Gonna tell you guys a little secret. I work as a night dispatcher. I bring the ship to work and pretty much most of the work done on her has been done there. If you notice some of the pics of the hull are on the office microwave...lol. So basically I'm getting paid to build this model...in a sense.
I had owned this model back in the late 80's when I saw it advertised for $100 in a magazine. I put it together. No mods...just glue. Don't even think I painted it. The ship went to a watery grave when the son of my ex fiance sunk it in a pond. I had had it for over 10 years and wanted to fix it up but never did. After buying the model again and seeing some of the builds on here and elsewhere I decided to go all in. Really what I've been doing is taking cues from you all. Most of what I've done I've seen on other models. Some I've tried to improve. Learning as I go. One thing I've learned. When you are using PE and you get a part on that's 90% correct, don't sweat the other 10% to get perfection. Live with it and move on. Especially with so many parts. Getting sick of putting on a piece and then seeing it not perfect, taking it off...then it drops on the floor never to be seen again. Course you guys already know this. I get to experience it for the first time
Here are some pics of the turrets I have. Left is L'Arsenel, middle is stock Nichimo, right is Ebay seller Harry O's turret. Looking to use the L'arsenal for this build and the Ebay seller for the 1941 version. You will have to modify the aftermarket turrets if you want them to turn. I like Ryan's modified turrets and sweet blast bags. Who needs stinkin aftermarket parts!