Having found and watched Thomas’ thread on his Yamato with lots of extra candy, it gave me motivation to continue my Yamato build.
I started building her in 2016 I think on and off, and I’m not nearly halfway, but hopefully I’ll manage to have some progress. I bought the Pontos model upgrade for the ship, and with all those new manufacturers popping up I’ll buy some new extra stuff.
The aim is to depict Yamato on her final sortie. I’m planning to put her in a seascape with crew, right after the moment Yamato fired her main guns at incoming aircrew.
I’ll post some of the older updates first and then hopefully soon the newer material. Hope you’ll sail with me ^^.
Although I’m not a shipbuilder the big battleships do interest me. Bismarck and Tirpitz of course. but the biggest one was Japanese built Yamato.
With it’s 46 cm (18 inch) main guns it had the largest guns ever fitted on a ship. Blasts of the guns were so heavy they would kill you if you stould in the vicinity on deck.
Here’s a photo where Mushashi fires here main guns (photos only for discussion purposes)
Although Yamato didn’t see much action (mainly because it was meant for intimidating purposes and also, it was symbol of status, carrying the ancient name for Japan, she couldn’t be afforded to be lost. Yamato had a sistership called Mushashi. A third one was constructed as well, but was converted to the aircraft carrier Shinano when it was clear that battleships were obsolete technology.
There is evidence though that Yamato was in action during the Battle of Samar in 1944 scoring a hit from 25 miles range on the US escort Carrier White Sands, rendering it useless untill the end of the war (word is said this would be the longest range hit ever)
I’ll be depicting Yamato during her final voyage: Operation Ten Ichi Go (Heaven Number One) was to help the forces at Okinawa when they were engaged by the US. Yamato and 9 other ships needed to carry just enough fuel to make it to Okinawa and engage US naval forces. In case that this didn’t work out they were to beach themselves on Okinawa and being used as static gun platforms while the sailors became troops. Basically a suicide mission. However, the captains weren’t intending to do this and mustered as many fuel as they could so they could make it back.
On the 7th of April 1945, around noon, Yamato and her battlegroup where discovered by US planes, not too far from Japan. Aircraft carrier sent 3 waves of airplanes to attack. Initially, Yamato’s main guns fired some AA rounds into the incoming swarm, but they didn’t do much harm.
Multiple bomb hits, strafings and as many as 22 torpedos battered Yamato. 2 hours later Yamato listed and capsized. At that moment the 46cm shells rolled over and hit the backwalls with their fuses resulting in an enormous blast which could be seen 125 miles further. And that was the end of this battleship, taking 3.000 sailors with her to the bottom of the ocean.
This is an actual photo of the explosion:
First, a shot of the kit and the goodies I bought many moons ago:
I must admit this is the largest subject I have ever built, being a 75cm long. This will be challenging to photograph no doubt.
I started with the hull assembly. As always Tamiya do some clever engineering, and polycaps and screws are provided in the kit.
Although I hope to put the model in an ocean setting (that’s the plan anyway!) I assembled the lower hull (Tamiya provides you with an option to build her as a waterline model) and filled a gap. Rudders and metal propulsion shafts were added too.
with the assembly of the lower hull behind, I decided to paint it prior to further construction (less masking ! 
). I primed the thing with Mr. Surfacer 1500 Black and then gave it a couple of coats of Tamiya Hull Red. Now, unlike the other Japanese battleships of WWII, Yamato had a bright red lower hull. But I wanted to go for the hull red, why…dunno, probably because I had it in stock ! . Remember that the plan is that Yamato will be sailing in some water when finished, so basically not much, or nothing at all will be visible of the lower hull !
Before I could start attaching the upperhull and deck to the lower part I decided to remove the moulded on degaussing cable first.
And then I could make a start with the etch degaussing cable. Pontos actually give you two options: a ‘flat’ plain cable or one simulating multiple cables, so it has a bit of relief. I chose the latter. Quite some time later I could glue it around the bow. Took me some time to get all the bends right. (Quite annoyingly - and as a Tamiya user I should have known it - Tamiya paints dry flat. Now that’s not in issue on it’s own…but the drawback of it is that it attracts lots of dust particles
I also installed the aft lower deck/airplane/lifeboat hangar. The deck itself is part of the Pontos set, as well as the very cool bollards.
I also glued some of the parts of the front deck. In hindsight the 4 upright pieces around the capstan shouldn’t be there, but at the time I glued them in place I just followed the Pontos instructions without checking for info.
I’ve got some more updates ready, but it’s a bit busy home at the moment. I already have 3 children and the 4th on born last friday is on her way to home for the very first time ^^
. To show the shear size of the thing I layed a toothpick and a 1/35 Tiger I roadwheel (what else 
) next to it for comparison.
. I didn’t realise there was a Glue Looper for the thick type as well, good to know!
) look as impressive in 1/350 as in 1/1 no doubt).
