Kawasaki class oil tankers in 1/700�Kenyo & Kyokuto Maru (F)

[Goodwood]

They never do these things easy do they, these measurement people?

[Dan K]

No, they really don't. The ball is in Jose's court now

Despite my firm belief that depicting hull plating in 1/700 is unrealistic in terms of scale, even I have to admit that the hull plating on the actual Kawasaki types seems very pronounced. Which is undoubtedly why Fujimi chose to depict the plating on their kits. However, IMHO, the kit version is exaggerated to a point beyond ludicrous, which is why I sanded them off. Mindful of the appearance of the Kawasaki types, I have been wondering if the horizontal aspect of the plating could be reproduced in a more subtle way then the methods that I tend to see. So, I�ve tried an experiment.

I used Micron tape to block off rows of what would correspond to recessed portions of the hull plating. I then applied several coats of paint. After drying, the tape was removed. I found it hard to control an even flow of paint over all areas equally, so there was some excess paint build up in some areas at the interface of paint/no paint once the tape had been removed. Some light sanding was required (and more likely).

I then sprayed another thin coat of neutral gray over the hull, just to see the basic effect.

[Neptune]

Great job on that plating Dan, came out perfectly. Shouldn't be anything more than what you see in your model. Very neat!

As for the tonnes, tanker capacities are generally made in volumes, cubic meters, or barrels, since in general the volume is what limits the cargo loaded and not the weight. With I mean that with most densities of cargo (and due to this varying density the carrying capacity is expressed in volume rather than weight), the ship will not be at its maximum allowed summer draught/draft.

In practice, a ship with a summer draft of 12m in seawater and a corresponding displacement of 15,000t , will with full capacity (95% or 98% of volume depending on cargo) of cargo in its tanks (and bunkers), not weigh 15,000t but rather 14,000+t , this will then correspond to a draught less than 12m and well within the limitations of the ship. Therefore it is the volumetric capacity of a tanker that is more important than the weight capacity.

I never really paid attention to these Kawasaki tankers, but they are a rather nice looking design (in a way )

[sgtryan13]

I really dig the plating effect, nice job! A little light weathering and a wash should really make it pop.

[GazzaS]

I've been digging this entire thread. It's amazing to see the fine and clean detail on such a small scale.

[Dan K]

Gentlemen, I thank you. The plating did turn out as well as I hoped. I doubt that plating will become a regular part of my repertoire but, it certainly works well here.

I've just added anchors. I was willing to use the kit pieces but those anchor shanks are too brittle and short to bend and fit into the hawsepipe. So, in another first for me, I used some PE IJN anchors from FlyHawk. Glad I did.

This class did use a rather large anchor.

[J. Soca]

The ball is in Jose's court now

Oh no! its in and out metric systems are not my cup of tea at all, Although you do learn a few things everyday thanks for yours and Neptune comments about it. Lets just all get back to the model for now..



Jose

[Land_shark]

Hi Dan, very nice build to follow and learn.
What size of micron tape are you using? 2.5mm?
I would like to give that tape a try.
Thanks

[Dan K]

Thx, LS. In this particular case, I used the 1.5mm.

[blacman]

Great !! Just great

[Dan K]

Unexpectedly, a little too much of real life has transpired in the 3+ months since my last posting on this thread. The 2014 NATS, a family vacation, a nasty respiratory ailment, and the untimely passing of my father have made it a pretty tough couple of months. But, my enthusiasm for modeling has slowly returned and I can now resume this thread.

Modeling-wise, several steps have transpired since the last post. I shifted my attention to Kyokuto Maru�s deck, eliminated all the molded on piping and winches, added oil tank storage access hatch detail as well additional hatches themselves. Note that the size and position of several forward access ways differ from those of Kenyo Maru. Note also that some of the air intake vents atop the small deckhouses are different as well.

A big error on Fujimi�s part for the iterations of Kyokuto & Toa Maru is the positioning of the forward bridge structure on the hull. This is IN ADDITION TO the incorrect shape of the kit bridge for these two ships. (Oh, PitRoad, why haven�t you focused here? 4 possible variants.) Proper positioning moves the bridge face a further 3mm back from the bow. In turn, the move entails moving or replacing the hull siding in this are to meet the edges of the lowest bridge deck. I toyed with both cutting/moving or replacing the siding. Ultimately, I ended up cutting and moving the siding.

[J.F.S.]

Hi Dan,
I would like to express my condolences to you and your Family for the passing of your Father.Your models are really looking great.
Joe

[Dan K]

Thx, Joe. I really appreciate that.

So, jumping back to Kenyo Maru for a moment. As mentioned before, I�ve not been happy with the safety lane markings on Kenyo Maru: too white and too wide. I�m not confident about graying out the color with a wash without affecting the other colors so, I decided to just narrow them by covering portions of the lines and reshooting with dark grey. Yes, it was more work, but I�m happier with the result. I spliced together a before and after photo to show the result. It may be more obvious in person. Based on this experience, I developed a different approach for Kyokuto Maru�s safety lines.

Btw, it�s likely that both sides of the main deck of these ships, fore and aft, had safety lanes painted on. Photos exist of lanes to either side, fore and aft, for various sisters. There�s just no single photo, or group of photos, taken to document that all these lanes were marked simultaneously on any given tanker.

[Joe Simon]

Very sorry Dan on your loss.

[Dan K]

Thank you, Joe.

My approach to the safety lanes on Kyokuto Maru took a different path. First, I sprayed some dark grey (the chosen main deck color) over the portions of the deck that hold the lanes. I then marked off the lanes with 1mm wide Micron tape to delineate the actual lanes. I then sprayed white paint over the same area.

I removed the 1mm tape and covered over the grey pathway with 1.5mm wide Micron tape, taking care to leave equal widths of white to either side of the grey track. It took a little concentration, but was hardly difficult. Eventually, I will spray the entire deck with dark grey paint. When I remove the 1.5mm tape, I�ll expect to have lane markings 0.25mm wide per side, which works out to a very reasonable 6.8� scale width per side.

I chose to remove the 1mm tape and replace it instead of just laying the 1.5mm width tape on top of it for two reasons: 1) It�s a lot easier to center the wider tape over a dark undercoat than a lighter one, & 2) I felt that 0.25mm margin of tape to either side would not stick properly to the deck surface for a tight seal.

Note that the safety lanes fore and aft on Kyokuto Maru are documented to have run on the port side. On Kenyo Maru, and the later sisters, there is clear evidence that the lane on the aft main deck runs on the starboard side; there are no photos documenting if another lane was on the port side, aft.

[Dan K]

Yet another feature lacking on these kits are the wave shields that are placed at hull breaks leading to the 01 deck off the main deck on either side of the bridge or aft superstructures. I say lacking because Fujimi did try to model them by thickening the side wall of the hull at these points. I would say the effort is ineffectual, at the least.

The first image is an example the kit versions from an OOB build of the Fujimi kit by Motoyuki Iwashige. The next four images are views of the actual shields.

[Dan K]

Then comes my version, made of styrene. Not so hard. I also installed bulwarks ribbing.

[LE BOSCO]

this is the kind of details that make the difference between a simple model and an exceptional model
Dan you are in the second category with your models
cheers
Nicolas

[MartinJQuinn]

this is the kind of details that make the difference between a simple model and an exceptional model
Dan you are in the second category with your models

Yeah, what he said.

[Dan K]

Wow, thank you.

One thing that I�ve spent a ridiculous and inordinate amount of time on has been a new anchor windlass for these ships. The molded on kit version is overly simplistic, like a basic box, and I find it unsatisfying in terms of detail, mostly because there is none.