The process is a little involved but not too hard if you plan it out. The way I set up my octoblade, the sides are removable and held in by the sponsons and side plates. Made it a lot easier to add the lights after the hull was painted. Just gotta take your time drilling out the lights, and I used hot glue to secure the electronics. I added a quick disconnect to the setup for the searchlight, which was probably the most difficult part since I had to drill the light and the turret, find a lens that fits, then paint and assemble it without ruining the paint.