Fujimi 1/350 Hiryu ( ?? )

[taskforce48]

Outstanding work as always Dan, beautiful work all around.

Since you are doing Kate's on deck, will you be portraying Lt. Tomanaga's bird? If so, which markings would you use as there seems to be 2 versions both alleged to be accurate and I am not expert enough one way or another to try and make an educated decision.

Matt

[marijn van gils]

Great work as always Dan!
The ship looks fantastic, and those aircraft will make it even more spectacular.
Making PE cockpit framing fit neatly is always a bit challenging, but they make a big difference IMHO.

[Iceman 29]

Nice job, Dan!

This is going to be a gem.

[mconnelley]

Hello:

My apologies if this has already been covered, but can you describe how you did the rigging? I think it looks really nice, and kinda makes me think about adding rigging to my Enterprise.

Mike

[Dan K]

Thank you very much gentleman. Your encouragement is really appreciated.

will you be portraying Lt. Tomanaga's bird? If so, which markings would you use as there seems to be 2 versions both alleged to be accurate and I am not expert enough one way or another to try and make an educated decision.

Very good, Matt! This argument isn't quite at the level of Arizona's paint job on 12/7, but it's out there among the IJN aircraft cognescenti. I'll explain my reasoning later this week in another post (because I'm really under the weather this weekend and can barely focus. This post is all I've got in me.) My choice is two blue ID stripes on the fuselage.

can you describe how you did the rigging?

Well, it's a combination of Infini white Lycra (40 Denier) for the vertical halyards, and Infini black lycra and Dai Rikki 9X fishing line for the horizontal lines. The insulators are just black paint. One thing about the Lycra halyards. They look great, but they are too flexible to support something like a windsock, which I really wanted to display. A line of Dai Rikki would have been better in this regard.

If there's something else you wish to know, feel free to ask.

[Dan K]

I realized that never posted the Fujimi aircraft with sinkholes

[marijn van gils]

I realized that never posted the Fujimi aircraft with sinkholes

Thanks!
Not impossible to fill, but it would be a pretty annoying job...

[Dan K]

Yes, most annoying. But, stay tuned on that....

In the meantime, I�ve lagged in my posts once again.

To better answer Matt�s earlier question on aircraft markings �

Through early 1943 or thereabouts, the IJN assigned carrier air group markings based on carrier division and ship seniority. Aircraft assigned to a given division were assigned color bands for their fuselage to differentiate themselves. So, initially, CarDiv 1 (Akagi, Kaga) were red, CarDiv 2 (Soryu, Hiryu) were blue, CarDiv 3 Hosho, Zuiho) were yellow, then later, black, CarDIv 4 (Ryujo, Junyo; Hiyo added later) were yellow, and CarDiv 5 (Shokaku, Zuikaku) were white. After Midway, the new CarDiv 1 (Shokaku, Zuikaku, Zuiho) were white and CarDiv 2 (Hiyo, Junyo, Ryujo) were yellow.

Aircraft were given one or two fuselage bands (or three if in a three-ship carrier division) according to which vessel they were assigned. The aircraft from the senior vessel (typically the flagship of the division) carried one band while the junior vessel's aircraft carried two bands. So, for example, Akagi�s aircraft carried one red band and Kaga�s aircraft carried two red bands.

At the outset of the war, Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi commanded CarDiv 2 and carried his flag aboard Soryu. Soryu�s aircraft carried one blue band and Hiryu�s two blue bands. However, just prior to the Midway operation, Adm. Yamaguchi chose to move his command to Hiryu to take advantage of her larger bridge facilities for his staff. And this is where opinions diverge, both in Japan and in the West.

Some knowledgeable folks maintain that such a move would have dictated a repaint of the aircraft bands to reflect Hiryu�s new status as senior vessel. This would have involved a fair amount of work on the part of the aircraft maintenance crews, particularly while readying for a new operation on the heels of Operation C to the Indian Ocean, but it was not impossible. And, there are at least two testimonies by surviving air maintenance crew aboard Hiryu that the repaints did happen.

On the other hand, some maintain that the move was only temporary, and did not necessitate such an effort. Administratively, the ship�s status and designations were not handled by their operational commands, but by the Navy Ministry. So, from that perspective, any shift in in the flag was for conveniences sake and had nothing to do with the administrative structure of the division.

So, opinion has long been split, particularly because there is no documented evidence to substantiate either opinion. Even the model companies are split in their opinion. Fujimi�s kits favor the two blue bands for Hiryu�s aircraft, while Hasegawa�s line of aircraft models consistently shows one blue band for Hiryu�s aircraft. The same is true for other companies.

Personally, I favor two bands. The clincher for me is that at Midway, Soryu is wearing the large white surround type hinomaru as befits the senior ship of the division, just like Akagi.

In any case, the air group is done. Unfortunately, the red tail code marking decals are not particularly visible against the dark green color of the Kates in this scale. Doesn�t seem to matter if the decals are from Fujimi or Hasegawa. As to the tail code numbers for all the aircraft, the actual numbers are again poorly documented for Midway. So, some extrapolation from the known tail codes beginning from Pearl Harbor were used.

I also decided to put some aircraft in the hangars; that�s in the next post.

[Vladi]

Very nice, Dan. That will be a really full deck!

[Dan K]

Thanks, Vladi.

Continuing on, I ended building three of the Fujimi Zeros as well as two of the Fujimi Vals for use in the hangars. Which meant filling those sinkholes. I also used a couple of 3D Wild aircraft for the same purpose. And, I built a second #1 elevator to stage in a mostly lowered position with a Zero aboard.

I can't seem to find my shot with the Vals stowed in the hangar. Hmmm.

[Dan K]

One last item was the engine test stand. In this particular case, I went the lazy route. I just didn't feel like building one. So, I challenged one of our hobby's leading after market suppliers to design and 3D print one after I gave them whatever information I had.

And, they did. Magnificently so.

[Vladi]

I�m sorry for all those lovely planes that would end up in the hangar, scared of more light... Very nice work!

Love the engine test stand, very cute detail indeed!

[MartinJQuinn]

Photos do not do this model justice. It is even more magnificent in person. Come to MosquitoCon 31 on April 1, 2023 and check it out!

[mmaresm]

DANG, 'Dan K'......this is S O M E Work!!!

I haven't followed up with this build since you started working, but Now I know...... IF I do build an IJN A/C, I KNOW who I can ask for assistance!!!

Truly, Exquisite Work!! Your Attention to Detail and how to "super detail" with (tried) folding radio aerials was quite an accomplishment. I'm sure glad you found/I found you when I was building my "Quick Build" of IJN Kaga last year!

Mairo

[Dan K]

Thank you, friends!

I'm pretty much done now, save for a few small things. I've staged the air group for a couple of photos. Hopefully, I can finish these other things soon, then post a gallery entry.

[mmaresm]

'Dan K'!!!

She is a Beautiful representation of IJN Hiryu!!!

From the FD, the pennants, galleries, "looking down the hatch" of the elevators, even the "tail feathers" of the 'Kates' ailerons (was that painted or decals!!??)

I F !! I do have another IJN A/C for my 'Kaga' I was thinking of getting Hiryu.......but again, in 1/700.

Well Done, Sir!!!

Mario

[karih]

Thank you guys.

Will you still apply a wash to the hull details too?

I'm not sure, Marijn. My preferred aesthetic is dockyard fresh, which doesn't involve any weathering. In this case, and scale, the flight deck was just too bland. So, I chose to lightly highlight it, since it typically gets the most attention, consciously or not. I'm also leery of attempting the same technique on the hull, as I'm pretty sure I can't avoid heavy buildup in jointed areas, of which there are MANY.

I also think lighting comes into play. If lighting throws shadows, then maybe highlighting isn't as necessary (per my teaser photo below).

Hi Dan,
If I may, one detail which is bothering me. What material did you use for those white straps around the life boats beside the superstructure?

[Chuck Bauer]

Insane perfection!

I'm guessing that there's a museum on Oahu--or somewhere in Japan--that would like this "pristine" look as much as you like to build them that way.

[InchHigh]

Beautiful, inspiring work, Dan! I have saved a file of your photos.

In retrospect, what were the references you found most useful?

[Dan K]

Thank you all for those comments. I really, really appreciate them.


even the "tail feathers" of the 'Kates' ailerons (was that painted or decals!!??)

Decals, Mario. One word of hard-earned advice � make sure your setting agent is fresh. Otherwise, you�ll be applying coats of setting solution forever��..

What material did you use for those white straps around the life boats beside the superstructure?

Those are simply cut from plain copy paper, but they�ve been coated with Liquitex matte medium. I do that more for a preservative than anything else, though the matte medium does help with gluing. The actual straps were thin; I see too many examples cut too wide. Also, they weren�t always white. Sometimes black or grey.

I'm guessing that there's a museum on Oahu--or somewhere in Japan--that would like this "pristine" look as much as you like to build them that way.

Hmm, interesting. I actually have no idea. Hopefully, it will be a while before I have to think about that.

what were the references you found most useful?

Good question. I�ve got a pretty deep IJN library, so I was able to draw on many sources. With that said, the new AOTS Hiryu book is surprisingly thorough and extremely well done. The only nitpick I had was with the absence of landing light arrays depicted on the starboard side. And, I know that is because available plans and photos don�t show them there, but the landing system needs arrays on both sides of the ship to work. I did not obtain this book until the build was about 2/3s done, but this is a great single volume resource.

The Kure Maritime Museum book on IJN CVs has good, large format photos of Hiryu on trial and fitting out, so that�s also helpful. I believe USNI is now publishing this series with captions in English.

I have two different sets of Hiryu plans (Hara Shobo and Kojinsha), but if one obtains the AOTS volume, these probably aren�t necessary.

This book is very pricey, but has good information on mechanisms and background. Some unique photos of various CVs: https://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Carrier ... 8360041644



I'm still planning to add a few details.

A recent photo shoot did not produce many good photos, but here is one showing one of the Vals in the hangar.