Need some help.
I would like to build a 1/700 Yamato. Not decided which: Tamiya? Fujimi? Pit Road? Any others to consider?
Anyone has advice on this? Am looking for a relaxing OOB build. Simple PE work should be fine.
I am more into aircraft and armor, and looking to build a ship for a change. Don’t have experience with ship models other than the few I did many years ago as a kid.
You might want to start out with one of the Tamiya IJN destoyers, for being simpler and potentially a better “get into the ship building” gig.
Now, the 1/700 would be better practice for a 1/700 Yamato. But, the 1/350 destroyer kits wind up a similar size.
Why a destroyer, and why IJN? The ships are lean, you will not need to make twenty or thirty matching tiny AA gun mounts. And, the “bits” are very interesting on DDs, guns, depth charges, torpedos, all maner of things. Also, the paint schemes make for interesting models, what with IJN practice of putting russet linoleum on steel decks as “non-skid.” Also, destroyers do not have wooden decks as general rule, which skips over that issue (paint versus paper-thin aftermarket, etc.)
IJN as the ships are fairly well-documented. You really do not need to pay as much in aftermarket as the base kit to model a specific ship.
In contrast, USN Ships are masking nightmares, with decks painted differently than vertical surfaces. Royal Navy ships are less complicated paint jobs–other than finding the correct colors, which can be an issue (and then you need to pick a specific date to know which scheme to paint).
I would start with one of the I.J.N. Destroyers in 1/700 from Pit Road or Fujimi. Well molded with good fit and details. Simple, Straightforward and Pleasant to build. Tanker-Builder
Looks more complicated than the other destroyers though.
It is and it isn’t. All IJN ships are a touch “fiddly” for the way they stack superstructure parts. And, for having “gun houses” for the torpedo tubes (which was kind of needed for the Long Lance torpedos, which were 24" diameter and 30 foot long).
Which is a smaller, and simpler ship. Five-Star made a detail set for this one, too. And, it’s OOP, so you’d have to search eBay or similar sites.
The Matsu Class is notable for being fitted with five inch guns (if only three), as most IJN DDs carried eitehr 3" or 4" guns.
Either of those would make really good display companions for a future Yamato, or Mushashi, build (Kongo is an under-represented IJN ship in modeling).
Simple, straightforward and pleasant to build are just what I’m looking for. Presently having a bit of a struggle with an old tool Hasegawa 1/72 Harrier that does not fit too well. Will take a look at what Pit Road and Fujimi have to offer.
Downloaded the instructions for the Tamiya Shimakaze from Scalemates, and thankfully, does not look too daunting. Guess once PE and rigging are thrown in, it’ll be a different kettle of fish [:S]
That Matsu is teeny-tiny in fair warning. It can be daunting if one feels fat-fingered at all.
If you can find the PE for it, it will have the advantage/dsiadvantage of bending with only fine tweezers and teeny pliers (the smaller Tamiya bending pliers may be too big, despite how good a tool they are).
Given that the Matsu is available for US$15, about half the price of the larger IJN DDs, a person could be forgiven for a strict OOB (out of the box) build as a warm-up.
I took the advice to start with something simple, and that’s the Tamiya 1/700 destroyer Akatsuki. I’ll start on the Shimakaze after I’m done with the Akatsuki.
I’m almost done with the Akatsuki and will add a bit of rigging to it. Just the main lines to keep it simple (hopefully).
I got a spool of Infini ultra fine lycra rigging. Having watched a few youtube videos, seems that the way to go about it is to apply a tiny bit of CA to the end of the string, then touching it to the point it attaches to, such as the mast. Apply accelerator so that the CA sets immediately. Then stretch the string a little and get the other end glued to the other attachment point.
So, here’s what I’m curious about. It’ll basically be simple butt joints where the string contacts the attachment point. Is this correct? Won’t this be pretty weak and detach quite easily?