She's looking the part already, fast work...
And your etch work looks so clean and precise! Fantastic !

hey everyone,

Ok, so now that I have updated the Shokaku log it is time for the Akigumo to get updated. Work on the Akigumo has come to a slow halt due to the Shokaku but it is in line to get revamped within the next week.

That being said here is where I am right now.

Here is the aft funnel in preparation for painting.



It has since been primed and the top portion painted black. Just need to mask off the top and give it an overall coat of grey before adding it to the ship.

Next I moved on to the twin Type 97 25mm AA guns for the AA deck.

These were practice and I am not completely happy with them. Luckily I have a complete PE set of the twin mounts so its not that big a deal.

That being said the Infini 25mm AA guns are fabulous.









the pictures posted do not do it justice as I realized I am missing some. In essence though the entire set-up is etch and turned brass. No resin or plastic associated with the guns. I will post a better update once I tackle the replacement sets.

next was moving on to the AA deck platform that will sit below the aft funnel. Here the railings were a bit of a challenge due to the twist and turns of the platform.



in the end it worked out well and Im happy with the result.

I then moved on to the paravanes. Again, Infini does this justice by using turned brass.







They are ready for paint and mounted on the stern deck with the crane. So not to knock it off they will probably wait a little bit longer though.

Well I need to do a better job of taking in progress photos and I promise to do so.

Here she is with the mid deck structure mounted permanently.





need to work on the lighting in my workroom too.

Anyway, that is where she is now and hanging out in dry dock waiting for some love from the dock workers. The plan is to reengage in about a week.

Thanks for stopping by and as always suggestions, comments and criticism are always welcome.

Dave

very nice progress, Dave.

Those paravanes look exquisite

Russell,

thanks, the Infini upgrade kit is pretty nice. I would even go so far as to compare it with Pontos quality and level of fiddly parts.

I know I have been gone again for an extended period of time but I hope to end that with this updated post of my progress on the IJN Akigumo. I am absolutely terrible about taking pictures when I build so there are some gaps in the progress. I do apologize and will work on getting better.

But here it goes.

Instead of providing a running commentary as to the progress I am going to get everyone caught up with just pictures. I will try and do better of explaining my actions during follow on posts.



































one comments, the tops of the 25mm ammo cans is a result of not paying attention when I place them on tape for painting..ooops



and this is where she is now.



I am putting the Akigumo off to the side for a few weeks so I can work on the Shokaku.

Well thanks for looking in and I will try and do a better job of providing more current updates, well now that I am not sharing my computer with my 9 year old.

Dave

Great work Dave,

And many thanks for all the tips for my Kagero build.

Cheers

Si

Hi Dave,

welcome back, glad to see some progress going on!! But who am I to say that...?? Great work, she really looks good! The PE stuff looks really good, too!! So Infini is definitely on the list!
- strange bridge however, I have do cross reference that, but it somehow reminds me of some WWI or even pre-WWI torpedo boats...

Cheers,
Jan

Si - thanks for the kind words and I am glad to help. I will admit that I have not run into any issues with the Infini kit or the Kagero Kit. I will probably look to getting some more soon.

Jan - Thank you for the kind words. As mentioned before, highly recommend the Infini kits. They are scheduled to release the 40mm Bofors either this month or next. The bridges for the IJN destroyers do look a little small and out dated compared to other nations during WWII. Almost all class of IJN Destroyers seem to have the same bridge layout and size. I never noticed it but now that you said something I am interested in finding out the reason.

Let me know what you find out, we can compare notes.

Dave

Excellent progress here Dave!

Jan's right-the bridge does look odd!

Looking forward to seeing you update the Shokaku build

Hey everyone,

I know I have been quiet but I have not been idle. I also know that I suck on keeping everyone up to date on my progress. This is a kit that I have been working on for some time and now it is finished. There are a couple things left to do such as adding the crew, some signal flags and a final matt varnish coat but that will have to wait a bit.

Here are the final pictures






















I do plan on attaching her to a sea scape with the IJN Aircraft Carrier Shokaku to the starboard side. Working the base and the Shokaku now. Once I have the crew added and the base complete I will add more photos.

thanks for looking in.

Dave

Excellent work Dave!

Great to see this baby finished off!

Real life sure makes it hard to fit in bench time, photography and then editing and uploading the pics as well, so we'll forgive you the lack of updates Lord knows I need the credit too

Brilliant work, Dave! The weathering looks just right. I can't wait to see her in company with Shokaku!

David: Did you have to modify Kagero in any way to create Akigumo? You may have mentioned it in your text and I missed it.

I have had this kit for some time, and contemplate doing Amatsukaze at Midway, where she escorted the transports. I cannot determine that there was any difference between her and the Kagero during this time frame, but my reference material on IJN destroyers is very limited.

You did an outstanding job on this built.

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the kind words.

God knows that in this case real life made a giant impact. Im just glad its done so I can continue to focus on the Shokaku.

Tim, thank you. Since the Akigumo was commissioned in Sep 41 I thought that a light weathering would be appropriate. I also left the blast bags an off white since the IJN was not technically at war when they departed for Hawaii.

Chuck, I did not modify the Kagero kit to represent the Akigumo. There are limited pictures of the Akigumo so I bought I 1/700 scale version of the ship. Using that as reference I did not see anything major that would have required modification. I just ensured that it was the 1941 configuration.

thanks again gents. I will try and do better with my future builds.


Dave