diff --git a/crates/sylpheed-formats/examples/ship_audit.rs b/crates/sylpheed-formats/examples/ship_audit.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f099335
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/sylpheed-formats/examples/ship_audit.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+//! Audit static ship assembly across ALL stages: flag parts placed far outside
+//! their ship's cluster (placement bugs) and joint tracks with more than one
+//! keyframe (which the single-key TRS read does not model).
+//!   cargo run --release --example ship_audit -- <resource3d dir>
+use std::collections::HashSet;
+use sylpheed_formats::mesh::{xbg7_descriptor_range, xbg7_resource_names, Xbg7Model};
+use sylpheed_formats::ship::{assemble_ship, ships_in_container};
+
+fn be32(d: &[u8], o: usize) -> u32 {
+    if o + 4 > d.len() {
+        return 0;
+    }
+    u32::from_be_bytes([d[o], d[o + 1], d[o + 2], d[o + 3]])
+}
+
+/// Count joint-track records whose key count != 1 in a composite's descriptor.
+fn multikey_tracks(bytes: &[u8], comp: &str) -> usize {
+    let Some((desc, desc_end)) = xbg7_descriptor_range(bytes, comp) else { return 0 };
+    let d = &bytes[desc..desc_end];
+    let mut n = 0usize;
+    let mut i = 0usize;
+    while i + 4 <= d.len() {
+        let starts = &d[i..i.min(d.len() - 4) + 4] == b"rou_"
+            || (i + 3 <= d.len() && &d[i..i + 3] == b"GN_");
+        if !starts {
+            i += 1;
+            continue;
+        }
+        let mut j = i;
+        while j < d.len() && d[j] != 0 && d[j].is_ascii_graphic() {
+            j += 1;
+        }
+        let mut ff = i;
+        let scan_end = (i + 0x90).min(d.len().saturating_sub(4));
+        while ff < scan_end && be32(d, ff) != 0xFFFF_FFFF {
+            ff += 4;
+        }
+        if ff < scan_end && ff >= 0x10 {
+            let t44 = be32(d, ff - 0x10) as usize;
+            if t44 != 0 && t44 + 32 <= d.len() {
+                for k in 0..8 {
+                    let p = be32(d, t44 + k * 4) as usize;
+                    if p >= 0x50 && p + 16 <= d.len() {
+                        let head = be32(d, p - 0x50);
+                        if head != 1 && head != 0 {
+                            n += 1;
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        i = j.max(i + 1);
+    }
+    n
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    let dir = std::env::args().nth(1).unwrap();
+    let mut entries: Vec<_> = std::fs::read_dir(&dir)
+        .unwrap()
+        .filter_map(|e| e.ok())
+        .map(|e| e.path())
+        .filter(|p| {
+            let n = p.file_name().unwrap_or_default().to_string_lossy().to_string();
+            n.starts_with("Stage_") && n.ends_with(".xpr")
+        })
+        .collect();
+    entries.sort();
+
+    for path in entries {
+        let stage = path.file_name().unwrap().to_string_lossy().to_string();
+        let bytes = std::fs::read(&path).unwrap();
+        let names = xbg7_resource_names(&bytes);
+
+        // Multi-key animation tracks per composite (breaks the single-key read).
+        for n in names.iter().filter(|n| n.contains("rou_") && !n.contains("break")) {
+            let mk = multikey_tracks(&bytes, n);
+            if mk > 0 {
+                println!("MULTIKEY {stage} {n}: {mk} tracks");
+            }
+        }
+
+        for ship in ships_in_container(&bytes) {
+            if ship.parts.len() < 2 {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let placed = assemble_ship(&bytes, &ship.id, true);
+            if placed.len() < 2 {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let want: HashSet<String> = placed.iter().map(|p| p.resource.clone()).collect();
+            let models = Xbg7Model::models_named(&bytes, &want, &|| false);
+            // Per-placement world centroid.
+            let mut cents: Vec<(String, [f32; 3])> = Vec::new();
+            for p in &placed {
+                let Some(m) = models.iter().find(|m| m.name == p.resource) else { continue };
+                let (mut c, mut n) = ([0.0f32; 3], 0f32);
+                for sub in &m.meshes {
+                    for v in &sub.positions {
+                        let w = p.apply(*v);
+                        c[0] += w[0];
+                        c[1] += w[1];
+                        c[2] += w[2];
+                        n += 1.0;
+                    }
+                }
+                if n > 0.0 {
+                    cents.push((p.resource.clone(), [c[0] / n, c[1] / n, c[2] / n]));
+                }
+            }
+            if cents.len() < 2 {
+                continue;
+            }
+            // Ship cluster = median centroid; flag parts > 3× the median spread.
+            let med = |k: usize| -> f32 {
+                let mut v: Vec<f32> = cents.iter().map(|(_, c)| c[k]).collect();
+                v.sort_by(|a, b| a.partial_cmp(b).unwrap());
+                v[v.len() / 2]
+            };
+            let m = [med(0), med(1), med(2)];
+            let dists: Vec<f32> = cents
+                .iter()
+                .map(|(_, c)| {
+                    ((c[0] - m[0]).powi(2) + (c[1] - m[1]).powi(2) + (c[2] - m[2]).powi(2)).sqrt()
+                })
+                .collect();
+            let mut sd: Vec<f32> = dists.clone();
+            sd.sort_by(|a, b| a.partial_cmp(b).unwrap());
+            let spread = sd[sd.len() / 2].max(50.0);
+            for ((res, c), dist) in cents.iter().zip(&dists) {
+                if *dist > 6.0 * spread && *dist > 800.0 {
+                    println!(
+                        "OUTLIER {stage} {}: {res} centroid=[{:.0} {:.0} {:.0}] dist={:.0} (spread {:.0})",
+                        ship.id, c[0], c[1], c[2], dist, spread
+                    );
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    println!("audit done");
+}
diff --git a/crates/sylpheed-formats/src/ship.rs b/crates/sylpheed-formats/src/ship.rs
index 29910f3..80e632e 100644
--- a/crates/sylpheed-formats/src/ship.rs
+++ b/crates/sylpheed-formats/src/ship.rs
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ pub struct ShipModel {
     pub faction: Faction,
     /// Base geometry resource names to draw together, in directory order.
     pub parts: Vec<String>,
+    /// Whether a composite scene graph (`e_rou_<id>`) exists — i.e. this is a
+    /// real assembled ship. Families without one (fighter morph sets, shared
+    /// turret/prop parts) have no placement data and would stack at the origin.
+    pub has_composite: bool,
 }
 
 /// The `[a-z]NNN` id prefix of a resource name, if it has one (`e106_bdy_01`
@@ -146,7 +150,13 @@ pub fn ships_in_container(bytes: &[u8]) -> Vec<ShipModel> {
         let id = ship_id_of(n).unwrap().to_string();
         let entry = ships.entry(id.clone()).or_insert_with(|| {
             ids.push(id.clone());
-            ShipModel { id: id.clone(), faction: Faction::from_id(&id), parts: Vec::new() }
+            let has_composite = !composites_for(&names, &id).is_empty();
+            ShipModel {
+                id: id.clone(),
+                faction: Faction::from_id(&id),
+                parts: Vec::new(),
+                has_composite,
+            }
         });
         entry.parts.push(n.clone());
     }
diff --git a/crates/sylpheed-viewer/src/iso_loader.rs b/crates/sylpheed-viewer/src/iso_loader.rs
index ed48d2b..921fb02 100644
--- a/crates/sylpheed-viewer/src/iso_loader.rs
+++ b/crates/sylpheed-viewer/src/iso_loader.rs
@@ -613,7 +613,7 @@ pub struct ShipRow {
 }
 
 /// The Ships browser state — capital ships assembled from XBG7 part families.
-#[derive(Resource, Default)]
+#[derive(Resource)]
 pub struct ShipBrowser {
     pub open: bool,
     pub loading: bool,
@@ -624,11 +624,27 @@ pub struct ShipBrowser {
     pub rows: Vec<ShipRow>,
     /// Family id of the ship currently rendered (for row highlight).
     pub selected: Option<String>,
-    /// Also place the approximate external parts (bridge / shield gen / engines at
-    /// their `GN_*` hardpoint frames). Off by default → the exact hull only.
+    /// Also place the external parts: bridge / shield generators / the engine
+    /// cluster rig / cross-mounted turrets. EXACT (capture-validated) since the
+    /// node-TRS fix, so ON by default; off = bare hull bodies only.
     pub show_external: bool,
 }
 
+impl Default for ShipBrowser {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            open: false,
+            loading: false,
+            loaded: false,
+            filter: String::new(),
+            faction: String::new(),
+            rows: Vec::new(),
+            selected: None,
+            show_external: true,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Ask the loader to scan the stage containers and build the ship catalog.
 #[derive(Event, Default)]
 pub struct RequestShipCatalog;
@@ -3860,8 +3876,11 @@ fn build_ship_catalog(source: &SourceKind) -> Vec<ShipRow> {
         };
         let label = format!("S{n:02}");
         for sm in ships_in_container(&bytes) {
-            // Skip single-piece props / debris — not "whole ships".
-            if sm.parts.len() < 2 {
+            // Skip single-piece props / debris — not "whole ships" — and any
+            // family with no composite scene graph (fighter morph sets, shared
+            // turret parts): those have no placement data and would render as a
+            // pile at the origin with stray far-away pieces.
+            if sm.parts.len() < 2 || !sm.has_composite {
                 continue;
             }
             let v = vmap.get(&sm.id);
diff --git a/crates/sylpheed-viewer/src/ui.rs b/crates/sylpheed-viewer/src/ui.rs
index c5e560d..bc77a4d 100644
--- a/crates/sylpheed-viewer/src/ui.rs
+++ b/crates/sylpheed-viewer/src/ui.rs
@@ -1590,7 +1590,7 @@ fn draw_ships_ui(
                 }
             });
             ui.horizontal(|ui| {
-                ui.checkbox(&mut ships.show_external, "Show external parts");
+                ui.checkbox(&mut ships.show_external, "External parts (bridge/engines/turrets)");
                 ui.label(
                     egui::RichText::new("(bridge / shield gens / engines — approximate placement)")
                         .weak()