Deck seam on 1/350 Tamiya Yamato

They are very thin, maybe 0.3mm.    I am not sure if this is the case on the Kongo.   But on Yamato the planked portion of the deck is really slightly raised above the non-planked parts on the for'c'stle forward and on the aircraft handling deck aft, as well as above the very edge of the deck outboard of where the planking stops.   So putting a layer of plank on top of the deck really improves scale accuracy.

Chuck Fan wrote:

That particular deck for the Tamiya Yamato has pre-cut holes for all the deck fittings so you don't have to sand or cut off anything.  Just drop the deck right on and everything fits. The problem is the deck set is perfectly fitted for the Tamiya kit, and the Tamiya kit just isn't very accurate.   If you try to correct some of the errors in the tamiya kit, or if you want to backdate the kit to sometime before Yamato's last voyage,  then the pre-fab deck wouldn't fit anymore.   They give you a small surplus deck piece so you can patch the deck set a little if you want.  But that doesn't work very well because you can never cut the pieces as accurately as the manufactuerer.    This is why I am planking the deck with wooden strips.  Planking the deck is much more labourious, and the final result doesn't look quite as good as the pre-fab wooden sheet deck, but it allows me to back date the kit to 1941.

Another option is using Mr Surfacer and Mr. color thinner.

Get a REALLY tight fit first to minimize what needs to be filled.

Apply Mr Surfacer.

Once it's dry, the Mr Color Thinner will remove it with a Q-tip... carefully rub it off (if you rub too hard you will create a depression at the joint, but it won't harm the plastic). It's a chemical sanding essentially that doesn't harm the plastic and hence detail. 

The same method has worked well for me in bulkhead to deck joints where one has a small gap.

That particular deck for the Tamiya Yamato has pre-cut holes for all the deck fittings so you don't have to sand or cut off anything.  Just drop the deck right on and everything fits.

The problem is the deck set is perfectly fitted for the Tamiya kit, and the Tamiya kit just isn't very accurate.   If you try to correct some of the errors in the tamiya kit, or if you want to backdate the kit to sometime before Yamato's last voyage,  then the pre-fab deck wouldn't fit anymore.   They give you a small surplus deck piece so you can patch the deck set a little if you want.  But that doesn't work very well because you can never cut the pieces as accurately as the manufactuerer.    This is why I am planking the deck with wooden strips. 

Planking the deck is much more labourious, and the final result doesn't look quite as good as the pre-fab wooden sheet deck, but it allows me to back date the kit to 1941.

I used individual wooden strips from Northeastern Scale Lumber:

http://northeasternscalelumber.com/osc/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3_38&products_id=97

They are very thin, about 0.3mm, and available in a variety of lengthes and widths.   But be warned that it will take about 30 packs or $100 to cover the planked portion of Yamato's deck. 

 There are also several Japanese companies that makes shaped and pre-cut wooden deck sheets that can e glued right over the kit's deck:

 http://www.hlj.com/product/KALMD35002 

Chuck

I like the idea of planking the decks, what did you use? At 1/350 the strips would be pretty narrow.

Thanks

John 

One technique that I have used is to add supports for the deck parts underneath, then put the parts together using green putty as the solvent.  Wipe any excess putty away while still wet. Once dry, place masking tape along both sides of the seam as close to the seam as possible.  Then sand the putty down.  The masking tape will prevent damaging the decking detail.

Bill Morrison