The mighty IJN Battleship 'Yamato'....well, 21cm. anyway! The build..

[spanner570]

Here is my build of the 1/1200 Revell Mini ship 'Yamato'

I've made good progress on this. It's a nice little kit, and just like my Bismark and King George V models, there is some nice detail for such a small scale.

Stage 1 - The hull, hanger deck and main deck glued together. All the detail is moulded on.





No primer, two coats of Vallejo Model Air brushed on. Yellowish for the bleached timber deck. Lt. Grey at the bow and Dark grey for the flight deck area and the heavily armoured mid section. See how at this stage there is no need for neat paintwork.



Starting to tidy things up a bit, and started to highlight some of the 162!x 25cm A.A. armament. This was one monster ship!


With apologies to my good buddy 'Gern' ....but this was in line first Dave, honest!

Cheers all,
Ron

 

[Polux]

Another masterpiece on the way!!! Great

 

[spanner570]

Thanks Polux.

....still raining, so what's a bloke to do!

More hardware! 6 x 6" cannon and 12 of the 24 x 5" DCA....still more weaponry to come.



Here's the second layer of superstructure, fitted with yet more 25cm A.A.


If this rain persists, I'll have 'Yamato' completed toot sweet!......

PS - Out of curiosity, and as I didn't know, I've just looked up what DCA means - It stands for Defense Contre Avions. Which is French for Defence against aircraft..or anti-aircraft weapon.

There you go, I've learned something today - Good old Google!

Cheers,
Ron

 

[papa 695]

Cracking start to no doubt another cracking build Ron

 

[spanner570]

Cheers Ian.

Here's the final superstructure /gun deck with the remaining 12 x 5" A.A. weapons fitted. Have you ever seen so much fire power crammed into so small an area? - and there's more to come!




On the face of it, the build looks quick - It is, but bear in mind, the superstructure is less than 4cm long, so not a great deal to put together.

Painting the thing is another matter!

Cheers,
Ron

 

[spanner570]

...and yes, it's still raining. So....

Here is the latest progress. Bridge, masts, funnel, more A.A., aircraft and a crane. Just the main armament and rigging to do.


Cheers,
Ron

 

[papa 695]

Nice work Ron.
With the weather forecast as it is, you'll be able to build a fleet of ships Ron.

 

[Gern]

With apologies to my good buddy 'Gern' ....but this was in line first Dave, honest!

Cheers all,
Ron

No worries bud! You build 'em as you want!

 

[colin m]

...and yes, it's still raining. So....

Noah's ark might be more appropriate.

 

[spanner570]

Thanks boys.

....so, here I am still stuck in the house....What a shame!


Main armament fitted. This is the last of the stage build 'Top shots'. Those yellow lines were an absolute pig to paint freehand. I hope you have enjoyed the gradual construction sequence.



A couple of general shots. For some reason the kits I have at this scale don't have a rear mast, so I looked on 'tinternet and made me one - It's better than now't, just!






Just the weathering and rigging to do, then I'll think about a base. I might have a bash at her final battle, when she was sunk by American aircraft.

Cheers,
Ron

 

[Polux]

Looking very good Ron.
I will be waiting for this future base!!! Sure :p

 

[spanner570]

Thanks Polux.

I've kept the weathering to a minimum, just rust / grime stains, rather than any heavy stuff.


Here she is without rigging or weathering.



.....with both.



The finished Yamato.








A great little kit and a joy to put together.

I hope you've enjoyed this rather indecently quick build....and yes, it's still raining - Colin, you could be right!

I'll put the ship in a mini diorama next.....

Cheers all,
Ron

 

[spanner570]

Thanks Thorbrand.

This might be of interest to you - a size comparison!

Just for fun, I put Yamato, Bismark and King George V side by side - sort of, because unfortunately Bismark and KGV are glued to their respective bases.

Yamato and Bismark. The weight is vastly different due to armour thicknesses.....Bismark-41,000. Yamato - 71.000. See also how Bismark has relatively fewer A.A. Where as, with aircraft carriers being used a lot more in the Far East conflict, Yamato bristles with the stuff.



The difference here between Yamato and HMS King George V is amazing. KGV is dwarfed by the Japanese monster!...42,000 tons plays 71,000 tons.


I hope these comparisons in size are of some interest to someone. They certainly surprised me....

If anyone disagrees with the tonnage, don't blame me. Blame the internet!.......

Cheers,
Ron

 

[Gern]

She was a big beastie! Another smasher Ron. When are you planning the New Jersey? While the weather is still bad or are you gonna make us wait?

 

[spanner570]

Thanks Dave, I'm please you like the 'Big Beastie.

USS New Jersey is on the chocks, as I type this reply.

 

[cryton 5]

wow
all some ,build what a line up love the kit defo on list on larger scale for me

 

[Pikeman]

Another cracking build,you fly through these now Ron.
Great stuff :D

 

[monica]

nice work,do like this one,well done

 

[papa 695]

A bit late Ron but that's a cracking build, and its great to see the difference in sizes of the ships.

 

[Steve Brodie]

Super duper stuff Ron