IJN Tone
by Joe Krenzer

1/200 IJN Tone (Fly Model)

The kit was an interesting build, the bridge detail is excellent and the over fit was pretty good. The model is not one of their best kits but the subject matter makes this a fine discussion piece. The cons to this model, were the funnel did not wrap properly and I had to add paper to finish covering it. As usual matching colors is all but impossible so there is a darker gray stripe on the brow of the funnel that gives it an in-service repair feel. The turret housings were not the best but still look acceptable, I used after market aluminum and brass turned barrels for both the main 8” and the secondary dual purpose weapons. The AA are styrene and paper. The kit supplied planes were useless and would have detracted from the overall appearance of the model.

The masts are made from styrene rod. I used the plastic planes from my old Nichimo Yamato kit to fill out the flight wing.

The Tone was the last of the heavy cruisers built by the Japanese before the outbreak of war. She and her sister Chikuma carried only 8 – 8” guns but in the unique all forward postion to allow the vessels to carry a very large scout plane group. These ships were designed from the outset to be carrier support vessels, showing the Japanese doctrine was geared for carrier warfare more than BB’s. It was a scout plane from Tone that spotted the second US carrier fleet at Midway only failing to get its message out due to faulty radio equipment. Fortunately for the US, otherwise Midway most likely would have been a more even battle with both sides losing equal amounts as in Coral Sea.