Will do!

Really love what you are doing to her at them moment. Very nice work.....Cheers Mark

Beautiful work Doug.

Thanks guys, it still doesn't look like much to me yet, but its coming along. After getting the portholes and degaussing cable added, I will need to completely finish the interior boat and aircraft hangars, paint and all, since these will be impossible to access once the rest of the deck gets placed. This will also include at least one of the motor launches, residing inside. I also noticed that the space provided for the boat hangars is much less than is historically accurate and will barely fit two boats, rather than the 3-4 they likely carried on each side. However, since the only view one will get of them is through the very narrow door and the angle has a distinct "tunnel" effect, this should not make a difference.

Ive been having issues with my 1/200 Yamato (glue not allowing me to stain planked deck) so Ive been looking for alternatives. Doug had mentioned he liked the deck done by this modeler:

http://www.geocities.jp/dancyou3/yamato5.html

I like this as well but think its too light. I'd reverse the 2 colors to make it more like the Mikasa deck. While trolling the internet looking for ideas I came across this which might help if anyone decides to go this route. You'd have to use the same sheet about 6 or 7 times down teh length of the 1/350 Yamato and Im not so sure how or if it would hold up. Or you could cut the planks out yourself. I might end up trying this on my 1/200 Yamato after all is said and done. Also it looks like ths guy used a pencil to outline each plank. That must have been a pain.

http://store.spruebrothers.com/gunze-sangyo-finely-slit-masking-sheets---1mm2mm-width-2-sheets-per-pack-gt53-p433.aspx

Hi Ken, sorry for the long delay since posting here but I temporarily lost my modeling muse and have been on an extended hiatus lately. I am already committed to using Evergreen grooved sheeting for my deck (its already shaped and test fitted), so this pre-slit masking tape won't be necessary for me, although it certainly would have applications for other kits. Yes, the "Dancyou" model has worn but lighter decks, but bear in mind it represents Yamato at an earlier time period, say, May or June 1944, so I guess darkening from that would be appropriate. Exactly how dark I end up going for, I haven't quite decided on yet, but the Mikasa shots are a likely aiming point.

Hey Doug. I'm on my own hiatus. Trying to figure out what to do with my 1/200 Nichimo Yamato deck. Stained the wood planks and found out the glue I was using penetrated the wood and left bare spots in the stain. So I painted the deck with a dark drown paint but the glued areas are showing as a gloss texture. Also Im not really liking the fact that the wood deck isnt noticable with the dark paint.

Right now the model is on hold till I think of what i want to do. Thinking of sanding it and painting it a dark grey and use a wash to bring out some detail. I dont know. In the meantime Im thinking about my 1/350 Yamato as well. Was going to plank her but now Im afraid too. Was thinking of staining the planks before I put them down. At the same time looking through the internet and seeing others decks...Kostas...some of those decks are insane. Im no artist. Just barely a modeler...lol. Oh well...I'll keep trying.

Hi Ken, I actually resumed work last night, finishing off the last of the portholes. I will need to make contact with Mr,. Ishida and find out whether the resin parts on on schedule. No idea where he's located but obviously the whole country has other priorities right now. I'll perhaps have a few pics up this weekend.

Hey Doug. Hope your extended family in Japan is alright. The parts can wait.

Ken

Between all this mayhem unfolding in Japan, i lost contact with a client of mine,and 2 of my contacts there are a bit upset and probably on the move as we speak , or thinking about it very seriously.Not to mention that appears from the lack of new listings coming in, Yahoo Japan has suspend its operation for the time being.It would be interesting to be able to read all those flashy banners they have put up at their front page, but my gut instinct tells me it cant be good.It certainly puts things into perspective though.

Most of my in-laws are in the Kyoto-Osaka area, which was not impacted by the disasters, other than people there are assisting with financial and relief efforts. My parents in law are both deceased. Obviously we have been following events closely but not getting any direct reports from anyone we know.

Hello folks, well, sorry for the long delay but here's my first post with progress in a while.



Having finished the portholes on the hull, I will now need to complete the interiors of the two boat hangars, since these will be inaccessible once the deck is placed. As you'll recall, I've made an assumption that the boat cradles rested on a sled that itself rolled along on tracks, similar to the arrangement used for the whale boats at the stern. I thus used several pieces of plastic stock to build these and added the cradles on top. Although I built four, there really is only room for two, one on each side, as the hangar provided by Tamiya is only a portion of the real length. Since anyone looking into the hangar will see a "tunnel" effect through the narrow opening, this is fine for me. I only plan to use one boat, so one can get a better view of the interior. The other boats will be in the water or in the process of being loaded. The other items shown here are the two doors to the hangar, and two aircraft cradles that will be positioned empty inside the main hangar. The doors have a bracing pattern simulated with some left-over PE radar grid.

Nice to see you are back on track Doug.I kinda manage to progress my built a bit as well .The next trouble spot for your information will be the characteristic support beams at the stern from both sides of the flight deck.The Lion Roar parts are just too sort and small by far , and they do not extend as much as they should.I had to construct new lengths from perforated beams .One area i hate , every time i built a Yamato class ship.So if i were you i would make sure i have some perforated lengths of brass strips at hand.

Here is what I bought to try to use on my 1/200 Yamato. Cheaper on Ebay

https://www.hlj.com/product/FLM350010

Hi guys, yes, I tend to suffer from modeler's burnout after an intense focus on one subject, so vacation was not unexpected. Also, my daughter set me up on Face book and I've spent some time meeting up with old friends again from 20 years past. If you're on FB and want to send me an invite, I'll be happy to accept. Thanks for the heads-up on the bracing Kostas. I actually have three other sets of PE (WEM, Eduard and Lionroar #1) so I will see which fits the best, so perhaps I will not need to scratch build this. Next step is to actually paint the interiors of both the boat and float plane hangars and then the one boat itself. Am planning on a light, neutral gray to simulate white for the walls, allowing for scale effect. Will probably go with Kure gray for the floor (plane hangar only) to carry over the color from the hangar well.

It is good to see I am not the only one having a bit of burnout at the moment Doug. Have started back on the Hood and it's good to see you back at it on the Yamato........Cheers Mark

Hey Doug. I decided to take the hull plating foil tape off my 1/200 Yamato and go with a look more like what you have going. The tape wasn't giving me the contrast I wanted for the raised plating. Problem Im having now is finding something to use for the plating. Largest styrene strip I can find is a little over 6mm when I need 8mm. Might have to come up with another way...maybe cutting cardboard.

Getting rid of the tape will allow me to redo the degaussing cable. I bought some half round styrene which will add some nice detail. Been thinking of what to use for the porthole covers. Best thing I can think of is nails with 2.5mm heads. Need to head to the hardware store to check on this.

So back to square one on my 1/200 Yamato hull. Hope to see more of your Yamato build.

Hi Ken, I've seen some modelers use copper tubing as a die to punch out circular forms. Basically, sharpen the interior side of the tube with a micro file to create a cutting edge. Sorry for more seeming inactivity, but I actually have been busy with a couple other modeling projects in recent days, so its not quite "burnout". I've had a 1/400 APA mostly built for some months now, so am taking the opportunity to go back and finish it off (weathering, mostly). You could say its Yamato related, since the ship in question, APA 200 Marathon, participated in the Okinawa campaign and was also my father's last WWII assignment. Should have some pics before too long. I did send an email to Mr. Ishida but have not had a reply yet, so perhaps Yahoo.jp is still shut down. Anyway, will make another inquiry before too long. I suppose I can always scratch build some of this stuff, which was my original plan all along.

Doug, Ive been working on and off on my 1/200 Yamato for over a year and still not anywhere close to being done. This is my first model with added detail so there is a learning curve...about as big as the ship.

Im going to try the the flat head nails but if that doesnt seem feasible I will try using sharp tubing to cut out circles. I wonder if there is a hole punch that puts out circles that big...hmmmm.

Looks like I will be using chip board (notepad backing) for the raised hull effect. It's sturdy but if I do this the ship will not be going anywhere close to the water. Don't want to have to redo the hull again

The ship you're working on...your dad served on...thats sweet. A manly sweet..

Hi Doug,

Have been watching this thread from start and I can see a lot of good thinking behind what you are performing. Specially the hangar correction and the hull plating comes to mind. Imagining the yet to apply after market parts you obtained, this sure is a long run process. While building all those parts is one thing, documenting the process is another. I really know how difficult it can be to catch the steps in word and pictures while one is actually building.
Thumbs up my friend and please do not feel haunted but keep the process at your pace.

Best

Hello folks, progress is still idle, due to quite a lot of other activities occurring recently, not to mention the evils of Facebook. However, I did manage to make contact with Mr. Ishida in Japan, only to learn that he has delayed starting on a new batch of deck pieces until August. I did, however, place an order for a number of other items he carries that will be useful in the build and will review them with you when they arrive. In other news, "Elmo" over at the Taiwan modelers club has updated his 1/350 build, and you can take a look at his latest progress via this link:
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.modelship.com.tw%2FphpBB2%2F&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

For myself, have spend some slow experimenting on custom decals for my APA Marathon and finally got them placed today. Its a long story, but they don't look too bad. So, finally on to finishing the base on that kit and getting some pics out. Cheers/Doug

The parts sent by Mr.Ishida arrived today and I must say that the quality is outstanding and well worth waiting for. It appears that my blog has been more popular than I realized, as Mr. Ishida said that he has received a number of inquiries from other modelers outside of Japan based on the pictures I posted here, and sent me some additional parts as a thank you for the added business. I will take some pics of all of them and post a review here later today as a thank you in return. Well, looks like I have no excuse to getting back to work now. Stay tuned....

OK, product review of my new "Katakana and Chrysanthemum" replacement parts that arrived fresh off the plane from Japan earlier today....



bases for the rear 25mm AA platform that go with teh PE set. The large round pieces appear to be work bases to assist you with construction of the PE base parts and do not actually go on the model. Not sure what the smaller dishes are yet.





These are base plates specific to Musashi, to be placed in the "well", that Tamiya made. They go underneath the 25mm mounts amidships that Musashi carried rather than the additional 3 inch AA mounts.





A fairly large sheet of PE parts covering all the 25mm gun shields, gussets and bases for all mounts on Yamato, including the ones on top of the 460 MM turrets.




This is a re-do of the linoleum strips placed adjacent to the aircraft handling tracks, with brass strips portrayed above them in raised detail. Parts specific to both Yamato and Musashi are included, so you can do either ship, a big improvement in offerings over what we have seen so far.



The large rectangular piece is a work base to help put the fairly fragile rear AA platform together and does not actually go on the finished product. Likewise, the round piece with the thick side is meant to be used as a guide when fitting the PE shields around the deck 25mm gun mounts,

Continuing on to part 2 of the new arrivals...



Sand bag shields to go around the open mount 25mm aa guns on the deck, a great addition to the offerings! The larger, double row of bags on the top block are intended for Musashi, for the 25mm mounts located mid ships. The curly bags are for Yamato, for the two single mounts carried abreast of the #1 460 mm turret. The double rowed bags below go on several of the deck emplacements to the rear of the superstructure.

Navigational lanterns in two styles, made in clear plastic. You will need a good reference source to identify the location these all go.