1/350 IJN BB-CV Ise (Fujimi)

The Ise and its sistership Hyuga were battleships as powerful as any of the US Navy's "Big 5" by the start of World War II, and faster to boot.  But after the disastrous loss at the Battle of Midway of four of the Japanese Navy's best aircraft carriers, Japan was desperate to provide its fleet with additional carriers, and as their shipyards could not build them fast enough or in sufficient numbers, they sought to supplement their naval air arm by converting heavy cruisers (the Mogami) and battleships (Ise and Hyuga, and the under-construction Yamato-class Shinano) into partial or complete aircraft carriers.  The results were disappointing, and the ships were out of service for over a year while the conversions were undertaken.  The newly rebuilt Ise was ready for action again by the late summer of 1943 but served mainly as a cargo and troop carrier; the shortened flight decks where the rear turrets had been allowed aircraft to take off, via the two large catapults, but not to land -- they would need to find real aircraft carriers or land bases for that.  Its proposed complement of up to 22 aircraft (mostly Aichi E16A Zuiun "Paul" floatplanes) was never fully deployed and when the Ise and the Hyuga finally saw actual combat, in the Battle of Cape Engano part of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, there were neither aircraft nor pilots available and they merely served as air defense vessels in the decoy fleet that saw the loss of four of Japan's last remaining true aircraft carriers.  Sent back to Kure Naval Base in Japan to wait out the end of the war, with a third of their heavy guns removed and insufficient fuel to sortie, both were sunk while at anchor in July 1945 during repeated air raids by carrier-based US Navy aircraft, and their hulks were scrapped after the war had ended.

Fujimi's kit is typical of this manufacturer -- very detailed and sturdy, with excellent fit of all parts, even the very complicated bridge.  This kit was supplemented by Fujimi's own wood deck and three brass photoetch frets, along with Veteran 5-in. and triple and single 25mm AA guns and some additional railing from Gold Medal Models (Fujimi's brass railing is very fine and fragile and has no bottom bar, so that each individual stanchion must be glued to the decks).  I depicted the ship as it might have looked early in 1944, with small boats and motor launches deployed but only a couple of "Paul" floatplanes on the abbreviated flight deck.  The ship is painted with Tamiya Kure Gray (mostly from a spray can, with additional touch-up from Tamiya acrylic) and a mixture of Tamiya Hull Red and Flat Brown for the lower hull.
 

Gallery updated 8/6/2015

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