I’m reorganizing the stash priorities, is it just me or is there something aesthetically more pleasing about the IJN ships?
Hull forms, like the German ships are beauties. However the “pagoda” superstructures are something else.
Hmmm;
Well , I would have to say the lines on some I.J.N. ships are most pleasing to the eye . This is also evident on many German capitol ships .Now talk about good looking think U.S.S. North Carolina , Washington and don’t forget the Iowas . T.B.
Personally, I like the older Dreadnought and Super-Dreadnaught type battleships. They just look like the floating fortresses that they are. To use the IJN example, I prefer the Kongo class ships over the Yamato any day as far as styling.
Opinion warning!
IJN DD’s, CA’s and the Yamato class are beautiful. I agree, the pagoda masts of the IJN BB’s just don’t look right.
Most all of the German ships DD’s to BB’s also have beautiful lines, except for the Deuchland class and even that class has a beauty of its own. The look kinda out of proportion with those huge turrets.
American BB’s and DD’s post 41 have a great look, the cruisers…well they look a little boxy to me.
British ships are too boxy except for the Hood
Cabrown1;
I have to agree . But then you are looking at sheer gunpower versus a streamlined way of delivering what’s available in that same gunpower . Dreadnought says it for me . T.B.
MC nailed it on IJN destroyers (some classes) and cruisers, especially the heavies. They look like greyhounds, capable of 40 knots, even tied to the dock. And then they went and rebuilt Mogami into that abortion after she got pounded into a floating wreck and the carriers were gone.
My only interest in IJN ships are that they are sick with details.
i personally find their CVs ugly dogs.
I never found the conjoined stack arrangements to be anything other than weird.
Just my opinion, but the title of the thread invites that, right?
Agreed, their CV’s are ugly.
Yep, but the thought was that by going to a small island and venting the stacks off to the side, they eliminated most of the air turbulance on the flightdeck. More of an issue, I think with todays angled decks than back then. But they were done in the late 20’s to mid 30’s.
Imangine being on one with a starboard island and going to her operations sister with a portside setup, and having your battle station in the island… Hey-where’d it go??
I am strangely attracted to the lines of the Akagi and the Kaga,the battle cruiser hulls,the decks piled on top of each other,the tiny island,but I love their look.And I think their heavies look really good also particularly the Takao Class,long slim lines,the massive pagoda,and I love the triple turrets forward.
SMS Emden was also a beauty.
Absopositutely.
In the case of Kaga at Midway, “as though it had been flattened with a giant hand”.
The bridge was only about 20x20 ft.
Okada, most of the other officers and dozens of others all wiped out.
I find the superstructures of the IJN battleships and heavy cruisers very pleasing to the eye, more artistic in a way, than allied or German heavy ships.
Hey " G "
In one of my rare forays into 1/700 I got a real strange one . How about the AKAGI with the bridge forward UNDER the flight - deck ? Weird ! Hull’s gorgeous though ! Definitely shows where she started life ! T.B.
In my opinion, British capital ships and the County Class CA’s had a real elegance, at least before the 1930s refits. The Queen Elizabeth, Revenge, Iron Duke, Repulse, and Hood were very beautiful, as were the post 1930s US BBs. And, don’t forget the Italian WWII battleships and heavy cruisers of the Zara class! I don’t find the Japanese ships ugly, either; nor do I find them beautiful. The French Dunkerque and Richelieu class ships also had a certain beauty.
Bill Morrison
I gotta say that my initial perception was based on the box art in my stash, then a couple of pics. Now,thanks to the opinions expressed so far,I’ve got 4 or 5 new avenues to check out. That’s why I shop here.
I also find the French ships pleasing, but I do find the Italian ones attractive too.
I feel like the odd “nut” out here but I find our Iowa class BB’s extremely attractive, the long rake of the bow and set back superstructure, to me the just look lethal. I know we’re talking about WWII ships here mostly but the Bizmark and Tirpitz are the only foreign capitol ships I have really looked at. IMO modern carriers are pretty bada** as well.
All modern ships look sleek IMO, but I’m just not into them. Like modern cars they look pretty much the same to me. Sleek but cookie cutter.