IJN HYUGA 

As seen in 1941

Hasegawa plastic kit no.118 (New mould)

Scale 1:700 Water Line Series

see how I build the kit on the bottom of this page

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Model build Nov. 2005 -Rebuild in Feb. 2007 26 New pictures.

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HYUGA's history:

Main construction for the battleship HYUGA was completed at the Mistubshi Shipyard in Nagasaki on April 30, 1918. It was intended to be the forth battleship in the FUSO Class series, but financial difficulties resulted, paradoxically, in commissioning being delayed long enough for newly developed improvements on the original FUSO main gun layout design to be incorporated in the new battleship. After commissioning, the HYUGA was assigned to the first Battle Squadron of the First Fleet. The HYUGA had minor improvements over the next two decades of its service life, undergoing a major overhaul at Kure Navy Yard from November 24th, 1934 to September 7th, 1937 that greatly upgraded the performance and changed the appearance of the vessel. Along with its sister ISE, the HYUGA was assigned to the Second Battleship Squadron of the First Fleet, where it initially carried out mainly training shakedown cruises in home waters. On May 5th, 1942, a training accident resulted in an explosion taking out the ship's number five turret, but this calamity did not preclude the HYUGA from joining its sister in the Midway operation fleet. After the IJN's disastrous loss of four carriers in that fateful battle, an emergency program of converting selected IJN vessels to have aircraft carrying capabilities was undertaken, and the HYUGA along with the ISE was one of these ships, undergoing the conversion at Kure Navy Yard from May to November 18th, 1943. The aft area of the ship was converted to make way for an aircraft hangar witch was covered with a flight deck area, turning the HUGA into a hybrid seaplane tender/battleship. After conversion completed the HYUGA was assigned to the Forth Aircraft Carrier Squadron of the Third Fleet in May 1944, taken part in the Cape Engano engagement during the battle of Leyte Gulf as part of the IJN's risky Operation Sho in the Philippine Island in October of that year. Returned to Kure after this, the HYUGA sat out the rest of the war there, where damage from air raids on July 24th sent her to the bottom.

Technical specification:

Official trail displacement: 40,706 tons

Length: 215.8 m

Beam:  33.83 m

Draught: 9.21 m

Ship horsepower: 81,050hp

Speed: 25.26 knots

Main guns 12 (6x2) 14´ = 35.6 cm 

Auxiliary guns 16 (16x1) 14 cm

Medium Guns AA 8 (4x2) 12.7 cm

Light guns AA 20 (10x2) 25mm

3-reconnaissance aircraft one catapult

Crew: 1,491

The build:

This was my first plastic kit in 25 years! As a kid I build a lot of plastic kits -planes in scale 1:72, but also all of Airfix ships in scale 1:600. In some years now I had a dream of building all of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Battleships (Water Line Series 1:700). There has been a lot of improvement over the years of how to build model ships since I was in that alley. Back them in the 1970´s there was some glue in a tube and paint. It was a matter of hours and the model was "finish" with some differences in quality!!

As mentioned above it's my first model ship in many years, so in Nov. 2005 the model was finish as my first warship in a growing line of IJN Battleships. But here in Jan. 2007 after seven more models - I think the ship could be improved, as my skills and references was more on solid grounds.

So here in Jan. 2007 the model was disassemble down to the hull except the funnel and main guns turrets! 

Hasegawa's new mould plastic kit is one of the best in IJN BB range, but I found some things that needed attention.

• The main mast is different from her sister ISE. The top of HYUGA main mast was T-shaped and the Red/green navigation marks was high over the starfish. ISE has the W-shaped main mast and the Red/green navigation marks were lower under the starfish. First after HYUGA conversion to hybrid BB/CV in 1943 she carried the W-shaped main mast.
• HYUGA has scuttles on her freeboard they where first removed after the conversion in 1943. ISE's was removed earlier maybe as early as 1937.  

When I first build the model in 2005 I was very glad of Tom Christensen article regarding modification of the tripod pagoda mast and the tube/lattice structure under the funnel (website Warship). At that time I scratch build it with styrene plastic bars, paper and copper wire. Here in 2007 the lattice structure was remade of surplus PE from Tom's model works.

I also rebuild the entire aircraft deck with new aircraft-crane as well as the anchor deck with chain from a necklace. The aircraft was painted in camouflage colors as in 1941.

I added parts on the kit:

• White metal anchors surplus from the HI-Mold FUSO/YAMASHIRO kit's

• New IJN bars from Tom model works

• Pit-road/skywave boats on the deck

• Scratch build cable drums made of copper wire and Styrene plastic

• Rope, wires and lots of details all over the ship

• New windows on the pagoda tower (Lion Roar ladders 1:350 -instead of 1:700)

• New IJN doors from Voyager model

• New De Gauss-cable from Lion Roar

The hull was sanded down and new coat of "Kure naval gray" (Humbrol # 27 matt) 

The deck was painted in "wood colors" please see my model of HIEI for details.

I added an new rigging and signal flags J, G, H, A for HYUGA

References:

Books:

"Japanese Naval Warship Photo Album Battleship and Battle Cruisers” from Diamond Sha books.

Gakken" IJN Battleship Prefect guide".

"Kartoteka Marynisty 3 Japonski pancernik HYUGA" from BS Poland.

Profile Morskie 31 "Japonski pancernik ISE" from BS Poland.  

"Japanese Naval Vessels 1869-1945"

Web:

Models of HYUGA and ISE on Model Warships, Steel Navy etc.

Rebuilding time was 2.5 weeks.

A project that was different, but very fun highly recommended if any will give it a try.

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