The Ship Model Forum

Hello Everybody
Here is one I would like to see a model of, the Ural Maru. According to, Hisashi Noma, in his book "Japanese Merchant Ships at War: The Story of Mitsui and O.S.K. Liners lost during the Pacific War" she served both as a trooper and as Hospital Ship. All photos are OSK post cards.

Great looking Maru and so easily to forget how people use to load and unload those ships back then, no super cargo boxes, everything lifted by crain or hand winch. Great stuff.

Hello Ron,
Thanks for the pictures. Hopefully, Frog Foot models will make a kit in a near future

Gilbert

I'd be happy with a kit of her myself!



Bob Pink.

Hello Everybody
I screwed up on my earlier post, the ship pier side at Dairen, is not the Ural Maru, but a similar ship named Usuri Maru. According to ONI-208J Japanese Merchant Ships Recognition Manual (Revised) the two are not sister ships, it lists them 6 pages apart, even though the only difference I can see is the Usuri Maru has 3 lifeboats per side, instead of 4 for the Ural Maru. The Usuri Maru also has solid handrails on the third deck and the stack is 8 feet taller(IAW ONI-208J) other than that I can't see any difference. Here are 2 post cards of the Usuri Maru.

Hi Ron,

I have a plan (a cunning plan?) of 'Ussuri Maru' of 1932 which was taken from "The Shipbuilder and Marine Engine Builder" February 1933 when announcing the successful sea trials of that vessel.

I will post it here with a couple more photos to go with yours

Mike

USSURI MARU 1932
6,385grt 5,288dwt
LOA 424' 0"
LPP 405' 0"
Bm 55' 0"

Many sister-ships have more visual diference than these two. This Japanese source: http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... pnships%2F mentions some improvments regarding cargo holds and passenger accomodations. Anyway, to me they can be considered as sister-ships, sharing the following same items:
-Lpp: 123.29m
-Beam: 16.76m
-Depth: 10.06m
-Machinery: ST - 6500 SHP
-Built in the same Nagasaki shipyard

Gilbert

PS-And thanks for sharing the pictures

Mike
Thanks for the two pictures of the Ussuri Maru/Usuri Maru, I really liked the one where she is pier side with all her flags displayed. Could you do me a favor and post the entire page of the plan of the Ussuri Maru? Thanks.

Ron Wolford

Hi Ron,

the drawing is rather large so I have had to scan it in 3 parts and stitch it. The drawing is part of an 8 page article which I will send to you.

Mike

A free 1/700 paper kit was published on the 'net some years ago. Can't find the link anymore but I did download it. PM me if you're interested. It gives you at least some idea of the color scheme though the deck color (green) looks a bit bright to me.

I got myself the Fujimi pre-war Brasil Maru kit today and have browsed through this thread for some information! I note Motoyuki-san's comment on page 2 that there are some problems with the kit's details' arrangement - are there more specifics regarding this? I am looking to build her in her pre-war guise, so basically as the box allows. Is the painting on the front accurate?

I also see Jim S's build up, which is excellent! Jim, did you do any rearranging of the kit details?

Thanks for any hints!

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De quoi s'agit-il?

Hello Timmy C
Here is a picture I got from somebody on e-bay, it shows the Brasil Maru in Los Angles in 1941. As you can see, her hull was black and her upper works white with light tan masts and ventilators. I hope this helps you out and please post a picture of your model when you get it built.

Ron Wolford

http://i48.tinypic.com/ifrfxd.jpg

Thanks for the beautiful picture, Ron!

Were there any structural differences between when she wore the Japanese flags on her hull and when she didn't (as drawn on the boxart)?

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De quoi s'agit-il?

Timmy,
AFAIK, and as she was quite a brand new ship, (Completed on 23/12/1939), there was no structural differences between 1939 and September 1941 when she was requisitioned by IJN as a Tokusetsu Zatsuyokan (APK). In Noma's book, on p.37, there is another black &white pre-war nice picture of her, showing no difference with Ron's amazing colour picture .
Regards
Gilbert

Great Photo!

I concur with Dan! This picture looks like it was taken yesterday, what clarity.





Bob Pink.

Hi Timmy,

I have posted a 1939 image of Brasil Maru and Argentina Maru below.

Brasil Maru


Argentina Maru


I hope that they can help with your model making

Mike

Ron Wolford,

I have tried to send you the Ussuri Maru stuff but I don't have your details.

Please send me a pm how to contact you and send this stuff

Mike

Thanks a lot, my friends!

Were there much/any differences between Argentina Maru and Brasil Maru in the pre-war period? Or can pictures of the former be used for referencing the latter?

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De quoi s'agit-il?

Timmy,
Thanks for your comments on the Brasil Maru. The only addition/modifications I made to the kit were buying the dedicated photo etch set from Fujimi (which includes railings, stantions, stairs etc) and replaced the plastic masts with turned masts from BMK via Battlefleet. Otherwise it was pretty straightforward.

Colour scheme was copied from a museum model - details of which Motoyuki-san posted on one of the MW forums some time ago.

As I understand it, the addition of Japanese flags to the hull was done to show Japanese neutrality in between the outbreak of war in Europe September 1939 and Pearl Harbour (or the requisitioning of merchant ships into military service).

Ron,
Thanks for the superb picture of Brasil Maru. Keep them coming.

Jim S