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TopDrawings 62 Japanese Destroyer Shimakaze (9788366148024) Kagero Publishing via Casemate UK Shimakaze was a one-off super-destroyer built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She was armed with six 5 inch dual-purpose guns and conventional anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weaponry. More importantly, she was the only Japanese destroyer to be armed with 15 torpedo tubes, each capable of firing the deadly 24 in Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo. The ship was a test bed for an enormously powerful, high-temperature; high-pressure steam turbine that was able to develop 79,240 shp, this made her one of the fastest destroyers in the world: her designed speed was 39 kn but on trials she made 40.9 kn. Ordered in 1939 under the 4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme, Shimakaze was laid down in Maizuru Naval Arsenal in August 1941 and completed on 10 May 1943. Japan had intended to lay down 16 similar destroyers, with long-term plans the 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme for a total of 32 to equip four destroyer squadrons, but a lack of industrial capacity prevented them from being built. In June 1943, Shimakaze participated in the evacuation of Japanese troops from Kiska Island towards the end of the Aleutian Islands campaign. She was present in June 1944 at the Battle of the Philippine Sea. In October 1944, the destroyer was present at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, although she played no role in the battle except for picking up survivors from the sunken battleship Musashi. While serving as the flagship of Destroyer Squadron 2 under the command of Rear Admiral Mikio Hayakawa, she was attacked and sunk by American aircraft from Task Force 38 on 11 November 1944 during the Battle of Ormoc Bay. Shimakaze was discovered by a Paul Allen-led expedition aboard RV Petrel in Ormoc Bay on December 1st, 2017. She was a mangled wreck but the three quintuple torpedo tube launchers confirmed her identity. Photographs from the wreck also debunked the assertion that she had one of her turrets removed in an early 1944 refit. This softback book, in their Topdrawing series is a mine of information for the maritime modeller. Although only consisting of twenty two pages this is very similar to the 3D Drawing series but without the range of colourful renderings, but the book is filled with line drawings. This actually makes it easier to see what’s what as you’re not distracted by the colour schemes. Each line drawing is very nicely done, concentrating on different sections of the ship. Interspersed between the larger drawings there are numerous smaller diagrams of individual pieces of equipment, such as the turrets, torpedo tubes, depth charge positions, ships boats, and light AA weaponry. The foldout A2 sheet opens up to reveal three view line drawings of the ship on one side and detail line drawings of various parts of ship and equipment, all of which are in 1:200 scale. Conclusion These books, while not as visually exciting as the Super Drawings in 3D, they do give the modeller an enhanced view of the ships structure and equipment. If used in conjunction with the associated 3D book on the Shimakaze you will be able to make your models as accurate as possible. Whether you're building the 1:350 kits from Hasegawa or Fujimi, or the 1:700 kits from Pit-Road or Tamiya. Review sample courtesy of

IJN Destroyer Shimakaze Kagero Super Drawings in 3D Shimakaze was a one-off super-destroyer built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She was armed with six 5 inch dual-purpose guns and conventional anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weaponry. More importantly, she was the only Japanese destroyer to be armed with 15 torpedo tubes, each capable of firing the deadly 24 in Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo. The ship was a test bed for an enormously powerful, high-temperature; high-pressure steam turbine that was able to develop 79,240 shp, this made her one of the fastest destroyers in the world: her designed speed was 39 kn but on trials she made 40.9 kn. Ordered in 1939 under the 4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme, Shimakaze was laid down in Maizuru Naval Arsenal in August 1941 and completed on 10 May 1943. Japan had intended to lay down 16 similar destroyers, with long-term plans the 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme for a total of 32 to equip four destroyer squadrons, but a lack of industrial capacity prevented them from being built. In June 1943, Shimakaze participated in the evacuation of Japanese troops from Kiska Island towards the end of the Aleutian Islands campaign. She was present in June 1944 at the Battle of the Philippine Sea. In October 1944, the destroyer was present at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, although she played no role in the battle except for picking up survivors from the sunken battleship Musashi. While serving as the flagship of Destroyer Squadron 2 under the command of Rear Admiral Mikio Hayakawa, she was attacked and sunk by American aircraft from Task Force 38 on 11 November 1944 during the Battle of Ormoc Bay. Shimakaze was discovered by a Paul Allen-led expedition aboard RV Petrel in Ormoc Bay on December 1st, 2017. She was a mangled wreck but the three quintuple torpedo tube launchers confirmed her identity. Photographs from the wreck also debunked the assertion that she had one of her turrets removed in an early 1944 refit This is the latest book from Kagero in their Super Drawings in 3D, and like the previous books it has a brief history and the ships specifications at the beginning. This includes the following:- History Description Armament Operational history Wreck The rest of the seventy five pages are filled with the now well known style of beautifully drawn 3D renderings of every part of the ship. It is obvious that a lot of time has been taken to get the drawings this good and accurate, and there is a wealthy of information for the modeller to use during their build. Every area of the upper hull and superstructure is dealt with plus the lower hull including the propellers and rudder. I particularly like the renderings of the torpedo launchers and the larger scale drawings of the light AA weaponry and ships boats, plus the interior of the bridge with the paraphernalia contained therein. She certainly was a very good looking ship, even with the unbalanced main armament with one turret forward and two aft. For even more detail, especially for the rigging, Kagero have included a double sided A2 fold out sheet with a five view on one side, unusually in 1:200, with additional drawings of the ships fixtures, such as bridge, funnels, AA platforms and radar, all to no particular scale. Conclusion This is another superb book in the series and a great addition to any maritime modeller’s library. This series is a boon to any ship modeller and is turning into a magnificent collection of titles. The detail included is second to none, and the renderings are so clear that they will be a delight for the superdetailers, particularly if building the beautiful Hasegawa or Fujimi 1:350 scale kits or the Tamiya and Pit Road kits in 1:700. Review sample courtesy of

IJN Shimakaze detail set Infini Models 1:350 One of the latest releases from Fujimi in their 1:350 ship range is the IJN experimental destroyer Shimakaze, to go with it they have also released a couple of etched sets of their own design. Whilst they are quite nice, this new set from Infini Models is an order of magnitude better. This being my first look at an Infini Models product, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, even after the packet had arrived from Sovereign Hobbies. At first glance it looks like any other etched detail set, although in a thicker plastic wallet, upon opening, this all changes and you realise that not only do you get three quite large sheets of relief etched brass, but five small zip-lock bags with the multitude of turned brass parts, another bag with a very small sheet of adhesive backed wood and a reel of lycra thread. So, pretty much everything you need to build a top glass model. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow and look very similar to the style Pontos use, which means you will be best to make annotations to the kit instructions showing where the brass parts will need to be added and any superfluous kit detail removal. When looking at the instructions you will see that it looks like a lot of the kit parts are replaced with etch. You’re pretty much using just the hull, deck, superstructure, funnels and main gun turrets, so be prepared for an exacting build. Before starting construction, the modeller should go through the instructions and remove all the detail parts from the kit, such as watertight doors, platform supports, funnel caps and the Type 13 radar array. You can then start to build up the etched sub-assemblies, beginning with the depth charge rails and racks. The depth charges are provided as a string of turned brass parts which need to be separated and fitted with the end caps before being glued into position in the etched rails and racks which have been folded to shape. The torpedo tubes and main turrets are then built up, and fitted with a multitude of fixtures and fittings, and, in the case of the turrets, replacement turned barrels. The single 23mm mountings look to be about the fiddliest of all the sub-assemblies, and there are fourteen to make. Each barrel needs to be cut from its moulding block, as these don’t appear turned, due to the superb spring detail on them. The breech section is then folded to shape and the barrel inserted. Each gun is then fitted with the ammunition cartridge, pedestal mount, shoulder bars, and finally the pedestal itself. The twin, (one mounting), and triple 23mm, (four mountings), mounts are built in a similar way, with the breech sections folded and the barrels fitted, followed by the mounting, splinter shields, sights, seats and turntable. As with the depth charges, the cable reels are provided as a string of drums which need to be separate before each is fitted with end plates, then to their respective cradles. With the kits moulded funnel caps removed, the etched parts can be added, the front funnel with four parts, the rear with two. There are also large ventilator grilles to be fitted. The bridge section is then fitted with the wind deflectors, rear decking, watertight doors, cable reels, bridge screens, scuttles and railings. The foremast is provided with replacement yardarms, yardarm supports, vertical ladders, platforms, anemometer, and wind director. The rest of the set, contains the various gun platforms, their supports, a full complement of ships railings, the fixing strips for the linoleum, Type 13 radar, and the davits for the ships boats. Talking of which the cutter is provided with adhesive wooden decking, brass thwarts, new cradles and a set of oars.r, whilst the motor boat is fitted with new railings, lifering, rudder and propeller. The highly detailed accommodation ladders can be posed in use or stored on the ships deck. The associated cranes are also provided, as are the fixed steps fitted to each side of the quaterdeck. A nice touch is a pair of torpedoes and their transport trolleys which can be glued in any appropriate position the modeller wishes. Conclusion As an introduction to Infini Models products this set is pretty darn amazing. Everything is so well etched, turned or moulded it can certainly be placed as high as more established brands, if not higher. The inclusion of almost everything a modeller will need to make a museum quality model, including the rigging is very welcome, only some chain needs to be sourced. Considering the set comes in a reasonably small packet, it’s amazing what Infini have managed to include. Very highly recommended Review sample courtesy of:

We have the latest Infini Model products inbound: For modellers of Cold War & modern US Navy carrier aircraft in 1/72 and 1/48 scales, these tie-down sets offer some added realism and talking points: For 1/350 modellers interested in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Infini Model have released two new sets for destroyers. The first is Kagero, for the recently re-released Tamiya kit: The next is Shimakaze, for the Fujimi tooling: A Shimakaze set for the Hasegawa tooling is in development for release imminently.