1:700 IJN Nagato 1944 Leyte Gulf (For Aoshima 004777)

Wooden deck 1:700 IJN Nagato 1944 (Artwox Model)

This is an accessory to a model of a battleship, not a kit. A wooden veneer with a self-adhesive base and the printed laying of the deck planks replaces the plastic deck part. The designation of the year in the name refers to a particular late state of the ship, in which she had a different arrangement of superstructures and light armament than before, and the deck is therefore cut for this one configuration. The set is designed for the Aoshima 004777 kit.

The real subject

The Nagato was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. In the late period of her service her deck was densely built up: besides the turrets of the main armament, further positions of light anti-aircraft armament were added on it, so the free wooden areas shrank and their shape became more complicated.

Gluing tips

The main work here is getting around the superstructures. The veneer has cutouts prepared for the barbettes, the turrets and other deck elements, but verify their fit dry still before the film is taken off, and check every cutout against the corresponding plastic part separately. If a cutout is tight, rather widen it millimeter by millimeter than force the veneer in; otherwise the material around the opening will ripple. Glue the small islands of veneer between the superstructures last and hold them with tweezers, not with a finger.

Who the deck is for

• modelers building Japanese battleships in 1:700 scale
• those who want precise cutouts on a broken-up deck instead of laborious cutting
• collectors building a collection of ship models of a uniform quality
• more experienced builders used to fine work with tweezers

The accessory is supplied on its own. The ship kit, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.