IJN Yaeyama by Landlubber Mike - Five Star - 1/700 - RESIN - Japanese minelayer

[Landlubber Mike]

While waiting for paints, etc. to dry on my 1/350 Shimakaze build, I pulled another 1/700 kit out of the stash.  It's the 1/700 IJN Yaeyama by Five Star:

 

 

 

I was interested in this kit as it's an all-in-one resin kit with PE upgrade built in the kit box.  Five Star makes a lot of PE upgrade sets for other kit manufacturers, but this is one of their newer line of in-house kits with upgrades.  I loved the completed model diorama pictures on the box cover, so added it to the stash.  I'm planning to push myself to try to model it in a similar diorama setting as the box cover, but include add a small boat or two in the water for added interest.

 

In the box you have the resin hull along with a few resin components for the bridge, funnel, and other structural items.  Also comes with four PE sheets: a medium sized fret for detailing the structures and the deck items, two smaller frets for adding railing and small boat details, and another fret to make the Type 99 10th year AA gun.

 

 

The hull is really nice, just need to separate it off the plug:

 

 

The resin parts and PE frets are very nice.  The one disappointing thing with this kit is that it doesn't come with everything shown on the box cover, importantly, it doesn't include the searchlight as well as the vent and windlass on the deck at the bow.  It also doesn't include the pipe or whatever that vertical structure is on the hull sides even with the bridge.  Five Star and others (Rainbow Models, Veteran, etc.) make various add-ons which I had picked up to detail my upcoming builds, so it wasn't too big of a deal for me in the end.  Still disappointing though.

 

As a reference guide, I'm using Maru 42, an issue that was dedicated to IJN minelayers (happened to come across it on eBay a few weeks ago for a good price).  It's actually got about 10 pages with lots of pictures on the Yaeyama, along with line plans for it.  The pictures are mostly the usual grainy black and white, but you can make out some nice details in it.  The publication is in Japanese, and it's been a long time since I studied the language back in college, plus, I was never very good with the Chinese characters (you needed to know 2000 "kanji" to be literate enough to read a newspaper!).  But Google has a translation app that you can download that enables you to point the camera on your phone at text and the translation shows up on your screen.  Cool tech!

 

[Canute]

Interesting design, Mike. I'm in.

[Landlubber Mike]

Laid down in 1930 and completed in 1932, one of its claims to fame is that the Yaeyama was the first Japanese warship to feature an all-welded hull.  Here's a colorized picture of the Yaeyama during its 1932 trials, alone with a black and white picture from the other side.  You can see that huge Type 99 10th year AA gun in the back.

 

 

 

The Yaeyama saw service in the second Sino-Japanese War, and later mined the Suritago Strait in the Philippines after Pearl Harbor.  In December 1943, its minelaying rails were removed and replaced with depth charges as part of a refit to an anti-submarine convoy escort ship.  While in February 1942 it had survived an encounter with the US PT-32 motor torpedo boat, it wasn't so lucky in September 1944 when it was hit by at least 10 bombs off the Philippines.

Edited November 24, 2021 by Landlubber Mike

[Landlubber Mike]

Here are some early build pictures.  After drilling out the port holes and priming with Mr. Surfacer 1500, I painted the linoleum sections of the deck with Tamiya linoleum brown.  Then I started building up the bridge as well as the rear platform which supports the Type 99 AA gun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Landlubber Mike]

Last night I worked on the funnel to add the five rings, as well as PE components at the top.  Sorry for the bad picture, hard to get a good picture at high magnification on my phone.  Funny thing is to the naked eye the rings, etc. look perfect, but on high magnification it looks a bit rough!

 

 

I also added the vents/windlass on the bow deck - these are super tiny turned brass components from Five Star and Rainbow.  You could just use a cut off piece of plastic rod, but you get crisper definition with the brass, and not to mention, it's not very easy to cut tiny pieces of plastic rod.

 

 

I also added the rangefinder to the bridge.  The kit includes a single PE piece that you fold in half.  Instead I used an upgrade kit from Five Star which allows you to make it in a more three-dimensional fashion from five pieces - one you fold for the main box on top, a rod for the handle, a turned rod for the pedestal, and then two PE pieces to make the base.  Really put the Optivisor to the test on that one!  While I think it's a nice improvement over the kit rangefinder, I have to say that given how small it is, I'm not sure that most people would notice or appreciate the extra 30 minutes it took me to put this together over the simple fold and glue for the kit part.     

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by Landlubber Mike

[king derelict]

The PE work looks great Mike

Alan

[lmagna]

Nice start Mike. 

 

I think I would have left the large "skeg" on the bottom until the ship was built as something to hang onto. When people come by to admire the ship in the future you need to point their attention to that gun director! 

[RGL]

Love it 

[Landlubber Mike]

Thanks guys!

 

Lou, I find with my big sausage fingers and other clumsiness that I need to do the more physical work early on or off model, otherwise I end up breaking things faster than I can build 😕. The skeg was quite thick, ended up using a scriber to cut through both sides and then cleaned up with a hobby knife.

Edited December 5, 2021 by Landlubber Mike

[Landlubber Mike]

While waiting on diorama bases on other projects to dry, I put in some more time on this one.  First I built up the funnel.  There are five PE rings that come with the kit, but the two steam pipes do not.  Took some very thin brass rod (I think 0.4 or 0.5mm) and bent it to shape, and added the pipe tops to each which came from a Rainbow accessories set.  Alongside the funnel is a rack which I think was used to carry wood, so I'll have to add some at the end of the build.  Just behind the funnel was another structure which includes two vents, a rack on top, and then a circular platform where the searchlight goes.

 

Next I built the stern structure.  Not exactly sure what it is designed to do, as there is a rail on only one end and sort of a semi circular extrusion on the port side.  The kit includes an opening for the door at the stern side, so I installed it with the door open.

 

 

 

Here's a look at the full model - looking pretty good I think.  Before I go too much further, I might add a red stripe at the waterline to avoid accidentally breaking any of the more sensitive things like the masts when trying to mask.  Once the lower hull is painted, I can tape the lower hull and linoleum deck, and add the two masts and a few other details, and paint the hull.   

 

 

Despite the need to add necessary details not included in the kit (like the funnel pipes and the searchlight), I'm really enjoying the build.  Five Star makes really nice PE parts which are a perfect fit.  The subject also has plenty of open spaces so you can treat it as a blank canvas to add various details.

 

Thanks for looking in!

Edited November 28, 2021 by Landlubber Mike

[lmagna]

On 11/28/2021 at 9:49 AM, Landlubber Mike said:

Next I built the stern structure.  Not exactly sure what it is designed to do,

Probably the head!

[Landlubber Mike]

1 hour ago, lmagna said:

Probably the head!

Probably!  Looks kinda spacious!

 

[lmagna]

I could think of another few comments that would follow up on your reply but I will try to apply common sense and a little adult restraint and won't!

 

If it had more windows I would think emergency steering or something to do with mine laying but it is just a box with a door, albeit a watertight door and half a railing and flagstaff.

 

Head or not it is looking good. If I was doing it the thing would look like an outhouse from the deep swamp, half moon and all.

Edited December 3, 2021 by lmagna

[lmagna]

Even pictures of the real thing are  not all that helpful.

[Landlubber Mike]

Wow where did you find that?  That’s one of the best pictures I’ve seen.  Interesting how light in color it looks.

 

The kit includes both a railing and solid wall for the searchlight ring.  I used the railing but the solid wall looks pretty cool.

 

[JohnB40]

Hi Mike, Looks like another miniature masterpiece in the making.

[Landlubber Mike]

8 minutes ago, JohnB40 said:

Hi Mike, Looks like another miniature masterpiece in the making.

 

Thanks John for the vote of confidence.  So far I'm hopeful, but don't want to get too far ahead of myself  

[lmagna]

10 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Interesting how light in color it looks.

That is because it was taken in Shanghai, China, 1937 when she was assigned to the Japanese Asiatic fleet as part of the Japanese Navy's operations against the Chinese in that sector of the Sino-Japanese War. Like many ships stationed on the Yangzi River at that time she was painted white.

 

If you enlarge the picture, (https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-77000/NH-77700.html )(Use the Tiff setting)  it is clear that the railing around the searchlight amidships looks solid but it is just railing covered in canvas.  The pictures also show a cross shaped small mast on the rear structure making it look less like a head and more like a radio shack. Strange location if it is.

 

Here she is at another time and this time she looks like she is painted in a two tone gray hull and darker superstructure.

 

Or here where it looks like she is completely dark gray in 1932.

 

Looks like no matter what color or time she was, that they liked to keep her main guns pointed skyward. I wonder if they may have known that eventually she would be sunk by aircraft in 1944?

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by lmagna

[Landlubber Mike]

Thanks Lou!  I haven't come across that site before, looks like a great resource!  I should have consulted you first before spending hours scouring the internet, buying a Japanese magazine (in Japanese) and trying to decipher things using Google translate, etc.!

 

Unsure if that rear structure is a big potty or radio room.  Seems that the cross-mast was removed in the later versions.  I noticed also that about the guns pointed straight up.  At first I thought it was only when pulling into port for safety reasons, but it looks like that was the positioning when out at sea too.  Those barrels are massive!

 

Thanks again!

[lmagna]

3 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

 I should have consulted you first

Not me Mike! I know next to nothing about IJN ships other than all to many of them carried type 93 torpedoes and that they were the target if possible. All I did was try to educate myself a little before blasting off at the mouth about the unknown structure. Another part about it is that it seems to be unique to the Yaeyama and does not seem to be present on other ships of the same type.

 

The main guns are just pretty much a 5" gun, well 4.7" anyway. But they are 45 caliber instead of the shorter 38 caliber and 25 caliber we are used to seeing on American ships of the same time. I would think that the long barrel would make for higher velocity and more accuracy but again I would just be shooting in the dark, . What I don't know about Japanese warships can, and does fill volumes! But that long barrel pointing at the sky like that certainly makes them look much bigger.

Edited December 3, 2021 by lmagna

[Landlubber Mike]

Well you know more than me!  Or at least can guess about them more than me 😀

 

What impresses me about the IJN ships is the variety - tons of different types, especially on the auxiliary side.  Pretty amazing what they were able to build when they didn’t have the natural resources we had.

[RGL]

Really nice work, the detail is fantastic at this scale 

[Landlubber Mike]

In between projects, I've spent a little time on the Yaeyama, which is coming along pretty quickly.  Five Star does a really nice job with their PE sets, and while 1/700 is challenging at times, it's been a lot of fun.  The instructions are sparse, to say the least, which adds to the challenge.  Only four pages, and not all of the parts are shown on the pages - not to mention, generally no directions on how to fold things.  Definitely not a kit for the first time builder.

 

I added a bunch of additional details at the bow:

• The deck cleats are from the kit.  
• The bollards are resin bollards from I believe Five Star.  They are probably only a couple of millimeters long and about a millimeter wide, so cutting them off the resin plug wasn't easy.  They look pretty good though, being three-dimensional versus PE.  
• For the pole at the bow, I constructed the pole and the supports using insect pins.  Brass at this scale is just too flimsy, and insect pins I believe are made of stainless steel so won't have to worry about bends.  The lantern at the end is a PE add-on from Five Star I believe.  
• I also added two AA guns.  I had some extras that were pre-painted on the fret from my 1/700 Hatsuzakura build, so added them to the bridge deck.  

 

 

I ended up re-doing the railing around the searchlight platform.  The kit gave you the option of doing plain railing or railing covered with canvas (thanks @lmagna!).  What bothered me was that the railing I initially installed fully circled the platform.  How would someone reach the searchlight, let along get up to the platform?  So, I replaced it with the canvas railing, with a tiny gap and ladder going up to it.  I couldn't tell from pictures whether this is historically accurate, but seemed to be a potential possibility so went with it.

 

 

 

Also added the Type 99 AA gun.  This came with the kit minus the top of the three cylinders that at the near end of the barrel.  The instructions say to add a 0.4mm rod so that was pretty easy -- but not sure why they don't include that as part of the package.  I even have a spare Type 99 AA gun set from Five Star and that set doesn't include all three rods either.  

 

 

 

I also added the fore and rear masts.  Here is the rear, which apparently I need to bend the very top back into shape (looks fine to the naked eye, but looks rough under high magnification):

 

 

 

Along with painting the bottom of the hull in hull red, I also added a number of ladders to the build, and here is where things stand now:

 

 

 

I'm getting close to the point of masking the linoleum and painting the rest of the ship.  There are a some cylindrical parts that are aligned vertically on both sides of the hull.  Not sure what they are, and the kit doesn't provide them.  So, I probably will take some rod or sprue and shape them.  I'll probably also add the hull side access ladder as art of the diorama scene.  I hate adding details that can get easily broken off, but at some point they need to be added and I just have to remind myself to be more careful around the model.

 

Thanks for looking in!

[Old Collingwood]

That is looking so nice Mike.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

Beautiful PE work. Looks very tidy

Alan

[Landlubber Mike]

In between other projects, I try to squeeze in a little time on this build.  I added a few more details, including the searchlight (not included in the kit for some reason) and these vertical tubes along the hull sides.  Google translate on the Mara book suggests these are ash chutes, so I guess a way of disposing waste from the ship's engine?  Since I'm at the point where it's not worth the risk of adding other more fragile details to the model (especially if I have to tape around them), I  got the linoleum deck taped up which took quite a while.

 

 

 

Last night I put on a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1500 black primer and worked on main gun at the bow and the small boats.  I also starting thinking about the waterline diorama for the kit, marking out a piece of foam board for it.

 

So, this is moving along pretty quickly relative to most of my other builds despite not spending as much time on it.  Coming out pretty nicely I think.  With the experience of the first 1/700 build, I feel like I'm not getting stuck as much or breaking things off in mishandling the model as I did on the destroyer.

 

Thanks for looking in!

[Glen McGuire]

What an interesting project.  Very nice work so far, Mike.

[Javlin]

On 11/25/2021 at 8:58 AM, Landlubber Mike said:

The skeg was quite thick, ended up using a scriber to cut through both sides and then cleaned up with a hobby knife.

I like to run that stuff through my bandsaw quick and effective!So what's the length on this ship in real life Mike?What glue are you using to attach the rails and doors?

Edited May 1, 2022 by Javlin

[Landlubber Mike]

15 hours ago, Javlin said:

I like to run that stuff through my bandsaw quick and effective!So what's the length on this ship in real life Mike?What glue are you using to attach the rails and doors?

You're a brave man Kevin!  I have a bandsaw, but I don't trust myself enough to not cut my fingers off running the hull through it.  The hull is only 5.5" long, and less than 1" in height without the superstructure base.  Pretty small area to hold onto!

 

For glue, I generally use medium CA for the PE, especially for things like railings.  For things like the doors, I sometimes use Gator Grip PVA.  I'm starting to get more comfortable with Gator Grip so I'll probably use it more in the future.  On the funnels of this one, to attach the rings I used CA and in some spots, it went on a bit thick.  I was able to use CA remover - which worked really well - to remove much of the excess.  It can eat through paint though, so one has to be aware of that factor.

Edited May 2, 2022 by Landlubber Mike

[Landlubber Mike]

I haven't made too much more progress on this one except to get most of the hull and deck completed, aside from crates, boxes, and a few other items that will be added later.  I tried something new for me and tried to simulate the hull plate runs by running alternating rows of masking tape (I used Tamiya's flexible tape), priming the model with a heavier coat of Mr. Surfacer, then removing the masking tape and priming the hull again with Mr. Surfacer.  I need to touch up a few places where the primer pooled a bit too heavy, but I'm fairly pleased with how it came out.  

 

Looking at the pictures, I might need to ream out some of the portholes to get them more uniform, or re-do some completely.  I'm not sure how apparent it will be when the model is in the diorama base and one is looking at the model from a normal viewing length though.