Heavy Cruiser Haguro 1945 Imperial Japanese Navy Fujimi 1/700

I made a large navy warship for the first time. It was built in September 2015.

It is a warship model after a long absence since I built Tamiya Abukuma last year. My skill does not increase if I don’t make a lot more ships. I decide to make Fujimi’s kit with the reputation of details.

A small gun turret and chimney are being built up first. This ship is equipped with five sets of 20cm multiple-barreled cannons. There was some difference between left and right, front and rear, so I wrote the memo number on the parts.

There were many detailed fragile parts in my first building of the Fujimi kit. I suppose my experience in handling AFV photo-etched parts is useful.

The complex bridge structure was becoming quite remarkable. I made two types of observation airplanes. One is a Mitsubishi F1M Type Zero seaplane (reconnaissance floatplane), and the other is an Aichi E13A Navy Type Zero reconnaissance seaplane. But I wonder why they don’t have a propeller; it’s too small scale and omitted.

Under the middle deck, it will not be visible after completed. There are 16 torpedo tubes and torpedoes.

I’m checking whether a deck and a rear mast are appropriately combined. There seems to be no problem.

I have prepared almost all the parts, so I wonder what is next. The ship modeling is required the assembling and painting process mixed more than airplane models.

I painted a bottom color and linoleum color first. At the same time, carrier-based planes are also finished.
(21-August-2015)

The photo-etched parts of Haguro seem to be released. It’s for master modelers. This is still early for me. After this heavy cruiser can be completed, I’ll use that kind of full parts next time. I use some detail up by the Guard Rails for IJN BB.

What I thought of while sticking a handrail, I should have made a handrail before blowing linoleum. Because the painting of the deck becomes tainted when superglue sticks out over the edge, it costs twice the labor.
After finishing, it has more reality to use photo-etched parts. There is secondary armament on both sides of the upper deck, and I cannot glue a handrail simultaneously.

A history of the vessels is not in the assembling illustration of Fujimi. Assembly drawing and painting guide only.
If there is a brief description of the wartime career and it is easy to put the feelings for beginners. Maybe I will examine it by myself.
(31-August-2015)

I remember the procedure of the ship model while looking at “Abukuma” making a page that I made before. Now I’m masking the linoleum deck.

The small objects on the deck will be painted with a brush later. So the masking was made rough. Even this is quite hard work. I masked it like an upper photograph finely while it was the beginning, but it became rough halfway.

The Sasebo dockyard gray is very black compared with the other three dockyards in Japan, Yokosuka, Kure, and Maizuru. So maybe it’s better to adjust the color tone a little. But I wouldn’t say I like painting with very dark colors; considering the scale effect of colors, I do not take too much seriously, so I use the Mr.Color number 32, which is a somewhat brighter one.
(02-September-2015)

A bridge, a mast, and various parts are glued together. It’s gradually becoming a reliable and nice-looking heavy cruiser.

I paint white canvas sheets of the root of the cannons and some objects on the deck. The part where the linoleum and the war vessel color stuck up is being corrected.
Many parts are insufficient to compare the parts of the kit with the reference book “Japanese Warship Details” by Tamiya. But it is interesting to compare with the actual ship in various ways.

There are small decals for launches. It’s indicated cruiser name “Haguro.” There are many masterpiece works of launches on other homepages, and I am astonished. Now my work is OK for straight from the box.

I added propellers for the observation airplanes, Mitsubishi F1M Type Zero seaplane, and Aichi E13A Navy Type Zero reconnaissance seaplane. It will be soon completed.
(06-September-2015)

Haguro was completed. Haguro, the fourth ship of Myoko class of heavy cruisers, was laid down at the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki. The Myoko class is a 10,000t class heavy cruiser designed based on the Washington navy disarmament treaty. The warship of the same type is Myoko, Ashigara, Nachi, and Haguro.

Commissioned: 25 April 1929
Displacement: 13,963 long tons
Standard Length: 203.76m (621 ft )
Beam: 19.0 m (58 ft 0 in )
Speed: 35.6 knots (41 mph; 67 km/h)
Complement: 773

Armament
• 10 × 203 mm (8.0 in) guns (5×2)
• 8 × 127 mm (5.0 in) guns (4×2; from 1935)
• 4 × 25 mm (0.51 in) machine guns (4×3)
• 8 × 25 mm (0.51 in) machine guns (8×2)
• 8 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes (4×4)

When it was the latter of the Greater East Asian War, new anti-aircraft machine guns were added, and the anti-aircraft defensive powers were strengthened remarkably.

A war record of Haguro: Sank Netherlands light cruiser De Ruyter and Java. British heavy cruiser Exeter, the British destroyer Encounter, and the U.S. destroyer Pope were sunk in collaboration with other warships.
She participated in the Battle of the Java Sea, Battle of Midway, Battle of the Coral Sea, etc., and many strategies.

In May 1945, she was sunk by a torpedo attack by the British destroyer fleet on transportation duty to the Andaman Islands. Approximately 400 of 700 rest were killed in battle, and approximately 300 people were saved on a destroyer.

The mold of parts is smaller and sharper than the old kit destroyer Kagero that I built before. But it would be best if you looked hard to understand it. It’s such tiny parts.

I put some cable with the metal wire about a box picture.

The shot from the front.

I added the photo-etched parts of handrails from the third party named Ocean Spirits. There is something like a mast that appeared on the top of the main armament turret of a real cruiser. It’s omitted in this kit. I want to add these things by using etched parts at the next opportunity.

I took a picture with a reconnaissance aircraft and made one extra. It feels like floating in the sea because the rear screen is light blue.

The searchlight is slightly dull. Maybe it’s better to replace it with clear parts or change to the more sharp molds third-party parts.

A ship name is written on the back most. I’m not sure the ship name should be put out in wartime. Anyway, the ship name and the Rising Sun look cool.

There are three carrier-based planes, and their appearance significantly changes when I pile up airplanes on the deck.

The linoleum clip painted only a part to see in gold. However, it did not go so well, and nothing might have a good look…

I took a photograph from just beside. I like that I attached a wire to the crane.

Because the handrail had been twisted a little, I should have repaired it perpendicularly at the last time. The cause of twisting is that sometimes I use the painting stands and sometimes hold it by hand while painting it. Next time, I’ll try to fix the vessel on a wooden plate and paint.

Wow!! I took a photo with the destroyer Kagero and light cruiser Abukuma. This is what a source of adrenaline collectors out. The quality of the individual quality aside looks cool when arranged.

When there is a chance, I would like to use photo-etched parts and challenge myself more the next time.
(08-September-2015)