IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY LIGHT CRUISER ABUKUMA 1941 TAMIYA 1/700

It is the 2nd ship model. I chose the Tamiya ‘s Abukuma which is easy to make. Built in December 2014.

I completed destroyer the other day so my second navy factory’s battle ship is light cruiser Abukuma. This Tamiya kit is recognized that easy assembled even beginner modeler. My impression of these 3 funnels are old ship. Imperial Japanese Navy’s Light Cruiser naming is river in Japan. Abukuma river is located in the north area of Japan. Abukuma is from Japanese old god name.

I set in the weight and trial assembly of bridge and funnels. Tamiya kits are very easy assemble and user friendly, assembly manual is also full of kind explanations.

The gap of the bow was required to fill in the putty. Portholes and degaussing cable is molded on the side of the ship’s hull.

This time, painting ship bottom and linoleum color. I don’t accustom myself to build while painting, my AFV process is almost firstly assembly and later painting.
(3-December-2014)

I attached small parts to wood sticks before blowing naval ship base color. 　It’s national election day tomorrow in Japan. Of course I’ll vote tomorrow, too. I have never renounced the right of voting. I am sorry that there are still many areas where universal suffrage is not held.

After blowing the Mr.Color dark gray and retouching detailed area in Tamiya enamel XF-24, the small parts seem to be quite different in color taste. 　Mmmm, I was troubled. Eventually, I repainted the small parts with lacquer Mr. Color. I do not usually paint with a brush in lacquer paint, but there is no way this time. I’ll use the acrylic Tamiya colors for trial in future. I would like to use the same color of enamel paint but not released. I need to think a lot of gray color, it is very profound.

The right side airplane is Kawanishi E7K reconnaissance water plane, the Allies code name was Alf. When I was a junior high school student, I painted plastic models with all lacquer paint. A little while later I started to use lacquer for airbrushing and enamel for hand writing.
Anyway, I have ordered the acrylic warship color of Tamiya. I can use them for the next ship. By the way, I heard that the mixed color of XF-53 neutral gray and XF-63 German gray of the Tamiya enamel to be able to make a warship color, but I did not try it this time.

In this box picture, I can see some props between the first deck and the second deck, I added them because it was not reproduced in this kit. And the reappearance improved plenty after adding handrails? It was hard work to attach them along the round deck under the rear gun turret and catapult.
(13-December-20014)

Last week, I went to Nagasaki & Kumamoto for a trip with my wife. I was able to feel the importance of peace and safe still more when I observed Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and Nagasaki Peace Park. Kyushu region gave influence in various ways in Japan as a doorway of the Western culture and is very interesting historically. I took lots of photos on this trip, but it’s different from the purpose of this site. Anyway, I completed Abukuma, please see my photos.

According to the Tamiya’s instruction,
Commissioned: 26 May 1925,
Displacement: 5,170 long tons (5,570 t) standard
Length: 162.15 m (531 ft 10 in)
Beam: 14.17 m (46 ft 7 in)
Speed: 36 knots (41 mph; 67 km/h)
Complement: 440

Armament: (1941)
• 7 × 14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns
• 4 × Type 96 25 mm AA guns
• 4 × Type 93 13.2 mm machine guns
• 8 × 24 in (610 mm) torpedo tubes
•16 ×Type 93 torpedoes

On October 25, 1944, Abukuma was hit by one enemy torpedo on the port during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and next day 26th, she sank by the attack of more than 30 B-24 bombers. Abukuma participated in many strategies, including Pearl Harbor attack and rescued many officers and soldiers in Kiska island disengaging action.

Seeing from a port is like this? The low angle photo is dynamic.

Abukuma was constructed as the sixth light cruisers of the Nagara type. The form of the bow is a little different from sister ships in the repair from the collision with the cruiser Kitakami. And 3 chimneys, deployment of the reconnaissance water plane is characteristic points.

I tried more antenna cable than before. It’s harder work of attaching the handrails…. The impression of the kit changes drastically very much by antenna and handrail photo-etched parts.

Because molds of linoleum fasten lines are sharp, clear, I did drybrushing with a metallic color. I wonder there’s a more effective way to paint these fasten lines neatly.

The canvas cover of the gun turret was not in this kit parts, I made them with putty. I also made the poles between the first deck and the second deck, too.

Reconnaissance floatplane, Kawanishi E7K, it’s biplane so I made some strings by X shape, but in this case, the strings are shaped like N shape, Hahaha, only my enthusiasm made this. I also made propeller from cutting plastic sheet.

Many kinds of boats and motor launches were painted following the indication of instructions manual.

I did light weathering in rust color.

The first biplane is 1/700… Next time I would like to make a big scale biplane. But now I’m getting interested in F-15E Strike Eagle, because sometimes I’m playing flight shooting game of modern combat planes…..

Light cruiser is bigger than the destroyer before I made, but compare to the battery, you can see the model ship is really small.

Front face, Imperial Japanese Navy’s symbol mark of chrysanthemum seal.

This flag of the Rising Sun is just paper. I chose the shape of flapping cloth and attached with plastic glue.

These are the destroyer I made before and light cruiser Abukuma. It is said that 1/700 scale is matched to the collection. I agree with it and 2 warships are really cool for me!!

I realized the reason that this kit can be recommended to a battle ship beginner because a manual is easy to understand and easy to assemble very much.
I wonder my next kit is one of Fujimi’s high detailed kit. Some of the Fujimi’s battleship kits have a name for super detailed high quality kit.
(20-December-2014)