Military Model Scene

In the first half of 2018 my wife and I took what we describe as a trip of a lifetime, we visited Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.  I'll be adding a piece or two under the Battlefield Visits section of the site when I manage to get them finished.  I was immediately attracted to this 1/72 kit from Fine Molds as it is of an example of which 5 were involved in the 7th December attack.  All five have been found, the most recent only as recently as 2002.

The Type A Ko-hyoteki, a two-man miniature submarine. Be careful not to confuse it with another Type A submarine used by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as this was a larger cruiser type vessel.  There were 46 of these built, and they were identified simply by numbers rather than names.  They carried two torpedoes, loaded into tubes at the bow, and were carried by ships or larger submarines to get them closer to their targets.  They were given the name 'Target' in an effort to disguise their intended use.

The kit itself is quite simple and builds quickly and easily enough.  It also include a separate set of parts for a single torpedo and display stand that you can display alongside it.  The main hull is done in two parts and you get a join line that then needs to be sanded down to get it looking right.  There are just a couple of optional parts, clearly indicated in the instructions, for an example used at Pearl Harbor in 1941, another (no 34) at Narumi Bay, Kiska, in Aug 1943 and thirdly for no 36 at Ourasaki, Hiroshima in Aug 1944.  Markings are provided as are display stands for both the submarine and the separate torpedo.  As both are finished in overall flat black, they are both quick and easy to spray paint.  I just have to apply the transfers, add a coat of matt varnish and then a little weathering.

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I bought my example through Tiger Hobbies here in the UK.

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Robin