1:700 IJN Battleship Hyuga (1942/without No. 5 Turret)

The battleship Hyuga in 1:700 scale from Fujimi

This plastic kit of the Japanese battleship Hyuga from the Japanese manufacturer Fujimi captures the ship in her state of 1942 — that is in the short but historically remarkable period when Hyuga sailed without her fifth gun turret. It is a less usual form of a well-known ship, one that will complete the more common versions from the start and the end of the war in a collection.

The real subject

Hyuga was the second unit of the Ise class, completed in 1918. Her armament consisted of twelve 356 mm guns in six twin turrets. In May 1942 an explosion occurred in the fifth turret during gunnery practice; the damaged turret was then removed, the opening was covered over and anti-aircraft armament was added in its place. It is precisely this state that the model shows. Later still, after the Battle of Midway, Hyuga was rebuilt into a hybrid carrier battleship — so the 1942 version represents the last form of the ship as a purely gunnery vessel.

Building and painting tips

Spray the hull and the superstructures in a shade of Japanese naval gray, and the decks in a shade of wood or linoleum according to period photographs. A dark wash will bring out the fine surface relief; separate the small armament parts with a sharp knife and bond them with a thin cement for plastic. Add-on photo-etched railings in 1:700 scale will lift the model markedly.

Who the model is for

• For builders of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the standard 1:700 scale
• For collectors who want a less usual form of a well-known battleship
• For modelers interested in the development of the Ise-class ships before their rebuild

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.