Bullauge 'Bullauge' is the German word for 'porthole'. To make portholes, most ship modelers take the easy route by filling brass tube with clear resin, and cutting the portholes which results in the glass being flush with the exterior. Easy, but not correct. Actual portholes on ships have an outside edge that sits flush with the ship's exterior, and the glass itself is set back a small distance as you can see in this photo. Rather than take the easy route and make portholes with the glass being flush with the exterior, I decided for the hard route, to make correct portholes (are you surprised?). Click Once To Enlarge

Cutting the Portholes First off, I needed to cut portholes. I used 5/32 brass tubing which is the size of the holes I had drilled in the superstructure and hull. To cut them all the same length, I made a simple wooden jig and cut them all on the Proxxon table saw. Click Once To Enlarge

How to make a Porthole Using larger brass tubes, I made a master that would allow the silicone rubber to stick up the depth the portholes sits back from the surface. I then made 5 of these. Then the silicone was poured in. I did this four times to get 20 silicone bases. The result, was little silicone plugs that the portholes could sit on. The porthole sits on top, and is filled with clear resin. The result: a porthole with the glass set back from the surface. Nothing to it. Now make 188 of them. Click Once To Enlarge

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Completing the Hull Intro / New Rudder / Fixing the Casemates / Booms / Stairs / New Sponsons / Bugzier/ Portholes / Deck Fittings / Railings / Decals / Final Product