Dear Karopchan residents! I present to you my next model of the Imperial Japanese Navy heavy aircraft carrier Zuikaku.
“Zuikaku” translated into Russian means lucky crane. Together with their sister ship, the Shokaku (soaring crane), they caused a lot of trouble for the American Navy in World War II. Zuikaku lived up to its name. He went virtually unharmed until almost the end of the war.
A brief excursion into history
Having drawn the correct conclusions from the use of deck-based, airborne and coastal aircraft in the First World War, the Japanese fleet achieved its greatest successes in naval aviation in the interwar years. In 1918, Britain laid down the first purpose-built aircraft carrier, Hermes (designed as such from the keel, rather than rebuilt from other types of warships or merchant ships). At the end of 1919, Japan responded by laying down the aircraft carrier Hosho. It was completed three years later, a full six months earlier than Hermes. Thus, Japan became the first country to own a “true” aircraft carrier. Hosho set the standard for Japanese ships of this class: a flight deck with minimal or no superstructures, located high above the hull on struts and supports, strong armament and a powerful air group.
Next came the Akagi, rebuilt from a battlecruiser, and the Kaga, rebuilt from a battleship. Ryujo was laid down as the initial aircraft carrier in 1929, and the Japanese used the experience of its construction when designing the following Soryu-class aircraft carriers. Those, in turn, were the prototype for the most successful project of a serial aircraft carrier of the Shokaku type.
The “Cranes” did not differ in appearance from the prototype, but were significantly larger in size. An additional 10,000 tons of displacement were used to introduce armor protection (an armor belt along the waterline up to 215 mm thick, an armored deck over vital objects up to 170 mm), raising the side by an entire deck, strengthening the hull and flight deck, and developed anti-torpedo protection (their PTZ corresponded to the PTZ contemporary Japanese heavy cruisers, which during the war showed amazing survivability, withstanding hits from 4-5 torpedoes), strengthening of aircraft and anti-aircraft weapons. The Shokaku-class aircraft carriers turned out to be so successful that experts equated them to the American Essex-class aircraft carriers, laid down four years later.
There were also disadvantages: the flight deck was unarmoured, it was only lined with wood. In addition, the Japanese, in an effort to speed up the maintenance of aircraft in battle, located posts for refueling aircraft with gasoline and hanging weapons not only on the flight deck, but also in both hangars. Unfortunate from a safety point of view, but convenient for refueling, tanks with aviation gasoline were also located. If the seal was broken, gasoline vapors spread throughout the ship. The desire to have a tactical advantage here exceeded the requirements for the fire safety of the ship. All this led to the need for modernization already in wartime.
Zuikaku was built at a shipyard in Kobe: laid down in 1938, launched on November 27, 1939.
Standard displacement 25675 t, full displacement 29800 t, overall length 257.5 m, beam 26 m, draft 8.87 m.
As of December 1941, the air group consisted of 18 A6M2 Zero fighters, 27 D3A Val dive bombers, and 27 B5N Keith torpedo bombers.
Zuikaku initially carried eight twin mounts of 127 mm guns. Built 25-mm anti-aircraft guns were located on platforms just below the flight deck in batteries of 2-4 installations. Their number continuously grew during the war.
Combat activity.
At dawn on December 7, 1941, as part of Vice Admiral Nagumo's strike force, he attacked Pearl Harbor.
In the spring of 1942 - a raid into the Indian Ocean.
Beginning of May 1942 - battle in the Coral Sea.
End of August 1942 - battle near the Eastern Solomon Islands.
October 1942 - battle near the island of Santa Cruz.
June 19-20, 1944 - battle in the Philippine Sea, where his sister ship Shokaku was lost.
On October 25, 1944, Zuikaku was killed in the Battle of Cape Engano. The ship sank after receiving 6 effective and one unexploded torpedo, 7 direct bomb hits and many close explosions. The commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester Nimitz, called this day the happiest of his life.
The death of the Cranes effectively put an end to the Japanese surface fleet as an important factor in the war in the Pacific.
A little about the model
I’ll be honest: I wouldn’t have taken on such a model myself, but... it was given to me by a good friend. I’ve never done 700 scale before, Waterline is not my thing at all. However, Akagi is visible somewhere far in the future, so I decided to practice on this model. The model was assembled well. For the first time I used etching for myself, it turned out a little crooked, but I tried. The model was made as of 1941 - early 1942, i.e. before the first modernization. Painting - balloon, brush. I tried to age the aircraft carrier somewhat - to depict paint that has faded in places from water and sun - in reality it looks good, but when enlarged it looks a little strange. The rigging is made from a bow. Someone explain to me - how is it still attached to the yards on such a scale?
I want to admit - this is not my first model, I have no excuses, all the mistakes are due to laziness, feeble-mindedness and crooked hands. So the anti-aircraft guns are ready for battle, ready to receive stools.
- Tora! Torah! Torah! download

Abstract on the topic:

Zuikaku

Plan:

Introduction

• 1 Service history
Notes
Literature

Introduction

Zuikaku(Japanese) 瑞鶴? , "Lucky Crane")- Japanese aircraft carrier from World War II.

The aircraft carriers Zuikaku and Shokaku were built according to the same design. Airplanes were transported to the flight deck from the hangars by three lifts.

1. Service history

Participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was not damaged in the Battle of the Coral Sea, but the heavy losses of the air group did not allow the Zuikaku aircraft carrier to be used in the Battle of Midway.

Participated in the operation to capture the Aleutian Islands in June-July 1942.

Participated in the Battle of the Eastern Solomon Islands on August 24, 1942. In the Battle of Santa Cruz Island on October 26, 1942, it suffered heavy air losses, but repelled all attacks and remained undamaged.

In June 1944, the aircraft carrier took part in the Battle of the Mariana Islands and became the flagship of the fleet after the sinking of the aircraft carrier Taiho.

She was Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's flagship during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and was sunk on 25 October 1944 at the Battle of Cape Engaño.

The Zuikaku was attacked by more than 100 bombers and torpedo bombers. He received a torpedo in the bow of the port side and immediately after that another 7 torpedoes on both sides. At the same time, 4 bombs hit the aircraft carrier and several exploded nearby. The damage was too great. Fires started on the aircraft carrier and it lost speed. She then began to list rapidly, and Rear Admiral Nakase ordered the remainder of the crew to assemble at the stern. The flag was lowered and people began to leave the ship. It sank at 13:14.

In the last battle, the aircraft carrier was commanded by Rear Admiral Takeo Kaizuka, who died along with the ship.

Notes

1. Paul Stephen Dull. The combat path of the Imperial Japanese Navy - militera.lib.ru/h/dull/index.html / Translation from English by A.G. Sick. - Ekaterinburg: Sphere, 1997. - 384 p. - (Sea battles close-up).

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This abstract is based on an article from Russian Wikipedia. Synchronization completed 07/14/11 14:31:10
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Shokaku and Zuikaku (Japanese for "Soaring Crane" and "Happy Crane" respectively) were the first Japanese production heavy aircraft carriers, designed and built in defiance of the 1922 Washington and 1930 London Naval Arms Limitation Treaties, which for many years shackled the fighting spirit of the samurai.

On November 12, 1921, the first meeting of representatives of nine great maritime powers - the USA, Great Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, China and Japan - opened in Washington, where issues related to the limitation of naval weapons were discussed.

Each of the negotiators, recognizing the need to reduce the number of heavy ships and introduce regulations on their characteristics, nevertheless tried to negotiate the most favorable terms for themselves.

In particular, Japan hoped to achieve, if not parity with the fleets of England and the United States, then at least a more favorable balance of forces than existed at the end of 1921. The negotiations were difficult, but on February 6, 1922, representatives of the parties nevertheless signed three agreements, which later received the names: “Treaty of the Four Powers,” “Treaty of the Five Powers” ​​and “Treaty of the Nine Powers.”

Primary attention in the documents of the Washington “Five Powers Treaty”, signed by representatives of the USA, Great Britain, Japan, France and Italy, was given to limiting the characteristics of heavy ships - battleships and battlecruisers. It also established the ratio of the total tonnage of battle fleets for the USA, England and Japan as 5:5:3. Thus, Japanese diplomats failed to achieve any parity.

The results of the conference were perceived extremely negatively by the Japanese naval command, which considered them a defeat for the diplomacy of this island state.

The Five Power Treaty also paid attention to a new class of warships - aircraft carriers. First of all, the very concept of “aircraft carrier” was defined as “a ship with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons, adapted for take-off and landing of aircraft with a wheeled landing gear.” Its standard displacement should not exceed 27,000 tons, and its service life from the moment of launching would be at least 20 years.

The last clause excluded the possibility of fleets uncontrollably replacing their aircraft carriers with new ones. This was important because the total displacement of aircraft carriers was also limited. For example, for the USA and Great Britain it was set at 135,000 tons each, and for Japan - 81,000 tons, which, in fact, repeated the same shameful, in the opinion of Japanese militarists, ratio as for linear forces - 5:5: 3.

As aircraft carriers, all parties to the treaty were allowed to complete the construction of two battleships (or battlecruisers) already laid down. Moreover, the displacement of each such converted aircraft carrier should not exceed 33,000 tons. To prevent a ship comparable in firepower to a battle cruiser from being completed under the guise of an aircraft carrier, restrictions were introduced on its heavy artillery - no more than eight 203-mm guns, and for a specially built aircraft carrier - no more than ten.

The consequence of the Washington Treaty was a revision of the imperial defense policy, according to which the United States was declared Japan's main potential adversary. And the Naval General Staff identified carrier-based aviation as one of the ways to achieve parity with the larger American fleet under contractual restrictions.

Acting under the Washington Treaty, the Japanese began converting their unfinished battlecruisers Akagi and Amagi into aircraft carriers (the latter, however, was destroyed during the 1923 earthquake and was replaced by the unfinished battleship Kada).

The next Japanese aircraft carrier, Ryujo, was laid down in 1929, but the displacement of this ship was 10,000 tons, which made it possible not to include it in the total tonnage of aircraft carriers allowed for Japan.

Eight years later, the articles of the Washington Treaty were expanded and supplemented at the London Conference on Maritime Disarmament. The conference ended on April 22, 1930 with the signing of a corresponding agreement, which focused on limiting the characteristics of cruisers, which made it possible to prevent the Japanese fleet from achieving parity in light forces with the fleets of Great Britain and the United States.

However, the leadership of the Naval General Staff took a completely different point of view than the representatives of the Japanese government who signed the London Treaty. They compiled a special report, which stated that all restrictive agreements do not meet the interests of Japan, and the USA and Great Britain were called potential adversaries on the seas.

Designers of the aircraft carrier Shokaku before launching the ship

The conclusions of the report indicated that it was vital for Japan to denounce all restrictive agreements and create ships that would be superior in combat capabilities to ships of similar classes of the enemy.

Unable to withstand the joint pressure of the leadership of the army and navy, in 1934 the Japanese government decided to denounce all previously signed restrictive treaties. In the same year, the Japanese Parliament adopted the “Second Ship Replacement Program,” which provided for the construction of two aircraft carriers.

According to the budget of 1934 - 1935, along with other warships, the aircraft carrier Soryu was laid down, the characteristics of which still fell within the contractual restrictions (Japan still had 15,900 tons of unused “aircraft carrier” tonnage).

But when, according to the budget of 1935 - 1936, the Hiryu aircraft carrier of the same type as Soryu was laid down, the Japanese openly declared that the total displacement of their aircraft-carrying ships would exceed the limits of the London Treaty. Soryu and Hiryu were considered the same type of ship, but as a result of the rejection of contractual restrictions, the displacement of the latter was increased to 17,756 tons (Hiryu - 16,100 tons), which enabled shipbuilders to improve its stability and carry out other modifications.

In 1936, Japan officially adopted a new naval doctrine based on the rejection of any restrictions in military shipbuilding. In accordance with it, the USA, USSR, China and Great Britain were identified as the country's likely opponents.

It was also planned by 1945 to increase the number of battleships to twelve, and the number of aircraft carriers to ten. It should be noted here that during the period of adoption of the doctrine, Japanese sailors accepted the possibility of complete destruction of the enemy’s linear forces by strikes exclusively from carrier-based aircraft.

On March 31, 1937, the Japanese Diet adopted the “Third Ship Replacement Program” (Maru San Keikaku), effectively discarding the last restrictive obligations. And, as a result, Japan refused to send its representatives to the Second London Conference on Maritime Disarmament.

The “Third Ship Replacement Program” provided for the construction of the most powerful battleships in the history of world shipbuilding, armed with 460 mm guns - the famous Yamato and Musashi, as well as two aircraft carriers with a displacement of 25,000 tons each. The task of building new heavy aircraft carriers was greatly facilitated by the fact that Japan had accumulated significant experience in the design, construction, operation and modernization of these warships.

International recognition of the success of Japanese shipbuilders in this matter can be considered the fact that the Germans, when developing their first aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, taking advantage of the strengthening of relations with the “Land of the Rising Sun,” sent a special group of experts there to study the experience accumulated here.

Therefore, it is not surprising that, in accordance with the “Third Program,” shipbuilders quickly developed a very successful project for a serial heavy aircraft carrier.

The basis for it was the aircraft carrier Soryu, but the increased displacement made it possible to significantly improve almost all of its characteristics - increase the number of carrier-based aircraft, strengthen anti-aircraft weapons, make mine protection and armor more reliable, as well as improve seaworthiness and increase speed thanks to a more powerful power plant.

The lead ship of the new series of heavy sistership aircraft carriers (sistership from English - the same type of ship) was named Shokaku (interestingly, an attempt was previously made to assign this name to an aircraft carrier that was supposed to be built under the budget of 1921 - 1922, but after Japan signed the Washington Treaty the order was cancelled). The keel of this ship was laid at the Yokosuka Navy Yard in June 1937.

The second aircraft carrier of the series, called Zuikaku, was laid down at the Kawasaki shipyard in Kobe in October 1939. It was planned to build the next ships of this series, although according to a slightly modified design - with an armored flight deck, and the first of them had already been laid down.

However, the ambitious shipbuilding programs of the Japanese fleet were hampered by the lack of appropriate production capacity in the country - after all, at the end of the 1930s, Japan's industrial potential was by no means great. As a result, the order for the third Shokaku-class aircraft carrier was canceled, and the freed funds were used to convert the high-speed passenger airliners Izumo Maru (Hiyo) and Kashiwara Maru (Junyo) into aircraft carriers.

Shokaku was an aircraft carrier with a standard displacement of 25,675 tons and a gross displacement of 29,800 tons. The total length of the ship was 257.5 m (at the waterline - 250 m), width - 26 m, draft - 8.87 m. Hull height compared to Hiryu increased by one deck, resulting in improved seaworthiness. The contract speed was 34 knots. The aircraft carrier was supposed to carry 98 aircraft (72 combat and 24 reserve). It was planned that they would include 12 Toure 96 fighters (A5M Claude), 24 Toure 96 bombers (D1A Susie), 24 Toure 97 torpedo bombers (B5N Kate) and 12 Toure 97 reconnaissance aircraft (C3N).

According to the original design, it was planned to install a small island superstructure on the left side of Shokaku, almost in the middle of its length, and the chimney pipes of the power plant boilers would be located on both sides, behind the island. Similar design solutions have already been used on Hiryu on the modernized Akagi.

However, pilots who served on these aircraft carriers noted difficulties during landing due to turbulence above the flight deck. The Naval General Staff demanded that a technical solution to this problem be found even if this work delayed the ship’s delivery date.

Numerous tests of various aircraft carrier models in the wind tunnel of the Kasumigaura Research Institute have shown that to minimize air disturbances above the “flight deck”, the island and smokestacks should be placed on the starboard side, and the smokestacks should be located behind the island, at a considerable distance from it.

Taking these results into account, a scheme similar to that used in the modernization of the aircraft carrier Kada in 1934 - 1936 was adopted for the new ship. The chimneys were moved to the starboard side, where they ended in two pipes curved downward, like on the Soryu aircraft carrier, and the superstructure was also moved to the starboard side, moving it towards the bow and giving it a more advantageous shape from the point of view of aerodynamics. Thanks to these measures, it was possible to significantly reduce air disturbances occurring on the flight deck.

Shokaku was launched on June 1, 1939, followed by her sister ship Zuikaku on November 12. Further work on the ships was carried out at the outfitting wall.

Deck of the sinking Zuikaku. The roll of the deck is clearly visible.

AWU Shokaku.

Shokaku (dancing crane), Zuikaku (happy crane). The last of the aircraft carriers to take part in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The last of the builders of the “great Asian co-prosperity sphere”. Admiral Nagumo's last aircraft carriers.

Japan's withdrawal in 1936 from international treaties limiting the size of warships allowed it to create aircraft carriers that met the requirements of the time. The 1937 rearmament program included the construction of two heavy aircraft carriers similar to the Hiryu.

The aircraft carriers Zuikaku and Shokaku were built according to the same design.

In the Shokaku project, all previous mistakes were corrected. Ships of this type had two catapults and a large hangar, the size of which made it possible to increase the ship's air group from 63 to 75 aircraft. With a significantly increased power of the power plant (they were equipped with the most powerful machines ever used on Japanese warships), these two aircraft carriers each had 5000 tons of fuel and a cruising range of almost 16,000 km. At the same time, they were equipped with good armor protection and carried more powerful anti-aircraft weapons than their predecessors.

For a number of characteristics, these ships were the best aircraft carriers in the world at that time (they were later surpassed by Essex-class ships). The only significant drawback of the Shokaku-class aircraft carriers, the lightweight design of the flight deck, was aggravated by the presence of a completely enclosed but unprotected double hangar. In addition, like all Japanese aircraft carriers, they had a vulnerable fuel system. Not only were the fuel lines to the hangars and flight deck vulnerable to nearby explosions, but the fuel tanks were not sufficiently protected from damage by the blast wave.

Shokaku was laid down in late 1937 and put to sea in August 1941, just two months before Pearl Harbor. Although she took part in this operation, her flight crews were too inexperienced and were used only to bomb the airfield on the island of Oahu. . Together with the Zuikaku, he became part of the 5th Aircraft Carrier Division, and after combat coordination in early 1942, they operated off Ceylon and New Guinea.

Zuikaku, the second ship of the Shokaku class, was laid down in May 1938 and commissioned into the fleet in September 1941. He joined the USS Shokaku in the 5th Carrier Division and they operated together for the next three years. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, the inexperience of the 5th Division's aircrews reduced the carriers' participation in the operation to only secondary tasks. But by then. When the division carried out its destructive raids against the British in the Ceylon area, the aircraft carriers were already fully prepared. They then left the main carrier force and headed for Truk Island. from where they covered the invasion of Port Moresby on May 1, 1942.

In the Coral Sea, the 5th Carrier Division achieved a tactical victory, losing the light carrier Seho but sinking the Lexington. Japanese aircraft carriers spent a lot of energy to sink a destroyer and a squadron tanker, which they mistook for a cruiser and an aircraft carrier. A group of 24 85N aircraft and 36 D3A bombers failed to break through the defenses of American aircraft carriers, and on May 8 the Americans were unable to find the Zuikaku. The ship survived, but lost many trained flight crews and was forced, accompanied by the damaged aircraft carrier Shokaku, to return to Japan to restore the air group. As a result, the 5th Aircraft Carrier Division missed the battle of Midway Island, and a month later it became part of the renewed 1st Division aircraft carriers, which headed to the Solomon Islands the following month to challenge the American military presence on Guadalcanal. However, none of the division's aircraft carriers was fully equipped with aircraft.

The Battle of the Coral Sea “saved” both aircraft from participating in Midway. They survived and for 2 long years remained the only serious aircraft carrier force at the disposal of the United Fleet.

Shokaku was damaged in the Coral Sea by an airstrike from Yorktown. There was a fire on the ship, but the fire was extinguished. After this, the Shokaku was forced to return to Japan for repairs. The loss of 86 aircraft and most of the flight crews made it impossible for these aircraft carriers to participate in the Battle of Midway Island, and on July 14, they, along with the light ship Zuiho, entered the renewed 1st Aircraft Carrier Division. In the battle of the Eastern Solomon Islands, they managed to damage the Enterprise, but at the same time they lost many aircraft and their crews. On October 26, Shokaku was heavily damaged by dive bombers from Hornet.

In the Battle of the Eastern Solomon Islands on August 24, 1942, Zuikaku damaged the Enterprise at the cost of significant losses. In June 1944, the Zuikaku was seriously damaged in a battle in the Philippine Sea, but its crew managed to put out a fire that threatened to destroy the ship. Subsequently, the exterior of the aircraft carrier's fuel tanks were filled with concrete to remove air from the surrounding area. In October 1944, Zuikaku became part of the 3rd Aircraft Carrier Division and took part in maneuvers to divert the attention of American ships supporting the landings in Leyte Gulf. (Operation Sho-1 was described by me earlier).

On October 24, Zuikaku launched its last airstrike against the enemy. All the planes participating in it were shot down, and the very next day, American pilots sank all four Japanese aircraft carriers in the battle of Cape Engaño. Zuikaku became the main target of the American attack and was covered by two successive waves of attacking aircraft. First he was hit by a torpedo, and then by six or seven bombs. The damage was too great, and the Zuikaku soon sank.

In the last battle, the aircraft carrier was commanded by Rear Admiral Takeo Kaizuka, who died along with the ship.

In the Battle of the Philippine Sea on June 19, 1944, the Shokaku was hit by three torpedoes from the American submarine Cavalla, and after the explosion of aviation fuel tanks, the aircraft carrier sank.

Specifications:
Displacement: 25675 tons standard.
32,000 tons total.
Dimensions: length - 257.5 m, width - 26 m, draft - 8.9 m.
Power plant: four-shaft steam turbine with a total power of 119,310 kW (160,000 hp)
Speed: 34.2 knots.
Armor protection: belts - 215 mm. decks - 170 mm.
Armament: 8 twin 127 universal guns and 12 triple 25mm anti-aircraft guns.
Air group: 27 fighters. 27 dive bombers and 18 torpedo bombers.
Crew: 1600 people.

Good day to all colleagues! I recently completed a model of the Japanese Shokaku-class heavy aircraft carrier "Zuikaku". The ship is presented as of October 1944. The model was published in 2010.

About the historical prototype

Construction and performance characteristics.

The progenitors of the Shokaku class are the Soryu class aircraft carriers and the Yamato class battleships.
Zuikaku was laid down on May 25, 1938 at the Kawasaki shipyard in Kobe. On September 30, 1939 it received its name. Launched on November 27, 1939. Delivered to the navy on September 25, 1941.
Displacement for 1941 standard/full: 25700/32100 tons. Ship dimensions - maximum LxWxH: 257x29x8.9 m. Flight deck dimensions: 242x29 m. Control: 2 rudders located in the longitudinal axis of the ship. Propulsion: 4 three-blade propellers with a diameter of 5 meters each. Power plant power 164900 hp. Maximum/cruising speed: 34.2/18 knots. Range at 30/18 knots: 4200/9700 miles.
The flight deck was made up of segments, thanks to which it “played” together with the entire hull. This did not allow a catapult to be mounted on the aircraft carrier.

Activities and modernizations.

Together with the same type "Shokaku" it formed the 5th aircraft carrier division or "Crane Division", since in translation "Shokaku" means "Soaring Crane" and "Zuikaku" means "Happy Crane". After the sinking of Shokaku on June 19, 1944, she was transferred to the 3rd Carrier Division along with the light aircraft carriers Zuiho, Chitose and Chiyoda.
During combat service, the ship's appearance did not undergo significant changes. The changes mainly concerned strengthening anti-aircraft weapons and increasing the survivability of the ship. Survivability increased both organizationally and technically.
In December 1942, Zuikaku received a Type 21 radar on the roof of the island, and in June 1943, a Type 13 air defense radar was added to the signal mast in front of the topmast.

In 1944 it received camouflage paint.
The aircraft carrier took part in all major operations of the war in the Pacific theater, except for the Battle of Midway, until her death on October 25, 1944 during Operation Sho or the Battle of Cape Engaño. The aircraft carrier was hit by 7 bombs (1 - 454 kg and 6 - 227 kg) and 7 torpedoes on both sides, which is clearly too much for any aircraft carrier. The crew lost 843 people, including the ship's commander, Rear Admiral Kaizuka Takeo. 862 people were rescued by the destroyers Wakatsuki and Kuwa.
In the last battle, the aircraft carrier had 65 aircraft: 28 A6M5, 16 A6M2, 7 D4Y2 (reconnaissance) and 14 B6N2.
Such large crew losses were largely due to continuous attacks by American aircraft from TF 38, which hampered rescue efforts. TF 38 included the light aircraft carrier CVL-22 "Independence", a model of which I assembled in July 2011 and presented for an earlier period.
Zuikaku was the last of 6 aircraft carriers whose aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
American Admiral Chester Nimitz called the day of the sinking of the Happy Crane “his happiest day.”

Before assembly

We have and used during assembly:

1. 1/350 scale model of the aircraft carrier "Zuikaku" from Fujimi;
2. Photoetch for "Zuikaku" in 1/350 scale from Fujimi;
3. Rails for "Zuikaku" in 1/350 scale from Fujimi;
4. Photo-etched Hasegawa QG18;
5. Photo-etched Hasegawa QG35;
6. Plastic from Aoshima sprues;
7. Working tools and accessories;
8. Black nylon threads d=0.1 mm;
9. Copper wire d=0.12 mm.

Working literature.

1. Magazine "Marine Collection" No. 1, 2010;
2. Encyclopedia "Aircraft Carriers of World War II";
3. "Japanese aircraft carriers of World War II. "Dragons" of Pearl Harbor and Midway"
4. "Japanese Airplanes of the Second World War";

Assembly

Ship

According to the data on the box, the aircraft carrier model is 73 cm long and 8.4 cm wide. The basic version has 1213 parts.
The model itself is made of high quality plastic. It was a pleasure to work with him. The planes are made of transparent plastic. Obloy: found several pieces.
The assembly instructions are almost all in Japanese, which is typical for Fujimi. Because of this, at the end of the assembly instructions there was a big problem in identifying the types of aircraft of the air group.

Paint colors are specified as assembly progresses. There is also a paint sheet that matches the size of the model, thanks to which masks can be used to camouflage the flight deck without any problems. I thought this would be the hardest. How naive was I?!!
The hull is assembled using a frame system.

Aircraft of the air group, only 8 units, made of transparent plastic. Airplane propellers are plastic. The planes of each blade are at an angle to the shaft axis, as on real airplanes. I have identified them as A6M2 model 21, A6M5 model 52, B5N2 and B6N2. Installed all the planes. Although according to sources, B5N2 aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier on October 25, 1944 there wasn't.

Decals successfully arranged according to the destination object and separated from each other by a black dotted line. Moreover, all the decals thin and tear easily. The adhesive on the decals is good: a light touch of the tip to the surface is enough and it will not move. You need to completely remove the decal and repeat the procedure. It can also save a lot of water on the surface of the model immediately after applying the decal, then the glue will come off.
I only bought 2 of the 4 add-ons offered by the manufacturer. I didn't see the point in the rest.

Looking at the model

We can say that the aircraft carrier is preparing to begin flights (from bow to stern):
a) the wind deflector is already raised;

b) mobile single-barreled 25-mm machine guns have not yet been moved to the edges of the flight deck;
c) the emergency barriers have not yet been lowered;
d) the upper exhaust from the chimneys is already closed and transferred to the lower side;

e) the type 21 deck radar has not yet been retracted into its niche under the flight deck;

f) the antenna masts have not yet been tilted to the sides by 90 degrees;

e) large rescue nets at the edges of the flight deck are already raised;
g) the aircraft are already on the flight deck;
h) the collapsing 5-ton crane has not yet been removed.

Improvements

The improvements are described in as much detail as possible in my topic. See address above. Here I will dwell only on general points.


There were a lot of improvements. First of all, these were bug fixes from the manufacturer itself.
The numbers of the plastic stair ladders match the f/etched ladders. This made the work much easier. Each ramp has arched steps.

Leera for some reason they are shown separately from the staircases. If they were shown together, the list of improvements described in detail in the topic would be an order of magnitude smaller.
When installing two small rescue nets in the aft part of the flight deck, the manufacturer suddenly misplaced the hoists intended for launching rescue boats into the water. The hoists protrude in cantilevers from under the flight deck. With hoists it is impossible to put nets in these places. I installed the nets nearby in free places.
Door installation from f/etching was not registered at all. I installed the doors to my taste, in accordance with common sense.

Rigging made of nylon threads and copper wire. For the side rigging masts on the port side and for the minimast on the flight deck, I used plastic barrels of 25 mm machine guns.

Added to the air group aircraft carrier 2 D4Y2 aircraft in reconnaissance modification, as evidenced by additional fuel tanks under the wings. They were included in the model kit of the battleship-aircraft carrier "Ise" (Fujimi, 1/350), but were not in demand by me. On the fins the aircraft bear the insignia of the 634th Kokutai, which was assigned to "Ise".

Final revision. On the base model there is no place to hang a flag. The flag for a ship is EVERYTHING. Especially the Japanese, who never let him down. Hung 2 flags (Division Commander and General Navy) behind the topmast of the signal mast.

Conclusion

This model is intended only for very experienced ship modellers. A very heavy model, but at the same time very interesting.
For me personally, this model was a very good test. During assembly, I actively maneuvered between shallows and minefields. I got into trouble several times, but I pulled it out with the help of God, Saint Constantine and my well-known mother.
Thanks everyone for your attention!