One of the most complex models I have ever built! However, it was not as bad as it looked and due to fine Tamiya engineering and instructions, the build was relatively straightforward. The most challenging aspect was building and painting all the sea float planes but again a little patience and perseverance saved the day!
I think the ship has beautiful lines!
I added the photo-etch railing on the lower deck. I was going to add it all around the top deck but it was too fiddly and time consuming so I just added it to the forward section. The de-gaussing cable which runs around the hull of the ship was a feature of Japanese ships of the period and this was added from a separate photo-etch Tamiya set.
The Japanese sailors in their white summer uniforms were added from a resin set. They were very hard to fix but they do show off the size of the ship.
The photo-etch de-gaussing cable.
Torpedo tubes on lower deck.
The railings kept coming off and were hard to conform to the shape of the ship. Next time, I will cut them into shorter sections. We live and learn!
The de-gaussing (anti-magnetic mine) cable on the starboard side.