The Ship Model Forum

I created the supporting bases out of styrene strip. The tires were resin cast from brass rod originals, and the stuffed matting versions were also cast from originals composed of styrene rod and putty that were sanded to shape.

That's a great detail Dan, and well executed!

Glad to see you're still making progress on these.

Cheers,

Marijn

Thanks, Marijn. I'll post some placement pics next week, I think.

Dan, it hurts me just to look at the fenders next to the penny. Simply attempting that would send me around the bend very quickly
Best ship in show, indeed.

Found on page four, so time to bump. Are they complete, or will there be more, or have you started another thread?

Huh, I guess I just let this lapse, inadvertently. Thx for asking, Mike.

Both ships were completed just in time for last years NATS, where (I'm pleased to say) Kyokuto Maru took Gold in her category. Afterward, my intent had been to take photos for gallery entries for both ships. My initial attempts at photography were less than satisfying. Then, I got distracted by new projects. In fact, I haven't even put them on the display shelf yet. They've been sitting in a little plexiglass case, waiting on me.

I recently tried taking some photos again, and I just might have enough satisfactory pics for a Kyokuto Maru gallery entry in the very near future. Some quick pics taken today are below.

or will there be more, or have you started another thread?

It just so happens that there are enough prototype substructures and spares to build a third tanker. This will be Shinkoku Maru, and I have worked on her on and off since last summer, in between other projects. The overall quality of the build should approach these two, and in some small ways, surpass them. The research and learning curves made it possible to achieve what you see in the last photo in about 1/10 the time of the originals. I'm probably going to try to make this version a little more dynamic in terms of posing the equipment. I guess I can keep posting here as things progress.

Oh, and there is some very exciting news about a new photo etch set for these kits. I'll post on the CASF Kawasaki type thread shortly.

#3's looking good, Dan! Glad to see more of Shinkoku Marus progress in future installments.



Bob Pink.

Good to know one can finish projects like this. Very nice work.

wow, Dan very nice.

Beautiful work. Thanks for the update.

Thank you all. That's much appreciated.

Hi Dan,

As you know I don't look at all of these build threads, but I have been watching this one from its inception. You know from our PM's how much I respect your work. And when you unveiled the finished masterpieces in public I added my kudos to the pile. That being said I was surprised to see this thread become active again, and started smiling when you said you could make another one from the work you have done on the first two. What a terrific idea! And I am further agreeing with your assessment of the learning curve. It's no fun taking two hours to carve out a scrap of photo etch, bend and shape it to into something it wasn't, in order to fit it someplace it wasn't designed to go. But having done the first one, the second one is easy and if you divide the total time by the number of pieces it begins to seem worth it (barely). So it is very interesting to see you have a time perspective on this third ship.

I was wondering if "1/10 the time of the other two" is a real estimate or just a figure of speech? I tried doing the math in my head, taking three and a half years, dividing it by two and then taking one tenth of that. But then I realized it doesn't matter what number I come up with---it will probably be wrong.

Like I have said before, I am in awe of your work and amazed by your patience. I know you will never sacrifice quality for results, and it will be fun for me (and everyone else) to see how this third one goes. Thank you for starting this up again the way you did, and sharing this next phase with all of us.

Chuck

Fantastic work Dan!
Thanks for the update, it is good to see the final results.

Great start on n�3 too!

Cheers,

Marijn

Good to see you back in action Dan! Looking forward to seeing you guys in a couple weeks also!

Real nice looking sisters!

Thank you all for your gracious comments.

The only thing that's really new is the Shinkoku Maru build. Everything else was completed last summer, and I've just been neglectful about posting a finished look to the gallery. I swear that I will post at least one of these to the gallery soon; I'm piecing something together.

I've also been lazy about posting new W-I-P threads. I'll try to rectify that as well.

I was wondering if "1/10 the time of the other two" is a real estimate or just a figure of speech?

Well, Chuck, I suppose it's measured in "Dan" time. Truthfully, it really has been only a tenth of the time involved, in terms of time actually spent in the effort. No further research, no more experimentation or prototyping, just taking advantage of the current learning curve. In fact, of what's been done to date, only the bridge was already in hand, and that wasn't complete. Some portions had to be altered.

The pending PE set from Tom's should simplify several things even further. Or is that cheating?

Ok, since this is supposed to be a W-I-P, I'll tell you what changed on the bridge. All my original reference material showed Shinkoku Maru's bridge face to have the same sort of apertures at its base as seen on my Kenyo Maru build. These were common for several of the ships: Kenyo, Kokuyo, Nippon, and Toho Maru, among others.

This also appears to have been true for Shinkoku Maru as commissioned, which the first pic below seems to show. The image is from the Japanese Wikipedia entry for the class, so I tend to think this was so. However, when one looks at the famous shot of the fleet train enroute to PH (2nd & 3rd pics), there is no sign of the starboard aperture. One can see the stair and access way to the 01 deck level, even the boom and its shadow, but no openings. Nothing that suggest a temporary set of covers, either. The same is true in the one view of her wreck that I could find with any clarity (lightened in Photoshop.) So, I sealed mine up. Sure hope it's right.

The other thing is that plans to several ships show access to the roof of the compass bridge deck to be from an exposed access ladder placed in a cut out notched out at the rear of the compartment that was placed perpendicular to the ship's axis. The reality is that only Shinkoku Maru was actually built with this arrangement.

In the bottom pic, you can make out the remains of the ladder, and notch out, at the bottom left.

Incredible builds Dan!!!!!!!! Has any publisher on IJN modeling and or history approached you? You are so helpful when it comes to this subject, thank you.

My pleasure, and thank you, Gary. Well, I get contacted for input on various IJN things, which I am happy to help with.

Over time, there have been discussions about books and/or histories, but it usually comes down to specific subjects and potential sales. Not enough critical mass as of yet in the English language world.

Hello Dan
Glade to see you working on another IJN Tanker, the Shinkoku Maru is one of my favorites, mainly because I�ve made a couple of dives on her in Truk Lagoon, once in 1984 and again in 2004. I do not remember much about the 1984 dive but I do remember a couple of things from the 2004 dive. The Searchlight and platform were not removed from the ship prior to her sinking, (as some dive guides claim) it was washed over the backside of the bridge superstructure and is upside down on the lower level of the bridge. It so cover in coral it�s hard to recognize what it is; it took me a couple of minutes of looking at it to figure out what it was.
Another thing I remember is swimming over a Paravane, strapped down to the deck, located alongside the inboard side of the forward catwalk about half way between the bow and the Bridge. According to Dan Bailey book on the ship wrecks of Truk Lagoon the Shinkoku Maru carried a roll off depth charge rack, centerline, on the very stern. Looking forward to seeing pictures of her completed in the gallery. Hope this info helps you out.
Ron Wolford