ModelArt magazine is a Japanese publication that covers all genres of plastic models. Besides its regular journal articles, it also has special books covering a single subject, in this case IJN Battleships between 1913 and 1945.

Be aware that the full book is in Japanese. There are some very limited English captions, however they are very useful as they list the type of weapon, ship name, timeframe, etc.

This book is divided in 3 main sections.

The first section deals with the weapons of the different battleships, from the heavy cannons in twin and triple turrets, to smaller guns and finally anti-aircraft weapons. Each weapon includes some line drawing(s), period pictures and also an assembled plastic replica, typically in 1/700 scale.

The second section includes photographic, step-by-step builds of the Nagato (in the 1927 and 1944 configurations), the Yamato, the Hyuga, the carrier ship Ise, the Kongo and the Fuso, all of them in 1/700 scale.

If you are looking for something to build quickly, which I find relaxing after a particularly challenging build, you may want to consider this recent release from Fujimi.

Late last year, Fujimi re-released this combination kit of the I-15 and I-46 submarines, so I jumped on the opportunity to build these two boats once again, but with roughly twenty years of advancement in my modeling skills. The fits are good overall, making this a fun kit for both beginners and more experienced modelers with an interest in 1/700 scale WWII subjects.

Lion Roar has produced an ideal product for superdetailers: a value-priced set of 1/700 scale (late-war) porthole covers and “eyebrows” for portholes (hull and superstructure) for Imperial Japanese Navy warships.

Two Tiny Ships

The USS New Jersey and USS Essex by Aoshima

• USS New Jersey
• USS Essex

I like small models, so when I saw these two 1/2000 scale kits from Aoshima on the review list I quickly asked for them. Aoshima makes a whole series of ship kits in this scale, and I admit that I liked these review samples enough just upon opening the box that I went out and ordered a half-dozen more. The series includes American, English, and German subjects. There are unfortunately no Japanese ships included in this series so far.

Since the kits are so small, and are very similar, I’ll be reviewing the two sample kits side-by side.

These two kits represent a couple famous WWII US Naval subjects – the USS New Jersey BB-62 and the USS Essex CV-9.

This is Model Art Magazine’s special quarterly issue that focuses on naval subjects. As with the regular Model Art Magazine this is printed in Japanese with some English subtitles.

The feature article in the Autumn 2014 Vessel Model Special is on the IJN Battleship "Ise and "Hyuga". The article uses period photos and models to show the changes made to these battleships during the course of their life. If you are not familiar with either of these ships, the changes that were made was the inclusion of a flight deck to the rear of the ships. Included are several build articles and one scratch built 1/96 IJN Battleship Ise.