Kit listings and gallery update 10/17/2018
With the release of new 1/700 toolings by Aoshima and Fujimi, in addition to the original Aoshima kits, and the decade old PitRoad kits, now seems a good time to give the Unryu Class of IJN CVs their own thread. The class is not widely known or covered, mostly due to their completion very late in the Pacific War, when the lack of trained air groups and oil meant no realistic opportunity to be used in a meaningful way. Of the three ships completed, only one, Unryu, managed an operational sortie, but without an air group. She was also sunk on that sortie.
Three other hulls were launched but never completed, of fifteen planned. One, Kasagi was 85% complete when work was stopped on her in April, 1945. The other two were 60% complete at war's end.
Many reference texts refer to this class as a repeat Hiryu class. In truth, though identical in size, they were an improved version, benefitting from both operational and wartime experience. Under different circumstances, they probably would have given a decent account of themselves; their biggest drawback being the limitation on air group size conferred by their own sizing as medium carriers. The Wikipedia entry is complete and detailed, as are the related entries for individual ships. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unry%C5%AB ... ft_carrierTheir individual TROMS can be found at:
http://www.combinedfleet.com/cvlist.htm#tromSome points of differentiation between the sisters can be found on page 7 of the calling all IJN Carrier Fans:
viewtopic.php?f=46&t=4717&start=120Available kits:
1/7001972 (Waterline Consortium 1st generation) – Aoshima issued
Unryu 1944 - Item # 014868, Kit # WL 205, released
Katsuragi 1944 - Item # 014875, Kit # WL 206, released
Amagi 1944 - Item # 024621, Kit # WL 218, released
2003 Second Generation – Pit-Road issued
Unryu 1944 - Kit # W67, released September, 2003
Unryu 1944 - Kit # W141, comes with small Unryu class PE fret, released December, 2011
Katsuragi 1944 - Kit # W68, released September, 2003
2012 Third Generation – Aoshima issued
Unryu SP 1944 - Item # 939, special release with both regular and alternate clear frosted flight deck, small PE fret, released August, 2012
Unryu 1944 - Item # 991, kit # WL 226, released August, 2012
Katsuragi 1944- Item # 953, kit 3 WL 224, released September, 2012
Amagi 1944 - Item # 996, kit # WL 225, released November, 2012
2012 Third Generation (simultaneous to Aoshima) – Fujimi issued
Unryu, early 1944 – Item # 431093, kit # SWM (EX) -69, released August, 2012
Unryu, late 1944 – Item # 431109, kit # SWM (EX) -70, released August, 2012
Unryu, late 1944 – Item # 470177, kit # EASY (EX) no. 18, with colored parts, May, 2016
Amagi, 1944 – Item # 432168, kit # SWM (EX) -17, with Amagi specific parts, camo colored parts, camo deck decal, 2 piece 25mm AA, released June, 2018
Katsuragi, 1944 - Item # 432083, kit # SWM (EX) -82, with Katsuragi specific parts, camo colored parts, camo deck decal, 2 piece 25mm AA, released April, 2018
Examples in the gallery:
1/700The utterly magnificent diorama of Amagi sunk at Kure, 1946, by Marijn Van Gils:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmA nicely executed 1946 "what-if" of Katsuragi (Pit-Road) by Mike Komo:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htmA truly great "enhanced" build of the original Aoshima Amagi kit by Milan Kuliffay:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm While not yet placed in the gallery, here is the extremely well done, completed build of Unryu 1944 from the new Fujimi tooling, by Ryuji:
viewtopic.php?f=60&t=119278 . Some Work-in-Process photos can be viewed here:
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=119196A build of the original Aoshima tooling for Katsuragi by Eric Navas:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlAnother original Aoshima kit of Unryu, also by Eric Navas:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlA build of the original Aoshima kit for Katsuragi by: Bob Nandell:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlA nice build of the Pit-Road kit of Unryu by Anthony Kochevar:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlA build of the original Aoshima kit of Amagi by Allan Parry:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.htmlAnd some photos: Unryu, Amagi, Katsuragi, Kasagi, Aso, & Ikoma