by Dan Kaplan
1/700 IJN Isuzu, 1944 (Tamiya)
While not the most attractive of warships, Japan’s 5,500 ton light cruisers have always struck me as purposeful workhorses in their designed role as destroyer leaders. Various ships in the class also lent themselves to adaptation, as represented here by this build of the Tamiya Isuzu in her 1944 iteration as an anti-aircraft cruiser. While basically a straightforward build, there are some discrepancies in different plan sets with regard to ventilators and deck arrangements.
The masts are completely scratchbuilt, as are the funnel grills. Detail was added with the usual replacement of AA weapons, portholes drilled out , deleted degaussing cable, PE bridge windows added, plus brass rod barrels and stiffeners. Photoetch includes GMM railings, Tom’s CL set, and FineMold fittings and 25mm AA mounts. Rigged with Dai Riki 9X .002”.
