1:700 Japanese Navy Battleship Mikasa (Hasegawa 43170)

Wooden deck 1:700 - battleship Mikasa, Artwox Model

This is not a kit but an accessory for one. The set is cut from a thin wooden veneer with pre-printed plank laying; the back has an adhesive layer and the parts are laid straight onto the plastic deck of the model. The cut matches one particular kit, Hasegawa 43170 - check before buying that this is the one you have.

Patina between the planks - when yes and when no

The pre-printed seams between the planks come light or dark depending on the finish, and in 1:700 scale they are very fine in themselves. If you want to strengthen their effect further, reach for the most careful methods. A dry brush with a very small amount of light paint drawn across the planks works well; it stresses the edges and the grain without anything running. The second route is to run a soft pencil carefully along the seams against the edge of a ruler. A classic wash, on the other hand, the kind normally used on engraved plastic, is risky on wood: veneer is absorbent and the liquid spreads into the area instead of into the seams. If you still want to use a wash, seal the surface first with a thin coat of matte varnish and test it on the waste edge of the set.

Work tips

Apply anything colored to the deck only once the veneer is glued down and pressed; a loose part is harder to work on and paint can reach the adhesive layer on the back. Hold to the rule that in such a small scale less is always better; an overdone deck patina optically takes scale away from the whole model. Restraint looks more convincing here than contrast.

Who the set is for

• builders of 1:700 ships who want a deck surface of real wood
• modelers interested in fine work with surface and shade
• owners of the matching kit
• display models viewed close up

This is an accessory, not a model. The ship kit, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.