Hot Dog, Got My Isuzu!

[treadhead1952]

Ahoy Shipmates,

Watching Jim work his wonderous way through the answer Models Isuzu kit was just too much for me. He makes it look so excellent and I really like the looks of all the IJN 5500 ton cruisers, three and four stack varieties, I just had to get my hot little mits on one. Last Friday when I got my paycheck in the bank, first thing that I did was placed my order with the Paper Models Store website. Being that Krzysztof is no slouch in the order department of his webstore, when I hit the Post Office today I was rewarded with a key for one of the oversized lock boxes and inside was my Priority Mail box from him, inside was this little item.



Since I like using PE, I also ordered the PE set made for the Isuzu at the same time. Not knowing what to expect since this is the first time that I have gotten a PE set designed for a paper model, I was quite pleased with what came. And since some of you may be also so inclined I thought I would give you a peek at what it consists of. As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

'

You can see the three frets come individually packaged, the brass looks to be of good quality and of 0.12" thick stock. As it is that thick the relief is pretty nice and offers excellent detail. I scanned these on my Epson and it does not show all the detail, the doors all have more than what you can see as does all the other parts but you get the idea of what you get. I can hardly wait to get to work on this one with all these lovely bits, but first I gotta work my way through the Akizuki.

On the reverse of the Isuzu book are illustrations of even more brass that answer Models offers for other kits among them the Kiji which I already have, I will have to see about getting my hands on some that as well. The Paper Model Store does carry the Kiji set as well as the railings that they have so I guess the next order to him will see me getting those parts.

For those that want to know, the Isuzu kit sells for $11.49 and the brass set goes for $19.99. The last plastic version of the Isuzu that I scored was in 1/700 scale, Fujimis' old kit and sold for $17.95, all the brass I used on it, Toms' Model Works sets, it took three to do it up right, ran about $27, so the 1/200 answer Models kit and PE is cheaper and judging from Jim's build, makes into a much more impressive finished project. While his skill makes all the difference there, I hope to get part of the way using some of that pretty brass.

Jay Massey
treadhead1952
Las Vegas, NV

[Papercut]

:DWell I must fess-up, I sprang for the same kit and included the PE in the purchase as well and if laser bulkheads had of been available, I would have got them as well. Don't get me wrong, but I am a detail nut and what ever is available, I usually purchase. Heck I would buy the brass barrels as well if Papermodel Store had in stock. Have considered purchasing other kit barrels and using them. My ole fingers have a difficult time forming those little critters. Jim has done such a great job, his work is selling kits as well. Tell me that doesn't speak highly of his skills. And Jay, I will be watching for your build of this in the future. From what I am seeing, your work improves with each step, so I believe you will turn out a nice one as well.

[redhorse]

Oh, that's cool seeing the photo etch! A lot of parts there I'm very familiar with at this point :D

Now you're making me want to go and place another order, I love that new kit feeling!

[treadhead1952]

Thanks Guys,

I thought that everyone would like to see what is available, especially since you are doing such a killer job with her Jim.

And yes, that new kit feeling is most grand, looking through all those parts in the Isuzu book reminded me that it can be used to model any of the Nagara Class Cruisers from the Nagara and Kinu in 1922 as they came out to the Abukuma of 1933 to the Natori of 1935 and on into the 1941 refits and on to the 1944 fit that saw them through to the end of the war. While some would require some serious kit bashing and coming up with different shapes for the pilot house and bridge structure to model the early flying off decks for early aircraft experiments, they actually housed the aircraft in a hangar below the open air bridge with a deck in front to fly the aircraft from, it is not really that difficult in this medium. As the ships were refitted, catapults were added to the rear, removed in later versions, main guns were changed and the AA suites were usually added with various single, dual, triple and even quad variations that were placed here and there on deck and in elevated platforms. After the war, the ships were disarmed and used as repatriation ships to return IJA and IJN personnel from the farflung Pacific battlefields that they ended up in.

A good source of reference for these and other 5500 ton cruisers is the Model Art #29 book. While it is published in Japanese, the illustrations and a few English titles pretty well cover what you can do with them and others. The book also includes several plan sets in scales from 1/350 to 1/500 and even 1/800 scale. All the models illustrated are for the most part 1/700 scale plastic kits but that does not stop us paper guys from borrowing a little detailed reference for our own purposes. It is readily available from Dragon USA online if anyone would like to check it out.

Jay Massey
treadhead1952
Las Vegas, NV

[Royaloakmin]

I'm pretty sure GPM has laser cut formers for her.

[Don Boose]

Many thanks for this excellent report, Jay. I am glad to know that this kit and the supporting details are available. As one who has yet to complete the Digital Navy Admirable-class minesweeper, I don't see myself building this ship in my lifetime, but I'm not sure that I will be able to resist the temptation to buy the kit and the PEs just to have and to lust over and imagineer in my head.

On the U.S. side, I have always had a fondness for the Farragut-class DDS and still have a 50+ year old unfinished 1/32"=1' scratch-built wood model of USS Dewey (DD 349) that I began when I was in high school. I notice that a 1/700 plastic model of the Farragut-class has become available and I must have it, even though I probably will never actually build it.

And then there is the Kuma-class Kitakami torpedo cruiser with the multitudes of torpedo mounts . . .

Don

[treadhead1952]

Hi Fred and Don,

Fred, I think I will pass on the laser cut formers, something satisfying in laminating and cutting out stuff like that from the get go, even if I might make a few errors here and there, to me it is part of the fun of building one of these. I am looking into getting the railings though, not too sure about trying to go the thread route for that yet.

Don, I cheated on the Admirable Class, I used styrene. But working my way through the Akizuki is proving to be a far more enjoyable process than I had anticipated. I hope that by the time I have worked my way through the Kiji and Mutsuki my skill set will have improved enough to do justice to the Isuzu.

I have also managed to luck out and found a Kitakami that I can get my hot little hands on later in the month, also a 1/200 scale build, it seems like a good sized scale to be able to appreciate the looks and style that the IJN Fleet seems to have in spades.

Jay Massey
treadhead1952
Las Vegas, NV

[redhorse]

Originally Posted by treadhead1952

a 1/200 scale build, it seems like a good sized scale to be able to appreciate the looks and style that the IJN Fleet seems to have in spades.

Yup, 1/200 is a really nice scale for these. I built a number of 1/700 scale back in the 80's, and while enjoyable, I'm finding the bigger scale gives a great feel for the ship while building.