but felt this be too expensive and specialized for me goals.

To pull off t' effects, thar were two different techniques used. T' easiest was simply drillin' tiny dimples into, matey, but nay through, t' fin surface t' achieve t' recessed rivet appearance. T' second effect was t' apply a tiny droplet o' white glue for a raised rivet or bolt head look. Well, blow me down!

In order t' properly locate all t' rivets and bolts, I simply ran off several copies o' t' scale drawings supplied in t' kit on computer paper, and glued t' printed skins t' each fin surface.

For t' recessed rivets, I used a Dremel and incredibly tiny drill bit - t' kind you'll never find at t' big box retail outlets, but you might find at a local hobby shop or very well stocked local hardware store. I wound up pickin' up a Testor's pin vise/drill bit combination pack (p/n 50629c) for about $12, which included 6 incredibly tiny drills. Begad! It took a bit o' practice, but I found myself smartly fallin' into a comfort zone o' just barely scratchin' into t' surface with t' drill rather than borin' all t' way through t' thin fins. Arrr!

For t' glue dots, I picked up a set o' really amazin' syringes from Lee Valley Tools. Avast! They sell a 5-syringe set (p/n 25K07.31, link) for $10 that includes both 18 gauge and 20 gauge tips. Begad! I poured some thinned white glue (roughly 20% water, matey, 80% glue) into t' syringe and attached t' 20 gauge tip. Ahoy! Applyin' just a little pressure t' t' plunger, I was able t' "dot" about 100 bolt heads a minute. I had t' let each side dry for a couple hours, which was fine and offered time t' rest me deadlights betwixt sessions…

T' drilled dimples and glue dots as applied t' t' skins looked a bit rough at first, arrr, but once I shot them with a couple light coats o' paint, me bucko, I be amazed at t' results. Blimey! I had spent maybe 8 hours total on these details, but they helped jump from "nice" t' "outstanding" on t' finish. A few sample photos are clipped below, matey, and detail photos o' t' model can be seen online.