Alan P Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) Hi All,This was a two year long odyssey, most of which was finished in the month of January. The build thread with its woeful photos is HERE.This is the best model kit I've ever had the pleasure of building. Practically flawless fit, beautiful mouldings and clever, well-designed construction with sensible instructions and build progression. Well worth the £130-odd quid the kit retails at. I also used the three Hasegawa PE sets, which help you realise exactly what quality PE is, quite a lot better than even the mighty WEM/GMM manage to produce. I paid £80 for the kit, and the same for the PE and still think it's a bargain!The Agano-class of four ships were meant to replace the otherwise-needed Tenryu, Sendai and Nagara-class of interwar-built light cruisers in the destroyer leader role. Although fast and fine-looking ships, they were barely better armed than a Kagero-class destroyer with just six 6-in guns and a light AA armament of two twin 3-in and four 25mm mounts as built. Their strength was their speed, heavy torpedo armament and aircraft handling facilities featuring two "Jake" floatplanes. Of the four built, only one survived the war - Agano fell prey to US submarines as did her sister Noshiro. Yahagi escorted the Yamato on her final kamikaze sortie in April 1945, joining her at the bottom of the Pacific. Sakawa was captured intact and used for repatriation of troops until being expended as a target in the Bikini atomic tests in 1946. All photos as ever credit to IPMS Farnborough, taken by the ever-patient Chris Bradley!Happy to answer any questions etc,Al Edited February 28, 2014 by PHaTNesS 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray S Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Hello, looks well worth the two year plan. Fabulous job on the ship. Never having used Hasegawa etch, can you say in what way it is better than WEM/GMM? Is it the quality of metal, instructions or what? I have used both and found them excellent, so the Hasegawa must be something else! It sure looks fab on the ship. Great work Al All the best, Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin1980 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Now that is beautiful!, 2 years, I think I would have lost the will to live!! I would like to know more about the Hasegawa PE as I have used WEM/GMM/L'arsenal and have some Toms model works in the stash. Cracking model! Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Kelley Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 That's a stunner. Don't feel too bad- my Lancaster took 3 years, my 1/32 Hornet has been 6 years in the making and my 1/32 Ju88 5 years. I keep jumping into other projects then coming back periodically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Nice pictures by the Dr Flangmeister. Also nice work on your part, she looks stunning and dangerous. Great build. Cheers foxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar2 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Another excellent model Al. Nice see one of these built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Ogilvie Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Beautiful! Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob 1 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Always nice to see a well built cruiser, and thisJapaneseone looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Superb as usual Al. How you do such great work in that scale is beyond me. Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks ever so much, glad you like it too! Never having used Hasegawa etch, can you say in what way it is better than WEM/GMM? Hi Ray thanks for your words of encouragement. I liked the quality of the brass, the "sawtooth" attachment points which were easy to cut using the blade of a scalpel leaving the parts intact and unbent, the location and bending lines were very finely etched to assure perfect placement and shape, and needless to say, it all fit the model perfectly. Glad you all liked this one, I'm currently doing a 1/700 Gneisenau, and probably either a 1/72 U-Boat diorama or Warspite to follow. Really enjoying my modelling these days :-) Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar2 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Well Al you're build is getting my maritime creative juices going again. I haven't built a ship for a while so will be looking at the German Konig or the Russian Sevastapol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jockster Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Gorgeous Al, but she looks nothing like the Akagi! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) I enjoyed your build thread, nice to see her complete! You flew through the final stages but nothing looks rushed. I would love to have the Hasegawa Nagato in my fleet! Looking forward to your Gneisenau! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breaker Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Brilliant build, I didn't even know Hase did PE. One thing that glares out to me though is the colour of the stands? They just don't seem to fit to my eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 One thing that glares out to me though is the colour of the stands? They just don't seem to fit to my eye. It's ok, they weren't part of the original ship ;-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Hi Al, she's a beauty for sure! I'm not normally into ships and keep meaning to ask what is your connection? Or do you just prefer waterborne subjects as a diversion from the day job? How big is she in 1/350th? I'm always in awe at the incredible detail that goes into these builds given that the scales are tiny, I struggle in 1/32nd!! Better start to get ready for work, another 5 sector day today.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gisbod Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Hi Al, Great job You're tempting me now to get a Tamiya Yamato or similar 'new tool' - I'm loving my Prince of Wales build and thats from 1985! What's next up? If you hurry, it should be in the ready for inspection section in 2016 Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 (edited) I'm not normally into ships and keep meaning to ask what is your connection? Or do you just prefer waterborne subjects as a diversion from the day job? How big is she in 1/350th? So many questions!! The first bit is easy, I'm from a Navy family, always liked planes but can't deny what's in my blood! Plus, the buzz I get from finishing a ship is way better than doing planes. I like fighter jets, but seeing as planes are my life it's great to get away from them. Ships look so intricate when finished, and building them bit by bit and then suddenly putting it all together is the major plus point. As well as that, all the detail you put on a ship is plainly visible, as opposed to a lot of the detail I add to planes (cockpit, wheel wells, jetpipes etc) is virtually invisible when complete. Most ship kits require minimal sanding and putty, it's not such a part of the build process, as opposed to planes where it is actually most of the build process. Then you've got the ease of diorama construction, once you're comfortable with seascapes. Second question - this 1/350 kit is exactly 50cm long, just under 20in. Al Edited February 28, 2014 by PHaTNesS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forlornhope Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 She's finished up beautifully, well done on getting her finished. Looking forward to seeing whats next Cheers Callum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefy66 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 fantastic job you have done there love the detail work Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkady72 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Great job, I love Japanese heavy cruisers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now