A few items that require sorting before I start paint the hull. The hull has had its first cosmetic filling of joints and sanding to see any further imperfections. So started work on the following items that need a first fix or permanent installation.
The bow bull ring has been made and installed and then blended in to the correct look and feel.
Three Towing beams are to be made and a first fix to be on reinforced stanchions is under way. Template made for the towing beams formed radius is made.
Aft rudder coaming and grating underway with the D shaped coaming being made using a former. Grating which is quite fine so I will need time to cut the components and then assemble and trim.
Today’s progress added, coaming completed and test fitted will sand to suit the grating when it’s completed.
New photo added..

1. Creating the Channel Sections from ¼” Brass Box.
The towing beams begin as ¼” brass box section. Each length was carefully cut down its full length to produce two identical channel sections, matching the profile used on Forceful’s real towing‑beam structure. Cutting the box section ensures perfectly square legs and a true web, giving a more accurate and stable channel than folded brass strip.
All channels were deburred, cleaned, and prepared for forming.

2. Forming the Beam Radius.
Because the channels needed to be curved at each end, I decided to make a dedicated forming tool with a clamp to hold the brass channel securely. The clamp provides a fixed datum, preventing any movement as the roller sweeps the radius around the former.
Using this jig, I cold‑formed each channel to the required radius. Cold bending proved superior to annealing, giving cleaner geometry and preventing leg flare or twist.
All three beams were formed to identical sweeps.

3. Confirming the Internal Brace Arrangement.
A newly‑found reference image showed that the bracing rods on the real vessel sit inside the channel, not externally. This required a redesign of the brace system to match the full‑size structural arrangement.

4. Fabricating the Internal Brace Blocks.
I fabricated internal mounting blocks sized to fit snugly inside the channel. Each block was drilled with two brace holes at the correct angle, ensuring the rods follow the true structural load path.
The blocks were then silver‑soldered into position, becoming part of the channel structure rather than surface‑mounted fittings.

5. Cutting and Fitting the Bracing Rods
The bracing rods — 2 mm brass tube — were cut to exact length so the geometry was fixed before plate fabrication. Using solder paste, I locked the rods into the internal blocks cleanly and without flooding the channel, giving a rigid, aligned upper brace connection.
I intend to add small plates to the bottom of the braces so I can bond them to the deck eventually.
The Beams when completed will be airbrushed black and then fitted in the right sequence.

Updated
Brace Deck Plates Installed
The bracing rods were already cut to length and soldered into the internal channel blocks. Today I fabricated the brace deck plates, drilling each one with the correct angled hole so the rods sit naturally in their true structural line.
These plates were then silver‑soldered in place, giving a rigid, accurate connection between the bracing rods and the deck.

Additional Beam Deck Plate Added
To improve both strength and authenticity, I added a secondary deck plate to each towing beam. This plate increases the bonding area when the beams are finally installed and visually ties the assembly into the wider build philosophy used throughout Forceful — clean engineering logic, proper load paths, and fittings that look like they belong on a working tug.

Trial Fit on the Model
With the plates installed, I positioned each beam on the deck to confirm alignment. The beams sit cleanly against the bulwark line, the brace geometry is correct, and the overall structure looks exactly as intended.
Even in this temporary state, the towing beams give the model a strong sense of purpose and authenticity

Decided to make my own hawse pipe using 1/8” x 1/2” Brass flat bar which I drilled at 30° on the milling machine this angle gives the correct chain path.
Then a Brass tube was turned out of 8mm brass bar with 7mm locating spigot.
Both Components are then silver soldered together first and the compete assembly returned to the milling machine. Then a 10mm diameter ball-nosed cutter is used to establish the overall casting shape and remove excess material.
External contours refined by hand filing and Internal throat blended with a rotary burr.
Final finishing with wet-and-dry abrasives.
Matched pair successfully fitted to the Forceful foredeck.
Will paint everything before the final fix

With the major structural work complete, attention turned to surface preparation. The GRP hull was block-sanded inside and out, with filler feathered into the surrounding laminate to eliminate any visible transitions. Several rounds of inspection, filling and sanding were carried out before the hull was considered ready for primer. Although time-consuming, this stage is critical, as the first coat of primer invariably highlights any remaining imperfections and dictates the quality of the final finish.

After day’s careful sanding and re filling the hull it’s time to prime the hull. All planked areas have been masked off. The hull will be black and the aft deck grey with the bulwark inside a cream colour.

Work has recently focused on completing the semi-circular stern grating assembly. Although relatively small in size, this component proved surprisingly time-consuming due to the large number of individual timber strips required and the need to maintain consistent spacing throughout the lattice.
The grating was constructed as a separate assembly within its own timber frame before being trial-fitted into the larger coaming already installed on the hull. Building the component as a removable assembly allowed the fit between the grating and surrounding coaming to be carefully refined before final finishing.
A particular consideration during construction was the natural variation in the timber strip dimensions. Measurements ranged from approximately 1.0 mm to 1.2 mm in thickness, and the slot dimensions were therefore established to accommodate the largest material likely to be encountered. This ensured that strips could be assembled without inducing excessive stress, reducing the risk of splitting or fracture during construction. Rather than pursuing a nominal dimension alone, the design was based around the maximum anticipated stock size to achieve reliable assembly.
An additional reason for investing considerable time in the tooling and manufacturing method is that the Forceful drawings identify no fewer than four separate gratings on the vessel. While developing the first grating inevitably involved a significant amount of trial work, careful consideration was given to producing jigs, cutters and processes that can be reused when the remaining gratings are constructed. This approach requires more effort at the outset but should ensure a consistent appearance across all of the grating installations throughout the model while reducing the effort required to produce subsequent examples.
Once the lattice had been fitted to the outer frame, the structure was reinforced by applying small amounts of cyanoacrylate adhesive around the junction between the grating and perimeter band. This secured the individual elements without flooding the delicate timberwork with adhesive.
The completed grating has been designed to remain a visible timber feature and will therefore receive a clear varnish finish. This will provide an effective contrast with the black-painted coaming into which it fits, helping to preserve the visual depth of the lattice while reflecting the appearance of a traditional timber grating.
With the grating assembly now structurally complete, attention can return to the remaining deck details and preparations for the next stages of painting and final assembly.
This is one of those components that appears deceptively simple, yet consumes a considerable amount of workshop time. As is often the case with scale modelling, the smallest fittings frequently demand the greatest patience.

Decided to start with the cream colour for inside the bulwark plus back of the paddle boxes and paddle box steps. Due to the fine detail and corners I am using an airbrush to ensure good coverage of all surfaces. I am new to airbrushing so a learning stage is required. Plus, a few YouTube videos have helped enormously.
To make the operation a bit easier I have set the hull on a lazy Susan with some mods to turn the hull upside down for the hull itself. The hull can now spin around on the lazy Susan so spraying will hopefully be slightly easier.

The skylights and associated deck housings were fabricated from 1.5 mm birch plywood using a built-up box construction. Although lightweight, the material provides sufficient rigidity while allowing crisp openings and fine edge detail. The next operation is to machine the portholes from brass bar and drill the skylights to receive them. Still plenty to do but while I am letting the cream paint cure on the hull bulwark etc I’ll continue with other things.