by Mac Henry
1/700 IJN "Macazuki" (Fujimi Shimozuki)
The Macazuki is one of my ships in the online naval video game NAVYFIELD (go http://www.navyfield.com to download for free). The game lets the player fight battles against other users online using real WWII ships (from frigates through BBs and CVs) and weapons. The IJN Macazuki is armed with 4 twin 5.5" gun turrets and all torpedos have been removed.
I'm not sure this armament would have been possible in real life. Some sources say these turrets weighed 50 tons each while others say the turrets weighed 36 tons. The removed 100mm mounts weighed 34 tons each, so the ship's armament is more realistic if the turrets weighed 36 tons. I made up the amidships superstructure to replace the torpedo mount and reloads. The mast is also made up. In the game, the Akizuki class DDs have no aft mast, so I eliminated it from my build.
I thought it would be fun to use an old kit from my stash to make this fictional ship. I used this build as an opportunity to try some of the techniques I learned on Modelwarships.com. I tried using a wash for the first time and liked the results. I also used a 1/350 ladder laid sideways for the bridge windows.
The 5.5" turrets came from spare Pitroad parts and were detailed with GMM PE doors. The ship's boats, 6m rangefinder, and AA rangefinder also came from Pitroad. I used Tom's Modelworks IJN DD PE set for railings, ladders, and the direction finding antenna. The radar came from Tom's IJN Zuiho PE set.
The 3 triple 25mm mounts are from WEM's IJN AA Weapons set. These mounts were tiny and took awhile to put together, but I think they look good in the end. I'd hate to do an IJN carrier or battleship with a ton of these mounts!
