The Ship Model Forum

Hi all,
This is my first WiP log on this forum - between high school (last year) and university (currently) progress has been glacially slow, but I'll try my best to keep this thread updated.

The model in question is Hobbyboss' 1/700 I-400 kit complemented with a very rare AKAmodel detail set. A couple of notes regarding the build so far:

- Aside from being an overall crude model, the HB kit suffers from a plethora of inaccuracies, notably the incorrect hull and bridge shapes. It is thus puzzling as to why AKAmodel decided to tailor their set to this kit, especially considering that Aoshima makes an apparently much more accurate rendition of this submarine.

- Conversely the AKAmodel set is of a very high quality. In addition to improving much of the poor or nonexistent detail found on the base kit it also resolves a number of the kit inaccuracies (for instance, corrected propellor guards (?) and corrected segments of the deck towards the bow).

- There have been a few cases of "user error" concerning this build so far. In particular, I managed to irreparably damage part of the starboard degaussing cable replacement and ended up having to remove the affected area. Hopefully this won't be noticeable among more casual viewers.

- The especially narrow shape of the model makes taking acceptable pictures difficult. It's about time that I start looking into focus stacking in order to bring my photography up to par.

Below are a few pictures of the model in its current state.



And also a shot of some of the submarine's weapons next to a particularly nice $2 AUD coin.

Looking great, and thanks for the run-down on the kit and the aftermarket set!

_________________
De quoi s'agit-il?

After an infinitesimally short break I return with some progress. Here are some shots of the model in various stages of painting and now weathering. I elected to utilise a more stylistic approach to the weathering (partially inspired by Hyun Soo Kim's rendition of I-400), although from what I have seen from photos these submarines were not overly pristine to begin with.

A few more notes:
- A very unfortunate accident involving the model falling from a staircase led me to lose one of the rear propellor guards, as well as the PE piece for the masts and periscopes in the retracted position. As such, I will have to complete the model with the periscopes extended (which I believe is largely erroneous). As for the propellor guards I scavenged the alternate parts provided in AKA model's PE set, which means this model is now I-402, not I-400.
- I realised the included Seiran in the kit was also not a good rendition of the actual aircraft and have thus sourced some Seirans from the old Tamiya ordnance set as a replacement.
- The section of rail on the rear starboard side of the island has broken off at least 10 times. I intend to leave it off until the very end of the build lest it breaks off again and I lose my sanity for good.
- I elected to paint the deck as a typical wooden deck (largely to practice some plank modulation techniques), however inspection of threads in CASF have led me to believe that the deck was in actuality a darker brown, or dark grey/black. Yet another bummer

Remaining tasks for this build include adding armaments and remaining PE, finishing the Seirans and potentially adding some figures and equipment. The end is near!

Hi "brocken1sm"

You are doing good so far, even with all the mishaps!
The dedicated PE set really improves the kit.

Also, my advice for the figures, is to use 3D printed ones... we have to paint them, but it is a game changer.
I have used the PE ones, later PE with some volumes added (following Marijn van Gils "recipe" in his Lexington dio), and then the 3D printed ones, and I never looked back!
They really make a big difference!

You are almost there!
Cheers,
Rui

PS: Going to make a sea base for it?

_________________
Ship Modelers of the World UNITE

Nice work!

_________________
Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

looking great!

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http://www.3xblackcats.wordpress.com

excellent work!

I would echo Rui's advice on the figures, I also would choose 3D-printed figures any time!

Thanks all!

I am looking into a potential diorama with the Pit-Road I-13/I-14 kits, or potentially a second I-400 class kit if I can find another detail set for it. The tugboat in one of the previously posted images may be somewhere in there as well. However, as I intend to submit this model as a standalone build for next year's Australian Model Expo, the diorama will be on hold for a while.

Regarding figures - I was incredibly fortunate to receive a large stash of IonModel's 3D ones earlier this year from the ModelWarships contest and will most likely be making use of those. Only problem is the potential inconsistency with the Eduard figures currently on the tugboat, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

While I'm here I'll also throw in some WIPs of the two Seirans I intend to display. Discounting the earlier attempt with the OOB Seiran this is my first try at PE canopies - extremely daunting at first but I seem to be getting the hang of it.