Calling all Mikasa (三笠) fans

[DariusP]

It's a good kit Jim but funnel rings are grossly over scaled. You might want to consider replacing funnels with plastic or brass tube. There is also no dedicated PE that I know of so you will have to look for 3 bar railing for the hull and 2 bar for platforms.

[59roadking]

Thanks for the input so far. Glad to hear the kit is not a dog.

Jim

[DariusP]

Jim, you can find build of Mikasa here: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html
There is also wooden deck for this kit: http://artwox.com/index.php?document_srl=1936 (seen one offered for sale on ebay) but, judging purely from photos, it looks (IMO) too thick to be useful on such a small model.

[59roadking]

Thanks for the info. Very nice pics of a build. I tend to agree on the wooden decks in 1/700. I'venever taken a look but in that scale I think I could do better with oil paints. I have hesitated to consider the wood decks for anything smaller than 1/350 or 1/400 but even at that scale I can see the outlines where they drop over plastic details. I AM SURPRISED THAT THERE IS NO p/E set for this kit but I am sure I can scrounge what I need elsewhere. Thanks again.

[Christian M.]

Hello,

because I will soon start to build Mikasa too, I have seen on some oil paints of russo-japanese war that around bridge, mast and aft bridge were these sandbag like protections installed as known from Japanese WW-2 ships. For example this paint here:

http://geordiejapan.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/285/

Sure, I know that this is no real source about to rate and see details. On photos of Mikasa showing her in that war, I saw them not, but it makes me sceptic if these bags were on battle 1904 / 1905 installed or not.

Cheers,
Christian

[DariusP]

Those are rolled hammacks and not sandbags Chistian. They were used on sail and steam warships as protection from splinters and small calibre bullets. That being said, I have also seen them on Mikasa's bridge only in this painting and, personally, I don't consider paintings as much of an evidence.

[Christian M.]

I didn't know the English word of them, so I wrote sandbag like ...

However, you are right Darius, such an oil paint is for sure no evidence, but it makes me sceptic in matter "could it be...?". So much photos of Mikasa or the 5 other Japanese battlehips showing them in 1904 / 1905 war outfitt are not available at lest ... means pictures which show them in detail and not from far distance.
Would be intresting, if there is any source availabe, which tells when IJN introduced this hammacks in service...

[DariusP]

Actually there is a close-up of Mikasa's rear bridge and damaged 12 inch turret taken right after Tsuschima with no evidence of hammocks. Of course it is possible that hammocks were used only during the battle.

[Christian M.]

Well ...

I got info about theme from a mate in a German forum with this picture here:



Source: http://www.cityofart.net/bship/finalproject.htm

I still knew that picture but in much more bad quality as here. Looking closer here and now, I have really doubts that this is normal canvas around railing at fore and aft bridge, looks more as hammocks.
I know I will go on thin ice with it, but I will make my Mikasa kit with hammocks around railing of bridges and probably around masts up to about half high.

[DariusP]

Don't trust low rez photos Christian Here is a close-up of Mikasa's bridge from the same photo but of better quality and highier resolution:


And here is close-up of rear bridge right after Tsushima:

Looks very much like canvas to me.

[Christian M.]

Well... you're right Darius, but I have no possibilities to clear up such photos as you did.

However, my decison is made ... my Mikasa model will get this "hammock-armor" ... no matter about final evidence about or not.
Point is too that the oil paint showing Togo on the bridge was made 1906 (as Wikipedia tells) and so not far after russo-japanese war. Even you have to remember always about "artists freedom" at such works too, I don't think that it was only artists product of imagination to paint the "hammock-armor"

[DariusP]

1- I'm not trying to tell you that hammocks weren't there but that there is no photographic evidence of them.
2- Photo wasn't cleaned up. I have found it on the web (one of Russian sites IIRC) in glorious 2500x1803 pixels resolution. It's even dated.

[Christian M.]

1- I'm not trying to tell you that hammocks weren't there but that there is no photographic evidence of them.
2- Photo wasn't cleaned up. I have found it on the web (one of Russian sites IIRC) in glorious 2500x1803 pixels resolution. It's even dated.

Hello Darius,

to 1 - I know, but you are always very helpfull with informations
to 2 - the date for picture of Mikasa is not correct I will say, because Mikasa lost aft turret this way not at Tsushima, but in Battle of Yellow Sea on 10th August 1904(Osprey book about war - Russian Battleship vs Japanese battleship). But indeed, that is canvas there on picture.

[Guest]

There is a photograph labelled "Suvorov sinking" that is supposed to have been taken from Asashi. It shows hammocks tied to railings.

[DariusP]

Second photo is labelled correctly: "Mikasa 12-16 Aug.1904". I have made a mistake writting "Tsushima" instead of "Yellow Sea".

There is a photograph labelled "Suvorov sinking" that is supposed to have been taken from Asashi. It shows hammocks tied to railings.

Any links?

[Guest]

It used to be online, but is not available any more. The hammocks seen in the image were arranged horizontally on the railings, but that does not mean that it was like that on Mikasa.

[Christian M.]

Hello,

to be honest, I heard same thing about Asahi, but I never found any picture in www or in any of the few books I have about. But I remember that another source told that Japanese "copied" this with hammock-armor from the Royal Navy maybe. But also here I found no evidence showing a RN Pre-Dreadnought ship with it.

[Guest]

One of the photos is published in the book "THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR: (BRITISH) NAVAL ATTACHES REPORTS" plate 18.

Also there is mention of hammock armor on p311
Nov 1904 Fuji preparation for war"hammocks are not used, and on "Fuji" they are kept stowed, but in some other ships they are used round bridges and tops"

and on p355 for preparation for the battle of Tsushima
May 23rd "When leaving the harbour in the morning the "Idzumo" hung hammocks round her foremast from the range-finder platform to the upper deck, giving it a bloated appearance. It is said that the idea is to prevent splinters from the funnels reaching the roof of the charthouse, where the admiral and staff are likely to be"

and for "Adzuma" "hammocks stowed round the standard compass on charthouse; hammock mantelets.... placed on shelter decks, in rear of and between upper deck guns "

[Guest]

I think this shows the Japanese fleet did use hammock armor, but not on all ships. So whether Mikasa had it is still a question.

[DariusP]

Sure looks like that guest. I really have to grab hold of "Naval Attaches Reports". It's a must have but it's not easy to get hold of it here in Poland!