Calling all IJN Aoba (青葉) and Kinugasa (衣笠) fans

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

Received a New Year�s email card from Japan,,
Aoba as shown in late 1941 where the funnel band is erased off.


Mutsuo Sasaki.

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

It�s too bad, the stbd side is almost totally doktored,and the degaussing cable is not to be seen,either.
However, I should think some modellers and/or ijn researchers have done fairly well in reproducing this cable on Aoba models 1941-42 through to 1945.


cheers,
Mutsuo Sasaki,

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

hello,gents, and boys be ambitious!(dr.Clarke)

I�m yet to come to the issue of the degaussing cable of Aoba/Kinugasa,
Though,there�s a certain similarity in the way of cabling for the degaussing measures.

Here�s Aoba�s degz. cable im comparison with Takao class cruiser MAYA
which most probably had the same long dip around this hull section of the stern area.

Mutsuo Sasaki,

correction : the word remnents in the composite image be corrected into remnants

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

This recognition drawing of AOBA is descriving positions of AA armamnent fairly correctly,and i�m wodering how they(US Naval Intelligence) got it�s info as shown in this.
And i think if those who are thinking diffrently fom this recognition on Aoba as of 1944, are quite hitting amiss in view of her AA armament. Especially many are liable to express 4 x AA mg guns and tubs on the aircraft deck of their nice models,which is not correct, actually.

But it will be quiteok, since a model is a model,nothing but a model.

/mucho,

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

Before adding density of details to a model of Aoba,there are so many things ranging from installations, gears ,their places, sizes and dimensions which will have to be identified. In this sense Aoba/Kinugasa are few of IJN fighting ships which pose the best and tough challenge.Mutsuo Sasaki,

To help keep thread size down the image is deleted as "in-progress" one.

[Dan K]

Beautiful work on Aoba, Mucho.

I think your doctored postcard view is the same as seen in this photo of Aoba, Oct. 1941 from the Combined Fleet at its Zenith book. But, you probably know that.

She should be carrying her degaussing cable at this point but, it's all in shadow.

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

Thank you, Dan,
I �ve also checked the same pic on 4 different books in the past,(incl. two versions of CFAIZ books)
Truly because of the shadow,none of them could present the aft.long-dipped portion of the degz. cable
except for the fwd dip abow.
They are ,afterall ,all printed ones. I bet the original photo from the GT Sun Co. must be much clearer and better.

The only visual ,good reference will other two photos which show the aft dip of the cable;one from Aoba�s stern
and the other from Kinugasa.
I used them to make an illust with;I can say they are endorcing the fact both Aoba & Kinugasa have the same pattern around the hull portion in question.


Mutsuo S.

[ijnfleetadmiral]

Here's a better (colorized, no less!) version of the Aoba pic...doesn't look like she has a degaussing cable at this point.

http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/irootoko_jr/ ... 205ca9.jpg

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

]Here's a better (colorized, no less!) version of the Aoba pic...doesn't look like she has a degaussing cable at this point. http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/irootoko_jr/ ... 205ca9.jpg


yeah, it was hard to see the cable, yet, one can narrowly see it depending on the condition of printing in various books. I think Umi to Sora magazine( a pre-war issue) is way better, the original photo from the negatives might be much better. From here too, outline of the cabling is perceivable.

Mutsuo Sasaki

[Mike C]

I enlarged the colorized photo in AI and what I interpret seems to agree with Mr. Sasaki. I only drew lines for what I considered to be the cable. The aft section looks like it follows the line of the deck, between the portholes and the deck edge, and it looks like it wraps around the stern, just below the deck edge. I couldn't make out anything forward of where my red line stops. BTW, I did this before I saw Mr. Sasaki's image.



Mike

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

Mike C & others,
Start of the first dip at the bow section may lie somewhere in the area which is marked with circle(s) in green color. This could be the same as Furutaka/Kako�s.

I remember having seen one modeller of 1/700 Aoba kitmodel did express the entire cable almost correctly.
Other models are not. About the stern section there�s a photo of her which shows how the cable is arranged.
It seems so far so good.

mutsuo sasaki
photo material used; vice admiral Bogan 074 ,National Aviatoin Museum, San Diego

[Mike C]

This may sound a bit simplistic, but is there a single source that most accurately depicts Aoba, Kinugasa, Kako and Furutaka in any particular time frame? Are the builds and drawings in Model Art #50 anywhere close to being accurate? I have the YMW 1/350 Furutaka, but I want to incorporate as many upgrades and corrections as possible, as well as investigate the feasibility of converting it to Aoba and/or Kinugasa. If there is no single source, are there any sources, either in print or as online builds that would come closest to being accurate?

The reference I currently have are: Gakken #44, Grand Prix cruisers, Maru Special #2 - Mechanism of IJN heavy cruisers, the Maru Naval Specials, and a hardbound Mechanism of Japanese Warships #3 - Heavy Cruisers, but I don't read Japanese and have had trouble isolating references to specific dates and fits.

If anyone has, or has built, the YMW Furutaka and can illuminate any inaccuracies or deficiencies, that would also be helpful. Alternatively, can anyone steer me to other forums that might cover other aspects of these ships, like what are the "other IJN cruiser fans forums" mentioned by Mr. Sasaki?

Mike

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

Mike,
Is the drawing on MA#50 the same as this?
???
download/file.php?id=44153&mode=view

I took a glimpse of the YMW 1/350 Furutaka model on the net, this kit is full of innacuracies and erroneousnesses,I have to say at least. You will need a 1/200 or 1/350 Furutaka drawing if you�re going to make drastic alternations on the YMW Furutaka kitmodel,I think.

mutsuo sasaki,

[Mike C]

Mutsuo,

The Furutaka in Model Art #50 looks like this:

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae30 ... taka42.jpg

It also includes builds and drawings for the other three near-sisters, all as they appeared in 1942.

Do you have any suggestions for a good set of plans as a starting point for Furutaka?

Thanks,
Mike

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

Mike C,
This drawing of Kako became a major basis for molding Pit Road 1/700 kitmodel,further to Hasegawa 1/700.
I must say this version (1/200) is not final,so I had to add & correct more for the final version later.

I gave the original to the Pitroad,then it was circulated to Model Art,their illustrators obviously made some additions or corrections on it,too. Especially,figuring out postions numbers and intervals of each porthole has been a streneous work for me in late 80�es ,MA and kitmodel companies just used the porthole info from this as well as other infos. These are the only drawings in fraction that are now left 25 years after.
For this work mr Fukui Shizuo and his assistant(now the curator of the Yamato Museum) have been of a great assistance.

/mutsuo sasaki

[Dan K]

NICE! What is the source of the plan, Mucho?

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

NICE! What is the source of the plan, Mucho?..............Drawing mady by a modeller a.k.a. mutsuo uchiyama.
He checked Sasebo and Kure NY info.

M.Sasaki

[Mike C]

Thank you, Mucho. Based on the number of people who have worked on the drawings, I'll take that as an endorsement of their accuracy, based on information that is known at this time. Now comes the work of correcting the model.

I can empathize with your quest for accuracy on these ships. I've spent about 20 years (on and off) researching a ship my father served in, USS Holland (AS-3), and I still don't know what the engine room induction vents on the starboard main deck look like. I gave the plans to Blue Water Models for their 1/350 kit and they still got several shapes and details wrong.

After you finish with your research and build your model, do you have any ambitions for writing a book on the Aoba, or any others of their respective classes? At this point you must certainly be the foremost authority on that ship.

Best regards,
Mike

[Mutsuo Sasaki]

I've spent about 20 years (on and off) researching a ship my father served in, USS Holland (AS-3), and I still don't know what the engine room induction vents on the starboard main deck look like. I gave the plans to Blue Water Models for their 1/350 kit and they still got several shapes and details wrong.
(Mike)

Mike, I�m not familiar with USS Hol?and or the same type of ship,could it happen those vents/intakes are behind some installations on the side view plan? I can tell you this was the case with Kako and Aoba;some of them are not visible on the plan, and japanese kitmodellers might not have been able to detect them suppose they got what they needed from sources or other materials...

BR
mutsuo S.

[Haijun watcher]

Hi all,

I skimmed the thread for anything that might help me and couldn't find an answer to my question, so I apologize if this has already been answered before.

Could one use Hasegawa's Kinugasa 1942 kit to build Aoba in the same time period?

Or were there distinct differences between the 2 sisters that would mean I should try to look for an Aoba 1942 kit instead?

My Kinugasa kit has decals for her sister but I just wanted to double-check if I could build Aoba.