Calling all Yamato (大和) and Musashi (武蔵) fans

[chuck]

I think there is confusion between type 94 range finder and type 94 director. The range finder like thing with shuttered blast sleeves that remained at the base of the bridge tower to the end is a type 94 director for the 5" guns. Type 94 director has a integrated range finder, that's why it looks like a range finder. The range finder further back is not a director AFAIK. It may have been a type 94 range finder, I don't know.

[Atma]

In this model of 1/700 IJN Musashi(Fujimi model with Fine Molds AA, directos and searchlighhts) from 1944 only the hooded rangefinder remains(at the base of the pagoda) while the other rangefinder is removed and unlike IJN Yamato in 1944-1945 the aft position is occupied with a rocket launcher:


While this 1/700 IJN Yamato(Fujimi model with Fine Molds AA, directos and searchlighhts) model the hoodless rangefinder is further back while there is 4 AA directors insteead of just 1, like the 1/500 IJN Yamato Fujimi kit:

[Atma]

I think there is confusion between type 94 range finder and type 94 director. The range finder further back is not a director AFAIK. It may have been a type 94 range finder, I don't know.

Both are Type 94 HA directors with 4.5 HA rangefinders. Just different design.

[EJFoeth]

(Nice color modulation on the concrete aft deck, BTW)

[chuck]

I think there is confusion between type 94 range finder and type 94 director. The range finder further back is not a director AFAIK. It may have been a type 94 range finder, I don't know.

Both are Type 94 HA directors with 4.5 HA rangefinders. Just different design.

It's probably two sets of type 94 HA directors after the installation of the 6 addition 5"/40 guns. But when the ship was first finished, the second of the two sets range finders, located just above the first 5"/40 mount, is almost certainly not type 94 director. In any case, it had awful arc of visibility for AA use, being blocked by the tower bridge, the search lights, and the type 94 director at he bridge base.

[Atma]

It's probably two sets of type 94 HA directors after the installation of the 6 addition 5"/40 guns. But when the ship was first finished, the second of the two sets range finders, located just above the first 5"/40 mount, is almost certainly not type 94 director. In any case, it had awful arc of visibility for AA use, being blocked by the tower bridge, the search lights, and the type 94 director at he bridge base.

AOTS IIJN Yamato states that even when both IJN Yamato and IJN Musashi first launced they had 4 set of Type 94 HA directors with 4.5 HA rangefinders. Even so, IJN Musashi at 1944 with only 6 12.7 cm AA guns had 2 Type 94 HA directors with 4.5 HA rangefinders, the hooded one.
So.. the hooded one Type 94 HA directors with 4.5 HA rangefinder is for the 12.7 cm AA guns.
Opinions ?

[Atma]

Both are Type 94 HA directors with 4.5 HA rangefinders. Just different design.

Another case of different design for a rangefinder is the IJN Mogami's type 91 4,5 m rangefinder enclosed tower. IJN Mogami and IJN Mikuma had a (slightly)different design from IJN Suzuya and IJN Kumano.
So is not a suprise to see a different design of the same rangefinder in a Japanese warship.

[chuck]

It's probably two sets of type 94 HA directors after the installation of the 6 addition 5"/40 guns. But when the ship was first finished, the second of the two sets range finders, located just above the first 5"/40 mount, is almost certainly not type 94 director. In any case, it had awful arc of visibility for AA use, being blocked by the tower bridge, the search lights, and the type 94 director at he bridge base.

AOTS IIJN Yamato states that even when both IJN Yamato and IJN Musashi first launced they had 4 set of Type 94 HA directors with 4.5 HA rangefinders. Even so, IJN Musashi at 1944 with only 6 12.7 cm AA guns had 2 Type 94 HA directors with 4.5 HA rangefinders, the hooded one.
So.. the hooded one Type 94 HA directors with 4.5 HA rangefinder is for the 12.7 cm AA guns.
Opinions ?

I think AOTS is wrong. The hood over the first set as illustrated in AOTS and Superillustrated is essentially the same as early model type 94 directors on all other Japanese ships equipped with this instruments. The only difference is the range finder arms themselves are enclosed in blast sleeve on the Yamato and naked in every other ship with type 94 director. You can compare the drawing of this director in AOTS as well as the likes of Superillustrated Yamato, with the illustration of type 94 director in USN postwar technical committee, to see this.

Also note the range finder arms of type 94 directors are not rigidly mounted to the hood. Instead they poke through a long slot to enable them to be actively stabilized against any rolling motion of the director. The ability to be actively stabilized is characteristic of sophisticated tachymetric fire control instruments like the type 94 director (See US and German equivalent instruments).

The second range finder on Yamato, as illustrated in both AOTS and Suuperillustrated, seem to possess a completely different hood, lacking optical ports at the same location, and the direct sighting hood on top. Furthermore the range finding arms appear tobe rigidly mounted to the hood, thus lacking the ability to stabilize like on type 94.

In any case, Why would Yamato use two substantially different hoods for the same typoe of director installed at the same time?

[Atma]

I think AOTS is wrong.

In any case, Why would Yamato use two substantially different hoods for the same typoe of director installed at the same time?

The AOTS is not the only source, Model Art's Super Illustration IJN Yamato also(wich is one of the best IJN Yamato sources at the moment) states that both the hooded and the non hooded is Type 94 HA directors with 4.5 HA rangefinder.Other sources:Model Art's Modeling Guide IJN Yamato, Diamond's Design & Construction of the YAMATO and Futabasha's 3D CG IJN Yamato & Okinawa Attack.
For anyone who is interest about my sources here is a link:
The best source for IJN Yamato class, Model Art's Super Illustration IJN Yamato:http://www.hlj.com/product/MDA745
Model Art's Modeling Guide IJN Yamato:http://www.hlj.com/product/MDA708
-Very expensive but a real diamond for your library, if you have it-Diamond's Design & Construction of the YAMATO:http://www.hlj.com/product/DIA95063
and
Futabasha's 3D CG IJN Yamato & Okinawa Attack:http://www.hlj.com/product/FTB45126

[Atma]

I just been informed hat Hobby Link and Hobby Search Japan they will have a restock of Model Art's Super Illustration IJN Yamato.
So hurry up !

[CapStan]

Greetings to everyone.
Please excuse me for not reading every word of this thread to find if my question was already answered.
But I did see some fantastic models in the pics.

I wonder if someone can possibly tell me what kind of wood was used on the weather deck of the Yamato and Musashi?
Or if no one knows the actual wood, can anyone possibly make an educated guess?
Thank you.

[Senkan]

Hinoki Cypress. 127mm wide planks. Not sure of the length.

[CapStan]

Hinoki Cypress. 127mm wide planks. Not sure of the length.

Thank you very much for this info.
I also found out from another source the following info, quote;

Much of the weather deck was planked over with Japanese cypress with caulking between the planks.
This would have given a fairly smooth, even surface, such as you find on traditional sailing vessels.
Other areas such as forward where the anchor chains and ground tackle ran across the decks from the windless', and the aft area around the aircraft recovery crane, the steel deck plating was given an anti slip cross hatch pattern.
I seem to recall that there were work areas around the aircraft catapults and the aircraft trackways that were asphalt laid upon the steel decking.
Finally there were some areas along each side near the safety rails that had linoleum fastened with bronze clips, if memory serves me correctly.
These were light colored so as to give bridge officers a sense of the outline of the ship at night when navigating.

And then after that a little more info was given, quote;
Japanese cypress is a lot like teak in its weathering properties.
Normally the wood does not need to be oiled or sealed--in fact it does better without oiling or sealing.
In a marine environment which will tend to keep the wood wet, preservation is not a problem, and in dry spells, hosing it down with salt water daily will do the trick quite well.
It is sometimes part of the routine to holystone the decks--a sort of make-work for the crew who use slabs of sandstone to polish the wood.

This link gives a wiki article about Japanese Hinoki Cypress;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecyparis_obtusa
It is a quite beautiful evergreen which is also cultivated as a miniature banzai tree.

[CapStan]

I see from this pic of the Wisconsin as an example of battleship decking,
(since this is the Yamato thread, I'll just give a link);
download/file.php?id=27843&mode=view
that the planks seem to have been bolted down, with the bolt holes recessed and plugged.
It appears the planks had a narrow gap between them which could retain water and damage the planks?
Or is there caulking that is just not so easily visible from this photograph?

[Felix C]

Has anyone built or seen the Lifelife/Otaki 1/350 Yamato in as built configuration? Good kit?

I always see the Tamiya 1/350 which I guess is 1945 version.

[Atma]

The Otaki kit is a bit rare nowdays, Ebay I guess is your best chance.
On the other hand if you are interest in a IJN Yamato as build in big scale, Fujimi is going to release a IJN Yamato 1941 version late August in 1/500.
The Fujimi 1/500 IJN Yamato's is at the moment the best you can find.So far 3 versions are outg and one special, 1945, 1944 and soon 1941 plus a 1944 with complete set of PE and brass barrels.
The following links is for the 1941 Yamato and 1945 Yamato in 1/500.
1941:http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10155426
1945http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10098672
and
1944 with a complete set of PE/Brass Barrels:http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10139717
And the super IJN Yamato with 51 cm main guns and 10cm AA guns, that particular kit also includes the standard 46 cm and 12,7 cm AA guns so you can still can build it as a normal IJN Yamato.
Link:http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10144602

[Timmy C]

Gonna beat Atma to this and say: 1/500 1941 Yamato has been released: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10155426

[Atma]

Oh yay !! Thanks Timmy

[chuck]

They forgot to open the portholes.

[Atma]

On the 1941 IJN Yamato from Fujimi ? All the appropriate portholes for a 1941 build are in place.