Test shots of Fujimi's 1/350 Kongo

OK, I'm going to take a stab and say April. I think the ladder like character at the top of the page after the '4' is the Japaneses character for 'month'. If I hear different, I'll post it.

Too bad they didn't follow suit on the Hasegawa Nagato and use clear parts for the bridge.   Time to cut and add brass instead once again.   Overall from the looks of it pretty damn promising indeed.  ( At least they didn't use a computer grid for the hull as in the case of the Hasegawa Nagato).

 

IJN Kongo is a great subject to model, she saw lots of action in WWII before her sinking.

 

Hopefully a High Pagoda Yamishiro/Fuso may be next.   Very nice lines on those ships as well.

 

I just recieved my 1/350 Chokai  the other day, what a beauty of a kit this looks like... just waiting for a full on brass detail for her from Lionroar.  Nagato is also on her way.... time to fill those hull lines with putty. 

A Tokyo resident confirmed it with me that it is indeed set for a next April release.

Spector, I had noticed the Chokai kit, too. I'm hopping a mass produced injection kit of a Mogami class will come out so I can do a kit of the Kumano.

Looks very cool

I hope they just threw this particular model together hastily - the closeup shot seems to show some fitting issues between the deck and hull.

Regardless, I'm thrilled.  I've been waiting for a 1/350 Kongo kit since the mid-80's when I used to bombard Tamiya with requests for one.  Everybody has their weakness, and mine is Japanese cruisers and Kongo-class battleships.  So you know there is no way I can do without this kit when it finally sees the light of day!  I may gripe about the price of the Nagato kit, but I don't give a horse's patoot about the cost of this baby!  Thanks for the great news, Aurora!!!

I too have been looking for a large-scale Kongo for quite a few years.... I could never understand why everybody and his dog would produce yet another Yamato or Musashi while ignoring all the other IJN battlewagons.  I remember paying out the wazoo for a 1/450 Haruna by Fujimi a few years ago, and apparently they made limited numbers of the others of the class as well, but they are scarcer then hen's teeth!  In any case, I have a 1/350 Nagato on its way, am looking forward to a 1/350 Chokai and Atago (I have heard rumors that Aoshima will release the Atago and Maya at slightly reduced prices for some reason), but have little hope that a 1/350 Yamashiro or others will surface very quickly..... Sure would be nice to see a few more US cruisers hit the market (San Francisco is a good start, but what about the Northampton or Brooklyn?).......

Seems like the only surefire way to spark the creation of any specific model kit is to make a movie.  They did Flyboys and all of a sudden there are WW1 kits selling all over.  Not sure what happened after Pearl Harbor came out, since I hadn't gotten back into modeling yet - all I heard from that movie was a very loud sucking sound.

If they were to make a big-budget movie of Hornfischer's book about the Houston, I'll bet you'd see a few big-scale Houston kits hit the market pronto.  Maybe even some IJN light and heavy cruisers too.  I can dream and imagine they'd also put out kits of the British and especially the Dutch ships as well.  That would be sweeeeeeeeet.

The date has not yet been released, the best I have seen is 'Spring 2008.'  You'll just have to be patient (though Lord knows i am really looking forward to it too!)!!

Not so sure about the 'Flyboys' connection... There has been a real rennaissance in WWI aircraft kits going on now for about 15 years.  I just wish it would be followed by the birth of interest in WWI ships!  So sad; I thought for sure there would be a big surge after the ICM Koenigs came out, but the whole thing just fizzled.  What I would give for a 1/350 WWI Scharnhorst or HMS Lion!