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1/700th Aoshima IJN Nagato 1942, Retake


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Hi all, thought I'd post my second 1/700th WWII warship in the form of Aoshima's IJN Nagato 1942, 'Retake edition'. Though she didn't see much active service during the war in 1941 Nagato had the distinction of serving as Yamamoto's flagship and it was from her decks that the order 'Niitaka yama nobore' (Climb Mount Niitaka) the attack on Pearl was given. She participated in a few battles, notably the Battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf where she received minor damage but after an undistinguished career was relegated to coastal defence duties acting as a floating anti-aircraft battery. Following the Japanese surrender, she became the last floating IJN battleship ending her days at the bottom of Bikini Atoll following the 'Operation Crossroads' A-Bomb tests, (it took two detonations to sink her).

The original Aoshima moulding has been around a long time though it has been constantly updated. This particular kit was issued in 2011 and included extra runners for armament, aircraft and boats which are a nice bonus though I preferred to replace most of these with PE and brass parts. I really like these IJN designs especially those huge pagoda masts which must have provided a great panoramic view for the crew I'm sure but also ideal for being spotted and easily identified from a distance and duly shot at! A lovely little kit that really benefitted from a dedicated PE set, (from a company called Longxing), brass barrels and yardarms (Master) and wood decking and anchor chains (MK1). The paint was provided by courtesy of Tamiya, Mr Hobby Aqueous and Lifecolor acrylics with the weathering/contrast modulation completed using Abteilung 502 and Mig Oilbrusher oils and their pastel powders.  As with my earlier Dreadnought rigging was done using Uschi Superfine and Standard line and slow curing CA. Kagero's superb Nagato book helped with all necessary reference material, particularly the rigging diagrams and the excellent ModelWarships.com forum, one of which was helpfully titled 'Calling All Nagato Fans' which contained a lot of interesting detail images and data on the old battlewagon.

 

The model appeared in last months issue of Airfix Model World magazine along with a tutorial on creating water bases for anyone interested. I have a few more old war horses underway including Fuso, Yamashiro, Hood and Tirpitz, all waterline and in 1/700th scale along with most available aftermarket stuff which I'll be posting later.

 

Thanks for looking and hope you like it...:cheers:

 

Melchie

 

 

 

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And a couple aged for effect

 

 

 

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Edited by general melchett
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Thanks chaps, appreciated as ever. Must admit I enjoy these tiddlers, there's plenty of fun to be had. I have a few 1/350th behemoths to build but of course the bigger they are the more detail needs to be added.....it can get a bit hectic not to mention pricey.

 

Keith, if you find the article useful have a bash at the water, it's really not that difficult though it can get a bit expensive using the products I used. On the plus side there's a lot of gloop left in each tub ideal for future projects.....luckily there are quite a few cheaper household alternatives available which give good results. 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks again guys, very kind of you, 

 

Neil,

Quote

So this is where you've been hiding!

Ha, yes been a tad busy as you know, with several editorial deadlines looming fast and Telford just around the corner things don't look like easing off anytime soon. Really must get over to see you, plenty to gas about....

 

Rob and Kev, thanks, I appreciate that coming from you chaps.

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16 hours ago, general melchett said:

Thanks chaps, appreciated as ever. Must admit I enjoy these tiddlers, there's plenty of fun to be had. I have a few 1/350th behemoths to build but of course the bigger they are the more detail needs to be added.....it can get a bit hectic not to mention pricey.

 

 

 

 

 

The bigger they are the more detail you can add, yeah like there's not enough on that 1/700 stunner you've built, really excellent work, you must have eyes like a s--t house rat so to say or good magnification :lol:

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Cheers chaps, 

 

Dave thanks, glad you enjoyed the article, hope it's of some use to you... there's plenty more to come

 

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this might tempt me into doing a Senkan for my next build!

Sounds like a plan Mike, I'd also like to get a Mutso at some point, (along with an Ise)....also, of course, looking forward to Aoshima's new 1/700th Yamato which should be heading this way as soon as it's released, should be able to chuck a lot of stuff at that!

 

Thanks Colin, funnily enough I find these a lot 'easier' than the bigger stuff, 1/350th is one thing but 1/200th really pushes the boat out (excuse the pun), and the price through the roof once all the aftermarket is taken into consideration. I tried to talk the editor of AMW into getting hold of a 1/200th Rodney and all the extras but he wasn't having it...simply too big to photograph properly without distortion.....I haven't given up just yet though!:wicked:

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That looks absolutely superb :worthy: .

 

Along with Keith I am going to have to get hold of the copy of AWM, to find out how the base is made. I have a scratch built submarine that needs one. I'm going to be displaying it submerged, with just the periscope showing, a low cost build 

 

:winkgrin:.

 

Only joking; it will be on the surface. The water really does look real here, the black and white photographs look like real period pictures :thumbsup2: 

 

Looking forward to your Hood and Tirpitz :).

 

Best regards 

TonyT

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Thanks fellas, 

 

Tony, the water is really quite straightforward, (it's all very 'Blue Peter' if truth be told)...using a mixture of techniques from the great Jim Baumann and Chris Flodburgh with a few ideas of my own chucked in. The sub diorama will be ideal for this...look forward to seeing it.

 

Hood should be next, while at the Huddersfield show rummaging under someone's table I managed to pick up a second hand Italeri 1/720 kit which turned out to have two complete kits in the box, all for the princely sum of £7 so I'll probably do both the early and later paint schemes. According to the Hood website, it's one of the better models of the old lady so should be fun.

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General Sir,

 

or should it Admiral Sir, splendid job.

 

I enjoyed the magazine build article - and also thought how curiosly modernish and old fashioned she seemed with the sponson guns along the side.

Can I also say the last two black and white photos seem, to my eye, to be a much better representation of the ship?

 

As if they were taken during 1941/1942.

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Thanks Whofan, glad you enjoyed the article and like the photos, always nice to hear that folks appreciate the effort. You're right about the Nagato looking a mixture of both young and old, particularly when compared to a 'modern' designs like Yamato and Musashi. The ship was commissioned in 1920 but underwent heavy modernisation in 1934-36 with upgraded machinery, single funnel, pagoda mast tower, bigger guns and better sighting equipment being fitted, the casemate guns stayed put harking back to the Dreadnought origins of the design, (the same went for the Fuso class too). Later she was festooned in anti-aircraft guns altering her appearance further still but a stately looking battlewagon all the same.....

 

 

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Splendid stuff, your battleshipness.

Very impressive and must make a change from the wingy things.

 

May I humbly point out that the Grantham based, Newby Wyke 

brewery does a beer called Nagato. (All their brews have ship names).

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Stunning- such a natural seascape finish. 

 

I do like Nagato class- that blend of British design features and an emerging Japanese style. In their 1930s refit condition they look very well proportioned- much more elegant than the equivalent RN refits.

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The rigging and the seascape are stunning! Great work Sir!

 

She is a really good looking ship, I may be tempted to move away from RN subjects because of the quality you've displayed here.

 

Geoff 

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Thanks guys, very kind of you,

 

Pete, a complete change and that's why I like doing them plus the Mem and Lady Melchettess think they look so much more interesting than endless flying machines...

I'll keep an eye out for the brew....

 

Killingholme,

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I do like Nagato class- that blend of British design features and an emerging Japanese style. In their 1930s refit condition they look very well proportioned- much more elegant than the equivalent RN refits.

Must agree, the early battleship classes, Nagato, Fuso and Ise all had interesting lines, as you say incorporating many British Dreadnought design features mixed with the latest IJN tech features. The refits only made them look more impressive though they were still basically hybrids, however, when the all new mighty and powerful Yamato class arrived on the scene everything was taken up several notches...luckily they were never given a chance to show their true power.

 

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She is a really good looking ship, I may be tempted to move away from RN subjects

Thanks Geoff and Mick, I must admit that design wise these are my favourite battleships to model, whilst I admire the QE and Nelson classes particularly I just find these IJN designs more interesting even if, thank goodness they didn't turn out to be that effective in battle.

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