When advised how to profit from yet another obnoxious anime example (a doll), I made a counter-offer, which I had come up with, for an even Better Plan:

HOW ABOUT $320 in STATE-OF-THE-ART KITS for $160 - DELIVERED!

Because that's exactly the deal I just got last month - to wit:





Click for FULL-RESBoth in true, 1:500 scale, these kits are big - and come in giant, heavy-cardbaord boxes, just like in the Old Days, including stapled ends clearly meant for easy disassembly to display their classic box art (from acrylic originals?) as flatwork. And OK so I cheated: the (mammoth) Yamato box is actually much bigger than the Nagato box - but the latter is my favorite, as you will see below. Starting with the price: this retooled Nagato, as you will see, is clearly an $80-$100 kit - listed (in August, 2015) at DragonUSA for $120 - but I discovered this Nagato kit at HobbySearchJP for ~$35! That's little more than what you'd pay for a repop of one of the crude, classic old RevelloRenGrams (much as I like them), but these are newly re-tooled product from Asia (i.e., where they still create stuff)! OK, so you're still gonna pay $50 in shipping - while Dragon (at that price) waives the shipping charge - but, remember: you've already saved (at least) $40 of that - and we're not done… Because, an even better deal attends the above Yamato kit, listed for $200 at DragonUSA - and again, as you will see below, easily worth $150 of that - but I found this Yamato kit at HobbySearchJP for ~$65!!!

Uh, OK - so, what's $200 minus $65? It's almost as much as the total for BOTH these kits - DELIVERED to your door - that's what. Order them both, together, from HobbySearchJP and you're basically getting the Nagato kit - and the shipping - for free. (Is one way to look at it.) And at these prices, I don't even give a sh** if they're radioactive! (Not funny, actually...)

Allright, that's the Money part - now for the Good(s) part. You can see a lot about these kits in the pics at the above-linked pages, but now here's a whole bunch you won't see there:


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FULL RESLike the above boxes, the instructions for both of these kits are big - each looking like a magazine (note coffee-table book, to right), and including several large and high-quality historical reference pics.

But of course, it's not the paper contents but the plastic that really blow you away:


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___FULL RES_FULL RES_FULL RES__FULL RES_FULL RES___With gorgeous, newly-retooled hulls, both of which appear to be more accurate than any prior version(s, at least) in this scale. Nagato's bow (left) is much-accurized from the old (e.g., Nichimo) classics. And Yamato's bow bulb (right) - no doubt corrected per the millenial photography of the actual bow, on the wreck itself - looks subtly different (to my eye, anyway) than on prior molds of the class. Both are detailed identically with browed portholes, degaussing cables - and, for the plating, not the plates themselves but subtle indications of their lap-lines: just ideal in 500-scale - and a far cry from such ridiculously overdone plating as recently observed on some new releases. These fine lines also being perfect guides for super-detailing the individual plates (e.g., using layered paint), should the builder so desire.

Both hulls likewise come with heavy stiffeners - Nagato's (center) shown here - although, both being of robust-guage plastic, neither really needs it. The stiffeners would, however, greatly facilitate waterlining, should that be desired. And amidships on Nagato, they additionally feature bushings onto which to snap her casemate guns (center, note instructions), clearly designed to swivel.

We'll get more into the guns below, but first: the absolute-most-gob-smacking discovery (not an easy call, for these kits), making this Nagato kit one of my new all-time favorite 500-scale BB kits:


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____FULL RES__FULL RES__A whopping 52x SHIP'S BOATS - on two large sprues (top), included with Nagato - depicting at least six different varieties, the largest five of which comprising separate deck- and hull parts, and the the smaller, open-boats coming in several sub-variants (bottom, left and right). The largest of all, a lone steam launch (left, at bottom-left), is followed by four variants of motor launches (left, up the middle) - these latter including not just separate decks but also 3x styles of cabins/awnings, in clear plastic. (For windows - plus you could get some nice translucent-canvass effects, through the awning areas.) Smaller-yet are numerous open whaleboat-like craft - likewise highly detailed, including wood-grain texture on the inside bottoms (right, bottom) and planking outside (right and top) - except for two pair having (curiously) the same fine-pebble-grain also on their exteriors. Note these open boats in turn come in three depictions of molded-in oars: one (apparently stacked pair), the second with (two pair? of) oars laid side-by side and the third depicting no oars. Smallest of all are a quartet of small, dory-like open boats. This bonanza of IJN ship's boats - every one of them excellent and most by far better than any other ship's boats ever seen in this scale - is very clearly a giveaway in this kit, saying: "Here are the Keys to the Boat Shed - and now you never need have anything but excellent boats, on any of your IJN builds, ever again". Thank You! (Though now I have to go back and pry the F-in' boats off the model I just finished!

The Yamato comes with only two pair of the smaller, open boats - but very much like the above, and every bit as good.

Next in order of impressiveness - and again, it's a tough call:


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____FULL RES_FULL RES_FULL RES_FULL RES_FULL RES___The GUNS - of both these kits - the large-calibers from just Nagato (left, center-left) shown here, but Yamato's (center) being much the same: note the ends of their gun barrels are finely hollowed-out. (And just look at the hollow ragefinder hoods, pictured center-left at top-right: this elegance of detail extends to virtually every part, in both these kits.) In addition, Yamato's 18-inch barrels (center) are separate pieces - obviously to facilitate swap-out with (turned metal) accessory barrels, per the builder's preference. In both kits, note each blast bag ends in a "C"-shaped claw - just as for each of Nagato's casemate guns, above, except now to snap onto a rod in its turret, allowing it to elevate. The turrets, in their turn, are likewise designed to rotate - for which both kits also supply nylon friction-bushings (center, white and pictured in instructions). The smaller-caliber AA guns (center-right), shown here from the Yamato kit, are also reputed to have hollow barrel-tips - though, in such tiny bits of translucent raw plastic it is impossible to visually confirm this (with any amount of magnification/camera-zoom!). What is already clearly apparent, however, is that these guns are beautifully detailed - including ammo clips and recoil springs (see esp. FULL-RES pics) - with the Single-35mms, in particular, putting most if not all similar depictions in 350-scale kits to shame. Indeed, the Single-35mms may also be designed to elevate - certainly they can be assembled at any elevation desired - thanks to separate, tiny yokes (center-right, top at left), very finely done. The Yamato kit gives you a lot of all of these - single-, twin- and triple-mount 35mms: more than required for 1941 and possibly even enough (though I didn't count) for 1944-5. Likewise, the kit includes 24x shields for these guns (right) - far more than called-for by the instructions - and they, too, have fine rivet-detail which (though probably overscale) is again better than ever before seen for such IJN shields, in this scale. Like the ship's boats, these parts are a perc just begging for copying in resin, to outfit (or refit) any of your 500-scale IJN ships builds, from here on out.

Oh, and not to forget:


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Click for FULL-RESThe DECKS (top) are just awesome - again, both kits having identical-style detailing - including true, individually scribed-in planks (center-left and right, esp. at FULL-RES) - good references in themselves, for anyone cutting their own, actual wood planking strips - additionally with extremely fine- (i.e., wood) -grained texture: so fine I couldn't hold my camera steady enough to capture it! Likewise, steel deck areas on Yamato's bow and fantail (right) - and at other spots in both kits, I'm sure - are diamond-star (nonskid) textured: apparently to scale and again, so fine my hand-held shooting invariably blurred it. (One of these days I'll get some very bright lighting, and/or a tripod, and show you exactly how fine-textured these really are. For now, suffice to say: phenomenal.)

Both of the above foredecks attended also by the nice touch of to-scale anchor chain (bottom) which - though perhaps slightly inaccurate as not actual Pintle-Chain, with links perhaps a bit too circular - nevertheless looks very good, in 500-scale. Likewise, Fujimi's depiction of deck-linoleum - in a pair of decal strips (bottom) for Yamato's walkways alongside the aft aircraft tracks - though probably accurate at life-size, would IMHO at this scale be better replaced with (paint of) a significantly lighter, and less intense color, per (1:500) scale-effect.

What else - aside from just about everything in these kits - could be left, to impress? Well, surely one category I must address:


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____FULL RES__FULL RES____AIRCRAFT - again, the Nagato's (left) really stealing the show: a pair of biplane ("Jean"?) floatplanes with beautifully-fine details, including ribbed-fabric texture scribed into the wings - again, the Better of any such floatplane molds heretofore seen in this scale. Approached only, perhaps, by the Yamato kit's biplane Mitsubishi F1M "Pete" (right, upper-left): likewise with ribbed-texture over its fabric-covered surfaces. Provided in clear plastic (which does no good for a Pete, except for its infinitesimally-tiny windshields), it is accompanied by an Aichi E13A "Jake" (lower-left), which likewise does not fully exploit the clear plastic, lacking as it does any raised canopy framing. Otherwise however, both are quite nice - certainly the equals if not pronounced improvements over any prior depictions of these aircraft in 1:500 scale. And not to worry if you want more than just a single Jake and Pete: Fujimi also produces an 8-pak - 4x of each type - for about $1.42 per plane. The Nagato's Jean, on the other hand, is something you really should copy in resin, for future IJN (plus mods for other navies') builds.

Also of clear plastic in both kits, are multiple sizes of search lights (right, at right) - and now these do have crisp, raised-framing on their faces: really excellent with prior underpainting of their backs in silver and then, overpainted with the framing drybrushed, they should just "pop" like little gems. Yet another item just begging to be molded - if you can cast them in clear resin - for (all kinds of) future builds.

I could go on and on (but I see that I already have!).

So - the bottom line: as for anything worthwhile, it's not the money so much as what you get for the money. And NO F-ing anime!


Cheers,

- Matty