Calling all Japanese pre-war/wartime Merchant Marine fans

[Gilbert]

Fujimi 1/700 Rikugun Yusosen (IJA-Transport) SADO/SAKITO MARU kit is to be released in December : http://www.hlj.com/product/FUJ40101

Gilbert

[Dan K]

Thx for the heads-up, Gilbert. This is the version that I've been waiting for. Of course, now I also want to do a Sagara Maru just for the camo. Anyone know if there was any actual differences between Sanuki and Sagara Maru?

[Gilbert]

Found a color (or colorised) footage on ASAMA MARU in 1935. Here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5q58NWLdNo

Gilbert

[Gilbert]

Thx for the heads-up, Gilbert. This is the version that I've been waiting for. Of course, now I also want to do a Sagara Maru just for the camo. Anyone know if there was any actual differences between Sanuki and Sagara Maru?

Dan, Motoyuki-san would know for sure better than I, but my guess is they should be no major differences but possibly rails and turntable disposition.

HTH
Gilbert

edit for spelling

[Gilbert]

A very interesting site : http://translate.google.fr/translate?hl ... -museum%2F

This site provide details on many Marus and pictures and paintings as well.

Gilbert

[Freighter]

Gilbert,
Many thanks for the new references. Video of Asama Maru was outstanding (especially as I've just made the kit!).

The ship museum website is a useful cross reference to the Japanese Merchant ship losses website listed here:-

http://www.jsu.or.jp/siryo/map/map1.html

Jim S

[Gilbert]

Jim,

You are most welcome. I go very often on the website you mention and I agree with you about the cross-reference tip.

Cheers
Gilbert

[reigels]

Note early view of the box art for the Fujimi Sado-Maru/Sakito-Maru:

http://en.item.rakuten.com/bigbe2/39685/

[Quincy]

She looks green. Does she not.



Bob Pink.

[janschu]

That makes me wonder too.

As far as i know the anti submarine scheme using the green tones was introduced from summer 1944 on.
Pictures of both ships can be found here: http://ww6.enjoy.ne.jp/~iwashige/modellist.htm

Sado Maru, sunk on 18 Nov 1942: http://ww6.enjoy.ne.jp/~iwashige/sadomaru.htm
Sakito Maru, sunk on 29 Feb 1944: http://ww6.enjoy.ne.jp/~iwashige/sakitomaru.htm

Well, i am quite sure that none of them ever was painted in the green camouflage.

Greetings from the North Sea Coast, Jan

[Dan K]

I would agree. No chance of green camo. Fantasy boxart.

[Gilbert]

That makes me wonder too.

As far as i know the anti submarine scheme using the green tones was introduced from summer 1944 on.
Pictures of both ships can be found here: http://ww6.enjoy.ne.jp/~iwashige/modellist.htm

Sado Maru, sunk on 18 Nov 1942: http://ww6.enjoy.ne.jp/~iwashige/sadomaru.htm
Sakito Maru, sunk on 29 Feb 1944: http://ww6.enjoy.ne.jp/~iwashige/sakitomaru.htm

Well, i am quite sure that none of them ever was painted in the green camouflage.

Greetings from the North Sea Coast, Jan

Hello Jan,
Sorry to disagree.
According to Motoyuki-san, the Green pattern was indeed generalised (order form) in june 1944. However, it seems possible that it was introduced before, let's say end 1943, beginning 1944.
I dont think Kihachiro Ueda would take some artistic license in his paintings. Here are two of ships sunk in January 1944 :

Koseki Umpansen (xAC) Hidaka Maru, 5486GRT, NYK, sunk on 20 January 1944

Hidaka Maru NYK.gif (20.01 KiB) Viewed 4395 times

Tokusetsu Hokan (APG) Kasagi Maru, 3140GRT, NYK, sunk on 28 January 1944

Both ships show clearly the green pattern. Therefore, as Sakito Maru was sunk on 29 February 1944, the Fujimi boxart could, IMHO, depict her prior to her sinking.

HTH
Gilbert

[Quincy]

Perhaps I will be able to use some of my green paint afterall!





Bob Pink.

[Ron Wolford]

Hello Everybody
I to have ordered Fujimi 1/700 IJA Transporter Sado Maru/Sakito Maru. I wonder how many Daihatsus come with the kit? To give you a idea of how many Daihatsus IJA transports could carry, here is a picture I got from the Associated Press. The ship is probably either the Awazisan Maru or the Ayatosan Maru and was taken during the occupation of Southern Indochina. I count 12 Daihatsus, 5 on the center hatch alone. I wonder what the normal load of landing craft for one of these transports. As usual I appreciate everyone�s input, Thanks

Ron Wolford


http://i51.tinypic.com/34xjogo.jpg

[janschu]

Hello everybody,

@Gilbert, no problem. I am always eager to learn new aspects.
To my knowledge the IJN vessels were painted in the two tone green camouflage, and i think,
i have projected that to the auxiliaries. By the way, were did you get those drawings? And, are
there more of them?

@Ron, beautiful picture, as always! I have no idea how many of the Daihatsus will be
included, we will have to wait.Wether the Japanese had a scheme of how many boats wer to be shipped
(like the US Navy with their amphbious vessels), i don�t know. I guess, the available amount was taken,
sometimes more, sometimes less.

Material (Daihatsus, boats, latrines) to crowd your Marus can be found at Burkhardt�s shop: https://shop.modellmarine.de/
More stuff like trucks, tanks, guns and palleted loads is planned.

Well, yesterday the parcel from Gernot arrived! That is Toyooka Maru, Arabia Maru, Taiyo Maru.

Toyooka Maru: detailing is nice, hull width ok, but hull too short by 10mm!
(reference, History on CD-Rom)

Arabia Maru: detailing is nice, hull too narrow by 1.5mm, too low by 2mm and too short by 20mm!
(reference, Motoyuki san�s drawings)

I guess the producer has taken Lpp as Loa! This is annoying becaus this has happened with several kits i have
purchased before, and for that amount of money i expect, that at least the hull has the correct dimensions!
Parts like superstructure levels or platforms i can scratch if needed, but not the hull!The problem is that one
cannot just lengthen the hull, because the proportions are wrong!

I think somebody has to inform the producer to check the reference material better, because if these issues are
not corrected in the future, i will be very cautious in buying new kits. That means wait until others have bought
a certain kit and after checking it , recommending that. Or i have to scratchbuild all those ships on my own.

Curiously the third kit, the Taiyo Maru, is a beauty! Beautifully detailed, the measurements are correct,
the best Frog Foot kit i have had in my hands, up to now!Highly recommended! I am really looking forward to build
this one! The only parts which need to be replaced are the ship�s lifeboats. They look like whale boats, so their shape
is obviously wrong.
But they can easily be replaced by these ones:

Available here: https://shop.modellmarine.de/product_in ... ts_id=1134
The Taiyo maru had 16 of these lifeboats, so two sets are needed.

Well, that�s it for now.

Greetings from the North Sea Coast, Jan

[Gilbert]

By the way, were did you get those drawings? And, are
there more of them?

Hello Jan,

There are many more on this website : http://translate.google.fr/translate?hl ... -museum%2F

Click on any period (the ones after black square) and then on a particular ship.
Thanks for the infos regarding Frogfoot kits. I guess you are right regarding a possible confusion between Loa and Lpp. The problem comes from the lack of Loa information for most of Merchies built before 1945 in the related Registers.

Gilbert

[Peter C]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and am seeking some assistance with two Japanese merchant ships that I am researching for a history article. They are Kwansai (or Kansai depending on the source) Maru and Canberra Maru.

I am attempting to work out how they were armed as transports (Long-angle anti-submarine weapons and A/A guns) at the beginning of the Second World War as they were involved in an amphibious landing in Malaya during January 1942 and attacked by Allied air and surface forces. I would also be interested in how they may have been painted at this point.

Ron Wolford has already kindly assisted me with other information.

Cheers,

Peter C

[Gilbert]

Hi Pete and welcome to the forum !

Both ships were under IJA control (Rikigun Yusosen) and were fitted with IJA medium AA guns (76cm) - 2 forward and 2 rear on special platforms. At the beginning of the Pacific War, their light AA was...light and could be 2 or more IJA 20mm MGs (but this is a guess )

You can gave a look at Canberra Maru's model by Motoyuki San here : http://ww6.enjoy.ne.jp/~iwashige/canberramaru.htm and you will notice she still wears a light grey color at the time of her loss.
Ueda San's painting

Canberra maru 2 OSK.gif (28.99 KiB) Viewed 4294 times

Kansai Maru should have the same armament. Her paint scheme however is a camouflage pattern of Dark grey and Light grey. I have a photo of her in Spring 1942 showing this scheme on her starboard side. E-mail me and I will be happy to forward it to you.

Gilbert

[Peter C]

Thank you very much Gilbert.

I would love a copy of the photo you mention and will email you directly. Attached is a rather good shot you may be interested in of CANBERRA MARU taken in Melbourne during 1936.

If anyone else has any details on how CANBERRA MARU and KANSAI MARU were converted into IJA transports (i.e. conversion to carry X number of troops, capacity to carry landing craft, what type of craft etc) I would be most interested to learn. I believe that there is Japanese language sources out there but I mistakenly dropped Japanese Language studies when I was 13. It would be most handy now.

Peter C

[janschu]

Hello,

here are some pictures of our upcoming Tamatsu Maru / Mayasan Maru kit. Actually it�s the Mayasan Maru
in her late war outfit. I have packed the ship with extra equipment like extra Daihatsus, latrines and rafts,
which all can be purchased at Burkhardt�s shop. https://shop.modellmarine.de/
The rigging is from the upcoming photoetch set from l'Arsenal. Thank you for the test shots, Gilbert!

















Here are some pictures of the master of our next project, Kibitsu Maru (pic 1,2) / Hyuga Maru (pic 3,4).









Well, what do you think? Opinions and comments are welcome!
And, yes i know the masts are lop-sided! The whole arrangement was just stuck together for the photos.

Greetings from the North Sea Coast, Jan