1/700 Yamato

Adding on:

Either full hull or waterline would be fine. Don't have a preference for one over the other. 

Edwin

Anyone has advice on this? Am looking for a relaxing OOB build. Simple PE work should be fine.

You might want to start out with one of the Tamiya IJN destoyers, for being simpler and potentially a better "get into the ship building" gig.

Now, the 1/700 would be better practice for a 1/700 Yamato.  But, the 1/350 destroyer kits wind up a similar size.

Why a destroyer, and why IJN?  The ships are lean, you will not need to make twenty or thirty matching tiny AA gun mounts.  And, the "bits" are very interesting on DDs, guns, depth charges, torpedos, all maner of things.  Also, the paint schemes make for interesting models, what with IJN practice of putting russet linoleum on steel decks as "non-skid."  Also, destroyers do not have wooden decks as  general rule, which skips over that issue (paint versus paper-thin aftermarket, etc.)

IJN as the ships are fairly well-documented.  You really do not need to pay as much in aftermarket as the base kit to model a specific ship.

In contrast, USN Ships are masking nightmares, with decks painted differently than vertical surfaces.  Royal Navy ships are less complicated paint jobs--other than finding the correct colors, which can be an issue (and then you need to pick a specific date to know which scheme to paint).

Many thanks, Capn 

Loads of sensible advice. I'll look for a Tamiya IJN destroyer then.

Was considering the Yamato as I wanted to build something with big guns  for the Japanese group build. Perhaps the Shimakaze might satisfy this:

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/1700-waterline-series/shimakaze-destroyer/

Looks more complicated than the other destroyers though. 

HI edwin;

   I would start with one of the I.J.N. Destroyers in 1/700 from Pit Road or Fujimi. Well molded with good fit and details. Simple, Straightforward and Pleasant to build. Tanker-Builder

<quote>Looks more complicated than the other destroyers though.</quote>

It is and it isn't.  All IJN ships are a touch "fiddly" for the way they stack superstructure parts.  And, for having "gun houses" for the torpedo tubes (which was kind of needed for the Long Lance torpedos, which were 24" diameter and 30 foot long).

Here's the Scalemates entry for it:  https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tamiya-31460-shimakaze--1077054

Note that there's a nice unboxing video halfway down that listing.

There's a decent detail set:  https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tetra-model-works-se-70020-ijn-destroyer-shimakaze-detail-up-set--1114489

Which is out of production, but might be on eBay.

Now, an alternative ight be IJN Matsu
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tamiya-31428-matsu--171117

Which is a smaller, and simpler ship.  Five-Star made a detail set for this one, too.  And, it's OOP, so you'd have to search eBay or similar sites.

The Matsu Class is notable for being fitted with five inch guns (if only three), as most IJN DDs carried eitehr 3" or 4" guns.

Either of those would make really good display companions for a future Yamato, or Mushashi, build (Kongo is an under-represented IJN ship in modeling).

Tanker-Builder

HI edwin;

   I would start with one of the I.J.N. Destroyers in 1/700 from Pit Road or Fujimi. Well molded with good fit and details. Simple, Straightforward and Pleasant to build. Tanker-Builder

 

Thanks for chiming in, TB!

Simple, straightforward and pleasant to build are just what I'm looking for. Presently having a bit of a struggle with an old tool Hasegawa 1/72 Harrier that does not fit too well. Will take a look at what Pit Road and Fujimi have to offer. 

CapnMac82

<quote>Looks more complicated than the other destroyers though.</quote>

It is and it isn't.  All IJN ships are a touch "fiddly" for the way they stack superstructure parts.  And, for having "gun houses" for the torpedo tubes (which was kind of needed for the Long Lance torpedos, which were 24" diameter and 30 foot long).

Here's the Scalemates entry for it:  https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tamiya-31460-shimakaze--1077054

Note that there's a nice unboxing video halfway down that listing.

There's a decent detail set:  https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tetra-model-works-se-70020-ijn-destroyer-shimakaze-detail-up-set--1114489

Which is out of production, but might be on eBay.

Now, an alternative ight be IJN Matsu
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tamiya-31428-matsu--171117

Which is a smaller, and simpler ship.  Five-Star made a detail set for this one, too.  And, it's OOP, so you'd have to search eBay or similar sites.

The Matsu Class is notable for being fitted with five inch guns (if only three), as most IJN DDs carried eitehr 3" or 4" guns.

Either of those would make really good display companions for a future Yamato, or Mushashi, build (Kongo is an under-represented IJN ship in modeling).

 

Thanks for the further input, Capn 

Downloaded the instructions for the Tamiya Shimakaze from Scalemates, and thankfully, does not look too daunting. Guess once PE and rigging are thrown in, it'll be a different kettle of fish 

Will have a look at the Matsu too. 

Edwin

Thanks for the further input, Capn

Well, it's what this site is meant for.

That Matsu is teeny-tiny in fair warning.  It can be daunting if one feels fat-fingered at all.

If you can find the PE for it, it will have the advantage/dsiadvantage of bending with only fine tweezers and teeny pliers (the smaller Tamiya bending pliers may be too big, despite how good a tool they are).

Given that the Matsu is available for US$15, about half the price of the larger IJN DDs, a person could be forgiven for a strict OOB (out of the box) build as a warm-up.