Another Carrier Project

Discussion in 'North Atlantic Treaty Combat Fleet' started by Bob Pottle, Jan 8, 2009.

  1. Bob Pottle

    Bob Pottle Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2007
    Posts:
    2,001
    Location:
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    I've decided to build another Japanese carrier though my first (IJN Ibuki) is still under construction. I need a Class 5 ship to test wider bow and stern gun arcs.

    I've found a plan source for the late WWII IJN Amagi of the Unryu Class (4 ships) but don't know if those ship had twin rudders. I emailed Pacific Front Hobbies and asked how many rudders are on the plan.

    If there's only 1 rudder I'll probably order Hiryu or Soryu plans instead. They're about the same size as the Amagi and there's an excellent on-line building article for a 1/144 Soryu with full details shown. The carrier hull mold project will start after I finish the HMS Abdiel mold so the ship won't see action until 2010.

    In the meantime it will be possible to convert my HMS Furious battelcruiser hull to the WWII carrier version if I don't bother to modify the bulges. (The bulges were the same width in WWI&II but were given greater volume and extended higher up the hull.) Furious would also be a 5 unit carrier but the model would be single ruddered and about 4" longer than the Japanese carriers so it won't turn as well.

    Bob
     
  2. crzyhawk

    crzyhawk Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2007
    Posts:
    2,306
    Location:
    Alexandria, VA
    They were twin rudder ships Bob.
     
  3. HMCS

    HMCS Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2007
    Posts:
    339
    Dual class 5 rudders and 34 knot speed, this will be one to watch out for.
     
  4. Bob Pottle

    Bob Pottle Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2007
    Posts:
    2,001
    Location:
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Thanks for the info guys. You can't complain about a 34 knot carrier with twin rudders and 5 combat units! I'll order the Amagi plans tomorrow.

    Being a late WWII carrier the 1/144 aircraft bought to display on Ibuki's deck would be suitable for Amagi. (See the Ibuki thread for photos of some prepainted Japanese naval aircraft models.)

    Bob
     
  5. HMCS

    HMCS Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2007
    Posts:
    339
    I leave tomorrow night for England and Secunda's ocean going salvage tug the MV Ryan Leet, I'll be back in 6 weeks and look forward to catching up on your progress with Ibuki,Abdiel and Amagi. If you decide not to go ahead with the Furious as a CV, I'd be interested in purchasing the hull.
     
  6. crzyhawk

    crzyhawk Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2007
    Posts:
    2,306
    Location:
    Alexandria, VA
    Yes, Amagi should be a holy terror, and would be an ideal candidate for those Myrts you had for recon. Amagi was also IMHO the best looking IJN carrier of the war.
     
  7. Bob Pottle

    Bob Pottle Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2007
    Posts:
    2,001
    Location:
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Hi Scott,
    To speed things up I'll postpone the Furious project and sell you the one hull that's in stock when you get back. I assume you'll want to build it as the battlecruiser - I'll be making a mold for the 18" turret this spring. Good luck in the North Sea.

    Bob
     
  8. HMCS

    HMCS Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2007
    Posts:
    339
    Thanks Bob, Heading to the airport now, I'll send you an e-mail from the boat.
     
  9. Bob Pottle

    Bob Pottle Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2007
    Posts:
    2,001
    Location:
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    I've just ordered the plans for the IJN Amagi from Pacific Front Hobbies and should receive them in 1-2 weeks. They'll need to be converted from 1/200 to 1/144 scale and plug construction will start ASAP.

    Bob
     
  10. Bob Pottle

    Bob Pottle Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2007
    Posts:
    2,001
    Location:
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Research on various WWII sites indicates the IJN Amagi and other carriers of the Unryu Class would have carried the newest fighters and attack aircraft if they'd been completed and if the war had continued longer.

    The planned air groups included C6N1 Myrt recon planes, A7M2 Reppu fighters, and B7A2 Ryuseis that could be used as both dive and torpedo bombers. If Reppus were scarce A6M5 Zeros would have been used.

    1/144 models of all of these planes are available. They don't serve any purpose in R/C combat but make carrier models more interesting, especially at a model show. The Myrts, Reppus and Ryuseis I bought for the Ibuki will go to the Amagi instead but I'll need a few more Ryuseis. Ibuki will get more B6N2 Tenzan torpedo bomber models and maybe a few Vals or Zeros.

    From photos the Amagi appears to be a complex build. It shares a lot of features with the Ibuki so I'll have had practice before starting to detail the model.

    Bob
     
  11. Bob Pottle

    Bob Pottle Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2007
    Posts:
    2,001
    Location:
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    The Japanese plans for the IJN Amagi arrived yesterday and are excellent - 3 large sheets packed with details. The hull is oddly shaped and asymmetrical amidships from island to funnels. There are more than 2 dozen cross-sections, allowing for accurate hull plug construction. The twin rudders are splayed outward like those on the Soryu.A bonus is that many of the features shown can be used for detailing the Ibuki model, and the island appears similar. Construction of the hull plug will begin in a couple of weeks.
    Bob
     
  12. crzyhawk

    crzyhawk Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2007
    Posts:
    2,306
    Location:
    Alexandria, VA
    Awesome Bob. I really think that the Amagi is going to be a nasty customer. She's got excellent speed, plenty of firepower, and should turn quite well for a ship of her size due to the twin rudders.