Here is my completed AFRICAN QUEEN. I tried to give it a worn and rusty look - the hull mainly, but I did like the fresh colours of the engine and brass, so not all of it was weathered and worn. In addition to the basic kit I added a few of my own things. This included an anchor and winch, made from leftover bits from other projects, as well as a hatch for the woodbox, a nameplate on the boiler, a few of Rosie's bibles, and a number of items I bought from a doll house supply company. These included the gin bottle, tools and tea set. I also elected to make my own decals for the gin cases and also added some cases of explosives. I also made my own flag and even though the flag Rosie and Charlie hoisted was made by them just towards the end of the movie, I decided to give mine a tattered look, just to be more in keeping with the overall look of the boat. This was not an easy project. I had never worked with a plastic hull before and weathering techniques were also completely new to me. Since the Billing Boats instructions were, in my opinion, quite lacking, I benefitted from a previous builder's log on SOS and input from experts on a number of facebook ship-building sites, as well as this one.
sticks are the answer!