Aoshima 1/350 heavy cruiser IJN Atago 1944 Updated Edition

[SilverGhost]

Hello friends!
I started my new project for next 2-3 years

 

 

The model - latest version of Aoshima's Takao-class cruiser - IJN Atago 1944 Updated Edition
This version was issued at the end of 2018
This version is more advanced than Retake

Model contains 38 sprues and 1501 parts (but 687 not used)

I want to build Atago in his last configuration in October 1944, as flagship of last japanese armada.

I will use a lot of aftermarket
First of all - Flyhawk detail set for Takao
North Star figures, winches and ventilators
and over 20 other detail sets

I use many Japanese literature about these ships and photos from R/V Petrel

 

 

1. CG 3D Takao
2. Mechanism of Japanese Warships. Heavy Cruisers
3. Gakken Takao

4. Maru. THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY 6 Heavy Cruisers Takao-class, Aoba-class, Furutaka-class (big Japanese photoalbum)
5. Janusz Skulski. The Heavy Cruiser Takao (Anatomy of the Ship)
6. Eric Lacroix, Linton Wells. Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War

7. Model Art 464 The superillustration of Heavy Cruiser Takao 1927-1937

And one rare Japanese photo album will come to me soon - THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY 6 Heavy Cruisers Takao-class, Aoba-class, Furutaka-class/

Unfortunately, using many photos from Japanese books, I find many mistakes in Anatomy...
It is bad news, who build Takao using only this book and drawings...

Aoshima's instruction is a full 🤮💩 ... Wrong AA-guns scheme, wrong portholes without outside covers (at 1944 !!!)

There are no drawings or schemes on the Atago. They will be drawn later by myself 😉
So this building will be very difficult. More difficult than my little Haguro in 1/700. Which is built from 1905 parts and 40 different aftermarket detail sets.

 

Big picture - 

[SilverGhost]

The model started 6 days ago.

 

I decide to compare the hull of model (Takao) with Anatomy drawings
In Anatomy Takao hulls at 1932 and 1939 were similar except bulges

So the result is awfull. Aoshima mirrored the starboard of the hull to the port side  🤬🤬🤬
Black and blue points - need to drill new portholes
Red points - delete portholes

 

Next I will compare photos of real Takao 1939 and Atago 1939 with model.

Then, I delete raised panel lines and start to adjust bulges to the hull. And sharpen their edges. Bulges didn't have thick edges in front and back.

 

 

In Atago UPDATED Edition Aoshima made new parts to correct anchor hawse
But the shape of anchor hawse is still incorrect
I will make a new hawse

 

The keel is too thick... 4.1 mm
The keel of the model is more than 2 times thicker than in theory - 1.8 mm (Anatomy)

 

[SilverGhost]

Assemble Hull

 

 

Problem #3
The bow is too thick like icebreaker. it needs to be thinned. Aoshima's cruiser likes too much fastfood 🤣

 

I corrected the bow and keel. 1 hour work with abrasive 270 - and everything is complete 
It is not as difficult as it seems 😎

 

So my bow now is as sharp as a wing of beatifull F-104 Starfigter 😎
I can cut vegetables with my Atago's bow   😆😆

 

 

I think my bow is much better than Aoshima's ugly fat bow

Decks and superstructure test fit

 

And I buy Chokai 1942 Retake with Aoshima etched detail set 🥳
5 years I was looking for him at ebay, Amazon, e-shops and other modelling forums. And I found him... In Russia 🤣
Chokai will be my next project after Atago.

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Did you say TWENTY after market sets?  Wow!  [Mind you, by the time I finish Ark I probably won’t be far off that].  
 

I know very little about Japanese cruisers, but I know a good ship modeller when I see one; definitely got my attention!

 

Great start.

[SilverGhost]

10 minutes ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Did you say TWENTY after market sets?  Wow!  [Mind you, by the time I finish Ark I probably won’t be far off that].  
 

I know very little about Japanese cruisers, but I know a good ship modeller when I see one; definitely got my attention!

 

Great start.

For Atago today I have 10 detail sets:

• Flyhawk for Takao (in shipping)
• Lion Roar porthole covers
• Aoshima Takao RETAKE detail set
• NorthStar Models IJN deck winch
• NorthStar Models IJN Pilots
• NorthStar Models IJN Navy parade
• NorthStar Models IJN anchors
• NorthStar Models IJN rangefinder set
• NorthStar Models IJN mushroom deck ventilators for Takao
• Fujimi IJN Sailors

 

And more than 17 detail sets (etched, resin, decals, 3d-printed) I will need to buy for Atago at this early stage. 

And I don’t know how many more detail sets I need during construction/rebuilding.

 

The model is too simple and have many mistakes.

And nobody built the right Atago before me, because detailed photos of what these Takao-class cruisers looked like in 1944 appeared only last year and were shot at the bottom of the sea.

 

For my previous model - conversion from Hasegawa 1/700 heavy cruiser Myoko to 1/700 sister-ship Haguro - I use 40 detail sets. Building the model took 2 years of grueling work on the model and on the japanese materials.

Total 1905 parts:
- 122 Hasegawa's plastic parts of initial kit
- 1025 photo-etched and metal aftermarket parts
- 245 resin parts
- 523 handmade plastic and metal parts

 

[ArnoldAmbrose]

2 hours ago, SilverGhost said:

The bow is too thick like icebreaker. it needs to be thinned. Aoshima's cruiser likes too much fastfood 

Gidday Andrew, that fast food comment made me chuckle. The work you've done on the bow and keel looks very good. When I next need to cut vegetables I'll borrow your Atago if I may. 😁 I've always liked the look of the large Japanese cruisers. Maybe one day I'll build one, although they are rather scarce in my preferred scale of 1/600. I think the model you made of IJN Haguro is very good. Is there any chance of you posting some more photos in the RFI section? And your Sevastopol 1914?     Regards, Jeff.

[SilverGhost]

4 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Gidday Andrew, that fast food comment made me chuckle. The work you've done on the bow and keel looks very good. When I next need to cut vegetables I'll borrow your Atago if I may. 😁 I've always liked the look of the large Japanese cruisers. Maybe one day I'll build one, although they are rather scarce in my preferred scale of 1/600. I think the model you made of IJN Haguro is very good. Is there any chance of you posting some more photos in the RFI section? And your Sevastopol 1914?     Regards, Jeff.

Hello Jeff!

 

Later I will post 3 my complete models:

russian battleship Sevastopol at 1914 1/350 from Zvezda kit with NorthStar detail set

japanese heavy cruiser Haguro 1942 1/700 (conversion from Hasegawa's Myoko kit with Flyhawk detail set for Myoko)

russian modern SSBN (Borey-class) K-551 Monomakh Project 955 from Zvezda kit 1/350

 

and 1 model, which I build together with my friend Finisky Anton - "simple" conversion of Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier from Trumpeter kit 1/350 with Microdesign detail set

 

Some preview photos

Haguro's seaplanes 1/700

 

Monomakh 1/350

 

Admiral Kuznetsov 1/350 - together with my friend

with new shafts, rudders, deadwood, propellers, keel and stern tubes

 

And Sevastopol 1914

Edited January 16, 2020 by SilverGhost

[Courageous]

Excellent work, good attention to detail.

 

Stuart 

[SilverGhost]

4 minutes ago, Courageous said:

Excellent work, good attention to detail.

 

Stuart 

Thank you, Stuart!

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Those are all fabulous - but for 1/700 the Haguro aircraft are ridiculously good; I’d be very happy with those in 1/350

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Andrew, Ex above has just beaten me. Your skill and obvious patience makes me very envious. I have scratch-built a few aircraft as trials for when I make aircraft carriers, but they are quite crude. Yours, on the other hand, with the canopy framing and the rigging, are exquisite. And thanks for showing the other vessels. The Sevastopol in particular I like (I'm a WW1 and WW2 vintage fan). Regards, Jeff.

[SilverGhost]

7 minutes ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Those are all fabulous - but for 1/700 the Haguro aircraft are ridiculously good; I’d be very happy with those in 1/350

Work with seaplanes was the most difficult stage of building a Haguro. They takes 3 months!

They were very ugly and primitive...

In the past, I made airplane models 20 years (more than 50 models) from my childhood and built these seaplenes as if I made them in 1/72 scale

 

 

Few years ago I met a wonderful Japanese modeller - Dai Sasahara - and began to learn from him how to build ships and planes in such small scale

This is one of his many works in 1/700 scale

[73north]

I read on the Scale Model Warships forum ( which is down for upgrading )that the Aoshima Takao 1/350 

had a few problems - with vague instructions - above all 

Apparently the Hull super structures don't fit easily as the have round pegs with square holes - and it took a lot of drilling for the reviewer 

to rectify it , he also would agree with you that the details of the hull are wrong .

good luck with your build - always fancied one of these ships but they are out of print and seem to attract big prices on ebay 

[SilverGhost]

3 minutes ago, 73north said:

I read on the Scale Model Warships forum ( which is down for upgrading )that the Aoshima Takao 1/350 

had a few problems - with vague instructions - above all 

Apparently the Hull super structures don't fit easily as the have round pegs with square holes - and it took a lot of drilling for the reviewer 

to rectify it , he also would agree with you that the details of the hull are wrong .

good luck with your build - always fancied one of these ships but they are out of print and seem to attract big prices on ebay 

Thank you!

Instruction and fit problems - are not problems for me. After ugly Trumpeter's Admiral Kuznetsov 😆

I learned to build models on Frog models 😆 And improved them.

 

Ther are more other problems: all small details, inside funnel grills, and masts will be scratchbuild

gun turrets have wrong windows/portholes, many grills, pipes are wrong

Many small details took from Takao, but they were not on the Atago

The PE detail set I have for Takao.... There are no add-ons and detail sets for Atago

I need 3D-printed 9m cutters and brass propellers.

 

Today I got a Japanese photoalbum from Ebay

THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY 6 Heavy Cruisers Takao-class, Aoba-class, Furutaka-class.

1989, 260 pages, 300 photos

~100 $

Highly recommended for Japan cruiser fans and modellers!👍

 

[SilverGhost]

I started work on scratchbuilding new hawses.

 

Anchor - 5.5 t resin anchor from North Star Models

 

Above - 2 versions of Aoshima's hawse

Left - old version 2008-2018, Right - new version from 2018 (only one issue - Atago) with additional detail

Unfortunately, the form of hawse are wrong in both versions

 

Below - prospective form of new hawse from Anatomy.

There will be a lot of work - all the walls of the hawse will need to be done anew.

The new hawse is smaller and deeper than the old hawse

 

 

 

[SilverGhost]

Do you need sprue scans and instruction?

[Courageous]

Not necessary for me, great what you're doing.

 

Stuart

[Model Monkey]

превосходный

 

Brilliant!

[73north]

The Scale Model Warships forum is finally live ( after updating )

 

thus I can post a review in full of the  Aoshima Kit 

" to quote "

 am still working on this kit. There is, however, so much to say that a review is appropriate now.

There is much that is right with this kit. It is a beautiful subject. Japanese heavy cruisers had a sleek and distinctive beauty. The pieces are exquisitely molded. There is not one trace of flash on the many, many small parts. There is extensive molded detail of high quality. There are options for building several members of the class in either 1942 or 1944 rig.

Regrettably, there is also much wrong with this kit. In the quest to allow several different versions to be built there are extensive redundant parts, almost enough to build two complete ships. It is difficult to determine which parts go with which version, and the instructions are not helpful in this regard.

The instructions themselves are detailed but with small drawings for the fitting of many small detail parts. It is often difficult to see where parts go. The placement and replacement of parts by PE is also quite vague. The plan of assembly is awkward, requiring force-fitting of major components, and there is no guidance or warning this will be needed.

There are an astonishing number of parts with round mounting holes but square mounting pegs. No kidding. Also the inverse- square slots but round mounting pegs. Almost all the pegs are just too big (or the holes too small). I had to drill out most of the holes slightly, and that's quite a task when there are 128 fittings to be placed on the fore and aft decks alone.

While the moldings are exquisite, the parts are attached to the sprues by mounts so thick even loppers had a hard time with them. Even small parts are attached diabolically firmly, requiring significant trimming and cleaning for each of the literally hundreds of small parts. Despite this attention, there are some peculiar oversights. The instructions call for 4 searchlights. 4 lenses are provided but only two light bodies!


Worst of all, the kit has 26 parts trees. 26! I have built multiple large 1/350 kits, and no one has more than 15 trees. They are also very poorly labeled. Trees are variously labeled A-J, but also AT 1-4 (for Takao), two different H trees and one called 'Japanese AA', presumably used for multiple kits. The aircraft have separate trees. There is an entire separate tree for the degaussing cable, which for reasons that elude me is molded in flexible white plastic.

Part number on the sprues are not sequential. Repeatedly, part 3 is adjacent to part 26, and so on, which makes for a great deal of time searching for what ought to be easy to find. To top this off, many assemblies require parts from multiple trees. Minor sub-assemblies need parts from 3 different trees.

The result of all this is more time is spent just finding parts than in actual assembly. Every step is not so much a labor of love as a labor of unnecessary complexity. If you paint before assembly, beware! The very large number of redundant parts will require large amounts of spray paint. This is a kit better painted in sub-assemblies, as you figure out which parts you will actually use.

All in all, this is a brilliantly molded and detailed kit whose joys are badly dulled by poor conception, too many options and parts, and poor parts layout and labeling. After building kits by Hobby Boss and Very Fire, this kit is a frustrating disappointment that would benefit from retooling to allow its intrinsic quality to come to the fore.

Edited January 18, 2020 by 73north

[SilverGhost]

9 hours ago, Model Monkey said:

превосходный

 

Brilliant!

Thank you Steve!

[SilverGhost]

3 hours ago, 73north said:

The Scale Model Warships forum is finally live ( after updating )

 

thus I can post a review in full of the  Aoshima Kit 

" to quote "

 am still working on this kit. There is, however, so much to say that a review is appropriate now.

There is much that is right with this kit. It is a beautiful subject. Japanese heavy cruisers had a sleek and distinctive beauty. The pieces are exquisitely molded. There is not one trace of flash on the many, many small parts. There is extensive molded detail of high quality. There are options for building several members of the class in either 1942 or 1944 rig.

Regrettably, there is also much wrong with this kit. In the quest to allow several different versions to be built there are extensive redundant parts, almost enough to build two complete ships. It is difficult to determine which parts go with which version, and the instructions are not helpful in this regard.

The instructions themselves are detailed but with small drawings for the fitting of many small detail parts. It is often difficult to see where parts go. The placement and replacement of parts by PE is also quite vague. The plan of assembly is awkward, requiring force-fitting of major components, and there is no guidance or warning this will be needed.

There are an astonishing number of parts with round mounting holes but square mounting pegs. No kidding. Also the inverse- square slots but round mounting pegs. Almost all the pegs are just too big (or the holes too small). I had to drill out most of the holes slightly, and that's quite a task when there are 128 fittings to be placed on the fore and aft decks alone.

While the moldings are exquisite, the parts are attached to the sprues by mounts so thick even loppers had a hard time with them. Even small parts are attached diabolically firmly, requiring significant trimming and cleaning for each of the literally hundreds of small parts. Despite this attention, there are some peculiar oversights. The instructions call for 4 searchlights. 4 lenses are provided but only two light bodies!


Worst of all, the kit has 26 parts trees. 26! I have built multiple large 1/350 kits, and no one has more than 15 trees. They are also very poorly labeled. Trees are variously labeled A-J, but also AT 1-4 (for Takao), two different H trees and one called 'Japanese AA', presumably used for multiple kits. The aircraft have separate trees. There is an entire separate tree for the degaussing cable, which for reasons that elude me is molded in flexible white plastic.

Part number on the sprues are not sequential. Repeatedly, part 3 is adjacent to part 26, and so on, which makes for a great deal of time searching for what ought to be easy to find. To top this off, many assemblies require parts from multiple trees. Minor sub-assemblies need parts from 3 different trees.

The result of all this is more time is spent just finding parts than in actual assembly. Every step is not so much a labor of love as a labor of unnecessary complexity. If you paint before assembly, beware! The very large number of redundant parts will require large amounts of spray paint. This is a kit better painted in sub-assemblies, as you figure out which parts you will actually use.

All in all, this is a brilliantly molded and detailed kit whose joys are badly dulled by poor conception, too many options and parts, and poor parts layout and labeling. After building kits by Hobby Boss and Very Fire, this kit is a frustrating disappointment that would benefit from retooling to allow its intrinsic quality to come to the fore.

All these problems are don't matter for me.

They are about usability and details fitting. They are simple for me

Unfortunately, there are no information about the accordance of the model to the real prototype, who is lying at the bottom of the South China Sea.

 

My model has 38 sprues, 1507 details.

I think I will replace the most of them. And my model will be have few thousands of handmade, plastic, metal, PE, resin parts

[SilverGhost]

Closed up the hawses with Evergreen sheet plastic.

Made a template for a new plastic hawse

[Kev The Modeller]

Some superb work and detailed skill, my friend   I'll shall be following along with great interest.

[Aardvark]

Aha-ha...to paraphrase the famous saying: "If the mountain does not go to Mohammed, Mohammed goes to the mountain" - "If the Britmodeler does not go to the Scalemodels, the Scalemodels goes to the Britmodeler!" 😉😁😁

....just do not after this with a scream: "Russian coming!"  throw out the window!

😁

Of course choice building Japanese cruiser for building on British forum some interesting, but I think next building was British ship!

😉

On 1/16/2020 at 3:02 PM, SilverGhost said:

Admiral Kuznetsov 1/350 - together with my friend

with new shafts, rudders, deadwood, propellers, keel and stern tubes

Are You declassified confidentiality information about 

home port of this model?

😗

20 hours ago, SilverGhost said:

Unfortunately, there are no information about the accordance of the model to the real prototype, who is lying at the bottom of the South China Sea.

Andrey, I don’t see a problem! 😁

 All in your hands!

😉😁😁

If for some reason you cannot personally, then there is one aquanaut:

😉😁

 

B.R.

Serge

 

P.S.

Of course I don’t understand anything in the ships, but I’ll look with interest at this building.

 

[SilverGhost]

Quote

Of course choice building Japanese cruiser for building on British forum some interesting, but I think next building was British ship!

Hello Serj! Nice to meet you here!

 

No, next ship will be Chokai 1942. I have too much information to build Japanese cruisers.

 

I have only Japanese cruisers (Atago, Chokai, Tenryu, Yahagi), Russian ships (Admiral Kuznetsov, Marshal Ustinov, Marat, Kruzenshtern, Izmail,  Novik and Kashin-class destroyers, leader Provorniy (ex-german Z-33) ) and German battleships (Grosser Kurfurst, Tirpitz) and USS Saratoga

 

May be in future I will made HMS Edinburg, one of Town-class cruiser, HMS Vanguard and HMS Hood 1/200