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Akitsu Maru after her 44 refit featuring a full flight deck that Ki-76 Stellas and Ka-1 gyrocopters could operate off of for ASW operations. The Stella could carry two 60k depth charges while the Ka-1 could carry one. I assume it traded in it's landing craft for explosive motor boats, but there isn't much info on it.

Akitsu 2

Akitsu 3
Lift Arms added.

Ak3
Used the Tru-Color IJN Greens for the camo. Not sure what to think about the shades.

The Five Star kit does not include much in the way of deck items, Bollards, Winches and other bits have to be added.

Fvb by Jim King, on Flickr
Hanger Deck after some detailing. Shelf Oddities bollard and winches with other parts taken from the scrap box.

Ak3 by Jim King, on Flickr
Supports added to the AA platforms.

Ddgr by Jim King, on Flickr
Decided to do some detailing under the flight deck with Five Star's CV Supporting Hole and Strip 1. Did what I could to fill an area with what I could from a single set.

Fvcr by Jim King, on Flickr
Added some davit with hooks thinking I might be able to mount some explosive motor boats.

That's a very interesting subject...



...and a lot of PE!

Good job!

Damn. Nice, clean work.

Certainly the first build I've seen using the Five Star PE.

Thanks, guys.

Been working on Five Star's Ki-76 "Stella". The Ki-76 was an Army SLTO Liaison/Artillery Spotter aircraft and when fitted with a tailhook, it could land on the deck of the Akitsu Maru and carry two 60kg depth charges for ASW patrol. Five Star sells these in 4 packs with each plane being around 15 pieces. The resin pretty good, just sanded and drilled out cowl. Five Star adds extra photo etch parts which gives you some room for error. I am going to try to do all 7 aircraft and put the best of the bunch on the flight deck and hide the rest under the flight deck. Does anyone know if they would have been paint IJN or IJA or best guess? I am leaning Army Olive.
Fdff
First of the PE with Canopy and 2 side panels.
Cdf
One built.
Gdr
Some below flight deck. They were stored at an angle to get through ship to the elevator aft maybe on rails.

Great progress. Sadly the planes will be hardly visible on the finished model.

Greetings Christian

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At work:

1/700 IJN Yahagi

Superb work on those aircraft.

Nicely done!

Thanks, Guys, much appreciated.

Just been tying some loose ends like test fitting the flight deck to make sure there are no surprises. The KA-1 Gyrocopter was another aircraft intended to used on the Akitsu Maru after the Army decided to redeploy the 30 being used as artillery spotters to a ASW role. There is video showing test flights off the Akitsu Maru, but I don't know if there any that did operational sorties off the ship.


Test fit looking through the ship stern to bow. Was not sure if the support beams I added would cause any fit problems.


Five Star's KA-1. May sand the fuselage a bit more.

Those aircraft look great!

Operational sorties or not, it would be quite a missed opportunity not to include that gyrocopter...

Very crisp work!

_________________
Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Never heard of this type of Japanese conversions. Very interesting build and very crisp finish so far!

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The merchant shipyard

Thank You for the encouragement.

Went with IJA Dark Green for the Ki-76s and got the flight deck painted.


The air group of Stellas.


Stashed away in their cocoon never to be seen again. Might put three on the flight deck now...


Another test fit. Used Mr. Color's Maizuru Grey for the flight deck and the kit provide a photo etch stencil for the deck lines.

She's taking shape nicely!

Thanks, Marijn.

Managed to get the elevator on, and back deck detailed.


Decided to position the elevator down.


All the deck fitting had to be added. The winch is Shelf Oddities modified with a shaft going to small cable reels. There will be a deck over it, so it will mostly hidden.


Five Star offers two different decks for the AA platform. The first is the standard AA platform like the picture of the Akitsu Maru shows. The other is the "enhanced AA state", which also adds a couple guns to the flight deck. I chose the enhanced state, which kind of looks like a lily pad.

Great job, interesting model!

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Pascal

•Battleship Bretagne 3D: https://vu.fr/FvCY
•SS Delphine 3D: https://vu.fr/NeuO
•SS Nomadic 3D: https://vu.fr/tAyL
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Interesting ship! Always surprised (pleasantly) to learn about makeshift vessels pressed into service such as this!

Tom

Funky looking ship. Nice work!

_________________
Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Thanks Guys

Bow of the ship finished and starting the flight deck structures.


Just added a small rod to connect the two wheels of the anchor winch and added two rollers on the sides. Drilled holes in deck and behind winch to accept the chains. The bow carried two IJA 7.5 cm AA guns and I am still debating what color to paint them. The light green to match the ship maybe?


One thing nice about modeling is you learn about the subject you are trying to recreate. This picture shows the offset of the flight deck to the hull. It is pretty much flush with the hull on the starboard side and over hangs on the port. I believe the bulge on the starboard mid, was part of the refit to make more room on the deck. The support beam under the front deck is from Five Star's: "Weight Loss Structure Type 1.

Just a small remark, the anchors have to be well pulled up. Here they are not in their sea position.

Sometimes it is necessary to twist the shaft a little.

The designers of the model do not give the shaft an angle to the design unless the anchor is articulated like the original.

Good position:

https://i.postimg.cc/44KYnFjN/Screensho ... 49-166.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/tT9C9yTy/Screensho ... 19-547.jpg

_________________
Pascal

•Battleship Bretagne 3D: https://vu.fr/FvCY
•SS Delphine 3D: https://vu.fr/NeuO
•SS Nomadic 3D: https://vu.fr/tAyL
•USS Nokomis 3D: https://vu.fr/kntC
•USS Pamanset 3D: https://vu.fr/jXGQ