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Description

This is an injection-plastic ship model kit.

Yamato-class battleships were designed with the aim of creating a new battleship with combat power that would surpass enemy battleships in a decisive battle with the U.S. Navy and were built after approval of the budget for the Third Naval Replenishment Plan. With a total length of 263m, a total width of 38.9m, a trial displacement of 69,000 tons, and a fully loaded displacement of 72,809 tons, it was equipped with three 46cm triple gun main turrets, and the appearance of speeding across the ocean at a maximum speed of 27 knots evolved like a dinosaur in the 20th century. It could be said that it marked the highest point that the battleship class had reached.

The first ship, Yamato, was laid down at the Kure Naval Arsenal on November 4, 1937. When she was launched on August 8, 1940, outfitting work was accelerated, and just before the outbreak of the Pacific War, final trials were conducted. She was completed and delivered on December 16, 1940. On February 12, 1945, she became the flagship of the Combined Fleet and raised the general flag of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto In June she participated in Operation MI (Battle of Midway), leading the main force. She advanced to Truk Island in response to the US military landing on Guadalcanal Island on August 7, and in February 1944, when the second Yamato-class battleship, Musashi, advanced to Truk Island. This gave her the title of flagship of the combined fleet.

Yamato was hit by a torpedo from an American submarine at the end of 1945, and during repairs, the No. 2 and No. 3 15.5cm secondary turrets that had been placed on the left and right sides of the funnel were removed and pedestals were installed, and the Type 89 12.7cm twin high-angle guns were added. She participated in the Battle of the Marianas in June 1945, equipped with triple 25mm AA guns. After the battle, she was further equipped with more AA guns and participated in Operation Shoichi-go (Battle of Leyte Gulf), which took place in October of the same year, and achieved the prestige of sinking the US escort aircraft carrier USS Gambier Bay off the coast of Samar Island.

After that, Yamato returned to the Japanese mainland and strengthened its AA gun capability again and waited in the western part of the Inland Sea, but the American military approached Okinawa. Thus, Operation Tenichi-go was launched on March 26, 1945. When activated, the 1st guerrilla force, consisting of the Yamato and the 2nd Torpedo Squadron under the light cruiser Yahagi, became a naval kamikaze force and was ordered to protect Okinawa as the vanguard of a massive kamikaze attack.

As a result, the naval special attack force that sortied off the coast of Mitajiri at 15:20 April 6th passed through the Bungo Channel in a single column, and at 22:00, arranged its formation in the 1st warning navigation order, where the enemy submarine was hiding. Breaking through the east coast of Kyushu. After setting a course of 280 degrees off the coast of Cape Sata, the formation adopted the third alert navigation order (ring formation) at 06:00 on the 7th and prepared for enemy air attacks.

Eventually, at 08:40, they detected seven enemy aircraft, and at 10:14, they discovered an enemy flying boat that was engaging them and fired their main and secondary guns at it. This gave away their position, and at 12:32, they spotted 150 enemy aircraft approaching from the 130 degrees and began anti-aircraft defense two minutes later. However, at 12:41 Yamato was hit by two bombs near her aft mast, and at 12:45 she was hit by a torpedo on her port rear. 50 fresh enemy aircraft attacked at 13:01, and at 13:37 Yamato was hit by 3 more torpedoes. Damage increased further as she was outnumbered. From 14:17 listing increased rapidly due to further attacks from enemy aircraft. Just five minutes later, at 14:23, she capsized and sank off Cape Bono.

The Details of the Battle of Warship Yamato records that 2,498 of her 3,332 crew members were killed in action, but in reality, 3,000 crew members, including Vice Admiral Seiichi Ito, commander of the 2nd Fleet, did not return home. 

Written by Yasutaka Yoshino

Kit Features: 

• All-new tool
• Represents the Yamato at the time of Operation Ten-Ichi-Go on April 7, 1945
• Measures 75.14cm long when assembled
• Includes Aichi E13A "Jake" and Mitsubishi F1M2 "Pete" Floatplanes
• Standard version (This boxing) includes decals, metal anchor chain, and basic PE
• Deluxe version includes the above plus turned brass parts, resin parts, PE parts, and wooden deck parts
• Detail parts included in the Deluxe version are also sold as a separate detail set