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Coming later this month, a kit of a cruiser that served as fast troop transport and a carrier of the Kaiten suicide submarines.

From Wikipedia:
Kitakami was laid down on 1 September 1919, launched on 3 July 1920 and completed 15 April 1921 at Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Nagasaki. In 1941 she returned to Sasebo for conversion to a "torpedo cruiser" with ten quadruple torpedo tube mounts for the 61 cm (24 in) Type 93 “Long Lance” torpedo, in line with Imperial Japanese Navy plans to create a special “Night Battle Force” of torpedo-cruisers.

From August - September 1942, Kitakami and her sister Ōi were converted into fast transports. Their ten quadruple torpedo launchers are reduced to six (a total of 24 tubes). They were equipped with two Daihatsu class landing craft and were fitted with two triple mount Type 96 25-mm AA guns. Depth charge launch rails were also installed. After conversion, Kitakami and Ōi embarked the No. 4 Maizuiru Special Naval Landing Force, which they transported to Truk in the Caroline Islands and Shortland Island in the Solomon Islands by 6 October 1942.

In August 1944 Kitakami was modified at Sasebo Naval Arsenal into a Kaiten human torpedo carrier with a capacity for eight Kaiten. A 20-ton crane, formerly from the seaplane carrier Chitose, was fitted to raise and lower the Kaiten into the water. Her stern was remodeled into an overhanging ramp configuration and the aft turbines were removed as well, and the space used to hold spare parts & repair equipment. All of Kitakami's remaining armaments were removed and replaced by two Type 89 127-mm AA guns and 67 Type 96 25-mm (twelve triple-mount and 31 single-mount) AA guns, two Type 13 air-search and one Type 22 surface-search radars. Two depth charge launching rails were installed at the stern and two depth charge throwers were also installed.

After the surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945, Kitakami was moved to Kagoshima and assigned to the Repatriation Service. She was used as a repair tender for ships on repatriation duties.


This waterline kit is (No. 4968728430782) is given a suggested retail price of $35.00 by Fujimi. January 21st is given as its release date.