by Allan McBeath
1/700 IJN Sakura (Tamiya)
This is only the second kit I’ve made after returning to modeling after a 25 year hiatus since I was a teenager. It was quite a learning curve . Things sure have changed a lot since the 70’s in this hobby. Where did all the brass come from!
The gun platforms were re modeled using 3thou brass. The light AAA are finemoulds nano dread. The rear turret Lion Roar. The front is re modeled with .5mm tube. Blast bag is white glue and tissue. The searchlight is by finemoulds . The railings GMM ultrafine. Rear depth charge racks are Lion Roar but the charges inside and on the projectors are Voyager. The rigging is Ceanis line. The quad torpedo launcher was replaced, as were the terrible boats supplied. The rear boat racks are empty as many photos show this as a usual practice.
Weathering was in oils using David Griffiths filters technique . Then a pin wash on detail followed by dry brushing.I can’t recommend his book enough. The photos color saturation is a bit off and the actual effect on the model looks a bit more subtle than these pics imply.
The sea isn’t quite finished to my satisfaction and still needs a bit of work. Overall I’m happy with this build. It certainly improved my skills and was a lot of fun.
This was the winner of the 2010 New Zealand IPMS nationals for the ship class and also gained a gold ribbon for excellence.
