Thom216 Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 (edited) So yeah, I haven't finished the Battlestar Pegasus from the KUTA BG, and knowing my past history of not finishing kits on time, I am cracking open another one! This time it is a very terrestrial ship, the battlecruiser Akagi. I had originally planned to do a 1/72 Marine Phantom for this BG, but then I started thinking of ship kits, and since I haven't finished one in decades, figured this was a good time. And what better choice than a version of a ship that never existed!? I've had it in mind to build the Akagi in all three versions of it's 'life,' from its intended battlecruiser form to both phases of carrier, the three-decker and the final full-deck version. Thankfully, Fujimi released a 'what-if' kit of the intended Amagi-class in 2011, and, since neither Amagi nor Akagi were ever completed as battlecruisers, I think a simple name-change should be enough to model the battlecruiser Akagi. The kit, which is a waterline model and came with PE. The pile of plastic that tumbled from the box. The assorted 'goodies' I've assembled since buying the kit a few years ago. Again, it came with some PE, but I ended up getting more, just in case. And, since I prefer to model the entire ship, from top to keel, I needed a hull bottom. The bottom hull was grabbed from a carrier Akagi model, this one made by Hasegawa, that kit having been bought solely for the lower hull. It has since been sold off as a water-line kit. Fujimi has the better shape around the rudder/screws, while Hasegawa fits far better at the bow. There are some size discrepancies, though the lines of the parts line up very well. If I have the bow lined up right... ...there is an 'under bite' at the stern... Rather than going the drastic route of chopping the hull, I'm just going to sand that 'nub' off the stern and call it good. And I bought some stuff from the local hardware store to mount it. I'll be stopping at Michaels on the weekend to get a plaque to serve as a base. And that's the plan for now. I'll be going back and forth between this and the Pegasus in the KUTA GB, and hopefully get them both finished up before the deadline. More to come! Thom https://imgur.com/a/Yc4MqmR Edited February 20, 2023 by Thom216 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnoldAmbrose Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 Gidday @Thom216, this looks an interesting project. They would certainly have been powerful ships in their battlecruiser guise. I'm looking forward to seeing this come together. Regards, Jeff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 Hi Thom, I like the idea of all 3 versions of the Akagi - I have the old model of it as it was during the early part of the war. Since I stopped building 1/700 ships many years ago I have lost track so I am surprised to see all the versions of this ship that have been released - I also see that there is a 3 deck version of Kaga but no Battleship! Maybe one day somebody will release a battlecruiser version of Lexington, but which design version I wonder - the one with two large funnels would be most likely but the ones with 5 and 7 tall thin funnels would be interesting. Good luck with the build. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 (edited) 4 hours ago, PeterB said: Hi Thom, I like the idea of all 3 versions of the Akagi - I have the old model of it as it was during the early part of the war. Since I stopped building 1/700 ships many years ago I have lost track so I am surprised to see all the versions of this ship that have been released - I also see that there is a 3 deck version of Kaga but no Battleship! Maybe one day somebody will release a battlecruiser version of Lexington, but which design version I wonder - the one with two large funnels would be most likely but the ones with 5 and 7 tall thin funnels would be interesting. Good luck with the build. Pete A Lexington class BC is also a cool idea. And there is a kit that was put out for it, a 1/700 resin model by Imperial Models. A bit pricey, but kitbashing a Lexington carrier could be a little difficult what with the flare put into the top of the bow for the landing deck. Doable...🤔 Edited February 17, 2023 by Thom216 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryu Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 Excellent idea, and a considerable project. It looks like you planned it well! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 11 minutes ago, Toryu said: Excellent idea, and a considerable project. It looks like you planned it well! Planned..? What is this 'planned' you speak of,,?🤪 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 13 hours ago, Thom216 said: I had originally planned to do a 1/72 Marine Phantom for this BG, but then I started thinking of ship kits A much better choice if you ask me! Looks like a lot of kit and accessories four such a small scale 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Alan P said: A much better choice if you ask me! Looks like a lot of kit and accessories four such a small scale 👍 Thanks! I don't plan on using all of it. but what I can I will put on. Or, it will all end up in a PE Ball of Frustration!😀 Edited February 17, 2023 by Thom216 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 I suffer from this ailment where I feel compelled to use all the PE in a set, maybe there's an Anonymous group for such freaks 😄 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnoldAmbrose Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 7 hours ago, Alan P said: I suffer from this ailment where I feel compelled to use all the PE in a set, maybe there's an Anonymous group for such freaks 😄 PEA? I couldn't think of a word to replace 'anonymous' that started with 'E'. Maybe just as well. 😁 Regards, Jeff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 18, 2023 Author Share Posted February 18, 2023 (edited) I started with a little work on the keel. Along with the Fujimi model, I also have the Hasegawa, tri-deck and full deck kits, and comparing the bottoms, I think the Fujimi Hasegawa comes off as a bit too flat-bottomed near the stern. The dark red is the Hasegawa Fujimi bottom (top) and bottom is the Hasegawa Fujimi. You can tell by the reflected light that the Fujimi bottom is more curved, whereas the Hsaegawa has a 'flat shelf' that drops off far more abruptly, If i had my druthers, I'd use the Fujimi bottom as its shape looks better without any work, except that it would be a trade-off, as the fit near the bow is far worse. The bottom from the full hull Fujimi kit is far wider than the top half from this kit, which would require not just sanding, but squeezing and spreading in order to get even near a good fit to the upper hull parts. So out came the sanding sticks! I don't think I can mimic Fujimi's profile, but I can get close enough, so I started sanding front to back across that glare line. I don't know if you can really tell, but after some high grade to fine sanding, it is already much better. You can see by the way the glare line isn't so sharp anymore on the right, that it is less of a drop off compared to the left, stock side. And here, you might be able to see that there is more of a dip on the right side, compared to the flatter profile on the left. I think I'll hit that one more time and then do the same on the left. Oh, and the white strip of styrene is to mimic the raised keel section on the Fujimi part. I'll sand that down some and blend in the sides. More to come! Thom Edited February 24, 2023 by Thom216 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 On 17/02/2023 at 14:12, Thom216 said: and knowing my past history of not finishing kits on time, I am cracking open another one! I figure if you’re having fun, regardless of what gets done, then you’re doing it right! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 18, 2023 Author Share Posted February 18, 2023 10 minutes ago, Wings unlevel said: I figure if you’re having fun, regardless of what gets done, then you’re doing it right! Great way of looking at it. Thanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 18, 2023 Author Share Posted February 18, 2023 (edited) And I think I got it. Both sides are pretty similar, and rather than having that sharp drop off from before, it now slopes more gently from amidships towards the stern. And I added some more styrene strip to the keel ridge. I'll sand it in, trying to keep it prominent but blended. Glad that worked, though another alternative would have been to buy another Fujimi Akagi, and cut and splice the Fujimi stern to the Hasegawa bow. Definitely possible, especially as they are the exact same width amidship, but not needed now. Model on! Thom Edited February 20, 2023 by Thom216 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 (edited) One of the things that has always struck me about the battleships/battlecruisers used in WWI and early post war designs is how "empty" their decks look compared with those in use in WWII, which had a lot of extra bits and pieces added. I remember seeing an Airfix "Iron Duke" kit that had been built and thinking how uncluttered it looked compared with their kit of HMS Warspite after modernisation. No AA guns to speak of, no catapult for a seaplane spotter, and so on. In their own way I think it made them look more elegant as in many cases did the two funnels most had (three in the case of the battlecruiser Tiger). Modernisation usually meant a reduction to just the one funnel, sometimes combining the two as in the first modernisations of the Queen Elizabeth class, and sometimes just one as newer more efficient boilers were introduced. If the Amagi's had been built then they would probably have gone through similar modifications as the earlier Japanese classes ending up with a pagoda mast type superstucture and lost their clean lines. This version should be rather better looking than that in spite of the rather curious style of Stem (bow) shape the Japanese adopted - sort of clipper bow until half way above the waterline, then reverting to a straight stem above that - a variation I don't thing anybody else used as normally they started off with the ram bow, then the straight one and finally the clipper as time went by. On some of their early light cruisers the Japanese also used a curved stem so they obviously had a different approach to fluid dynamics up front!🙂. I am watching with great interest. Incidentally, I have always found my copy of Siegfried Breyer's "Battleships and Battle Cruisers 1905-1970" a good general work on those types of warship and where they were converted to carriers he also includes those details as well so he has plans of the Amagi at all 3 stages of her life and it shows the difference in the shape and length of the rear hull that you have found. Pete Edited February 18, 2023 by PeterB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 19, 2023 Author Share Posted February 19, 2023 On 2/18/2023 at 9:03 AM, PeterB said: One of the things that has always struck me about the battleships/battlecruisers used in WWI and early post war designs is how "empty" their decks look .... Pete Yeah, once you add the anti-aircraft guns, and everything else associated with them, gun tubs, ammo boxes, crew positions, all that free board vanished pretty quick. Both looks, clean and elegant, and cluttered/bristling like a porcupine, have their attractions though. Okay, I am calling the this part of the hull done! The shape is still a little off from side to side, but when you take into account the paired rudders, shafts and propellers, they'll be too much clutter to really see it. The ridge isn't as prominent as I wanted it either, but maybe in this instance 'less is more,' ands at least it is blended in. Through this I have relearned the joys of sanding 'paper' and not just sanding 'sticks.' Sanding stick are convenient and resilient, but when you want to profile a curve, not much is better than sanding paper with your malleable finger behind it.😉 That black smudge on the very end of the keel is black paint that was used to first check the join between the part and the styrene strip. It bled a bit through the primer. And now I've opened the instructions! I'll start working on the forecastle, getting the moulded chain off there and opening the anchor holes in the deck. I'd like to get the anchor and chain through the side and back to the windlass all in one piece. More to follow. Model on! Thom 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 19, 2023 Author Share Posted February 19, 2023 (edited) I found this pic on-line when looking for references on chain placement on the bow. It's for a resin 1/350Amagi from 3D-Wild. https://3d-wild.com/products/1-350-wwii-japanese-navy-kii-class-battleship-model-kit With a drill, I opened up the anchor holes (name for these?) hawes pipes and those that go into the chain locker just in front of the windlass capstans. After that, I went down the sides of both hull sections, smoothing out burs and sprue points. A little accelerated CA in some divots and some sanding smoothed them all out. Then I went to mate them together, or start to. What appears to be a happenstance of lucky modelling, there is a nice male/female mating between the Hasegawa lower hull and the Fujimi top. One of the good things about these being from the same company, if not the same kit, is that there is a nice male/female groove right at the front. It locks both sections right in. And there is a nice tongue-n-groove along the sides. Despite the nice mating of the halves, there is still a slight mismatch in width going down the sides that I'll have to smooth out with some light sanding. Starting from the front and moving on back. Model on! Thom Edited February 20, 2023 by Thom216 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnoldAmbrose Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 9 hours ago, Thom216 said: not much is better than sanding paper with your malleable finger behind it.😉 Gidday Thom, I found that when sanding the hull of my corvette. 1 hour ago, Thom216 said: With a drill, I opened up the anchor holes (name for these?) and those that go into the chain locker just in front of the windlass. The openings that lead out from the hull and take the anchor stocks (shafts) are the hawse pipes. Those that lead from the deck down to the cable (chain) lockers are Naval Pipes. I'm not sure if 'windlass' is the correct term for these in a ship like this. They could be capstans or cable winches. That one on the centreline just forward of the other two would be a capstan I think. HTH. She's coming along beautifully. Regards, Jeff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnoldAmbrose Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 1 hour ago, Thom216 said: Starting from the front and moving on back. "Starting from the bow and moving aft". 😁 But I repeat, she's coming along very nicely. I think you've done a very good job of mating the upper and lower hulls. Regards again, Jeff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 11 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said: "Starting from the bow and moving aft". 😁 But I repeat, she's coming along very nicely. I think you've done a very good job of mating the upper and lower hulls. Regards again, Jeff. Or alternately ""Starting from the stem etc". If we are looking at nautical terminology then "Port and Starboard" were originally "Larboard and Starboard" but were eventually changed to avoid possible confusion. Both apparently date back to the time when ships used a steering oar rather than a rudder, with the said oar aka Steorbord in Old English being traditionally mounted to the right of the centreline. Because of this, when in Port loading or unloading , the boat/ship would tie up on the left hand "ladebord" - from the Middle English for load - side to give the oar clearance, or so I believe. There are an awful lot of nautical terms that have found their way into the English language - when on a tour of HMS Victory many years ago I learned that the sailors ate from square wooden plates - "A square meal" for example, and when the Bosun was about to deliver punishment he ceremonially took the lash (Cat O'Nine Tails) he had made out of a bag in front of the prisoner (Letting the Cat out of the Bag). I won't go on as I have rambled more than enough😆! Pete 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnoldAmbrose Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 Gidday @PeterB, your explanation of names of the sides of the ship is pretty much as I understood it to be, and we can't BOTH be wrong. 😁 The "square meal" definition is new to me, so thanks. And "The cat out of the bag" - I've heard it often enough but never made the connection to the Cat O'Nine Tails. Thanks. Regards, Jeff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 20, 2023 Author Share Posted February 20, 2023 I find I must apologies to all the Fujimi executives who have been watching this build in mounting confusion, for I have been calling out the wrong kit parts and subtly maligning Fujimi. Looking at the instructions for the Hasegawa kit, I am now convinced the bottom hull I have going into this build is from that model maker, Hasegawa. 😬 There is no egg-face emoji, otherwise I would be using it. 😁 Previous posts have been dutifully adjusted. If any execs from Fujimi wish me to apologies in ritual form, I'll get right on that!🤪 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 20, 2023 Author Share Posted February 20, 2023 @PeterB Indeed, thanks for that. Never heard of where 'square meal' or 'Cat out of the bag,' came from. Very cool. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 4 hours ago, Thom216 said: If any execs from Fujimi wish me to apologies in ritual form, I'll get right on that!🤪 Public apology on national television should do it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 20, 2023 Author Share Posted February 20, 2023 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Alan P said: Public apology on national television should do it Just as long as it does not involve seppeku...😰 Edited February 20, 2023 by Thom216 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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