This time I’m going to build a destroyer after a long time. It is Ayanami of Yamashita Hobby. The parts are pretty detailed, but this manufacturer has a good reputation. Before this Ayanami, I wanted to make Hibiki 1941 using the same Yamashita Hobby, so I prepared etchED parts, but I bought Hibiki 1945 etched parts by mistake. When I checked the assembly manual, I thought something was wrong. I don’t know what’s the difference… So, the etched parts I bought by mistake seem to be suitable for Hibiki 1945 and Inazuma 1944, so I thought I should buy them separately. Still, Yamashita Hobby has released so many destroyers many kits haven’t been sold for a while. I finally got the Inazuma 1944 the other day; I’ll make this another time. The destroyer’s name is complicated because it has many similar names, such as “Inazuma” and “Ikazuchi.” The shapes of the Kanji characters are also similar. In addition, there are many female characters from Kantai Collection on the internet.
I’m going to use the etched parts from Tetra Model Works. The parts are small, so I wonder if I can use them all. I will try to use them if possible.
It’s been a long time since I made a battleship kit, but the parts are small. However, brass etched parts are similar in color when dropped on the wooden floor, so it takes time to find them. I have a cat, so I would appreciate it if my cat could find the parts, but eventually, the parts will get tangled around my cat’s legs and be carried to a place I can’t imagine at home. When I crawled on the floor with a maglight, dust was unexpectedly piled up.
(2021/10/03)
The parts are very detailed. Some parts are about 1/10 of a grain of rice. I thought Fujimi was too small, but the destroyer of Yamashita Hobby might be more than that.
This time, all but two boats were glued together. If the super glue is used too much, it becomes dirty, and if it is too little, it will not be strong and complex. A fine brush will do for the small parts. Even wooden oars for boats are included in the etched parts, which is wonderful. The hull is small, but there are a lot of etched parts, so it takes time if I use all of them.
I sprayed the color of the bottom and the color of the battleship. There is a detailed painting, so that it will take a little longer.
(2021/10/05)
When this Ayanami kit was released, I didn’t notice it was revised because I bought it and piled it around 5-6 years ago. At present, it seems that a revised version of this Ayanami kit has been released, and the part composition of the bridge was changed based on the historical evidence that the shape of the front part of the Ayanami-shaped bridge part was a semicircular curve. It was explained that there was a time when the chimney parts were high from after the restoration performance improvement work to before the war, and it was a kit with additional parts so that the appearance of this time could be reproduced. I even used the etched parts, but I decided to do the details next time, so I made it anyway.
In the case of the kit I’m making now, the bridge has a round shape, but there is a sharp part, so I wonder if they changed it. Also, the Ayanami reforming kit indeed has a little higher chimney. Anyway, this manufacturer’s kit is high quality.
Destroyer Ayanami was a modern type of destroyer called Special Type Destroyer. It is positioned as the 11th ship of the special destroyer. Still, the design was improved on how the particular type I is called the Fubuki type, and the particular type II is the first ship classified as the Ayanami type. The shape of the chimney, the ventilator, and the main gun will differ. The improved main gun can be tilted up to 75 degrees and can also be used as a high-angle gun. This Ayanami type was built on ten ships, and Ayanami was the No. 1 ship.
Ayanami sank in the Third Battle of the Solomon Sea on November 14 15, 1942, but achieved tremendous results, sinking two enemy destroyers, wrecking one, and wrecking one battleship. According to the explanation in Yamashita Hobby’s assembly manual, 172 out of 219 crew members were rescued at the time of the sinking, which shows the commanding ability of the captain. Ayanami is active in various operations, such as the Sino-Japanese War and the Malay Peninsula landing operation right after the start of the Pacific War.
Commissioned: April 30, 1930
Displacement: 1,680 long tons
Standard length: 118m
Beam: 10.36 m
Speed: 38 knots
Complement: about 219
Armament
• 3 × twin Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns
• 3 × 3 tubes 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes
• 2 × double 7.7mm Type AA guns
In the etched parts sold separately by Tetra Model Works, many parts have been replaced from the original. I think the precision improved a little because I changed many things. Handrails and doors at the top and sides of torpedo tubes. Handrails and doors at the top and sides of the gun turret. Overall Handrail. The ship’s head flagpole and the ship’s tail flagpole. They are watertight doors, explosive loading tables, chimney rain guard grids, skid beams, and boat davits.
This time, I painted the stern signal light red and green. It’s too fine to paint.
The former Japanese Navy warship code of the destroyer Ayanami is JZRA, so I attached it to the mast a little.
The shape of this destroyer is beautiful. The destroyer had no Chrysanthemum emblem on it, but I think its work is nothing but fighting spirit. I pray for the souls of the fallen heroes who were defending Japan.
(2021/10/08)
