Tamiya IJN Kagero

[Tim Reynaga]

 

Tamiya’s 7.5 meter motor launches are nicely done with accurate shapes and good detail – but they can still be improved!

 

 

 

Here I’ve plumped up the kit bumpers with putty and added the etched brass details from the Infini set.

 

 

 

The brass fittings are quite small, but these kit-specific parts fit perfectly!

 

 

The Infini set comes with life rings as well, but the etched parts are a bit two-dimensional. Test fitted here are a couple of different resin rings: a slender one from North Star Models and a more substantial rendition by Blue Fatty Models. Each looks good, but the Blue Fatty ring on the right is (to my eye at least) slightly more convincing, so I’ll probably go with those.

[Richard E]

In the nicest possible way: that's a frightening level of detail Tim.

[Tim Reynaga]

On 2/4/2024 at 9:45 AM, Richard E said:

In the nicest possible way: that's a frightening level of detail Tim.

 

Thanks Richard - it frightens me too! I used to build mostly in 1/700 scale, moved to 1/350 thinking the larger scale would have less tiny detail to deal with, but the bigger the model is the more you can see, so...

 

Anyway, on to the boat davits!

 

 

 

The Tamiya kit’s davits for the 7.5 meter boats aren’t bad, but the brass davits from the Infini set (apparently inspired by the Tamiya parts) are better. Even better than these are the Fine Molds injection molded davits whose more slender profile, lightening hole depictions and other details more closely resemble the real fittings.

 

 

 

 

Not only are the Infini brass davits a bit too wide in profile, but even more importantly, the etched brass parts are just too thin.

 

 

The Fine Molds davits (from set WZ1 of their 1/350 “Nano Dread” series) have the right combination of scale solidity and delicate detail, so I'll be going with these.

[Tim Reynaga]

 

The kit 7 meter cutters are improved by Infini’s brass oars, thwarts, and rudders.

 

 

 

 

Even better are their cutter davits. Their fold-together design enables detailing on both sides and keeps the etched brass parts from being too flat, and in the case of these smaller davits this approach works perfectly. 

 

 

Combined with their cone shaped turned brass bases, they are big improvements over the kit parts.

[Courageous]

You definitely made the right choice with the davits and the boats with their PE parts look lovely too.

 

Stuart

[bissyboat]

Excellent work on those fine little details, Tim. The davits look perfect. ⚓👍

[VinBizz4786_]

That's an amazing level of detail mate ! Congrats for your fine job

[Tim Reynaga]

Thanks guys!

 

Now that the Super Bowl is over I'll put on my glasses and spend the rest of the evening playing with the foredeck details.

 

 

This anchor cable from YXModel is among the really cool aftermarket parts I've found for it...!

[Tim Reynaga]

 

The kit foredeck is credibly executed, but the details are simplified.

 

 

   

 

Aftermarket to the rescue! Five Star Models makes some beautiful replacement mooring bitts especially for 1/350 scale destroyers – these are what Five Star calls the “large” size!

 

 

 

Also test fitted here are the jackstaff from the Infini set, two tiny Five Star resin roller chocks, a sea bollard, plus brass ventilator and capstan parts. The handwheels are Infini, and that stunning 3D printed anchor chain is from YXModel.

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

The YXModel anchor cable is extraordinary; has to be seen to be believed - I bought loads of it some time ago for the fo’c’sle of a number of ships, including my current Ark Royal V.

 

Lovely job with Kagero so far - some particularly neat PE work. Not easy, but you make it look that way!

[Tim Reynaga]

On 2/15/2024 at 8:07 AM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

The YXModel anchor cable is extraordinary; has to be seen to be believed - I bought loads of it some time ago for the fo’c’sle of a number of ships, including my current Ark Royal V.

 

Lovely job with Kagero so far - some particularly neat PE work. Not easy, but you make it look that way!

 

The parts are small. but adding detail actually isn't difficult with all the fabulous aftermarket parts now available. Yet more:

 

 

The kit rangefinder is not bad, but Five-Star’s resin and brass replacement part is better scaled and more delicately detailed. The real fittings came with either square or rounded style hoods, but we don’t have any photos of Kagero showing which type she carried – so rounded it will be!

 

 

 

Here it is test fitted along with the Infini brass etch above the aft torpedo reload stowage. 

[Tim Reynaga]

Among Kagero’s gear aft was a large winch.

 

 

Infini provides a magnificent 25-piece turned brass and etch upgrade that is MUCH better than the Tamiya kit part.

 

 

Here is the new winch in place among the paravanes, their handling cranes, depth charges, vents, and other equipment. The plastic kit parts test fitted here are decent enough, but most of these will also be replaced with Infini and other upgrade parts.

[bissyboat]

Coming along nicely, Tim. The gear aft and the bollards look very nice. ⚓👍

[Courageous]

Nice winch at a nice price I should imagine.

 

Stuart

[Tim Reynaga]

The 25 part assembly may sound like a lot, but the Infini parts are well designed and the instructions are clear enough that there were no problems.  

 

 

 

And that new winch is SO much better than the kit part!

[Courageous]

A lovely bit of 'bling'.

 

Stuart

[Tim Reynaga]

 

On 2/22/2024 at 10:17 AM, Courageous said:

A lovely bit of 'bling'.

 

Stuart

 

More bling:

 

 

The hatches molded to the aft deck look ok from directly above, but because of limitations of the injection molding process the dogs (latches) and hinges are simplified and extend unrealistically down the sides.

 

 

3D printed hatches from Wula Models (WLD3500023) dress things up nicely.

 

 

The tiny parts won’t be all that noticeable among all the equipment on the fantail, but the details on them are incredible!

[ArnoldAmbrose]

1 hour ago, Tim Reynaga said:

The tiny parts won’t be all that noticeable among all the equipment on the fantail

But you'll know they're there. Yes, very nicely detailed. Regards, Jeff.

[S-boat 55]

On 22/02/2024 at 13:28, Tim Reynaga said:

The 25 part assembly may sound like a lot, but the Infini parts are well designed and the instructions are clear enough that there were no problems.  

 

 

 

And that new winch is SO much better than the kit part!

Thats a thing of beautyTim,

[Tim Reynaga]

More upgrades for the fantail.

 

 

The kit reels aren’t bad, and the Infini set comes with excellent etched and turned brass replacements, but I went with Blue Fatty’s simpler to use resin renditions.

 

 

 

I did, however, use Infini’s brass depth charge cranes as well as the torpedo handling cranes; their combination of folded etched brass arms with turned brass bases is quite effective. I bungled one of the torpedo cranes during assembly, but some of its pieces were still useful to dress up the corresponding kit part.

 

 

The Tamiya kit includes perfectly good plastic roll-off depth charges with etched steel mounts, and the Infini upgrade set provides even better 3-part charges with separate etched brass mounts. I ended up forgoing all of them and using these six single-piece resin parts from YX Model.

 

 

The kit plastic depth charge reload rack was replaced using the two etched brass rack parts from the Infini set. Rather than using the individual 3-part charges provided by Infini, I filled the rack with six resin YX Model IJN type 2 depth charges. The Infini charges consist of turned brass bodies with photoetched ends and look very good, but the one-piece YX Model versions look equally good, and they are so much easier to use!

 

 

Here is the completed depth charge reload rack test fitted. The projector is a YX Model resin direct replacement for the kit type 94 depth charge launcher.

 

 

This really was supposed to be a simple, quick build, but all the wonderful aftermarket upgrade goodies now available are just too tasty to pass up! These are just some of them...

[beefy66]

Great work Tim those extra detail sets are really raising this build.  

 

beefy

[Courageous]

Those detailed parts will certainly add much to a build.

 

Stuart

[Alun Gallie]

Some of the aftermarket parts available for some scales now are absolutely fantastic although my credit card is glad there is less in 1/72 (maritime at least) and I still have to scratch build some - I think it would be quite easy to quadruple the cost of the original kit. Not that that's an issue if you are happy with that and the level of detail they add is impressive. 

[Tim Reynaga]

Final upgrades for the deck astern are the paravanes.

 

 

The kit parts are reasonable, especially for injected molded plastic. They depict the paravanes stowed away with the handling cranes lowered and all the equipment neatly secured to the deck.  

 

 

Kagero-class destroyers also sometimes carried their cranes with the paravanes already attached, swung up and ready for action. I liked the dramatic look of this arrangement, and highlighting the mine-clearing paravanes this way adds a bit of poignancy too since Kagero herself was sunk after being immobilized by mines in the Solomons in 1943.

 

 

The Infini set provides awesome 10-part etched brass cranes. The set also comes with multi-piece turned/etched brass paravanes, but I went with equally good but simpler to use one-piece resin parts from Wula Models.

 

 

Here they are test fitted along with all the other upgrade bits on the fantail.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

       G'day Tim, nearly four years ago for a GB I converted a 1/700 Hasegawa kit of IJN Yugumo into the Kagero class IJN Yukikaze in late WW2. The kit had the paravanes mounted earlier in the war as you are doing here. I wondered why the kit had them like this and if this was simply a crude depiction of them but thanks to your post above I now know why. Thanks. Your quarterdeck/fantail is somewhat more detailed than mine though. 🙂

Regards, Jeff.