Or Pink ones (Haguro at the time of her sinking)? (N.B. “Mountbatten Pink” isn’t…)
Regards,
M
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Or Dark Grey which is what the new consensus is on the lower hull of HMS Hood. Cant wait to build mine with the dark hull.
Plus Regina Marine ships have a green hull which looks spiffy.
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?? Regina Maria (Romanian Type 22 Frigate?)
Regia Marina? I didn’t know about that. I did go mad painting red-and-white stripes on several dozen 1:3000th scale wargame models…
Regards,
M
Apparently the green was to blend in with the foliage of islands they were moored near. I believe one vessel had the outlines of a village on the side to complete the effect…
Regards,
M
Decided to watch TORA! TORA! TORA! again.
The model work on IJN Nagato & Akagi, still seems pretty incredible. Had to do a double take of several shots amazing for 1970.
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A few years ago I reviewed a book for the old Model Shipwrights site called All the Emperor’s Men – Kurosawa’s Pearl Harbor, about the making of Tora! Tora! Tora! Model Shipwrights :: Applause Books All the Emperors Men Review
The making of that movie was fascinating case of a genius movie Director totally out of control; for example, Kurosawa spent $500,000 (the equivalent of over $3.8 million today!) – without the knowledge or permission of the studio producers – to build the full sized mockups of the battleship Nagato and carrier Akagi, and he later became so erratic during shooting that he wore a crash helmet on set and insisted on 24 hour bodyguard protection because he was convinced that Japanese Yakuza gangsters were trying to assassinate him.
Anyway, the end result was a grand, lengthy, and admittedly wonky movie which, IMHO, is still the best film yet made about the Pacific War.
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I seem to recall at the time of the movie’s release a magazine cover with a colour picture of Japanese aircraft at low level over a ship and the headline “Oh No! He’s done it again!”, referencing Minoru Genda’s (uncredited) work as a technical advisor on the movie.
Regards,
M
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Yes, according to a souvenir book of the movie published by Twentieth Century-Fox, the technical advisor for the Japanese sequences of Tora! Tora! Tora! was the very man who brilliantly planned the air strike on Pearl Harbor — Minoru Genda! In 1941, as a naval Commander, Genda was staff officer in charge of planning for Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, commander in chief of the Central Pacific Area, Imperial Fleet. Genda already had a reputation as a strategist before Yamamoto approved his selection to be the raid’s architect. His plan was considered all but fool-proof: “… Northern route … attack soon after dawn … Zero fighters for cover… torpedo planes … high-level bombers … dive bombers …” Genda became chief of staff of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force following World War II, and in 1962 he was awarded the United States Legion of Merit for his post-war efforts in rebuilding Japanese-American relations and in establishing Japanese forces sharing in Asian defense. He eventually became a member of the upper house of the Diet (Japan’s legislative body)
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I say that toward to building models are to obtain the knowledges and wisdom for make a better own-life. This is a main reason and attraction of own case for a warship building.
To make a small modelship, to make armament or equipments of deck( a difficultly build in 1/700), to interpret historical documents photos about the missing knowledge and comparing those fact elements of own country with foreign countries, the activities itself are creative, and one can become a philosopher and historical researcher.
No one can choose their own homeland to be born in, thus these model building can give us excellent suggestions to talk about its history, present and the future.
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Well,
Being an old former cruiser sailor (google USS Chicago CG-11). Cool looking boats do have their attraction.
This is my stash of IJN Heavy Cruisers.
Remember the old Cyberpunk saying - " Style over substance, attitude is everything"
Cheers
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For me it was going to Japan in 1983 and finding kits of everything from destroyers to battleships all in a common scale AND small enough to squeeze a big fleet into my luggage. Back then western kits were scaled to fit a common box size rather than to a common scale. Combine that with having just read a detailed history of the Guadalcanal Campaign and it was irresistible.
Though then my next project was a scratch built radio-control 1/72 scale HMS Dreadnought (1876) with firing turrets whose plans I worked out during long nights as staff duty officer. Ironclads with huge muzzle-loaders were as tempting as the IJN.
Alas, none of this armada survived many later moves.
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They darn well straight-piped the Akagi
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