1/700 Special Series No. 23 Japanese Navy Battleship Kongo (1944/Operation Sho-Ichi-Go) Plastic Model

Product Introduction

The Kongō, which fought in numerous battles from the outbreak of war through the Battle of Leyte Gulf, is back with newly designed parts!

This product is an unpainted kit that requires gluing and painting. The scale is 1/700, and this underwater model does not include the hull. It is made up of the previous (special series) mold and newly designed additional parts.

The battleship Kongō is the oldest of the 12 battleships that fought in the Pacific War, having been completed in 1913 by Vickers in the UK. With a length of 222m and a width of 28.96m, it was equipped with eight 35.6cm 45-caliber guns. After its second and final refit, the Kongō was a battleship known for its high speed, achieving a speed of 30.3kt. With the outbreak of the Pacific War, it participated in the Southern Front and accompanied the Task Force in the Indian Ocean Campaign. During the Battle of Guadalcanal, she participated in many memorable operations, including naval gunfire on airfields alongside the third ship, the Haruna. After taking part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf (Operation Sho-Ichi-Go) in October 1944, she was sunk by a torpedo attack by a US submarine while sailing through the Taiwan Strait.

●This product is based on the appearance of the first Kongo-class battleship, the Kongo, from Operation Sho-Ichi-Go in October 1944 to its final appearance.

- The ship is equipped with a Type 21 radar on top of the bridge, a Type 13 radar on the mast, and numerous 25mm machine guns on the upper deck.

- Newly designed parts have been provided to standardize the differences in the reproduction of equipment etc. depending on the product release date, and some are divided to take painting into consideration. - The Type 13 radar includes newly included parts with a sculpted truss structure and the shape of the antenna. ・The No. 21 radar is made of two parts: the rear support wire and the main body, with the base of the insulator for mounting the elements also sculpted on the front.

・The No. 22 radar is made using a slide mold to create a part that can be displayed in its open state, and it is also possible to create a shape with an extended trumpet shape.

・The 12.7cm Twin Anti-Aircraft Gun Type A1 is subdivided into four parts, improving the modeling resolution from the existing two-part product. ・The 9-meter cutter is made into two parts to allow for paintability, and the mount is available as a separate part, or you can choose between this and an integrated deck mold. ・The 12-meter motorboat has the canvas and wheelhouse/engine room canopy made into separate parts to allow for paintability. Each part is painted and then assembled and glued later. ・The ship's boat mount has uneven shapes and light holes molded in, adding to the sense of precision. ・A new chrysanthemum crest is provided for the bow. ・New sidelights and life buoys are provided. The former is used to standardize the size of each ship, while the latter is used to add additional detail to previously omitted parts.

- Decals have been added for the stern ship name (filled in naval colors) and the white mast line.

- The Type 96 25mm twin machine gun is now a standard two-part part, reducing the amount of painting required.

- The hull has a one-piece structure for the port and starboard sides.

- The portholes, a characteristic of the late war, are depicted with convex molding to represent their blocked appearance.

- The upper deck is a single-piece structure with intricate wooden deck carvings.

- The bridge base is a one-piece part made using a slide mold.

- The linoleum covering for the aircraft operating deck is provided as a separate part from the upper deck.

- The funnel is a two-part structure, with the left and right sides glued together.

- The strip patterns on the floor of the anti-aircraft gun mounts and other areas are depicted with intricate carvings.

- The funnel caps are removed for a sense of precision. - The main gun canopy is a part exclusive to Kongo/Hiei, with a flat side profile. - The main gun barrel and canvas are one unit, with a fixed elevation and depression angle. - The main gun barrel is open thanks to the use of a slide mold. - Two Zero-type observation seaplanes are included as floatplanes, molded in gray. - The 25mm machine gun is a two-part model with precise sculpting and a structure that makes it easy to paint, and the 2018 molded parts are included as standard. - The main parts, bottom plate, aircraft, and machine gun parts are molded in gray.

● Two types of decals are included. - Decals include the naval ensign, the Japanese flag, and aircraft markings. - The naval ensign, etc. are available in three sizes. 1/700 scale versions of the actual dimensions of 10cm wide, 6cm wide, and 3cm wide are included. - Includes the Hinomaru (Japanese flag) and friendly identification band (yellow stripe) used on aircraft carriers, including the Hinomaru flag without the white border seen in the later stages of the war. - Decals include draft markings, the chrysanthemum crest on the bow, and the ship's name on the stern (in two versions: gold and solid warship colors).

[Included Contents] - 42 runners - 1 assembly manual - 3 decals

This product is made in Japan. This is a plastic model kit that requires assembly.

Safety Warning

None Plastic Model [Scale] 1/700