TimReynaga
Associate EditorCalifornia, United States
Joined: May 03, 2006
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Posted: Saturday, April 27, 2019 - 07:43 AM UTC
And now for something - at least for me - completely different! This is Pit Road’s all-metal 1/35 scale
type 96 25mm single AA gun.
The type 96 was the standard medium anti-aircraft gun of the Imperial Japanese Navy throughout World War II. A mediocre weapon compared to its contemporaries in other navies, it was nevertheless a mainstay of IJN antiaircraft defense, being mounted aboard practically every ship in the fleet.
I’m no fan of metal kits because of the difficult clean up compared to plastic, but I couldn’t pass up this unusual subject. Cleaning the mold marks off the parts was indeed tedious, but with only 17 parts total things go fast once assembly starts! This is how things are looking after just step 1 of the instructions.
Bayern, Germany
Joined: December 11, 2009
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Posted: Saturday, April 27, 2019 - 07:57 AM UTC
Very nice! You should add at least one sailor figure with it in the end for a better size comparison.
Cheers
England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: March 01, 2010
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Posted: Saturday, April 27, 2019 - 08:08 AM UTC
That is different Tim,
I like it, will be along for the ride.
Cheers
Si
#453
Texas, United States
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Posted: Saturday, April 27, 2019 - 12:39 PM UTC
Quoted Text
That is different Tim,
I like it, will be along for the ride.
Cheers
Si
DITTO!
TimReynaga
Associate Editor California, United States
Joined: May 03, 2006
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Posted: Sunday, April 28, 2019 - 05:20 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Very nice! You should add at least one sailor figure with it in the end for a better size comparison.
Cheers
I agree, but the kit came without figures and I haven't had any luck finding Imperial Navy sailor figures in 1/35... any suggestions?
New Jersey, United States
Joined: February 06, 2015
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Posted: Sunday, April 28, 2019 - 06:12 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted Text
Very nice! You should add at least one sailor figure with it in the end for a better size comparison.
Cheers
I agree, but the kit came without figures and I haven't had any luck finding Imperial Navy sailor figures in 1/35... any suggestions?
Hi Tim - How about modifying one from one of the various Japanese Infantry sets ?
I'll be watching this with interest !
Cheers - Richard
TimReynaga
Associate Editor California, United States
Joined: May 03, 2006
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Posted: Sunday, April 28, 2019 - 04:22 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Hi Tim - How about modifying one from one of the various Japanese Infantry sets ?
I'll be watching this with interest !
Cheers - Richard
That is a possibility, although my skills customizing figures may need improvement before I could do IJN sailors justice... but in any case I'll figure out some way to make the display interesting!
Bayern, Germany
Joined: December 11, 2009
KitMaker: 823 posts
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Posted: Monday, April 29, 2019 - 02:58 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted Text
Very nice! You should add at least one sailor figure with it in the end for a better size comparison.
Cheers
I agree, but the kit came without figures and I haven't had any luck finding Imperial Navy sailor figures in 1/35... any suggestions?
There is a (not cheap) possibility: PIT ROAD offered a triple gun with three IJN figures - if you find this kit you can converse figures to fit this single one.
TimReynaga
Associate Editor California, United States
Joined: May 03, 2006
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Posted: Monday, April 29, 2019 - 07:33 AM UTC
Quoted Text
There is a (not cheap) possibility: PIT ROAD offered a triple gun with three IJN figures - if you find this kit you can converse figures to fit this single one.
I'd do it if I could find one!
The resin figures date back to the 1990s when Pit-Road released these metal 25mm kits. I bought the version of the single 25mm without the figures back then, and I now kick myself for not buying the sailors too. They are now rare as hen's teeth!
#306
Victoria, Australia
Joined: June 27, 2010
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Posted: Monday, April 29, 2019 - 09:53 AM UTC
along for the ride, Tim-very interesting!
Stay home and build models!
In 1/72
Gloster Gladiator MkII for the Bi-planes Campaign
In 1/350
Airfix 1:350 Type 45 Destroyer
TimReynaga
Associate Editor California, United States
Joined: May 03, 2006
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Posted: Tuesday, April 30, 2019 - 01:09 AM UTC
After cleaning up and assembling the gun parts, the Japanese type 96 25mm single AA gun looks pretty good, except perhaps for the too-thick cast metal ring sight. I decided I could live with it.
These single barrel weapons were typically bolted permanently to the gun decks of Imperial Navy ships, but sometimes they were temporarily secured via small removeable platforms such as this one on the flight deck of the carrier Junyo:
These ad hoc AA defense platforms were fixed to decks with large wing nuts.
With a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1200 rattle-can Light Grey primer, the gun is complete and ready for paint!
#453
Texas, United States
Joined: August 28, 2016
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Posted: Tuesday, April 30, 2019 - 02:13 AM UTC
TimReynaga
Associate Editor California, United States
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Posted: Saturday, September 07, 2019 - 04:45 AM UTC
The colors for the gun are simple; Tamiya IJN Grey (Kure Arsenal) acrylic (XF-75) – slightly lightened for scale effect – for the mount, with NATO Black for the gun and clip. The only other color is the brown leather padding on the shoulder rests. I’ll probably also add a bit of gold for the brass cartridges just visible through the sides of the clip too.
JPTRR
Managing Editor #051
Tennessee, United States
Joined: December 21, 2002
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Posted: Saturday, September 07, 2019 - 04:59 AM UTC
Tim,
Great! I've seen so me of these available and always wondered what they are like.
A thought - IIRC IJN used them shore based, too. Dunno for sure but maybe IJN gun crews on land had army-like uniforms?
If they demand your loyalty, give them integrity; if they demand integrity, give them your loyalty.--Col John Boyd, USAF
“Any plan where you lose your hat is a bad plan.”
#504
Florida, United States
Joined: July 06, 2019
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Posted: Saturday, September 07, 2019 - 05:02 AM UTC
Very nice! The portability aspect is an interesting if not novel feature.
JPTRR
Managing Editor #051
Tennessee, United States
Joined: December 21, 2002
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Posted: Saturday, September 07, 2019 - 05:05 AM UTC
Under new management, here's a land based twin (nose the muzzle plugs):
If they demand your loyalty, give them integrity; if they demand integrity, give them your loyalty.--Col John Boyd, USAF
“Any plan where you lose your hat is a bad plan.”
#453
Texas, United States
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Posted: Saturday, September 07, 2019 - 10:22 AM UTC
I hope they notice those plugs!
Mark
TimReynaga
Associate Editor California, United States
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Posted: Saturday, September 07, 2019 - 02:31 PM UTC
Frederick,
Thanks for that photo! Even though it is a twin mount, close-up reference images of any variant of these guns are surprisingly uncommon given their ubiquitous use in the Imperial Navy.
Here's one of the few closer ones, in this case a recent pic from the wreck of the destroyer Hamanami in Ormoc Bay. It is a dramatic image, but unfortunately it isn't much use as a reference!
TimReynaga
Associate Editor California, United States
Joined: May 03, 2006
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Posted: Sunday, September 08, 2019 - 09:04 AM UTC
After the acrylic base colors cured, I gave the gun and mount a very thin wash with Grumbacher Raw Umber artist’s oil. Wiping almost all of it away with a wide brush left a filter which helps to integrate the colors and also to grunge things up a bit.
Once dry, the shiny wash mattes down leaving a subtle grime in the crevices on the mount.
TimReynaga
Associate Editor California, United States
Joined: May 03, 2006
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Posted: Thursday, September 12, 2019 - 04:29 PM UTC
The portable platform that came with the kit looks cool, but I thought the display might look even better with a little section of deck below it too; Northeastern Scale Lumber 3/32 inch scored wood sheet should serve nicely.
According to Janusz Skulski’s Anatomy of the Ship – The Battleship Fuso, that ship’s deck had 177mm teak wood planks (5mm wide in 1/35 scale), and his Anatomy of the Ship – The Battleship Yamato indicates that Yamato sported 127mm wide hinoki cypress wood deck planks (3.5mm wide in 1/35 scale). Although this is a bit wider than the 3mm width of the scored planks on the Northeastern sheet, there was evidently a degree of variation among ships in the Japanese Navy – so I figured there might have been some narrower planks in use as well.
Anyway, the deck looks the part!
#453
Texas, United States
Joined: August 28, 2016
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Posted: Thursday, September 12, 2019 - 11:17 PM UTC
Tim,
Great idea. It will really add to display.
Mark
TimReynaga
Associate Editor California, United States
Joined: May 03, 2006
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Posted: Friday, September 13, 2019 - 09:25 AM UTC
Thanks Mark!
At the risk of overdoing a good thing, as a final step I thought I'd attach the whole to a display platform.
The base is a re-purposed plastic piece from an old Accurate Miniatures 1/100 scale Spitfire kit.
Preparation of the base was straightforward, consisting of an airbrushed coat of Tamiya Desert Yellow (XF-59) acrylic followed by an application of Winsor & Newton Burnt Sienna artist’s oil paint.
Applied thinned with some streakiness left in, artist’s oil over acrylic is a simple way to simulate the look of a wood base.
Queensland, Australia
Joined: May 20, 2010
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Posted: Friday, September 13, 2019 - 04:47 PM UTC
Definitely something you don't see everyday and I love it. Real nice work so far Tim.....Cheers mark
If I was your Wife I would Poison your Tea
If I was your Husband, I would drink it.
TimReynaga
Associate Editor California, United States
Joined: May 03, 2006
KitMaker: 2,500 posts
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Posted: Saturday, September 14, 2019 - 11:21 AM UTC
#453
Texas, United States
Joined: August 28, 2016
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Posted: Saturday, September 14, 2019 - 01:23 PM UTC
Tim,
Very nice finish, really liken the base.
Mark
