1/700 Taiho (??) 1944 - Fujimi

[taskforce48]

Phenomenal work! Absolutely loving it

Matt

[Dan K]

Thanks, guys.

I like the paper spacer for the arrestor wires.

A bit of newspaper. I keep knocking the wires and paint flakes off. So, I shove a bit of paper under it and paint it lightly. It works.

The ship has been flatcoated and its onto the rigging. References are very contradictory. Such fun. I spend more time researching than building.

[marijn van gils]

Beautiful work Dan!

For arrestor wires, I found it easier to discard the PE 'wire' and use rigging material instead. Far easier to get it perfectly straight, less fragile, and no paint flaking problem. It also looks less 'flat' than PE. Too late now of course, but maybe an idea for the next carrier?

[Dan K]

Thx, Marijn.

In retrospect, yes, the PE versions have been more trouble then their worth. Rigging material would have worked better. I�ve considered replacing everything, but the likelihood of taking up the current mounts is fraught with danger. At this point, I am leaning towards just attempting to reset 3 of the cables and bases that are the most blatant offenders. If I can do that successfully, the overall result should be pretty good.

In the meantime, I�ve been working on the rigging of the radio aerials. Again, there are discrepancies in the available plans, so I chose to rig them in what I thought the most logical arrangements, based on typical IJN practices as I understand them.

I did manage to pop off one of the radio masts with an ill-timed flick of the wrist. Thankfully, the damage was minimal and the mast re-installed. The next step will be adding insulators.

[Dan K]

A few days ago, the Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Taiho was commissioned into service at the Kaplanaki Naval Dockyard. Sadly, the ceremony took place under gloomy, rainy skies. Even more depressing was the complete absence of cheering throngs, or even the crew, due to the ongoing Covid-19 virus.

Reportedly, there is no air group yet available, again because aircraft factories are idled due to absent workers. As a result, only sea trials are to be conducted in the foreseeable future. Assuming a crew can be mustered up.

[blacman]

Beautifull

[J.F.S.]

Outstanding!

[taskforce48]

Gawd what a gorgeous build! Outstanding work as always Dan. My compliments to all the skilled workers in Kaplanaki Naval Dockyard

Matt

[Nino]

Wholeheartedly agree with all the above.
Especially superb craftsmanship on all the special details you added.

Cloudy skies aside, This is a bright day for your Taiho.
This has got to be your proudest commissioning ever.

Nino

[Vladi]

Awesome, congrats!

[Devin]

Nicely done, Dan.

[Dan K]

Thank you very, very much, my friends. Your comments are truly appreciated.

Some work began on aircraft canopies last night, but not much. You know how hard it is to get a work shift together these days.

More on the aircraft to come.

[Jeroen]

Breathtaking stuff Dan! Love to see your work in general and especially progress on this one!

[marijn van gils]

Congrats Dan! She really is a beauty! Wonderful project!

The arrestor wires look great as they are. I would certainly not suggest to replace them now; I just meant it may be easier to use rigging material on your next carrier.
I hope the next project will be a carrier too? I would love to see a Soryu from you, or Ryuho...

[Joe Simon]

This is your most impressive work! Can't wait to see it in person! I'm sure the airwing will be equally impressive!

[MartinJQuinn]

I hope the next project will be a carrier too?

The next project is going to be completely outside of Dan's usual wheelhouse!

[gscott]

Just checked this thread after being away for a while....incredible! Stunning work, Dan, especially the hangar details. The quality of detail is as good your magnificent Kawasaki tankers. Beautiful model of a beautiful ship. Very inspiring stuff! I do believe you have another award-winner here.

[marijn van gils]

The next project is going to be completely outside of Dan's usual wheelhouse!

Intriguing!
A 54mm figure diorama with Roman legionnaires? A 1/16 Harley Davidson? A 1/700 American ship model?

[Dan K]

Thank you, everybody!!! Those comments really brighten my day.

Really good guesses, Marijn. Maybe I should go with all three.

However, not a further word on the upcoming project until I'm done with this one. Which may never happen if I slit my wrists out of frustration. The airwing has been an absolute b*t*h. As to why, I'll explain in my next post.

Regarding Taiho's airwing, I note that I often see many modelers depict her with a full deck load of aircraft. She did launch one full deck load at the Phillippine Sea before she was hit with the fatal torpedo. That strike was composed of 16 A6M5 Zeros, 17 D4Y1 Judys and 9 B6N2 Tenzans.

Interestingly, that strike package of 39 aircraft just might be the largest single deck load launch of the war by an IJN carrier, matched perhaps only be similar deck loads the same day from Shokaku and Zuikaku, which accompanied Taiho as the whole of CarDiv 1. I certainly can't think of another such occasion. Also interesting is that this is one of the very rare times during the war that a strike package has a mix of fighters, dive bombers and torpedo bombers, which was a departure from the Japanese practice of one type attack aircraft per carrier, combined with the other type from a companion carrier. Possibly the only time.

Regarding my build, I do know that I will not be depicting a full strike package.

[Dan K]

So, my intent is to display approximately 9 A6M5 Zeros, 15-18 B6N2 Tenzans (Jill), some with folded wings, and 3 D3Y1 Vals used for ASW work on the flight deck. I may place a Tenzan or two into the hangar. I've also chosen to replace the molded-on aircraft canopies with photo etch versions.

Of all the late war 1/700 aircraft sets currently on the market, I judged the Lion Roar set the most accurate in shape, particularly for the Tenzans. Some photoetch is included, mostly landing gear and propellers, plus some molded ordinance. Among the available photoetch sets for late war IJN aircraft that includes canopies, only Artist Hobby (Taiho Weapons set, sold separately, and as part of the Taiho Super Set) and Rainbow offer options. Of the two, I feel that the AH versions are actually scaled a bit better, and that set does provide 18 canopies each for the Zeros, Jills, and Judys.

The short version behind their construction is that assembling the aircraft and replacing the canopies was an unmitigated, agonizingly slow, PAIN. Each type required a learning curve in terms of properly trimming off the molded canopies, shaping that portion of the fuselage, bending the PE and placing it on properly.

All the LR aircraft require a joining together of a wing with a concave center section and a fuselage with a convex hollow to meet the wing section. In theory, this should work well, but the Tenzan fuselages are cursed with an enormous attachment point to the sprue that requires careful removal. The other aircraft types aren�t quite as bad. I did trash 2 Zero fuselages and some canopies. The PE canopies are incredibly small and challenging to work with. It is an understatement to say that a great deal of eyestrain ensued, and that�s with a magnifier light, and glasses. Not to mention the backache.

One batch of three LR Zeros was improperly molded, so I had to order more LR aircraft. They are in transit, but I grew impatient. So, I substituted different A6M5s from the original Waterline Consortium�s Late War Aircraft set. These happened to be nicely shaped, but are of much harder, green plastic, so they required a lot of effort to modify. I used some Finemolds photoetch for their landing gear.

It's taken me about 10 days to get to this point. Next step is a light coat of paint to see if surface corrections are necessary