1:350 NYK Line Hikawa Maru Wooden Deck

Wooden deck for the liner Hikawa Maru 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, which has an adhesive layer on the back. It is stuck straight onto the plastic deck of the 1:350 model of the Japanese ocean liner Hikawa Maru and replaces the engraved plastic with a real wood texture. The material is very thin, of the order of a quarter of a millimeter, so it does not raise the height of the superstructures or disturb the fit of the surrounding parts. The laser work preserves the plank spacing as well as the cutouts around the superstructures, the hatchways and the stairways.

What the accessory is for

On a passenger ship the promenade and boat deck is one of the most closely watched areas of a model. Painted plastic will always stay one color, whereas natural veneer has its own grain and differences of tone between the planks, which cannot be imitated faithfully in paint. At the same time the tedious masking and toning of the individual planks is done away with.

Usage tips

• 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 as you go, so that no bubbles form
• the finished deck can be toned gently with an oil paint and sealed with a matte varnish
• do not sand the veneer with coarse paper, the texture is very fine

Who the accessory is for

For modelers who are building the Hikawa Maru in 1:350 scale and want to finish her to a higher level. Installation calls for no special tools, only a clean procedure and patience. It goes well with photo-etched railings and ladders in the same scale.

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.