1:700 U.S. Navy Battleship Montana BB-67 (For Very Fire VF700901)

Wooden deck 1:700 - battleship Montana BB-67, Artwox Model

This is not a model but an accessory for a ship kit. A thin wooden veneer with pre-printed plank laying has an adhesive layer on the back and is laid straight onto the plastic deck. The set is cut to the outlines of one particular kit, Very Fire VF700901; check before buying that it matches yours, because the decks of other releases of the same ship are generally not interchangeable.

Wood reacts to the surroundings you work in

Even at a fraction of a millimeter thick, veneer is still wood and behaves accordingly. In a damp room it takes up moisture and expands slightly; in an overheated room it dries out and shrinks. Because the back is bonded to an unyielding adhesive layer, that first shows as a slight bowing of the part. If you bring the set in from a cold van or from storage, let it acclimatize for a few hours in the room where you will glue, ideally flat and with no weight on it. It should be glued at normal room temperature; in a cold space the adhesive layer is stiff and will not bond over the whole area, while in heat it grips at once and allows no correction.

Tips on storage and handling

Store the set lying flat, not rolled and not leaning on an edge. Before you begin, put the veneer on a flat board and check it against the light for warping; a slight bow usually disappears by itself after a few hours flat under a light weight. Fit the deck as soon as possible after opening the package, as it behaves worse once it is left in the air without the film.

Who the set is for

• builders of 1:700 ships who want a deck surface of real wood
• modelers working in ordinary room conditions
• owners of the matching kit
• display models where the view from above dominates

This is an accessory, not a model. The ship kit, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.