Operation Z or planning Operation AI: constructing the Kido Batai (1)

Preparations for recreating the attack on Pearl Harbor in miniature have begun apace; a slow one!

Fun with 'pagodas'. The Kongo-class had these crazy-tall superstructures nicknamed pagodas that came about, as far as I can tell, through successive stages of modernisation adding features of fire control, communications and, eventually, radar. This aspect really comes through in making the kits. Also in the photo: showing that the manufacturers of the kits have a sense of humour. Not satisfied with having tiny-wee parts to remove from the sprue and try to glue on—without having them 'ping' into oblivion as they spring from the tweezers that one is using to put them in place—in this case, they moulded the ones for the float planes, including tiny wing floats, in that translucent, pseudo-glass-plastic!

I have decided on a bit of naval jargon for my ship building. Purchasing the kit—a.k.a. the easy bit—will be 'laying down the keel'. Beginning construction (particularly the hull) will be 'launched'. Completing construction of the model will be 'completed' and finishing painting it will be 'commissioned'. As with the real thing, the period of 'fitting out' between the second last and final stages takes some time! 😊

Two Kongo-class battleships 'completed'. The kits are for Kongo (foreground) and Haruna (background), but I will happily use them for others of the class. For the Kido Batai for Pearl Harbor, they will be Hiei and Kirishima respectively.

Today the second of two Kongo-class battleships was 'completed'. The models of these battleships are the first Fujimi kits that I have purchased. They are generally too expensive for my tastes (about double the price of other kits). I was able to get these two on sale, so similarly priced to others that I have bought. I can see why they are more expensive. They are far more detailed than the other kits that I have done. This is beaut for scale modellers, but not particularly needed (nor really desirable?) for wargame purposes. Nevertheless I enjoyed making them and am pleased to have all that extra detail in the finished models. Like all of these kits, I hope that the delicate parts will survive use on the tabletop. I guess we are a bit more gentle with them than a kid 'sailing' around on a bedroom floor, but it is still more use than merely sitting on a shelf or in a cabinet.

This means that I now have Shōkaku and Zuikaku being 'fitted out', Tone and the two Kongos 'completed', ready for 'fitting out', and Kaga's 'launched'. 'Only' two more cruisers, another Tone class (Chikuma) and the light cruiser Abukuma, plus three more carriers, eight destroyers and some representations of tankers to go! 😳😀

What a carrier-obsessive wargamer sees

We've had a drought this year. Not no rainfall, everything dying-level of drought, but a prolonged period of below-average rainfall nonetheless. This was alleviated to a great degree last month with some good falls and a total of just over 80 mm. This provides me with a couple of nice 'snaps' that I have taken and can include here.

Good rain across the system meant that the Avon River near us went from a dry river bed, to a trickle, to water flowing from bank to bank.

It has also given the crops around the place a big boost.

We 'all' (I think) have a tendency to see potential terrain in packaging, things around the garden or elsewhere in 'the environment' and look at the lay of the land, potential good ground for cavalry or for sighting guns, when walking in open spaces (or bush).

Some crops on hilly country or paddocks that have become too wet are sprayed from the air.

Now, when I see a plane, I am counting the seconds and imaging how long it would remain in the sights of my carrier's anti-aircraft batteries. Oh dear!

(I counted about 9 seconds for the one pictured above; 1 1/2 turns!!)