1/700 scale IJN Ships make over

[Jack L]

Absolutely incredible work on all aspects!

[Steve Jones]

Wow!! Totally awesome Richard. I wish I could get some decent photos of my builds

[scottie3158]

Richard,
Superb scene.

[rtfoe]

Thank you gentlemen. Even the Haruna is not entirely complete, I've still got the rigging to do. So loads to do...back to the platform...



Made a floating gangway with the support poles it rides with the tides.



Added the timber ledge and bollards...



Preparing a scaffolding for the PE steps leading from the end of the platform. Will fit PE railings after this and then paint. Thanks for looking in.

Cheers,
Richard

[Guest]

Great modelling Richard :smiling3:.

[Jim R]

Hi Richard
Very impressive stuff. Not seen foil used for water before but yours is very effective.
Jim

[rtfoe]

Thanks Ralph and Jim, yup the foil was actually an experiment. This dio should be about 17 years old by now. I had done the Haruna in 2003 but stopped at rigging it. Nows a good time as any with the new product EZline to rig.

At the moment I have glued and clamped the hull of the Hatsuyuki to the waterline and filled and sanded. The clamping was left overnight to level the slightly warped hull.



So far that's all I've done today. Maybe later I'll give some info on the Haruna (Kongo class battleship) and the Kuma light cruiser.

Cheers,
Richard

[rtfoe]

Hi guys,


Here's a little about the Haruna. She was one of four Kongo class battle ships like the above. These four sister ships were the first modern battlecruisers in the Japanese arsenal. They were designed by Britain's Sir George Thurston, and strongly influenced the design of the forthcoming Tiger-class battlecruisers. Kongo was actually built by Vickers (and was the last Japanese capital ship to be built outside of Japan), while the remaining three were built in Japanese yards. During the inter-war years, all of them were upgraded in terms of propulsion and protection, and were re-rated as battleships. They were useful ships, fast and well-armed, but even after their upgrade their protection left much to be desired, as Kirishima discovered much to her cost at the hands of U.S.S. Washington off of Savo Island. (More info here)

The difference with the Haruna were her up gunned platforms of anti-aircraft armament as the war progressed. Out of the four sister ships she lasted until near the end of the war having been sunk at Kure Harbour while being repaired. HARUNA was laid down on No. 4 slip at Kawasaki's shipyard in Kobe 16 March 1912 and was built based on plans for KONGO designed as a battle cruiser. She was introduced with a double-level forebridge, a tall fore funnel and an improved main battery turret design with curved side plates.

I particularly like this ship because she participated in most of the sea engagements including Malaya where attached to BatDiv 3 at Hashirajima with KONGO was involved with the Pursuit of the Royal Navy's "Force Z". This meant that she and Kongo missed the Pearl Harbour attack however Hei and Kirishima were dispatched for that operation. The following are operations she was involved in: Operation "C" - The Raids in the Indian Ocean, Operation "MI" - The Battle of Midway, The Battle of Santa Cruz, The First & Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Operation "A-GO" - The Battle of the Philippine Sea, Operation "SHO-I-GO"(Victory) - The Battle of Leyte Gulf, The Battle of the Palawan Passage, The Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, The Battle off Samar and The Final Destruction of the Imperial Japanese Navy where she was berthed in Kure.

She was hit countless times by successive air raids from TF38 to TF58 and from airforce B-29 and B-24 bombers finally sinking in shallow waters next to a pier. She was removed from the navy list on 20 November 1945.

Bomb aimers view....



... or what it might have been. :smiling2: Same picture posted earlier but blurred and in B/W.

Cheers,
Richard

[minitnkr]

Very cool. PaulE

[boatman]

Very cool. PaulE

YEA its nice to see more floaty things on the forum great stuff
chris

[rtfoe]

Thanks Paul and Chris. I think there are quite a few posts by Ralph and there was one on the Kongo class ships last June I think...very impressive.

Cheers,
Richard

[rtfoe]

Hi again, I placed what I had scratched to the base to check composition ... apologies for the blurred images



Lens keeps focusing on the tugboat and not the platform...



I will cut out a slipway to the gangway. Notice that I have sliced off the moorings for the crane and moved it further up.



Thanks for looking in...Q&A welcomed.

Cheers,
Richard

[wotan]

Richard

This is a really impressive dio. Looking forward to completion.

John

[rtfoe]

Hey thanks John, nice of you to comment. I hope not to disappoint and complete this one once and for all. :smiling2:

Cheers,
Richard

[rtfoe]

I can now use my little 1/700 locomotives and wagons bought 5 years ago in Sydney. Good thing too 'cos I didn't come across it in Japan...



The little fellas keep me in scale.



Laid them out and will trace out the track widths with a set of dividers.



Below is where I will put in more tracks that stop just before the crane legs.



Cheers,
Richard