IIRC, you asked the same thing about the CVEs.
I would agree that it's probably time that the Hiyos got their own thread. The upcoming new Fujimi kit will undoutably spur interest. (Note to moderator - time for a separate thread? If yes, I'd love to have editing rights on the first post.)
Quote:
The Junyo's career makes her one of the more active Japanese CVs after the 6 original Pearl Harbor CVs.
Agreed. And, she certainly had an impact at Santa Cruz.
Quote:
And what's wrong with the Tamiya Junyo kit?
Something must be wrong that most people are selling them like hotcakes on Ebay and this kit is a common sight on IJN stash sales on our Trading post board.
And this must be another reason why the upcoming Fujimi Hiyo kit seems is warmly anticipated.
Well, it's not so much that it has that much that's wrong with it; IMHO, it's more that after 40 odd years, with the improvements in molding technology, and more time spent (supposedly) on research, a more improved tooling could be produced. The Tamiya kit was certainly one of the more detailed, and accurate kits of the initial waterline consortium offerings. Degaussing cable, detailed elevator wells, correct shapes and scaling; it still has a lot going for it. Plenty of folks have built some exquisite models of Junyo (and Hiyo) from it.
That said, there are some things that could be improved. The Tamiya kit fit is actually of her appearance as the war ended. A new mainmast, enclosure for the base of the main mast, and the addition of AA rockets and platforms all came in fall of 1944.A newer kit would delete some of this material and allow for an earlier fit. Also, the flight deck markings are all outlined with raised styrene seams, something that is pretty much out of fashion today. These are hard to shave off while preserving the scribed planking.
The only real downside to a new kit by Fujimi is that they will undoubtedly foist their overscale and incorrect flight deck planking pattern on it.
There are plenty of kits in circulation, which is why so many get offered up on Ebay. It seems kit everyone has one in their stash.