Well I can certainly echo everything said. I consider myself pretty competent at this ship building , but thnaks to you I have improved my game by leaps and bounds. I still have a long ways to go, but Seeing yours has pushed me to widen my envelope. Mine is coming along fine and I can appreciate the dificulty you have had. Because of you, I will go further into my Ise than I had planned and I am willing to tackle that mess on the underside of the Akagi. Thanks for doing such a wonderful job with this blog and your reward is a world class model to be able to look at every day. See definitely deserves to be under glass !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, Dade: One more thing: MORE PIX, plz! You can't get off with posting just a few! Your Kongo is _HOT_!

Thanks again, guys.

Mr. Silent, I know what you mean. Finishing this has been like wrapping up a big movie production. Exciting, but kinda sad. But yes, with this project done, I'll now switch focus over to the Hiryu, which has been almost neglected the whole time. In the coming weeks, you'll start to see me kick that build into high gear.

Steve, I'm glad I could help identify some of the pitfalls along the way. I've been collating everything into the Build Feature, so you'll be able to use that as a handy reference when I'm finished. I'm shooting to have it to Mark sometime tonight.

Stephen, yep, a lot more pics are on the way. I spent about two hours yesterday going through the almost 200 photos I took to find the best ones and prepare them. They'll be included in the Build Feature coming up as your one-stop reference to this build from start to finish.

Hi Dade

Congrats on the exceptional work. You've done her justice - she's a very pretty build.

Add to that a very thorough and educational build log and some wonderful photography (I especially like the way you've posed her, almost anime-style; like the Argo/ Battlecruiser (sic) Yamato - nice), put those together and you end up with a great piece of work.

Thank you for sharing your experiences it's been a great journey. I'm looking forward to seeing you finish the Musashi soon.

Cheers

Karol

C[ ]

PS Whilst I appreciate your commitment to the IJN, is there any chance you'd turn your skills and attention to the Mighty 'ood and/ or Repulse - they are after all the spiritual templates for these Japanese super-dreads.

Hi Karol, thanks for the kind words. My first ship "love" was the Space Battleship Yamato, so I think I always keep those kinds of shots in my subconscious. For example, here are a couple others...





Speaking of which, sometime in the early summer, I'll be starting my build log on the special edition 1/350 Space Battleship Yamato with lights, sound, and motorization over in Model Geek...

Regarding the RN, I'll be doing the quintessential RN ship, HMS Victory in 1/225 in the near future... but I know you mean something a little more recent. Trumpeter's Repulse looks VERY interesting and I've an itch to give her a try. I'll wait to see what the aftermarket comes up with and see what happens. I have a bit of a soft spot for the Repulse; more so after doing the instructions for Admiralty's 1/700 update set.

I'm surprised to say, the IJN has gotten very crowded with builders (I remember when barely anyone cared about the IJN), so I'll be "switching sides" for a few builds to get away from the "pack"... Of course, I want these kits to all do well and get built (and the industry as a whole, since I'm a part of it), but I'm trying to keep some variety in what I do. BTW, this is what keeps me from the Hood. I love the ship- timelessly beautiful lines. But many others have already built her and given her better justice than I could.

As of now, my docket for stuff larger than 1/700 stands at:
1/350 Space Battleship Yamato
1/225 HMS Victory
1/350 IJN Akitsushima
1/350 Allied ship, but it's a secret for now

Outstanding work Dade!

Thanks Kenny!



Incidentally, everybody....

EPILOGUE: It occurs to me I never stated the fate of that kidney stone that derailed this build for a little while a few months ago. Long story short: It disappeared. It never passed, but CT scans showed it was no longer in me (and I never had the pain again), so it simply broke up. Amazing something that sent me to the ER in an ambulance just up and disappeared (not that I'm complaining). And thus the fate of my first and last stone ended with a disappearance.

Very nice work Mr. Bell I love the detail and weathering!...but I just have to say that's one of the ugliest ships I've ever seen!!!!!!!...I mean the Japs produced some of the most clunky tubs ever to sail!...sorry for the rant!

Chris Carter

I figured I'd "de-lurk" to add in my praise and thanks. I learned and am learning a lot from both this and Mr. Wong's Akagi build in the other thread and was inspired to try to knock 25-some years of rust off my own modelling skills (and finally learn how to use that airbrush.) I'm not ready to tackle the level of detail I'd need to feel good about one of these ships yet so a Venator class Republic Star Destroyer got to be my guinea pig. It's coming along very nicely. I'll be looking for that Space Battleship Yamato build, that's my first ship love too and I've got a kit that I'm afraid to tackle until I'm back up to basic competence at least

If you don't mind, a question about the Kongo itself... and I apologize if this was covered here or is an easy Google... but what's the deal with the horizontal ribbing along the hull? Was it built like an old sailing ship except with steel, or is there something else that explains it? Is that additional plating amidship welded to the side for extra armor protection or is there more to it than that? These are the kind of things that viewing a model can teach you, I've never noticed that stuff in photos of battleships, though I can't say for sure I've ever seen a photo of the real Kongo.

Hi Chris, thanks... I think....

Hi Dan, thanks! I've been itching to build that Yamato since I got it a couple months back, but I have to resist until I get some other builds out of the way. Will you be posting your Venator on ModelGeek?

To answer your question, in some ways, yes, the Kongo was like a sailing ship and was built in a "plank on frame" manner, except the "planks" are plates of steel. The Kongo class in particular, are a little stranger than most because they were built as battlecruisers. Later, they were upgraded with better machinery, a lengthened hull (for higher speed), and up-armored, to be re-rated as battleships (there are photos of this process where the thicker armor is going on).

Those lines also exist vertically, but since the plates were wider than they were tall, the horizontal lines are easier to see in photos. In actuality, the lines on this model aren't all there as only the horizontals are depicted. There should be verticals too, and this is seen in the hull of Aoshima's Kongo class kits.

The bulges running along midships are the anti-torpedo bulges. These were similar to spaced armor where the idea was for torpedoes to hit the bulges, explode into the bulge and leave the actual hull intact. This sounds good on paper, but once torpedo technology really got under way, those bulges didn't matter. In fact, the Kongo was the only Japanese battleship sunk by a submarine (USS Lion Fish).

The plate of armor immediately aft of the bulges was a plate to protect the workings of the rudders-- a ship without control isn't good (see the Bismarck), so this section got the benefit of one large plate instead of the structurally less-sound two.


Okay, gang, I've collated the log, got the photos prepped, and sent over to Mark for the creation of a Build Feature at some point in the future. Be on the lookout for that as it should help to serve as a "builder's manual" for this kit.

Mr. Bell

I mean no disrespect to your modeling skills as they speak for themselves...I just don't like the looks of IJN subjects!...every vessel the IJN sailed looked a generation behind everything the rest of the world put to sea...I just don't get this IJN fenom as of late...the market seems to be overflowing with these ugly tubs. But I guess when the Japs and CHICOMS are the only ones producing kits It's silly to think we'll see much of anything else.

The thought of the ridiculous looking Fuso or an Akagi sailing into New York harbour if the Japs had won the war makes me thank god the allies sent most of the IJN to the bottom

Chris Carter

Trumpeter has been producing mostly allied subjects (North Carolina, SoDak, Essex Class, Hood, Richelieu, upcoming Repulse), so that's something pretty good if you don't like IJN. With Dragon doing the Buchanen, the amount of 1/350 Allied still outnumbers the IJN. If you like Allied subjects, the Chinese companies are taking care of things. For the longest time, Tamiya had more Western ships available than Japanese (PoW, Iowa, Bismarck, CVN Enterprise compared to the Yamato).

As for me, the moment the 1/350 Yamashiro hits shelves, I'm dropping everything for it.

Yes, the Yamashiro - 6 X 2/14" main gun turrets - is pretty frickin' weird. Cool to build and see how it was put together. But for excellent military architecture, I think the Germans had the best, and as far as ships go, the bigger they were, the badder they were. As a German car repair shop owner, I can say that their design and craftwork is supurb; form following function. But not perfect; they thought they were, though! Stephen

@Dade: Can not stress enough how well you performed the Kongô and am looking forward to your announced built feature.

@Chris: Well, as far I am aware the Kongô was built at Barrow-in-Furness, England. The Kongô, indeed, was such an improved design that the Royal Navy followed suit by ordering the Tiger, similar to it in most respects, in the 1911 program. However, things came out a little different as the Royal Navy decided to go for the Queen Elizabeth Class in 1912. and which in fact is the kind of ship the Kongô turned to throughout the modernisation.
Regarding the Kongô it is hardly to be called a japanese design but I do respect you don´t like it. Just clarifying the basics here.

Stephen, I'm a big fan of German cars. I'm on my fourth VW now (2007 Golf V/ Rabbit). Although I favor Japanese and some American ships, I appreciate German ships-- especially the Scharnhorst, not only for how she looked, but the story of her end. None of that scuttling business-- after an amazing fight against incredible odds, she went down with the propellers still going.

Fraser: "Gentlemen, the battle against Scharnhorst has ended in victory for us. I hope that if any of you are ever called upon to lead a ship into action against an opponent many times superior, you will command your ship as gallantly as Scharnhorst was commanded today".


Dariush, thanks again, and I hope the Build Feature will be enjoyable and helpful to read.

Thanks for the info, very educational. As far as the aesthetics, I think she's beautiful. Pull 'er up from the ocean floor, ram a rocket up 'er butt and shove a wave motion gun down 'er throat and I'll gladly stand on her command deck But that's all a matter of personal taste. I'd also rather look at a Stuka than a Spitfire so take my opinion with a heavy grain of salt.

Besides, all WWII ships look better than these angular monstrosities that stealth technology is giving us, eh?

Hey Dade,

In regards to the wooden deck on the Kongo, what dull coat did you use and how did it react with the Valspar? I'm starting on the wooden deck on the Akagi now and am seeking some guidance. I'm using Duplicolor primer, Tamiya Acrylics basecoat, Vallejo Air gloss before washes and Vallejo Air Matt for the final coats.

I plan to use Valspar on the deck pieces and then attach them onto the deck. The area that the wooden deck attaches to will be left bare (no primer, paint, bare plastic). The rest of the deck will be painted according to the sequence described above. Once attached then I'll weather the deck, both wood and painted areas, as usual, then dull coat the whole thing with Vallejo Air acrylic.

Any input is appreciated.

Howdy Dave,

You'll be alright with the Vallejo acrylic. As long as you use an acrylic over the Valspar, it's fine as acrylic is non-destructive to other nmaterials (unlike lacquers which can sometimes react badly). I used Gunze acrylic flat coat on the Kongo, but since that's been discontinued and I'm running out, I've switched over to Createx matte with good results.

Good luck and looking forward to it!

I'm almost at final major assembly stage. Got hull totally painted, the bridge, the midsection and airdeck totally done and painted and about 99 % of the small pieces on the decks. Pretty much finishing the mast, doing the boats and planes, laying out some ladders and stairs then gluing down the decks and laying the railing...oh and putting the props and rudders underneath I am running pretty clsoe to my time estimate of 3 months. Of course this build is not cancelled out by the pre=order purchase of the Shokaku. Think I'm gong to do a railcar with a tank for my BR52 spread next. Then I am thinking of either the Hood or the Alabama

Sure, rub it in about how slow I am! Will we be seeing a MOD?

The time difference, is I am working exclusively on the Kongo, seems to me you had othr projects in the works. Now one fast builder is Kym. That waterline diorama he is working on is super, and the amount of ships he is doing for it ....well. My goal is to reduce the stash. So 3 months out and only 1 build then I turned around and bouht another monster (Shokaku) Plus I still have to purchase brass and wood for the Ise, means I am really streching budget. That is why I am glad that the Repulse and Spee are late. That and I'm holding off on the Mikuma despite how much I like that one.

Hi Dade

Congratulations on some fantastic work.

I know it's been a while since the last post in this build, but one question pops into my mind regarding the wood deck: Did you seal the underside of the wood deck to protect it from the spray adhesive before fixing down?

Russ

Hi Russ,

Yes, both sides of the deck were sealed. Hope this helps! (Man, I need to get back to ship building after I finish these commissions that have sidelined me.)

Cheers Dade!

It sure does help: got a couple of builds coming up with wood decks and your build log is a great reference.

Looking forward to seeing what your next build will be as I am sure many others will be too!

Russ

Hi Russ, glad I could help! Wood decks look so great and are such time savers! When I can get back to my 1/250 Musashi, I hope to finish it once and for all so there's that. Not to mention that 1/350 Space Battleship Yamato...