Calling all Shokaku (翔鶴) and Zuikaku (瑞鶴) fans

[Adaks]

I have just found online build of the Fujimi Shokaku. Text is Japanese (or Korean ?).

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

It is only beginning, but worth visiting.

[Dan K]

Excepting the overscale plating effects, looks to be a very nice build

[chuck]

What is a typical width of a band of hull plating on large Japanese warships? It appears each band of Shokaku hull plates as depicted by Fujimi is more than twice as wide as those shown in most midship sectional drawings of Yamato. That seems usual considering the two ships were built practically at the same time and driven by the same need to reduce weight, which argues for big individual hull plates to reduce excess weight imposed by plate overlapping.

[Dan K]

It's a great question, but I don't know what the answer is. It's hard to tell without a definitive document as there are so few photos that allow for comparison.

First photo is Shokaku prior to launch - hard to say size of plating.

Second is Ryuho hull damage after the Doolittle raid (photo credit on photo). What makes this interesting is the man standing inside the damage - great size reference. Big plates. Maybe Fujimi got it right.

[Admiral John Byng]

What colour was Shokaku at Pearl Harbor?
I plan to use Tamiya sprays on my kit and they have Kure Grey and Sasebo Grey.

Would the Osprey book on Japanese Aircraft Carriers help me with this build? I am not going to go mad buying references because I usually do that and then get hung up on inaccuracies in the kit and then don't build it because my skills aren't up to it! Also I can't afford to buy them.

Thanks,
Roger

[Gilbert]

What colour was Shokaku at Pearl Harbor?
I plan to use Tamiya sprays on my kit and they have Kure Grey and Sasebo Grey.

She was painted in Yokosuka grey according to WEM booklet "IJN greys". This colour is closer to Kure than to Sasebo grey.

Would the Osprey book on Japanese Aircraft Carriers help me with this build?

No, you would get just very basic information.

Cheers

Gilbert

[Admiral John Byng]

Thanks Gilbert.

Regards,
Roger

[Dan K]

There are a handful of single volume references on the Shokakus,; unfortunately, they are all out of print and must be obtained used. There's the Gakken #13 on the Shokaku class & the Gakken deluxe volume on the Zuikaku, both full of good photos as well as the exquisite 1/100 scale Zuikaku 1942 (I posted the cover earlier in this thread). There's also the the Futubasha 3D CG vol. on the Shokakus.

Still available is the Gakken IJN Fleet Scale Model Photo book, which has a couple of pages of photos on this same 1/100 model. See: http://www.hlj.com/product/GAK05089

The Navy Yard Special # 9 also has several good 1/700 builds of 1941 Shokaku & Zuikaku and could be used as a reference.

Or, just ask here

[Admiral John Byng]

Thanks Dan.

Regards,
roger

[chuck]

Does anyone know of close up photos showing the type of plate joints Shokaku used? Did Shokaku have overlapping hull plate strakes for flush hull plate strakes?

[Dan K]

It's a good question. Problem is the dearth of good photos. Aside from the photo of Shokaku's bow prior to launching, there's really only the photo of Shokaku's bow damage at the Coral Sea, below (credit Maru Special). Can't seem to find an enhanced version. I believe the plates are flush, side to side, and overlap/underlap in horizontal strips.

There are closeups of Soryu and Hiryu's hull and this certainly seems the same for them. Can't imagine it being different for thje Shokakus.

[Dan K]

I know I've covered this before but.......perhaps the moderator will move this into the CASF Shokaku class thread at some point.

Neither sister lost the Type 94 HA director atop the bridge that they were commissioned with. When replaced by the Type 22 radars installed there, the director was moved down to the port side forward boat deck, just aft the original one in that position, with the 9m (or 11m?) cutter between them. It mimics the setup on the starboard side under the bridge. There is ample photo evidence - one example below.

Also, the yardarms of the main mast were damaged at the Phillipine Sea and rebuilt angled back, much as was Junyo's. It gained a Type 13 radar at this point as well, not before.

Also, the radar tub at the base of the radar should have walls, not solid as the kit seems to have it.
There's also a new, stubby blister on the hull - you can see the wxtra wake in this same photo (Credit - Gakken #13). I'm critiquing just based on what I see in the kit photos.

[Dan K]

Here's a diagram from the Gran Prix Shuppan volume on IJN CVs

[Adaks]

Thank you for information Dan. Do you know when these blisters were added ? After the Battle of the Philippine Sea ?

[Dan K]

Yes, though I'm not sure how prominent they were; probably not very.

[Adaks]

The front page of Gakken showing Zuikaku in camo with these blisters, but I do not know if it is accurate.

[Dan K]

Good reference. I think it is accurate. Notice where the blister ends; it extends only over the forward av gas tanks (an area roughly equivalent to the length of the forward 12.7cm AA gun sponson. Notice also how blunt the edge it - hence the extra wake in the photo.

Notice also the cant backwards of the yardarm

[Adaks]

Thanks, I know that Gakkens are good books.
I wonder if any Japanese documentation of last Zuikaku refit remained or we have only photos taken during the Battle off Cape Engano and short film from Inland Sea.

[Dan K]

I don;t know of anything other than that which you reference but, the possibility always remain

[peppe]

two more sources on the "blisters", from a russian booklet (morskaya collectyia) and from a japanese source (model art)
ciao peppe