Calling all Shoho-class (祥鳳) fans

[Timmy C]

There are these two minisets by Hasegawa for the kit: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10038412 and http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10038413

[Dan K]

I missed YNG's question about degaussing cables. All major units had them installed by war's start save for one or two DDs. The photo record is sketchy, which makes placement difficult.

There are two starboard views of Shoho on Dec 21, 1941 which shows some of the cable. I've greatly lighted the shot below to try and bring out the detail. Look for the horizontal line that runs just below the the 12.7cm twin mount forward, then under past the funnel, the triple 25mm AA emplacements, then the power 12.7cm turret and then breaks downward at a 45* angle as it approaches the stern.

Besides the two sets that Timmy pointed out, I believe Tom's makes a small dedicated set. If you want to go full court, then Flyhawk makes a PE replacement set for Shoho. See: http://www.flyhawkmodel.com/en/product.asp?code=700097 If you scroll down, you will see a list of all their related items for detailing an IJN CV.

[drdoom1337]

Would the Shoho deck be applicable for Zuiho at/around Cape Engano?

[Dan K]

Unfortunately, no. I think PitRoad, or maybe it was Joe World, once made a late '44 fit PE deck, but I believe it is now long OOP.

[Michael Riddell]

Hi Dan,

I'd like to pick your brains again after the help you gave me with my Hatsuyuki model!

I'm currently painting up a Hasegawa Zuiho model that's been on the shelf of doom for the past few years and I'd like a hand with a few details of her configuration at Cape Engano.

Is there any good information as to where the single 25mm were placed? I've trawled up a very basic image from the net, but I'm not overly trusting of it.

The kit instructions state that the armament remained grey after she was camouflaged and the box art seems to indicate that the masts were likewise left grey. Is this correct? What about the underside of the flight deck overhangs and the steel decks? Is there any info on these areas on this or other ships? Did everything end up green?

Apart from the boat deck area, were there any other external decks covered with linoleum?

Thanks in advance,

Mike.

[Dan K]

Hi, Mike -

Tough questions, because the documentation is so thin. I am not the final expert so, anyone who has done some research should feel free to chime in.

I don't have an authoritative chart on placement of the single 25mm mounts. I've got a 40 year old plan done by an expert of the time. Below.

Grey armament and masts seem as likely as not. I've attached a colorized photo by a Japanese illustrator. You must judge for yourself. It should be noted that the bases of the 12.7cm mounts seems to follow the color of the area they are in, though.

I would think that the forecastle deck ahead of the bridge, to the the anchor deck, would be linoleum covered as well.

FWIW.

[Michael Riddell]

Thanks for that Dan!

I was a bit surprised to see AA mounts actually on the flight deck in the diagram, but I guess it makes sense as she was no more than bait.

I think what I'll do is leave some areas grey, just to have some visual interest. I'll paint the overhanging areas green since the well known photo of Amagi on her side seems to indicate that those areas were green.

Thanks again,

Mike.

[Dan K]

Your plan seems reasonable to me.

[Haijun watcher]

Sorry to necropost another older thread to life...and my apologies if this has been answered before, but I couldn't find an answer to my question in earlier posts of this thread.

Did anyone here ever use Tamiya's TS66 or TS67 Spray paints for painting the Shoho kit?

Tamiya IJN waterline series paint

According to combinedfleet.com's Shoho TROM, she was commissioned at the Yokosuka arsenal, which means she was also probably built there.

Therefore, I am not sure whether to use T66 (Kure Arsenal) or TS 67 (Sasebo Arsenal) for painting her hull without knowing what shade of paint that Yokosuka used.

While I realize all the specific paint needed is probably stated in the kit instructions, I haven't bought the kit yet. I arrives at my model store next week but I wanted to buy the paint at the same time.

[Timmy C]

There was a Yokosuka Grey, actually. To portray her as commissioned, that's the one you'd probably want to use. However, it's only available as WEM's Colorcoat enamels series, which comes in Humbrol-like tins. Depending on the time period portrayed in the kit, you may want to check out her TROM and see if she ever spent some time in Kure or Sasebo, where she would likely have been repainted into those yards' colours.

[Haijun watcher]

There was a Yokosuka Grey, actually. To portray her as commissioned, that's the one you'd probably want to use. However, it's only available as WEM's Colorcoat enamels series, which comes in Humbrol-like tins. Depending on the time period portrayed in the kit, you may want to check out her TROM and see if she ever spent some time in Kure or Sasebo, where she would likely have been repainted into those yards' colours.

According to the TROM, she didn't spend time in either Kure or Sasebo or even Maizuru or Ominato.

The only two ports she ever went to in her short career were Yokosuka and Truk. Don't tell me there's even a Truk Grey as well?!

To think I painted all my Japanese carriers a bright green during my teenage years before I was particular about the time period and paint scheme. (we don't have a facepalm smiley)

[Timmy C]

(click "View more smilies" )

I'll be honest with you - the differences between the IJN Greys, while noticeable when placed relative to each other, is not so evident when viewed on their own. Once you take into account weathering and (if you choose to "believe" it) scale effect, the exact colour match is no longer a great concern unless you're doing a fresh-out-of-Yokosuka model.

[Haijun watcher]

Timmy,

Finally got the Hasegawa Shoho kit via delivery to my local hobby shore earlier this week. Perhaps I should have ordered it from Ebay; the order took this store 6 weeks to complete.

Just curious...isn't this Shoho kit basically just a 1942 Zuiho? And the actual Aoshima Zuiho kit is just the 1944 version of Zuiho? Most of the spruces all seem to be marked "Zuiho/Shoho" 1/700 even though I assumed these 2 sisters were as different as the fleet carriers Hiryu and Soryu when it came to dissimilar sisters being in the same class.

And in the ultimate irony, I found another, nearly deserted, hobby shop on West 37th Street near Point Grey in Vancouver that actually had Aoshima's Yamashiro. To think I was going through all this trouble to find it online and it happened be to right under my nose locally.

Just crossing my fingers it'll still be there during the Boxing Day sale! hehehee.

[Timmy C]

Magic Box Hobbies, right? How's their ship selection and pricing? It's not on a SkyTrain line so I've never had the chance to visit, but I might this holiday season.

[Dan K]

Actually, the base kit is a '42 Shoho, and the late "44 Zuiho kit has a new forward half of the flight deck, additional AA and sponsons, and AA rockets and sponson, different decals added to the Shoho kit.

[Haijun watcher]

different decals added to the Shoho kit.

Actually my Shoho kit has the same decals as the 1944 Zuiho kit. I probably won't use the fake battleship aerial silhouette...anyone interested?

Furthermore, the ship's name was incorrectly transcribed as "SYOHO" as one can see from the decals. The kanji might be correct but someone has been lazy with the romanji.

With all these aged 20-30s ESL teachers from Anglophone nations looking for jobs in Japan, you gotta wonder if any make their way to companies like Hasegawa where they are needed to correct errors like this.

[Haijun watcher]

Hello all,

I just wanted to clear up some confusion I am having about how to paint Shoho's deck on the Hasegawa kit. The instructions, which are scanned below, say one should paint deck tan all over all the area marked.

However, in the 2nd scan below, one can see an artist's depiction where the aft part of her flight deck, just before the stern red stripes, is actually coloured grey like her hull.

Which is more accurate for what she looked like during the Battle of the Coral Sea? The first or 2nd scan?

Shoho Instructions, Hasegawa kit



Artist's depiction (by SnowCloud in Summer, source: Wikipedia)

[Dan K]

According to the Gran Prix Shuppan volume on IJN CVs, and the Gakken Perfect Guide to IJN CVs (both authoritive illustrated references), the bottom illustration is correct.

[Haijun watcher]

According to the Gran Prix Shuppan volume on IJN CVs, and the Gakken Perfect Guide to IJN CVs (both authoritive illustrated references), the bottom illustration is correct.

Thanks for this. Still, if one does a google search on this model, it seem most modellers have chosen to go the route of painting the whole flight deck deck tan, as per the instructions.

Such as this model at the gallery by Andrey Zhukov.

[Dan K]

Modeler's choice. You don't know what references he used. I imagine he just followed the instructions. I can show you other Shoho models that are finished in line with the actual layout. Here's a nice one one from Christopher Mentzel in the gallery: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

I'm reposting this photo of sister Zuiho at Truk from the previous page. You can see the demarcation between the end of the planking and the steel plating by the change in shading.