The Ship Model Forum

Hi. I just got Fine Molds 1/350 Ayanami. I'm not confident enough to do major conversions or additions, but I also don't do OOB. What can I do to improve the model? I'm contemplating AMW generic destroyer railings and a radar set and probably degaussing. The kit doesn't say what year the model is (pre-war or wartime, but with the absence of names or numbers on the box art I presume wartime). The light AA is very scarce for wartime, and although it looks good, I would like to upgrade also to AMW weapons. The instructions don't say what guns these are - are they twin 13 mm's?

The kit depicts Ayanami in late 1942. Yes, the light AA is twin 13mm, and the FM units are from their own 1/350 NanoDread accessory line. FM makes its own dedicated PE sets for this model for railings, degaussing cable and brass barrels. Other PE manufacturers make similar products in generic IJN DD sets. Aside from these and rigging, you could add hawser reels, ladders, depthcharge racks (Tom's Kagero/Yukikaze set is probably the best option), liferings, probably something else I've missed. NO radar for 1942.

Thanks Dan. The kit comes with styrene radar, which I was going to replace. Is this an error on Fine Molds part, or simply a part not to be used on this kit?

You bet.

Radar? I don't recall a piece like that as part of the kit. Can you list the part/sprue #? I am most curious.

That's funny! It's gone. The model gremlins (or fairies) must have made off with it over night! - Dazed and confused (and sheepish!)

The gremlins are already at work, and you haven't even begun the kit. Ominous foreshadowing

The 'radar' was actually the detail side of the depth charge rack! I should wear glasses when modelling. Has anyone successfully applied PE hand and foot rail to the turrets? I've considered doing it, but I've also considered it could be an excersize in maschochistic tendencies.

I haven't had much time to work on the Fubuki Type III conversion, but here are a few pics of what I have so far:

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae30 ... biki02.jpg

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae30 ... biki03.jpg

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae30 ... biki01.jpg

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae30 ... biki04.jpg

The height of the combined pieces better match the drawings than the photos suggest. I plan to use the torpedo platform from the kit and modify the whole assembly so the poly cap will still work with the torpedo mount.

In the mean time, I also picked up "Maru Special #4, Mechanisms of Japanese Destroyers and Torpedo Boats" from eBay, and the drawing on page 115 indicates that I'll need to change the rear slope of the aft funnel uptakes. I'm also trying to figure out what sort of ducting and screens I'll need to add to the undersides of the mushroom cap-shaped funnel bases and whether there are any internal separations inside the funnels. At present, it doesn't look like there are any for the latter item.

If the pattern work turns out well, I might consider doing up a brass fret and sell it as a conversion kit, although I don't know how well it would sell, considering the pricey nature and limited availability of the Fine Molds kits. If I do a conversion, it would most likely be for a late-war fit to replace the #2 turret with an AA position. That would lend more flexibility to the set.

Lots to do still.

I'm REALLY impressed, Mike. Nice work. I think a conversion set has definite appeal; if not here, then certainly in Japan.

Reposting this diagrams (courtesy Motoyuki-san) in case you need the references

Thank you, Dan. I saved these images from the first time you posted them and they are much appreciated. The Akatsuki drawing looks to be of an early fit due to the voice tubes and flat-faced torpedo mounts, but the other one will help with the shape of the compartment under the DF loop. I'll be using some of the Alliance deck tread brass for the gun platform and for the deck under the aft AA position and possibly the bridge deck, if it's needed there.

I used to work as a graphic designer and we are considered the prostitutes of the art world - we adapt our style to suit the client - so I'm trying to match the style of the kit so the conversion parts blend in.

Agreed about the Akatsuki illustration.

Think of yourself as a chameleon Also, check your PM.

From the new plastic injection kit thread on the main page: PitRoad has begun re-releasing some of its 1/700 Fubuki class kits (first up are Inazuma (Type III) and Murakumo (Type I) ). However, they are including their new NE07 accessory kit, which seems to be strictly Fubuki class DD details instead of the older E-10 DD set.

Thank you for a magnificent thread Dan.

Do any pictures inside the bridges of the Special type destroyers exist? I am at spray stage of FM Ayanami and wondering if to colour what I think is the chart table at the rear of bridge. Also, instructions recommend tan on the deck of the bridge - would not linoleum be the floor covering?

What a great kit it is, btw

Good question. I don't recall any, but I can certainly look again. The chart table might be a little too obscure for documentation, but I'll look.

Yes, the deck covering would be linoleum.

I don't think I've posted this illustration from the Gran Prix Shuppan DD volume before: it is the internal layout of the compass bridge deck of the Type II Asagiri. Also the main director/lookout level

Thanks Dan, also thanks for your discussion on Tone/Shoho hulls on that thread where I posted as guest.
I'll probably colour my chart table black, lino the deck and have the rest grey, apart from the centrally located "speaker tube thing" (?) in the wood brown/copper highlights that Fine Molds suggests. This time around I will not attempt super detail - it would be nice to simply finish an OOB + photoetch in 1/350.

As another note, I have been available to compare the optical parts from FM and the Veteran models sets, and the Veteran is at another level of fine detail. For everything else in plastic, FM is certainly worth the spend.

Well, Jack, while photos of the rear of the compass bridge deck may exist, I don't have any.

However, I did find tantalizing clues in what I consider an authoratitive 1/72 scale build of Nagatsuki (Mutsuki class DD) by one of Mucho's (Mutsuo Sasaki) modeling associates, below. Note the extent of the wooden grating, which seems exemplative of most IJN DDs, as seen in the postwar Yukikaze photo. I can't speak as to why no linoleum is used in the Nagatsuki model.


Good to know regarding FM vs Veteran.

Wow, some amazing work there! If the wooden decking really is that light, a deck tan colour for the bridge deck, as FM suggests, might be better than lino. Note the wooden cabinets on the side of the exquisite Nagatsuki model, too. A peacetime fitting? Ship's wheel is interesting, I was looking for it on the Ayanami bridge; I can only conclude that the central compass has a speaking tube (Yukikaze pic) upon which steering orders are called below, and that the wheel might be a deck lower? Did the ships have an armoured conning position under the bridge?

The Yukikaze pic is very interesting - are the binocular mounts, compass mount and other fittings in a darker (gloss) grey to the wall? To superdetail the small parts, I can now paint the tops of binoculars black, too. Maybe a spec of paint for some of the simple electrics mounted on the sides of them? And I wonder if there's room for some thin, micro photoetch to mimic the maze of tubes and electrics on the wall below the windows? - there's precedent: cockpit and engine sets for 1/72 aircraft are pretty finely detailed these days! Can you imagine a Kongo class battleship done to this level in 1/350?

Thanks Dan, thank you so much for taking the time to scan and post pics of this nature.

Yes, a very nice model. Probably peacetime rig but, hard to say whether they would have replaced it (initially) with something metal. Common sense says yes but, in material lean Japan, I'm not so sure.

As shown in the GPS illustration above of Asagiri, the wheel was on the same level as everything else on the compass bridge deck of the Fubuki Type IIs (in fact all of the Fubukis). However, subsequent DD classes appear to have had the wheelhouse portion located directly below the compass bridge on a small compartment at the front of the bridge. That's what all the forward facing portholes on that level are for.

Interesting thought about 1/350 compass deck PE fittings.

I've posted a review of the new, dedicated Pit-Road NE07 Fubuki class equipment set, and some comparisons to other Fubuki class turrets offered in other equipment sets, to the 5th page of the various 1/700 IJN accessories thread. See: viewtopic.php?f=53&t=152279&p=658225#p658225

Shown at the 2015 Shizuoka Model Show was an upcoming release from Yamashita Models for a 1/700 Fubuki Type I destroyer. Yamashita has made its name releasing injection molded, highly detailed IJN equipment parts that are generally superior to other injection molded versions, such as those that come that the kits. I'm not sure if this is their first full 1/700 kit, but I'm thinking it is.

I'm guessing that they saw an opportunity to improve on the Pit-Road Fubuki I kits and ran with it. Despite vast improvements over the Tamiya kit in terms of hull and superstructures shape and detail, Pit-Road's turrets, torpedo mounts and funnels leave much room for improvement. Pit-Road's recent release of its NE07 Fubuki equipment set addresses some of the shortcomings of the kit, but the funnels that come with that kit are clearly erroneous by a wide margin. From the photos, it appears the Yamashita managed to improve on all these points. (Link and one photo are courtesy of HobbySearch Japan; the other photo taken from a Japanese blog).

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10326452

Btw, the name of Fubuki's captain when she was fatally damaged at the Battle of Cape Esperance was Lt. Cmdr. Yamashita.