NEW 1/350 Kongo, Haruna and Ise!!!!!

So where can I get the Fujimi Kongo?

Bill Morrison

HobbyLink Japan has it in-stock for $157.08 plus about $51 for shipping.

Greatmodels has it in-stock for $181.25 plus $7.95 for Fed-Ex or UPS Ground shipping.

Tachikawa

Thanks! I'll check it out.

Bill Morrison

I will be very interested to see some sort of comparison between the Aoshima 1/350 Kongo, and the Fujimi 1/350 Kongo.  I have the Fujimi version now, and I am so impressed that I would think it very hard for the Aoshima version to be appreciably better.  The Fujimi Kongo can be had from Free Time Hobbies (in Georgia) for $169, which appears to be cheaper than prices quoted for the Aoshima version, and on Ebay you can get the Fujimi Kongo for $165, plus $15 shipping.... It really is a superb kit!!!  Frankly, I find it a bit surprising that Aoshima came out with this, when it is already available from Fujimi (along with a 'Haruna' now as well), and would have made more sense to produce a 'Kirishima,' or 'Hiei.'  Apparently, these guys are all pretty secretive about what they have in design, and don't talk to each other much (trying to get a 'scoop' on each other!). 

Too bad!  You know what might make a lot of sense?  Instead of these guys working so hard to compete with one another, if they got together and 'divyed up' the market a bit (i.e. Fujimi concentrates on battleships, Hasegawa concentrates on aircraft carriers, Aoshima does cruisers, etc), they might ALL make a lot of money without stepping on each others toes!

I agree that it would be an interesting idea for the manufacturers to plan their products jointly in order to expand their offerings to us, the customers. Afterall, how many Bismarcks, Yamatos, etc. do we need? But, it will be interesting to see whether Fujimi and Aoshima produce the same variant of the Kongo, i.e. whether their releases represent the ship at the same point in her long career. It would be great if one of them represents the ship as built!

Bill Morrison

I guess the only thing for it is to lament the manufacturer's lack of imagination concerning the possibilities open to them.  I love that they are expanding their product lines; I lament that they are duplicating their efforts.

Bill Morrison

The word on ther street is while Fujimi version of Kongo is somewhat better quality, Aoshima version is much more accurate.   Notably Fujimi got the basic hull shape wrong, and it is clearly menifested in the wrong shape of the secondary gun embrasures on either side of the hull.

searat12 wrote:

From what I understand, BOTH represent 'Kongo' in 1944.......

Yes, and Aoshima has also released a 1/350 Kirishima in 1942 fit.  That ship didn't make it to 1944.   The only one of the 4 Kongos still missing would be Hiei.   Hiei is probably being saved for last because she was substantially different from her 3 sisters.    

Fujimi has also released testshot of a 1/350 Shukaku, ETA unknown, while persistent rumor swills around about a 1/350 Fuso to be expected from Aoshima in 2009.    Tamiya has anounced a 1/350 Mogami hybrid cruiser for 03/2009, with pure cruiser versions to follow.    Fine Mold has announced a new IJN Fubuki destroyer in 1/350.   While Skywave has announced a new IJN LST, also in 1/350.

 If you are an IJN modeler, this is a time of extraordinary plenty.   If you are interested in 1/350 models of something else, it is time to clamor really hard for equal treatment.

searat12 wrote:

Just curious, how is the Fujimi's 'basic hull shape wrong' in comparison with the Aoshima version?  And how could the Fujimi kit be of 'better quality,' while the Aoshima kit is 'more accurate?'  Shouldn't the two go hand in hand?  Perhaps I will find out when the Aoshima Kirishima arrives (got on pre-order now).

The cutback on the side of Fujimi's hull is inclined, so the embrasures for the secondary gun casemates had to be trapazoidal in shape.   In reality they were verticle, so the casemate embrasures were rectangular.  Unfortunately this is a hard error for the average modeler to correct.  Fujimi got it wrong in defiance of all photographic evidence, Aoshima got it right. 

But the word on the street is all the details on the Fujimi model are more crisply molded, and were it not for the conspicuous error with the hull side cut back and embrasure shape,  would have been a better model.

warshipbuilder wrote:

"If you are interested in 1/350 models of something else, it is time to clamor really hard for equal treatment." Too bloody right! I'm sick to death of Jap & USN stuff. None of these ships appeal to me in the slightest.

You are outnumbered.

Tracy White wrote:

Being a Royal Navy snob means never having to acknowledge any other ship as significant, even if it smacked a ship of her majesty around.

HIS majesty at the time.

From the birthplace of the Kongo

Dave Ross 

searat12 wrote:

Prinz Eugen is due out in early 2009 (March, I believe).  You will have to wait on Repulse.  It appears the only outfit doing anything other than Japanese stuff in any quantity is Trumpeter (they are the ones bringing out Repulse), so you will have to send them an email with your request (send several, and quote Finescale while you are at it!).  I guess the main reason they haven't made many British RN subjects is because they either sank, blew up, or didn't do anything of note, and they hate to rub it in!

 The might-have-been is cooler than what actually was.  So because we style ourselves "the good guys", we have to suffer the indignity of seeing that the the bad guy's ships cooler than our own.          

searat12 wrote:

Prinz Eugen is due out in early 2009 (March, I believe).  You will have to wait on Repulse.  It appears the only outfit doing anything other than Japanese stuff in any quantity is Trumpeter (they are the ones bringing out Repulse), so you will have to send them an email with your request (send several, and quote Finescale while you are at it!).  I guess the main reason they haven't made many British RN subjects is because they either sank, blew up, or didn't do anything of note, and they hate to rub it in!

do you include Warspite into your definition !!!???

warshipbuilder wrote:

Where's Scharnhorst? Graf Spee? Nelson? A Tribal Class? HMS Suffolk?Ark Royal, Victorious etc etc? All we are getting are kingos, kongos, kangos, Mitsus Mutsus Matsus, Metsus Akagis, Shokus Shakus Shikus Minogsd Mongos Mangos and bugger-all else!

I haven't heard anything wiser for a long time. Thanks Warshipbuilder !!

And please don't forget WWI too.

 Nelson

kapudan_emir_effendi wrote:

searat12 wrote: Prinz Eugen is due out in early 2009 (March, I believe).  You will have to wait on Repulse.  It appears the only outfit doing anything other than Japanese stuff in any quantity is Trumpeter (they are the ones bringing out Repulse), so you will have to send them an email with your request (send several, and quote Finescale while you are at it!).  I guess the main reason they haven't made many British RN subjects is because they either sank, blew up, or didn't do anything of note, and they hate to rub it in! do you include Warspite into your definition !!!???

As I said, sank, blew up, or didn't do anything of note!  Warspite NEARLY sank at Jutland, got pounded by a German glider bomb, and then just took up dockyard space until Normandy.....Actually, I am far more impressed by HMS Renown, who at least took on two German battlecruisers and ran 'em both off (didn't sink either of them though!).....

It's fun to tease the Brits!

searat12 wrote:

Sure!  How many ships did Warspite sink in WW2?

3 directly, and 5 others by influence, all bonafide warships, at Narvik.

A body count not rivaled by many other battleships.