Model Art Co, Ltd

Model Art Modeling Magazine #24, Summer 2007 Battleship Fuso/Yamashiro

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: 1700 yen (Approx $15) Review copy provided by Model Art Company. This is a special edition of Model Art Modeling Magazine; the focus being the Japanese battleships FUSO and YAMASHIRO, sister ships that met the same fate at Surigao Strait during the battle of Leyte Gulf. These attractive ships went down with nearly all hands as they continued to press the fight in a surface engagement that, as it unfolded, was likely realized on both ships to be a one-way mission into an ambush. This is a larger-than-normal-sized edition (A-4 paper) in terms of the page dimensions, so the photos are larger and there are plenty of them. It is approximately the same length as the monthly magazine, with 136 pages. The magazine is a combination of color and black and white and is printed on high quality paper. The magazine reads from left to right rather than the typical right to left Japanese format, but the entire magazine is in Japanese excepting a few captions. The meat of the magazine is a series of modeling articles on building the sister dreadnaughts FUSO and YAMSHIRO throughout their lifespan from launch to loss. The articles begin with the late war configuration, 1944, and work backwards to the ships as launched in 1915. Attractive ships, it is interesting to see how these ships went from Spartan main-gun dreadnaughts to crowded more awkward looking capital ships with the unique pagoda style superstructures, dictated by advances in command and control. It is not unlike the transformation many US battleships underwent over the same span of time. All of the models are in 1/700 and there is a companion article that compares the available kits, both injection molded and resin. All of the build-ups are impressive, with some requiring tremendous scratchbuilding to achieve pre-war configurations. The articles include helpful 1/700-scale drawings with port and starboard side views and an overhead view. In the articles with configuration backdates, helpful scrap views are included even down to the individual levels in the forward superstructure. There are some 3-D scrap drawings as well to help the modeler better visualize the superstructure layout. There are two good reference articles on these ships at the end of the section. One is a photo history that starts by comparing the sisters to their contemporaries and then walks you through the configuration. This article in should have been at the start of the section. The companion article chronicles the floatplanes carried on board over the years. Lastly there is a pull out poster included with a complete rendition of the cover art - very nice. In addition to the articles on FUSO and YAMASHIRO the magazine also includes several article unrelated to the theme. The magazine opens with a build article of the Revell 1/72 type VII U-boat and the Revell 1/72 Gato followed by a brief history of US and German submarines leading up to WWII. Toward the back there is an article on building a modern Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force destroyer escort including a comprehensive walk-around of one of the ships. Finally there is an article about the Revell 1/452 modernized -ESSEX kit, which discusses all of the boxings over the years and the differences in aircraft and accessories offered. I wish that this article had an English translation! Overall this is a magazine dense with information for enthusiasts of FUSO and YAMSHIRO. The photos, in progress build photos and the line drawings are a very useful resource for modelers of these vessels. The other articles are noteworthy as well and make this a well-rounded nautical issue. I just wish that there were English translations for the article perhaps in the back like Koku-Fan. Highly recommended.

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