1/350 Tamiya IJN Kagero

[B4en]

Lol!!! It's not just the axe, there's the two swords and the collection of longbows as well

I used to love field archery, clout and speed shooting! Got a lot of complaints from normal target shooters after winning some big handicap shoot without sights or stabilizers which led to me packing in the hobby. What draw weights are your longbows Stuart? I never shot anything over about 60 lbs.

Sorry for the distraction Tim! We need more pictures...

[Stuart]

Lol!!! It's not just the axe, there's the two swords and the collection of longbows as well

I used to love field archery, clout and speed shooting! Got a lot of complaints from normal target shooters after winning some big handicap shoot without sights or stabilizers which led to me packing in the hobby. What draw weights are your longbows Stuart? I never shot anything over about 60 lbs.

Sorry for the distraction Tim! We need more pictures...

Nothing major Ben, mines about 60ibs and the other two are 30lbs. They were made by the bloke who made all the bows for 'Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves'. I haven't shot them since we moved to Wales though as we don't have any land here and I don't like clubs.

Sorry Tim!

[Stuart]

Hi Tim,

If you don't me asking, what tools & glues do you use for your PE work?

I've been tempted to try a bit of ship modelling over the last few years ( I live near the sea) but have always been put off by the PE. I did actually buy a couple of 1/700 kits to have a play with (just to see if I enjoy it) but both do actually contain a small fret of PE for the cranes etc. which is why I've never started them, as I've no idea what to do with it.

Cheers!

[Tim Reynaga]

Hi Tim,

If you don't me asking, what tools & glues do you use for your PE work?
[...]

Hi Stuart,

The main tools I use for fine PE work are my glasses already mentioned, pointed tweezers (Revlon or other products made for women are typically better quality than products marketed to modelers),



and a small paintbrush (when dampened, to pick up the smallest parts):



Most modelers attach etched rails and such with super glue, but I typically use PVA (white glue) which is strong enough for the purpose and much more forgiving. The most important tools are magnifiers and patience!

Don't let aversion to PE keep you from enjoying a model ship build. You can create attractive models entirely without it! The Tamiya Kagero I'm working on now, for example, can be built into a beautiful model right out of the box. The PE and other upgrades just make it a bit nicer.

[Stuart]

Hi Tim,

If you don't me asking, what tools & glues do you use for your PE work?
[...]

Hi Stuart,

Most modelers attach etched rails and such with super glue, but I typically use PVA (white glue) which is strong enough for the purpose and much more forgiving. The most important tools are magnifiers and patience!

Don't let aversion to PE keep you from enjoying a model ship build. You can create attractive models entirely without it! The Tamiya Kagero I'm working on now, for example, can be built into a beautiful model right out of the box. The PE and other upgrades just make it a bit nicer.

Thanks Tim, much appreciated - those certainly look much better tweezers than I have. What do you use for folding?

I'll certainly give it a go - the 1/700 Trumpeter HMS Ark Royal I have has PE cranes so I've no choice anyway

[Tim Reynaga]

Thanks Tim, much appreciated - those certainly look much better tweezers than I have. What do you use for folding?

Good point. I should also mention that Hold and Fold devices like the one I got from The Small Shop:

https://www.micromark.com/Web%20Store%2 ... 43_R-1.jpg

are great tools too. They are rather expensive, but if you plan to do much etch work in the future they are a worthwhile investment that will give your work a professional look and save a lot of frustration too!

[Stuart]

Thanks Tim, much appreciated - those certainly look much better tweezers than I have. What do you use for folding?

Good point. I should also mention that Hold and Fold devices like the one I got from The Small Shop:



are great tools too. They are rather expensive, but if you plan to do much etch work in the future they are a worthwhile investment that will give your work a professional look and save a lot of frustration too!

Thanks Tim - I'll take a look into one of those as well

[Tim Reynaga]

Among Kagero’s gear aft was a large winch.



Infini provides a magnificent 25-piece turned brass and etch upgrade that is MUCH better than the simplified Tamiya kit part.



Here is the new winch in place among the paravanes, their handling cranes, depth charges, vents, and other equipment. The plastic kit parts test fitted here are decent enough, but most of these will also be replaced with Infini and other upgrade parts.

[Stuart]

WOW! The kit part looking nothing like the PE one - love the detail!

[B4en]

Among Kagero’s gear aft was a large winch.

I see what you did there.

[Tim Reynaga]

WOW! The kit part looking nothing like the PE one - love the detail!

Thanks Stuart. The 25 part assembly may sound like a lot, but the Infini parts are well designed and the instructions are clear enough that there were no problems.





And that new winch is SO much better than the kit part!

[ShaunW]

That steam winch is indeed magnificent, Tim. Having the right tools makes life that bit easier but, as I don't use PE all that often, I haven't got some of the more specialised stuff and often end up bending parts using the blade of my modelling knife and the edge of a steel rule, which is not ideal but does work.

[Tim Reynaga]

That steam winch is indeed magnificent, Tim. Having the right tools makes life that bit easier but, as I don't use PE all that often, I haven't got some of the more specialised stuff and often end up bending parts using the blade of my modelling knife and the edge of a steel rule, which is not ideal but does work.

Thanks Shaun, and you are right - the etch folding tool is useful, but not always needed. Other than my glasses, the only tools I used in constructing the winch were tweezers and my x-acto blade.

[Tim Reynaga]

The hatches molded to the aft deck look ok from directly above, but because of limitations of the injection molding process the dogs (latches) and hinges are simplified and extend unrealistically down the sides.



3D printed hatches from Wula Models (WLD3500023) dress things up nicely.



The tiny parts won’t be all that noticeable among all the equipment on the fantail, but the details on them are incredible!

[ShaunW]

Those replacement deck hatches are beautifully moulded and hopefully they won't get too lost on that busy sounding fantail.