1:350 Wooden Deck for IJN Battleship "Mutsu"

Wooden deck for the Japanese battleship Mutsu 1:350 (Hasegawa)

This product is not a model of the ship but a detail accessory. It is a deck laser-cut from a thin veneer of real wood, with an adhesive layer on the back. It is stuck straight onto the plastic deck of the 1:350 model of the battleship Mutsu and so replaces the engraved plastic surface with a real wood texture. The thickness of the material is very small, of the order of a quarter of a millimeter, so the deck does not raise the height of the superstructures or clash with the surrounding parts. The laser work preserves the plank spacing as well as the shapes of the cutouts around the turrets, hatches and superstructures.

What the accessory is for

A wooden deck is the quickest way to raise the level of a ship model markedly. A plastic deck can be painted very well, but it will always stay one color; natural veneer has an irregular grain and reacts to light in a way that paint cannot. At the same time the laborious masking and toning of the individual planks is done away with.

Usage tips

• before gluing, clean and degrease the plastic deck and sand any unevenness smooth
• lay the part on dry first and check the fit of the cutouts, and only then peel off the backing film
• glue from the center toward the edges and press down gradually, so that no bubbles form under the veneer
• the finished deck can be lightly toned with oil paints and sealed with a matte varnish, which also protects the wood
• do not sand the veneer with coarse paper — the printing of the texture is very fine

Who the accessory is for

For modelers who are building the Japanese battleship Mutsu in 1:350 scale and want to finish her beyond the contents of the box. The work calls for no special tools, only patience and a clean procedure. It combines ideally with photo-etched railings and rigging.

The accessory does not hold a model of the ship or paints and varnishes. It is a separate item intended to finish a model you already own.