1:72 IJN Hiryu 1941 - Acrylic 3 mm (410 x 270 mm) (410 g)

A flight deck from the fateful year

The year 1941 was the summit for the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. The aircraft carrier whose deck is printed on this board belonged to the core of the force that cut into the history of the war in the Pacific, and its service ended not a year later at Midway. To stand a carrier machine on such a surface means setting a model into one particular moment, not into vague scenery.

The largest format of the range

The board measures 410 by 270 millimeters, which makes it one of the larger bases there are, and at 3 millimeters thick it weighs around 410 grams. That weight is not a drawback, quite the opposite. A heavier board does not slide about on a table, holds a model steady even while being handled and does not bow under lighting. The rectangular proportion moreover copies the drawn-out shape of a real flight deck, so the scene looks natural even when a single machine stands on it.

Use in a collection

The format will take either one larger carrier aircraft in 1:72 scale with its wings spread, or a pair of smaller machines in a line-up before launch. Room is left for the deck crew, carts or weapons on pylons. Anyone who photographs a model rather than displaying it will appreciate the continuous surface with no seams, on which the angle of a shot can be changed freely without the edge of the board or the edge of a table creeping into the picture. One practical small thing to close: glossy acrylic throws light back differently from matte card, and so when photographing it pays to set the light source to one side and lead the reflection out of shot.