Calling all IJN Takao-class (高雄型) fans

[Atma]

I still insist, the Aoshima and Pit - Roads kits needs a alot of work to be a satisfied build of an accurate representation of a IJN Takao class.
Fujimi's kit with just a simple PE set you can have a gem.
And of course Fujimi offers a complete PE set:
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10137742

Plus, for those that want the main armament of Fujimi's IJN Takao and the heavy and light AA, Fujimi is releasing those sprues separately too:
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10149040

[Dan K]

I agree that the Aoshima and PitRoad require much more work to make into a gem. However, the Fujimi is not a gem OOB, just better. It still requires some effort, and correction. Agreed that it has a great PE set.

[Atma]

Well of course I said that again:
There is never a pefect kit, but if you want your sanity ignore all the Aoshima's and especially Pit-Road releases of IJN Takao class.

[Dan K]

OK, I can agree to that

[Atma]

Here is a nice IJN Takao using Fujimi and various PE set:

[Dan K]

Very , very nice, though the modeler built the Type 21 radar incorrectly.

[mermaid]

Well of course I said that again:
There is never a pefect kit, but if you want your sanity ignore all the Aoshima's and especially Pit-Road releases of IJN Takao class.

Do you mean Aoshima's recent releases in 1/350 as well?

[Atma]

1/700 releases.

[J.F.S.]

Hello,
I realize that the 1942 Takao and 1942 Chokai had many differences in there past lives,did Aoshima depict this correctly in there 1/350 retake versions? Or are they the same kits in different boxes?
Thankyou
Joe

[Atma]

All the differences are depicted in the new "retake" release from Aoshima. Actually, all releases in any scale from all the manufactures have those differences.

[Dan K]

Put another way, the Aoshima 1/350 versions accurately depict their differences. These retake versions have tooling improvements, including having most of the deck equipment (hawser reels, mushroom vents, lockers, etc.) molded separately, as they were supposed to have been with the original issue. Makes for easier paintng. I think some of the weapons sprues may have been updated as well.

[J.F.S.]

Thankyou Gentlemen!

[Guest]

I am looking at the Aoshima 1/350 Takao / Chokai hull part and it appears to me that the thickness of the bow is not correct there. The edge is widening down too soon creating improper thickness.
It also looks that the anchor lips are placed too close to the bow (or a bit over-scaled) and that hull plating is far too much exaggerated.
It also looks the stern end is too compressed compared with the same seen on the photographs of prototype, which has a nicely rounded end.
The plating and thickness can be sanded down, but to change the rest could be rather challenging.

It would be interesting to see if anyone else tried to correct ht kits flaws

[Dan K]

If you mean the fineness of the bow from looking head-on, I would agree. It can be thinned and sharpened a bit with sanding. I'd also agree about the hull plating.

If you mean the stern is too narrow when viewed from above, I'm not sure I would agree. I can't really tell about the placement of the anchors. FWIW.

[mermaid]

Yes, that's right. That rear looks more rounded than the kits:

ashigara (.jpg (20.35 KiB) Viewed 3490 times

and the anchor position and proportion :

Is it a bit different then on the kit?

[Dan K]

I don't have the kit in front of me, so I couldn't say. From the look of the Miyukikai and AOTS plans, its not a perfect semicircle.

If you could measure the distance from the anchor hawse hole to say, the vertical plate that the chrsanthenum is mounted on, we could compare to either plan set.

[mermaid]

it looks like Aoshima made kits by those plans - replicating all plating lines which did not existed in reality and the rest of the things I mentioned. Perhaps, there would be other issues with the Aoshima kits, as I only noticed what was laying on the surface.

[redoctober27]

Hey guys, Question .... Wasn't there to be a new tooled IJN Maya to come out this summer from Fujimi ?

[Dan K]

Atma would know best.

[redoctober27]

This is true Dan k