Kit: No. 35064-001
Scale: 1/350
Manufacturer: Blue Water Navy, distributed by MB Models, P.O. Box 41443, Charleston, SC 29418, phone 803-821-3558
Price: $119.95
Comments: Multimedia, 189 parts (16 resin, 48 white metal, 125 photoetched brass).
The Japanese Navy's search for the ideal destroyer resulted in the 18 Kagero-class ships. Those destroyers were 389' long with a beam of 35.5'. Armament included six 5" 50-caliber dual-purpose guns, two 25mm twin-mount antiaircraft guns, eight 24" torpedo tubes, and 16 depth charges. Only one of the class, the Yukikaze, survived World War II.
Blue Water Navy's Kagero features crisp resin castings that require minimum cleanup. The hull is split into upper and lower halves, allowing the choice of waterline or full hull versions. Alignment of the superstructure parts is no problem because they are cast with the upper hull; the upper bridge platform, aft funnel, main gun turrets, and torpedo tubes are molded separately.
Delicate white-metal and photoetched parts make up the bulk of the kit. Each 25mm AA mount includes six parts, with the finished assemblies being roughly the size of a pencil eraser.
The eight-page instructions provide history, a parts list, and nine location illustrations, with a smattering of detail drawings for small-part construction. The instructions generally are easy to follow, but part locations are repeated on side and top views, sometimes on different pages, which caused confusion.
There are a few errors to watch for. Beginning with page 3, the depth-charge rack is labeled as PE9 but should be PE10. On page 5, the rails for the 25mm gun platform are not labeled. They are parts 55, 56, and 57.
Construction was straightforward. I built the small subassemblies first, then added them as they were shown in the side- and top-view drawings. A template for the brass-wire mainmast supports shows one shorter than the other; it fits better if they are the same length. I placed bits of styrene rod between the cable-reel halves (PE43) to simulate the cable.
Ladder PE54 won't fit between the searchlight platform and the aft stack. I substituted a straight ladder. No length is given for the support under the 25mm gun platform on page 5; start with 12mm-long brass rod and trim to fit.
The bridge bulkhead (PE12) was too wide so I trimmed a window pane from each side. Also, the side bridge bulkheads, PE11/13, need to be bent at the ends to meet the bridge bulkhead.
You'll have to cut the straight deck rails into short sections to make them fit on the prominent upsweep of the bow.
As there was little standardization (and few references) to Japanese warship colors, I simply airbrushed my Kagero Floquil Marine medium gray with Testor red-brown on the linoleum decks and brass on the dividing strips. No decals are provided; the ship carried no markings after the war started.
The measurements of the finished model agree with my reference, The Encyclopedia of the World's Warships. I spent 30 hours building the Kagero. I recommend it for those with experience building multimedia kits.
Phil Kirchmeier