#044 IJN Fubuki
Building the Japanese destroyer Fubuki (吹雪, 1927) from a beautifully detailed 1:700 Yamashita Hobby kit with Tetra Model Works PE.
Notes
The IJN Fubuki (吹雪, “Blizzard”) was one of the most advanced destroyers when she launched in 1927. Sunk 11 October 1942 in the Battle of Cape Esperance, there were 109 survivors rescued by US ships but her captain, Lieutenant Commander Shizuo Yamashita was killed in action.
Fubuki was the lead ship of twenty-four Fubuki-class destroyers. They served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, and remained formidable weapons systems well into the Pacific War.
4 December 1941-30 January 1942: escorted KUMANO, SUZUYA, MOGAMI and MIKUMA out of Samah and Camranh Bay in support of Malaya, British Borneo and Anambas Islands invasion operations; also briefly escorted troop convoys during this period.
This is my first kit from Yamashita Hobby, along with Tetra Model Works PE, after hearing @chris.meddings bang on about them and add as one of a few 3rd party products to sell through his Inside the Armour. Oh, he is not wrong - these are new tools and designs with much finer detail than we’ll typically get in the otherwise great (but aging) offerings from Tamiya, Aoshima, Fujimi and the like.
Paint Scheme
| Feature | Color | Recommended | Paint Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| cables and chains | silver | H8 | Humbrol 53 gunmetal |
| canopy, blast bags | flat white | H11 | 70.993 white grey |
| mast head, funnel top | flat black | H12 | 70.950 Black |
| deck | wood brown | H37 | Humbrol 110 natural wood |
| hull, superstructure | dark grey | H83 | 70.992 Neutral Grey |
Those were the basics used, plus some oils for weathering.
Build Log
The kit has beautifully detailed plastic.
Dry fit and thinking about how this build will go..
The Tetra Model Works PE set adds some good detail. I think I ended up using most of the set.
Sub-assemblies for the paint shop.
Rigging with QW-Model 0.047mm line (good for 1/72 planes, 1/700 ships)
After some weathering with oils.
I modelled the sea surface by sculpting the foam a little with a hot wire, covering with wrinkled kitchen foil and then covered again with tissue + Mod Podge to give finer 1:700 detail. The finish is multiple layers of Mod Podge gloss sprayed with selection of greens, blues and greys to build up a little sense of depth.
Final effects being applied to the sea - wake made of cotton + gel + highlighted with acrylics. A stippled gel coat was later applied to break up any parts of the the sea surface that were too flat or regular.
Wave Patterns by Donald C. Simon is an excellent reference for designing realistic wake effects.
I used some cotton wool left to set in gel to model the bow wave. Matchstick for scale!
A simple bass wood frame makes for a tidy presentation.
Clear Acrylic Display Box 20x12x9cm is great for dust protection but terrible for photographs;-)
IJN Fubuki 吹雪 in a focus-stacked DSLR shot by @spruecutters, putting my aging phone’s camera to shame.
IJN Fubuki 吹雪 tooling along at flank speed. That would be about 38(!) knots.
Credits and References
- this project on scalemates
- IJN Destroyer Fubuki Yamashita Hobby - No. 020613 - 1:700
- IJN Destroyer Fubuki 1941 Detail Up Set Tetra Model Works - No. SE-70007 - 1:700
- Inside the Armour
- Japanese destroyer Fubuki (1927) - wikipedia
- IJN Fubuki: Tabular Record of Movement
- Yamashita Hobby Fubuki review - modelwarships.com
- QW-Model Q04004 0.047mm rubber rigging
- Wave Patterns by Donald C. Simon
- Clear Acrylic Display Box 20x12x9cm