Calling all IJN Kagero-class (陽炎) fans

[Dan K]

One does not come to mind. The only thing close is one of Ushio (Fubuki class) which is not readily at hand.

[denstore]

One does not come to mind. The only thing close is one of Ushio (Fubuki class) which is not readily at hand.

Anything would be nice. In fact, even something not IJN would probably be just fine. I just want something interesting to spice up my Yukikaze with.

[Dan K]

I always thought this sequence "inspirational."

[f14dtomcat]

Unrelated to Dan K's above, but worth a watch anyway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ASvFEmMuk watch from 35 seconds onwards........ 1:06 takes the cake in this vid.

[rdsaplala]

Hi guys

I just returned to building plastic kits after a prolonged "addiction" to wooden period ships.
I got the 1/350 Tamiya Yukikaze as my sort of "warm-up project" and would like to inquire from our IJN experts if there are any particular issues/inaccuracies with this kit that need to be addressed. I also plan to use the WEM 1/350 Kagero Class PE and would appreciate any feedback on how accurate this set of fittings is (attached below is a link to the contents):

https://www.whiteensignmodels.com/p/WEM ... LrSZeRLWEU

One, final question: I'm contemplating on getting the "Profile Warship" #22 and Profile Morskie #24 as references... are these any good or are there better references that I can use for this particular ship?

Thanks very much in advance

[Geno the Viking]

Warship Profile #22 is very nice but it is really dated. There is a lot of great info on the internet, particularly these forums.

[Dan K]

would like to inquire from our IJN experts if there are any particular issues/inaccuracies with this kit that need to be addressed

IMHO, the Tamiya kit is a superior kit, correct in scale, sharply molded, & 99% accurate. I'll note two errors that stick out. The first has to with the forward torpedo reload bays that sit on either side of #1 funnel. This kit, as does virtually every other Kagero class kit in every scale, shows the area under forward end of reload bays to be plated in.

In the course of another project that I am working on, I have learned that virtually every Kagero and Yugumo class DD DOES NOT have this area plated in and is open, as exemplified by the photo of Makinami below, on the rightmost quadrant. I don't know from whence this error comes, as there isn't a (clear) photo or Japanese sourced plan set that depicts it.

The kit has also perpetuated another error shown on every other Kagero class kit, which is the depiction of solid metal splinter plating around each of the twin or triple 25mm bandstand emplacements. Metal splinter protection for these areas was not introduced until the follow-on Yugumo and Matsu/Tachibana classes. Up until that point, all these emplacements were surrounded with two bar railings, and canvas and mesh rope covers.

If you go to p2 of this thread and enlarge the photo of Isokaze 1944 looking aft, you will see canvas and mesh surrounding the emplacements to either side of #2 funnel. (incidentally, this page also has a great post war photo of Yukikaze's bridge in late war rig, minus only the armor plates around her bridge deck, and the 25mm emplacement in front of the bridge.) Plus, there are plenty of postwar pics that show Yukikaze's railings around the emplacements intact.

There's also the open question of whether she and her remaining sisters actually carried a triple 25mm AA mount at war's end instead of the original twin 25mm AA in front of the brdige but, overall, it's a great kit.

I also plan to use the WEM 1/350 Kagero Class PE and would appreciate any feedback on how accurate this set of fittings is

I've not used this set but it looks generally correct. One big plus (not demonstrated by any other Kagero PE set) is that WEM does give you the TT reload bay framing supports with that first quadrant open. So, you'll just have to cut away the plastic behind this section. OTOH, this set does depict splinter plating around the 25mm emplacements, so, you'll have to cut those off and replace with two bar railing. Which can be had by purchasing a 1/350 GMM IJN railing set.

I'm contemplating on getting the "Profile Warship" #22 and Profile Morskie #24 as references... are these any good or are there better references that I can use for this particular ship?

While #22 occupies a treasured place in my reference library, it really only gives you a synopsis of IJN DD developement and a concise operational history for Yukikaze. The photos and illustrations are not great for modeling references. The Profile Morskie is OK, save for perpetuating the errors described above.

If you're good with digital references, then this link gives you large format images of several of the class: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Categ ... destroyers

HTH

[Dan K]

One other kit error that I forgot about. The kit comes with three (3) main turrets, even though only two are required for the late war fit. All three are molded with two horizontal rows of stiffeners along the face and sides of the lower portion of the turret. However, only #1 turret actually had the stiffeners. It's not until the follow-on Yugumo class that all three turrets gain these stiffeners.

So, you have to scrape off the stiffeners for the rear turret.

[rdsaplala]

Thanks very much, Geno, for sharing your insights on the references, I'll keep them in mind

Dan, thank you so much for those very detailed explanations, I really appreciate it
I hope you would bear with me as I have 2 additional questions on correcting the torpedo reload bays and aft turret:

For the reload bays, it indeed appears that the replacement WEM PE parts address this issue. As seen in the picture below, the instructions would have me remove the fore inner supports (encircled) to allow me to fit the PE parts:



I'm however confused as to which of the 2 approaches I should take in removing said structure:

First option: I remove the entire inner support structure as seen below:




Second option: leave the upper "wing-like" horizontal structure intact and attach the PE frame to this part (see pic below) :



Could you share your opinion on which of the two approaches is more correct before I slice away any plastic? (it would also be great to have some reference photos of the inner portions of these reload bays to help clarify this )


My second question is: am I correct to assume that these are the horizontal stiffeners (in arrows) that must be shaved off from the aft-most turret?





Sorry for the silly questions just want to make sure I understood things correctly before doing any "surgery" Thanks in advance for all the help

[Dan K]

You are most welcome, Aldo. There are no stupid questions, other than the ones unasked.

#1 - you are at the right end, but on the wrong side. You have circled the inside of the TT bay support. These projections are alignment guides that fit up against the base of #1 funnel. You need the point directly opposite these on the outside, where there is a vertical hatch.

#2 - Correct about these being the stiffeners. Leave for #1 turret, eliminate for the rear turret(s)

[rdsaplala]

Thanks again, Dan, roger that on the stiffeners
I apologize as I am still a bit confused on how to go about modifying the loading bays
I attached some additional pics to show my dilemma (moderators, please feel free to drop me a line if I'm over-posting my pics)

The first 2 pics below show the kit's port-side loading bay together with WEM's outer and inner PE frames that can be attached to it. The problem is attaching the inner frame would entail removal of the inside of the tt bay support.



Dry fitting the PE parts to the loading bay show's an even bigger problem.... ... at first I couldn't believe my eyes, but as seen below, the WEM parts are too big to be used for the kit



For the inner portion, I think my best option is to just leave the inner structure/inside of the tt base support untouched.

For the outer portion, I'm contemplating on either opening up the kit provided plating or scratch-building a new one from card or styrene sheet using the WEM PE as templates
I'm a bit lost on these loading bays so any suggestions/ alternative options would be much appreciated

[denstore]

Maybe those parts are made to fit the Hasegawa version? That kit is a bit oversize.

[Dan K]

Your last, bottom two posted photos correctly depicts the area in question as well as the possible reconfiguration.

Re: the WEM PE part, I think Denstore has it right in that it's oversized becasue it was probably engineered for the slightly overscale Hasegawa version. You therefore have two choices: trim down the WEM piece (if brass, shouldn't be terrible) by removing the frames from the bottom or, forget the WEM PE and just trim the plastic.

If you go with the WEM option, I think you would be better served by not using the rear brace and just opening up the plastic guide on the left in the rear (forward most side). Don;t eliminate the entire guide.

If you go with trimming the plastic, then I would try to replicate the opening as I have done below with the 1/700 Fujimi Kagero bays as part of an experiment. The piece on the right. The advantage to sticking with the plastic is that you can also drill out lightening holes along the top, as in the Makinami photo.

[rdsaplala]

Thanks, Dan and Denstore, I took a peak at my Hasegawa Yukikaze (yes, I plead guilty to getting two kits of the same ship of the same period, most modellers do right? ). A side by side comparison shows Tamiya and Hasegawa are pretty close in size so it appears that WEM made a little booboo in sizing their piece.... a shame really, it would have made an excellent replacement for the kit parts if properly sized



Thanks for sharing those pics Dan, you've done some stunning modifications on your reloading bay, excellent work, Sir I'll follow your advise and go with plastic as positions of the openings in the WEM PE are a bit off. Hopefully, with some careful knife work I could open up the kit parts' fore portion and enlarge the middle two openings down to the level of the hatches (yellow lines) to make them more faithful to the original Makinami photos.



Thanks again for the help guys, time to slice off some plastic

[Dan K]

Well, there are two access hatches down there so, I wouldn't open those two holes too far south.

It turns out that only a handful of all the Kageros and Yugumos have the openings in the center; most sisters have solid sided compartments in that place. Here are two views that may be helpful.

[rdsaplala]

Thanks for the heads up, as well as those excellent reference pics, Dan
Based on these, it appears that the kit part's center two holes just need a touch of sanding on their bottom borders... come to think of it, they even appear accurate enough to be left unmodified. Either way, this means less work for me so I can devote more time on opening up the foremost quadrant

One thing has caught my attention upon close observation of the pics... I don't know if it's just the angle/lighting of the shot, but it appears that the front face of the reload bay (yellow arrow) is also open(?)

[Dan K]

Could be, or in shadow, or an open access hatch. I see a lot of potential variability for theis area for the class as a whole. I don;t have access right now to one other photo that I'm thinking of.

[rdsaplala]

Thanks for the help, Dan, I appreciate it

[Dan K]

I haven't hada chance to scan the photo but it is a shot of Shiranui approaching Kongo for refueling in early 1942. In it, the facing is solid.

[rdsaplala]

No prob Dan, your description is more than enough, I'll leave the front face solid as per your advise