Eduard 1/48 Japanese WWII Carrier Deck

[Dave Ward]

Not really a model under construction, more a painting exercise...........................

This is an A3 injection moulded base, of fairly soft styrene.
There is a fair amount of fine recessed detail
There are four clear parts, I assume flush deck lights.
Panting - after a bit of poking around, I find that there was an early scheme - wood deck & metal lift.................

Or later schemes, with varying camouflage variants

I'm taking this base as the aft lift, it could also be the midships lift, the forward one was of a different shape..................
Not sure which to do yet, I like the wood deck version, but the camouflage one may be more relevant to the later IJN planes.
Dave

[Neil Merryweather]

Camouflage version is much more fun, Dave

[Jim R]

Hi Dave
At A3 size it's a big chunk of deck. Looks fun.
Jim

[Dave Ward]

Hi Dave
At A3 size it's a big chunk of deck. Looks fun.
Jim

Jim,
yes, it's big, and a bit flexible! If you were going to use it as a base for a permanent diorama, you'd have to back it up, but I reckon mine is going to be more of a photo backdrop................
Dave
ps Eduard also do a 1/48 US Navy carrier - they also did 1/72 versions, but these seem to have been discontinued

[Dave Ward]

The base is far too big to fit in my normal spray area, so I had to revert to good old newspaper. Normally I would wash the plastic, with warm soapy water, but because of the size - I used tissue & IPA................

It took a two coats of grey primer to cover the black plastic ( A3 is a large area! ), and give an even finish. I had to put the paint pot on the deck, as the camera wouldn't focus on the grey!
I'm going to run a scriber around the lift edge, to give it a bit more definition. I'm going to go for the middle camo version ( in my post above ). Anybody any idea on what colour the deck lights would be?
Dave

[prichrd1]

Dave,

Don't know if this helps -

Description

I'm sure one of the floatie guys will have the correct answer for you !! :thumb2:

Paul.
:smiling:

[Dave Ward]

This thing is a nuisance - it's too big! I can't work on another model, as it occupies the whole build area!. I'm going to finish this before I go back to the Suvorov...............

Next, I'll mask for the white lines. I'll give it a overall gloss varnish spray. Then - washes & weathering, which I think may be extensive, tyre marks, oil/fuel drops & general wear. At the moment it's a bit too light, but It'll darken up.....................
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Further progress, masking exercise............................

I'll let this go off overnight, then give an overall gloss spray - then start dirtying everything up
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

Looking fine now Dave. It is a big slab though isn’t it.

[Dave Ward]

The aft lift was not symmetrical about the carriers centreline - hence the difference in the gaps being different between lines & lift edge...................
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Washes complete - I'll seal this with another coat of varnish, then onto the weathering....................

Dave

[Dave Ward]

OK, that's it - finished - I'm not going to put this in a 'completed' section, because essentially it's waiting for a subject!

At the moment, I only have a Zero in the stash, that would be suitable. I thought, a dive bomber, or a torpedo plane would be nice - guess what? A distinct lack of available 1/48 models! I even went to HobbyLink Japan, but not a lot going there. Lots of shops have them in their catalogue, but no stock! About the only model I can find is the Fujimi Aichi D3A 'Val' - but at around £30 for a 1974 tooled model, that's a collectors price, not a makers!
Looks like it's going to be a waiting game!

[Mark1]

:thumb2: your gonna need a big shelf for that one, or you could just put a leg on each corner :tongue-out3:

[Tim Marlow]

Hasegawa will be your “go to“ kit manufacturer Dave. They make the three main types, Zero, Val, and Kate. Trouble is, they are relatively hard to find and not the cheapest! I think a Kate would look fantastic on there though!

[Dave Ward]

Hasegawa will be your “go to“ kit manufacturer Dave. They make the three main types, Zero, Val, and Kate. Trouble is, they are relatively hard to find and not the cheapest! I think a Kate would look fantastic on there though!

Tim,
well, I've cast my net worldwide, without a lot of success,and if I can't source them from Japan, then ebay seems to be the best bet, just a matter of patience!
Dave