This Model Art Special edition exclusively covers the battleship Yamato (and, in a limited fashion, her sister Musashi). With the exception of one short translated section covering the operational history of Yamato, the text is entirely in Japanese. However, the beautiful photography and numerous illustrations speak for themselves. The selection of articles is roughly divided between historical information and model illustration and building techniques and includes:

• Several pages showcasing builds of the new Tamiya 1/350 scale Yamato.
• An article showing how to install the latest Tamiya wire-and-post railing system.
• A history of earlier 1/700 and other scale Yamato models.
• Several pages of detail close-up illustrations showing everything from flagstaff, antenna, and anchor chain detail to whole sections of superstructure and gun turret detail.
• A section illustrating main, secondary, and antiaircraft armament changes throughout the careers of Yamato and Musashi.
• A section of beautiful photos of the 1/10 scale Yamato museum model in Japan.
• A chapter of technical drawings of Yamato’s main battery and ammunition.
• A historic background of Yamato, including drawings of proposed armament variations that were never built.
• A short Yamato vs. Iowa “what if” speculation.
• A description of the Yamato’s “Final Voyage”, with many period photos.
• Finally, in English, a short operational history of Yamato and Musashi.

While the period images are, for the most part, not new, the model photography is exceptional and, combined with the pages of detail illustrations, will go a long way in aiding any modeler who attempts to tackle the new, highly detailed Tamiya 1/350th Yamato.

Thanks to Model Art and Dragon Models USA for providing this copy for review and to IPMS/USA for giving me the opportunity to do so.