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

[gnorfen]

The Fujimi's model is based on a real Design A-150 battleship. They where 2 option for the Japanese to choose, a 3 turret and a 4 turret version. Fujimi's is the more feasible or natural choice had the Japanese build those mammoths of battleship it will be the 3 turret design.
Never the less in all this designs there where no triple (or double 15.5 cm secondaries) only double DP 10 cm high angle new antiblast design turrets. The same(but different turret design), like the one used on IJN Akizuki destroyers, IJN Oyodo light cruisers and IJN Taiho air craft carrier.

In my old Fujimi The Phantom Weapon Yamato Type (42142) the 15,5 cm turrets are retained and 12 (6 per side 10 cm turrets) placed as in Yamato 1945, so that model seems to have been based on different sources. So there is a difference in the new kit.

[Randy Stone]

"...In my old Fujimi The Phantom Weapon Yamato Type (42142) the 15,5 cm turrets are retained and 12 (6 per side 10 cm turrets) placed as in Yamato 1945, so that model seems to have been based on different sources. So there is a difference in the new kit..."

On what basis does Fujimi make these differences ?

Randy Stone

[Oterlia]

What is the correct number of 25 mm guns on Yamato and Musashi on their final mission ?

Yamato 52x3 + 8x1 ?

Musashi 37x3 + 26x1 ?

I am building both in 1/200

[Guest]

52 x 3 (.25 mm) is correct.

As far as 8 x 1 or 6 x 1 (Depends on whether there were two or four 1's near the stern. I've seen it depicted both ways in Japanese reconstructions. I personally did 8 x 1 in my 1/200 Yamato build and will do the same in my ongoing 1/144 build.)

Hope this helps.

[bucketfoot-al]

Regarding Yamato in 1945:

52 x 3 (.25 mm) is correct.

As far as 8 x 1 or 6 x 1 (Depends on whether there were two or four 1's near the stern. I've seen it depicted both ways in Japanese reconstructions. I personally did 8 x 1 in my 1/200 Yamato build and will do the same in my ongoing 1/144 build.)

Hope this helps.

(Sorry about the double post. I forgot to log in.)

[Oterlia]

Thank you for answers.

What about Musashi ?

[bucketfoot-al]

Don't know offhand about Mushashi; My Takara 1/700 Musashi is packed right now. If I find it over the weekend I'll post a photo. Its accurate right up to the rocket launchers that were installed just behind the main superstructure, but never used. (Zuikaku DID use rocket launchers during the Battle of Cape Engano, BTW).

In the meantime here is an ebay listing of the Takara Musashi in the 1944 configuration. These 2005 Takara models are the most accurate reconstruction of both the Yamato and Musashi that I have seen.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Takara-Micro-Wor ... 0657665657

NOTE ON THAT LISTING: ONLY THE FIRST PHOTO IS OF THE MUSASHI - THE CLOSEUPS ARE A HODGE PODGE OF PARTS FROM THE VARIOUS YAMATO MODELS

[Oterlia]

That's great. It looks like only eight shielded 25mm turrets that was onboard originally are there.

That Musashi got rocket launchers was new for me. Would love to see photos.

I also see that the deck is dark. I am not sure if I am going to paint the deck dark or if Im going to add wooden deck and try to make it darker. What have you done ?

[bucketfoot-al]

Well, I never built the Musashi. The Takara is a pre-painted snap-together kit (with over 120+ small pieces!).

So long as its dark grey it doesn't matter how you paint it, I guess.

The Musashi rocket launcher info is earlier on this loooong thread. Each was located just above the upper 5" gun between the funnel and the main tower - see the photo linked below:

[Oterlia]

That looks nice. I see they used the earlier light posts for the rocket launchers.

Now I have bought both Takara Yamato and Musashi. Will be nice to have as reference to the 1/200 scale ships. They were expensive, but if you really want some...

Earlier I was in contact with Amax-Toys about their 1/200 Shinano. They could not sell the kit as an unbuilt and unpainted kit. I wanted to make Shinano from the Nichimo Yamato, but ended up buying the Amax-Toys ready made kit. I will receive it in the end of April or beginning of May. Maybe I make a Nichimo rebuilt later.

So during this year I hopefully will have all the three sisters in the 1/200 scale. The three largest warship during WWII.

[prowannab]

I plan on doing a resting place for a part of my "progressive build" for the Yamato, but I am coming across conflicting information. In this pic you can see that the bow is mostly upright and the stern is upside down and mostly inline with the bow.

In this pic you basically see the same layout except for the bow is at a much more extreme angle.

In this pic you can see that the bow is at a lower angle and is pointing directly at the stern.

In these next 2 pics you can clearly see that the bow is in a lower angle than the pic above, but what I can't seem to find is how the bow rests in relation to the stern, I would think that with the ship breaking apart on or close to the surface that the two sections would be apart from each other, but truth is stranger than fiction. Does anyone know with a relative certainty how the ship lays.

[bucketfoot-al]

The black and white photo above is of a model of the wreck from the Yamato Museum in Kure. It was assembled from the surveys of the wreck and is the accurate representation of the position of the two pieces.

Yamato went down in about 400 meters of water (the ship itself was about 270 meters long), so it was a comparatively short distance to the bottom. That plus the fact that both parts were essentially fully waterlogged when she blew apart would account for the position of the pieces - ie they went straight down after she blew herself apart.

What's more interesting to me is that a survey of the wreck discloses the number of torpedo hits she took fairly clearly - 20. Of course, if there were a couple of more around the point where she blew apart, we'll never know. Since Musashi "only" took 17 (2 of which didn't detonate), Yamato indeed took more punishment than any ship ever did. And that's not even counting the 20+ bombs that hit her decks ...

[bucketfoot-al]

The last two photos above do not tell you anything about the orientation of the bow because they are composite shots from a submersible. The bow is in fact fairly upright on the bottom, as can be seen in the video documentary footage. You can find that footage on youtube if you search for "Nova - Sinking the Supership"

[Oterlia]

My Yamato class project in 1/200.

In the backgroud is Yamato. Nichimo 1/200 Yamato kit. I started this kit some time ago, but did not finish it, because I had to find more information of details. Will be finished to Ten-Go configuration.

In the forground is Musashi. Same kit as the other one, but will be rebuilt to Musashi when she was in the Sibuyan sea.

Shinano will be added later. Amax-Toy 1/200 kit. The building of it will not be done by me, since Amax- Toys refused to sell me a unbuilt and unpainted kit. It will be built by them. Maybe I scratchbuild one later from a Nichimo kit.

[Oterlia]

Another photo.

In the forground from left, 1/700 Musashi 1942 Tamiya, built in the end of 80's I think. Then 1/700 Yamato in 1944 configuration from Takara. Then an unfinished built of 1/700 Shinano 1944 from Tamiya.

In the centerline is a 1/350 Yamato from Tamiya, old tool. I built this kit when I was a solidier in Lenanon in 1993-94. I did not have a singel photo of the ship, so it was built straight out of the box with only the kit box as a reference.

[prowannab]

WOW! Those things are huge. I want one!!!

[prowannab]

Can anyone tell me what these ships names are.I know which ones survived the mission, but I haven't a clue as to which ones they are in this picture. I want to get them right in the dio I'm building.Thanks for the help.

[prowannab]

I also have yet another question, I seen in the movie Yamato, That she had rivets on her hull and various locations throughout the ship. On the model at Kure there doesn't seem to be any rivets. I also read somewhere that the builders used welding extensively on her construction. So my question is were there rivets or not? Thanks for the help.

[Oterlia]

Can anyone tell me what these ships names are.I know which ones survived the mission, but I haven't a clue as to which ones they are in this picture. I want to get them right in the dio I'm building.Thanks for the help.

The three destroyers that was close to pick up survivors from Yamato were Fuyuzuki, Yukikaze and Hatsushimo. So most likely its them. They were of three different classes, so if you get a nice zoom of the photo, you should be able to figure out which one is which one.

[Channell]

Does anyone know if anybody has been the Musashi wreck and/or it's condition? Was she sunk in deep or shallow water?