Very nice finished model. I saw your kit during our NorCal meeting, and as usual you finished it perfectly. And I agree: the Shapeways masts and yardarms are almost always too thick. You did a great job with the replacements.
I am glad to hear that the Shapeways quality can be to a standard acceptable to an expert like you.

--Previous Message--
: I recently received the battleship KATORI by
: Masters of Military. This 1:1250 3D
: production is available in kit form from
: Shapeways. Although I have been disappointed
: by many Shapeways offerings in this scale,
: this particular model is definitely worth
: your consideration.
:
: Unlike most offerings, the model comes in
: many parts; guns, boats, davits and masts
: are all cast separately. But assembly is
: easy. The hull, funnels and turrets are
: excellent, and boats are adequate, but the
: masts and booms are too thick, especially,
: the yardarms. These detract from the
: appearance, so I decided to make my own
: masts from plastic and brass rod. In the
: case of the casemate guns, I recommend that
: you drill out the holes, as the ones on the
: model are not deep enough.
:
:
:
: Shown here is the model so you can see the
: unpainted masts and booms that I built as
: replacements. I chose to make the fighting
: tops larger as they were in her mid career.
: I also glued some lead weights to the
: underside, to give the model a bit of heft.
: The lack of weight is a common complaint
: among collectors. With models that have
: hollow hulls, this can be remedied.
:
: Here is the finished model:
:
:
:
:
:
: I am unaware of any other model of KATORI or
: KASHIMA in 1200/1250 scale, so this is a
: welcome addition to the Japanese fleet, and
: it fits well with the Navis and Konishi
: models of this era.
: