Calling all Japanese pre-war/wartime Merchant Marine fans

[janschu]

@Gilbert and Quincy, concerning the "upcoming" Asama Maru kit i am really not sure what to think about.
The design of the instructions with the "Water Line Series" logo suggests that Fujimi will not do the kit because their
box art and instruction changed remarkably. That leaves either Aoshima, Hasegawa or Tamiya as probable producers.
But, can anyone recognize the company logo? See red circle on picture. Well, i cannot.



Greetings from Germany, Jan

[aeronautic]

Yes that Logo is also a enigma for me!
- I have asked my friend in Japan, maybe he can translate the text and reveal the problem regarding the origin.

Lars

[aeronautic]

Hi guys
My friend in Japan say the paper in only a joke!
So obvious no new kit around the corner

But nothing is so bad that it's not god for .......
My new projects Asama Maru and Chichibu Maru

here a pictures after 3 days of labor!

[JIM BAUMANN]

Japanese Merchant ship fans shipping chums!


can you assist this chap?


SS East Indian? Beikoku Maru?

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=66438

cheers

Jin Baumann

[Motoyuki Iwashige]

Hello everyone,
I had been �restricted� to visit here by some reasons and finally found small room. Still I can write little ;

Asama maru scandal in 2010
The work of a schoolboy. I know him and the �boxart� is drawn by me.

Sakito maru boxart
I believe that it is a mistake by artist. Green pattern was ordered in �instruction for shipping protection #29� issued on 5 June 1944. Mr. Ueda, I met him in this month, is great artist but not researcher.

Canberra maru
Armament
12/1941; none
11/1942; two 75mm HA guns, two 20mm HA MGs, one 40mm Bofors (probably operated by Indian soldier)
Loading plan is herehttp://ww6.enjoy.ne.jp/~iwashige/canberra.htm. Senzen Senpaku vol.12/13
Passenger 12, 7 rooms
Soldier bed 699 tsubo (Japanese unit, about 6�6ft) Horse 530
Daihatsu 6 Shohatsu 16
Truck total 103 Tank (type89) 12

Regards,
Motoyuki Iwashige

[aeronautic]

Hello Mr. Motoyuki Iwashige

Thank you very much for telling the story about the Asama Maru "scandal"
I was at a moment in doubt about any of the big companies where releasing this fine ship-class.

Regarding your books of IJN/IJA transport:
I have the first book (Vol. 1 ) And I most say that this is a very fine book!
I can highly recommended it to everyone, as it fill a gab in Japanese IJN reference book of WWII.

I'm looking forward to get the Vol. 2. as my interest lay highly in the Liners of the OSK & NYK.

Are there any drawings of the ships Asama Maru, Chichibu Maru and Takasago Maru in Vol. 2 ?

Regards Lars (aeronautic)
Denmark

[Gernot]

I finally relented and bought both of Mr. Iwashige's fine volumes this week As you know, my interest in merchant ships is virtually zero, but that had as much to do with lack of information as motivation! So I can officially say that I am hooked! I also bought the Fujimi Sakito/Sado Maru kit and plan on doing something with it in the coming year. It is indeed a shame that the scheme turns out to be fake, I am sure the kit sells more copies than it otherwise would

Happy new year to everyone, and a special thanks to Mr. Iwashige for making so many modelers happy with your books documenting your hard work.

Gernot Hassenpflug
Tokyo, Japan

[janschu]

@Motoyuki san, thank you for the wonderful second volume! Lots of beatiful pictures and very
useful plans included! Highly recommended book.

@Lars, there are drawings of Asama Maru in the above mentioned volume, which should be very useful for
scratchbuilding projects. There is also a side view of Kamakura Maru (former Chichibu Maru) included
as a hospital ship. But no drawings of Takasago Maru. Well, since Frog Foot plans to release
the Takasago Maru, plans should be very helpful.

By using the line drawings of Asama Maru in the second volume, i found out that with some rebuilding the Frog
Foot model of Asama Maru can be used. The hull dimensions and proportions from bow to the front of the super-
structure, and from the rear of the supersrtucture to the stern are correct. So, i "only" need to cut the hull
amidships and lengthen it by 16mm in order to get the dimensions right. And, of course the upper levels of the
superstructure have to be reworked. But i think this should be realisable.

Greetings from Germany and a happy new year to everyone, Jan

[Dan K]

I just received motoyuki-san's 2nd volume. Fantastic, and fine complement to the first. Congradulations on you excellent work, Motoyuki-san

[aeronautic]

Happy New Year to all.

Thanks Jan for the sneak preview of Vol. 2

I'm looking forward to get the book also. As one can never get too much reference materials when we build model ships
It's good to hear you have managed to remake Frogfoot model.

Do any one know why the Kamakura Maru and Asama Maru where painted in another color-scheme as Hospital-ships ?
The international color was/is: White with Green stripe and red crosses etc. ?
- Was they "real Hospital-ships" or more like a semi passenger/troop carrier ?

[Gilbert]

Happy New Year to all.
Do any one know why the Kamakura Maru and Asama Maru where painted in another color-scheme as Hospital-ships ?
The international color was/is: White with Green stripe and red crosses etc. ?
- Was they "real Hospital-ships" or more like a semi passenger/troop carrier ?

Lars,
Both ships have been temporarily used as "Kokansen" or Diplomatic excjange and repatriation ships. The full story is here: http://www.combinedfleet.com/Kokansen.htm.

Regards,
Gilbert

[aeronautic]

Oh thanks Gilbert for directing me to this link!
-Combined fleet's website is fantastic and has vast amount of information.
This was a side of the history that I had "missed"

Btw. It is Swedish MS Gripsholm behind the Asama Maru in the Marine Art picture

Lars

[DougKn]

Happy New Year to all.
Do any one know why the Kamakura Maru and Asama Maru where painted in another Lars,
Both ships have been temporarily used as "Kokansen" or Diplomatic excjange and repatriation ships. The full story is here: http://www.combinedfleet.com/Kokansen.htm.

Regards,
Gilbert

The book "Exchange Ship" by Max Hill (Farrar & Rinehart 1942) tells the story of Asama Maru's voyage in June 1942. He was an AP Bureau Chief. (Sorry, no pix in book)

[rkpen]

Can anyone tell me where to purchase Vol. 2 of the Wartime Merchant Marine book online that will ship to the US? I have the first volume and it is exceptionally good.

Thank you!

[Gilbert]

I have ordered mine from HLJ. See the link here : http://www.hlj.com/product/MDG23041

Gilbert

[Graham Boak]

Mine arrived yesterday. It has revived a query that I'd shelved, about the appearance of the angular bows on the wartime emergency designs. Specifically, about the Niko Minoo. This comes with a shapely curved bow, as prewar standard. Its sister ship is shown in Vol 2 with an angular bow, as befits a ship from the 1st programme. Is Niko wrong?

A more subtle point is about the shaping of the waterline at the bow on these vessels. From the models, it seems to me that the waterline of the 1st programme was not kinked at the bow/forecastle but curved to meet the sides, whereas the ships of the 2nd programme appear to have a kink at the waterline - or at least more so. Can anyone enlighten me on this subject?

[Dan K]

The kink, or knuckle, probably represents a simplification of the later designs. THis is typical of both late war naval and merchant design and construction - simplifies construction and saves slightly on building material.

[Quincy]

The Niko's Suraga Marus bow was wrong as well.







Bob Pink.

[Graham Boak]

Quincy: Good tip about the Sugara Maru. OK, I'll take that "as well" as confirmation, which drops my interest down to the second question, which I'll rephrase below.

Dan K.: I understand the why, but not the wherefore. Were all these angular bows simply the junction of two flat pieces of metal (as they clearly are at deck level) or was there shaping by the waterline where they reached the maximum width? The models of the 1st group seem to show a curve along the waterline under the rear of the forecastle, whereas the later ships seem to show a kink, as on the hull higher up.

My apologies if kink is the wrong terminology, but to me a knuckle is parallel to the waterline, as on a Town class cruiser.

[Dan K]

My terminology may not be correct either, Graham Sadly, I don't have any plans or exposed hull photos of late war maaritime construction so, I'm unable to shed more light on this.