Yakatabune by Catopower - FINISHED - Woody Joe - 1/24 scale - Small

[catopower]

Thanks for the kind words Jeff, Mark, Ken!

[catopower]

Well, I'm just going to jump to the end of the build here because I'm there! I added some paint details inspired by the Japanese paintings of these boats in Edo times. Yesterday, I whipped together a display pedestal to match the two I built for the Higaki Kaisen and Hacchoro models.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, I can get back to other projects for a bit and experiment a bit with ways to make the hanging lanterns inside to light up the interior a bit. Pretty hard to see in there right now.

 

At this point, I'm mostly out of larger scale updated Edo Period Japanese boat kits. However, I do have two of their older coastal transport kits (Sengoku Bune), which pre-date laser cutting. Those kits are larger than the Higaki Kaisen. What I find interesting is that they are also more like traditional ship modeler's kits. That is, they provide patterns for cutting the hull strakes from sheet wood, frames are not pre-cut, but have to built from posts and beams, etc. Many parts are pre-cut, but there is no weight or space wasted on die-cut sheets. Instead, all the pre-cut parts are neatly packaged for you.

 

There were two of these Woody Joe coastal transport kits. The Kitamae-bune, is now out of production, and hopefully, we'll see an updated version soon that's as nice as the Higaki Kaisen. The other is the Sengoku-bune, which they still sell. This one is kind of a generic version of the coastal transport, not quite as large as the Kitamae-bune, which operated from ports along the Western shores of Northern Japan.

 

Either of these would make a better display model than the Higaki Kaisen because they are larger. They are incorrectly labeled as 1/30-scale kits, but are closer to 1/53 to 1/60-scale. Been thinking that a 1/48-scale model would be ideal for display purposes.

 

Also, it may be time to try to scratch build a boat based on the work of boatbuilder Douglas Brooks, who'll be speaking at the NRG conference in a couple weeks. 

 

I'll keep you posted!

Clare

[mtaylor]

That is a sharp looking model, Clare and I'm looking forward to your next build.  Congats on the Yakatabune!!!! 

[gjdale]

Very nicely done Clare. That is a really sweet looking model. Congratulations.

[Jparsley]

You definitely constructed a beautiful house boat It's a grand boat to have on display Congratulations

[catopower]

Thank you Mark, Grant, Jeff for the kind words! 

 

And, arrrr, I think I WILL have a beer now! 

 

Clare

[BRiddoch]

Outstanding! You have outdone yourself once again.

 

Bob R.

[Canute]

Clarw, well done. It's a beautiful boat.

[Omega1234]

Well done, Clare. She's a beauty!

[GLakie]

Congrats on another beautiful model Clare. This one's been added to my list of kits to get, as soon as I get into the mode of buying something else besides workshop equipment. 

[donrobinson]

Very nice work, congrats

[Salty Sea Dog]

Thanks for sharing and taking the time to document translations and techniques. Really nice build! Congrats!

[RichardG]

Clare,

 

Wonderful. 

 

The detailed log is also very good. Anyone building this kit will find the log really useful.

 

I'm looking forward to your next build.

 

Richard.

Edited October 10, 2015 by RichardG

[druxey]

Congratulations on a fine model, Clare. Cheers!

[catopower]

I appreciate all the supportive comments, All. Thank you. 

 

Hope to see some more ship modelers trying out these kits. And, also hope to see some of you in Mystic!

 

Clare

[AntonyUK]

Hi Clare.

I am just going to agree with all the posts above.

Just one extra word from me STUNNING.

 

Regards Antony.

[SighingDutchman]

Hi Clare,

 

I realise that this is quite an old build log, but was hoping that I might ask you a question about this boat nevertheless . I loved your Yakatabune so much that I ordered a kit myself from Zootoyz and I am currently building the boat. It is not going to be as nice as yours, but I am thoroughly enjoying the build nevertheless. Thank you for your inspiration! My question pertains to the fit between the ‘house’ and the ‘boat’. Since the house is rectangular and the boat is curved, there is a gap between the sides of the house and the hull planks/walkway. I was expecting for the instructions to say something about filling that gap, but they don’t mention it. I thought that I must have missed something but I noticed the gap in your photographs too, so apparently the gap is by design. But it doesn’t seem right to me. It would be a tripping hazard for someone inside the house wanting to go onto the walkway. And it doesn’t look good either, showing some of the internal construction of the boat that is, otherwise, hidden. One only notices the gap when looking at the boat from above(ish), but it bothers me a bit. My question is: what is your opinion of this gap? Do you think it is historically correct or did Woody Joe miss something here in their kit design? Did you consider filling the gap with some wood fitted to match the space? Once again, you build this boat quite some time ago, so please don’t feel any kind of pressure to reply to my question. But i would be very interested in your opinion, if you do feel like answering it.

 

Seb