A brief history for those who may not be familiar with it:
Chronicle of a survivor of the Imperial Japanese Navy
The Yukikaze — literally "Snow Wind" — belonged to the prestigious Kagerō class of destroyers, considered, on the eve of the conflict, to be one of the most advanced in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Designed at the turn of the 1930s and 1940s, these ships were intended to surpass foreign destroyers in speed, range and, above all, offensive power, reflecting the Japanese doctrine that relied on decisive night combat and the use of long-range torpedoes.
An exceptional fate within a decimated class
Ironically, the Yukikaze became the sole survivor of its class at the end of the Second World War. Japanese destroyers, essential to the imperial strategy, were used intensively in high-risk missions: reinforcements convoys to isolated garrisons, escorts under constant air threat, surface engagements against an increasingly dominant American fleet. Their loss rate was one of the highest in the Imperial Navy.
The fact that the Yukikaze escaped this tragic fate helped to forge its legend.
A player in most of the major theatres of the Pacific
From the outbreak of hostilities, the Yukikaze found itself on the front line. It took part in the invasions of the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies, at a time when the Japanese navy seemed unstoppable.
Its journey then took it to the greatest battles in the Pacific:
- Midway (June 1942), a strategic turning point where the Japanese fleet lost its initiative.
- The Santa Cruz Islands (October 1942), where it courageously escorted the aircraft carriers engaged in battle.
- The Philippine Sea (June 1944), an operational tragedy for the Japanese naval air force.
- The Gulf of Leyte (October 1944), one of the largest naval battles in history.
Between these major operations, the destroyer played a central role in the battle for Guadalcanal. It took part in dangerous night-time supply and reinforcement missions – the famous Tokyo Express – as well as in the naval battles that punctuated this crucial campaign. It was also involved in Operation Ke, the organised and ultimately successful evacuation of Japanese troops from the island.
The Ordeal of Operation Ten-Gō
One of the most memorable episodes in the Yukikaze's career was its participation in Operation Ten-Gō in April 1945. This desperate sortie by the Japanese fleet, intended to support the defenders of Okinawa, resulted in the destruction of the battleship Yamato, the most powerful ever built. The Yukikaze, engaged in the escort, miraculously survived this final sacrificial gesture by the Imperial Navy.
In between these major engagements, it carried out more ordinary but no less dangerous missions: escorting convoys, supplying forward bases, and patrolling under constant air threat. However, it spent the last months of the war docked in a gradually isolated Japan.
A national legend
This impressive series of campaigns — and above all its ability to survive where so many other ships were lost — earned the Yukikaze a special aura in Japan. The public and sailors alike christened it ‘the unsinkable’ or ‘the miracle ship,’ symbols of resilience in a war where naval losses were colossal.
After 1945, far from its role as a combat vessel, it became an instrument of peace, being mobilised to repatriate Japanese soldiers scattered across the vast expanse of the Pacific.
Along with the Hibiki, it was one of only two destroyers to survive among the 82 units built by Japan before the war — the ultimate material testimony to a fleet that had almost entirely disappeared.
It was then transferred to the new navy of the Republic of China and renamed Tang Yang before being scrapped in 1970.
The kit: a 2025 reissue of a kit dating back to 2006, and it shows – some details are showing their age!
The bridge, while not quite a hump, at least has rounded edges...
And that's when the trouble started...
The main bridge part was moulded badly, or at least it's broken... we'll take out the plastic card...
Firts, the hull :
We then move on to the main deck, where some details are clearly visible, while others are merely hinted at... it feels like a hybrid kit between a modern one from the 2020s and an old mould from the 1990s...
The castle, consisting of a single piece to which small reinforcements have been added:
Front chimney :
Rear chimney :
Little blank assembly :
