¹⁄700

Izumo DDH 183

Japanese DDH Izumo

Mfg: Hasegawa Scale: 1/700 Medium: Plastic and PE Artist: David J. Salvin

I know I say this every time I get to work on a plastic kit, but, it is SUCH a relief from wrangling resin. The latest “vacation” kit from my favorite patron is the Hasegawa kit “Izumo” DDH 183. As can be expected, the molding is crisp and clean. All parts fit nearly perfectly. No over pour or warping. The instructions are beautifully illustrated and, especially when combined with the after market PE kit from Hasegawa as well, the kit builds beautifully. Despite a fair amount of PE railing, having the custom made PE for the kit makes installation a breeze as all the railings are custom made for their respective locations with the bends already measured and crimped, ready to be bent into place (and fit perfectly). Furthermore, the instructions make it very easy to see which piece of PE goes where. I great kit for someone wanting to get their feet wet in PE installation ( or at least anyone who wants to get it perfect for a change.)

The decals are also fantastic for the kit. Clearly marked and well done. The kit even includes decals for the bridge windows AND the windows for all the helos. While this allows for the helos to come out looking great without all the work, the beautifully deep set and molded bridge windows on the ship actually make it rather difficult to get the decals to work as intended. I skipped the decals for the ship windows as there were so well molded it was easy to drop some watered down black paint onto the window pane and have it fill in perfectly.

Again, a beautiful kit Easily finished without stress or resin wrangling.