1/700 IJN CA Myoko New Version
$22.00
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■Product Description
The Myoko, the lead ship of the Myoko-class heavy cruisers, was laid down in October 1924 and completed in July 1929.
The naval arms race among the world's great powers, which had continued since before World War I, finally began to put pressure on the economies of each country, and the great powers, unable to bear it any longer, concluded the Washington Naval Treaty, spearheaded by the United States.
The Japanese Navy had advocated for 70% of the battleships and aircraft carriers compared to the US and Britain, but this was not accepted, and they had to settle for 60%.
However, although the Washington Treaty had upper limits on the performance of individual ships, it did not impose any restrictions on the number of ships that could be possessed, so the great powers, especially the Japanese Navy, focused their efforts on building cruisers, and thus the construction of heavy cruisers with a standard displacement of 10,000 tons and equipped with 20.3 cm (8 inch) guns began in various countries around the world.
For this reason, these cruisers are collectively called treaty cruisers.
The Myoko was built by Captain Yuzuru Hiraga amidst these global circumstances, but 1929 was the year the Great Depression began, and due to budgetary constraints, construction progressed extremely slowly, and it wasn't completed until September 1930.
When the Myoko entered service, it formed the 4th Fleet, 2nd Squadron with other ships of the same class, and, coinciding with the fact that battleships were undergoing refitting, it became the main fleet.
However, as shipbuilding technology advanced rapidly, the Myoko began to lag slightly behind the Takao-class and Mogami-class ships that entered service later, so from 1933 onwards, it underwent a series of modernization refits. The Myoko began a series of refits in September 1934 and was finally completed in 1936.
The main modifications included strengthening gunnery capabilities, improving torpedo armament, strengthening aircraft armament, strengthening anti-aircraft armament, and enlarging the bulge to accommodate the weight increase resulting from these modifications.
After the completion of the first modernization work, Myoko operated mainly in the South China Sea as the flagship of the 3rd Fleet and 9th Squadron to support the Sino-Japanese War, which had just begun.
Just a few years later, Myoko would undergo another modernization refit.
The points of the refit were basically the same as the first, including strengthening gunnery capabilities, improving torpedo armament (with this refit, two quadruple torpedo launchers on each side were fully equipped), strengthening aircraft armament, strengthening anti-aircraft armament, and further enlarging the bulge to accommodate the weight increase resulting from these modifications.
Incidentally, Haguro was the first of its class to undergo refitting, and Myoko was the last to be refitted. Work began in March 1940 and was completed in April 1940.
Thus, the four Myoko-class battleships entered the Pacific War in this form.
At the outbreak of war in December 1941, Myoko formed the main body of the 2nd Fleet and, as the flagship of the 5th Squadron, carried out escort operations for the Army convoys advancing the invasion of the Philippines.
Although the operation itself proceeded smoothly, it was attacked by B-17s in Davao Harbor, and a 250kg bomb hit near its No. 2 turret, causing damage, and it had to be immediately repaired in Sasebo.
The repairs were completed in February 1942, and it immediately advanced south.
It arrived in time for the latter half of the Battle of the Java Sea, which was underway at the time, and achieved the distinction of sinking the Australian light cruiser Perth and the British heavy cruiser Exeter, which it had missed in the battle on February 27, in the battle on March 1.
However, the Japanese fleet's hit rate in this battle was extremely poor, perhaps because they engaged in long-range gunnery, which later became a problem.
Furthermore, this victory meant that the Allied naval forces were completely wiped out from the Java and Philippines areas.
After this, Myoko participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 as a direct escort for Shokaku and Zuikaku, but was deployed 4 km ahead of the carrier group, and the American planes paid no attention to anything other than the carriers, so it suffered no damage, but also did not get a chance to fire a single shell. Furthermore, in the Battle of Midway in June of the same year, it was on escort duty for a convoy carrying Army landing forces, so it had no opportunity to fight.
After the Battle of Midway, the battlefield shifted to the South Pacific, and the fighting for the isolated island of Guadalcanal was particularly fierce.
The Navy concentrated many ships in these waters, and fierce battles were fought with the American fleet, resulting in ships from both Japan and the United States resting in these waters.
In November 1943, Myoko participated as the flagship of the 5th Squadron in the Battle of Bougainville, which took place between the 5th Squadron, led by Rear Admiral Omori, which was heading south to attack an enemy transport convoy, and a US fleet mainly composed of light cruisers that tried to stop it. However, in this battle, the Japanese tactics were poor, and the enemy light cruiser fleet, which was using a T-crossing formation in a single line, held the front of the Japanese fleet. The Japanese fleet lost the light cruiser Sendai and the destroyer Hatsukaze, and many destroyers and the second ship Haguro were severely damaged, while only damaging the US light cruiser Denver, resulting in a complete defeat.
After this, Myoko participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, hoping to turn the tide of the battle, and served as an escort for the task force flagship Taiho, but perhaps because she was the rear guard, she did not suffer any particular damage.
Then, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the last organized operation of the glorious Imperial Japanese Navy, she participated as the flagship of the 5th Squadron along with Vice Admiral Kurita's 2nd Fleet, advancing through the Sibuyan Sea while under fierce air attacks from the US task force, but was hit by a torpedo from the US aircraft carrier Intrepid's Avenger, reducing her speed to 15 knots, making it impossible for her to continue operations, and she retreated.
She was the only ship to return to Brunei anchorage, albeit swaying precariously.
After this, Myoko was towed to Singapore for repairs, but ultimately ended up being used as an anti-aircraft battery until the end of the war.
Thus, Myoko, the last surviving Myoko-class ship, was scuttled in the Strait of Malacca by the British in July 1946, ending her life.
(Key Specifications)
Final Standard Displacement: 13,000 tons
Waterline Length: 201.70m
Maximum Beam: 20.8m
Main Boilers: 12 Type Ro-type naval heavy oil-fired boilers
Speed: 33.9 knots
Range: 7,500 nautical miles at 14 knots
Armament: 5 x 20.3cm twin guns, 4 x 12.7mm twin anti-aircraft guns, 4 x 25mm triple machine guns, 8 x 25mm twin machine guns, 24 x 25mm single machine guns, 2 x quadruple torpedo tubes
■Product Specifications
Manufacturer: Hasegawa
Item No: 333
Scale: 1/700
JAN: 4967834493339
1/700 IJN CA Myoko New Version
$22.00
The Myoko, the lead ship of the Myoko-class heavy cruisers, was laid down in October 1924 and completed in July 1929.
The naval arms race among the world's great powers, which had continued since before World War I, finally began to put pressure on the economies of each country, and the great powers, unable to bear it any longer, concluded the Washington Naval Treaty, spearheaded by the United States.
The Japanese Navy had advocated for 70% of the battleships and aircraft carriers compared to the US and Britain, but this was not accepted, and they had to settle for 60%.
However, although the Washington Treaty had upper limits on the performance of individual ships, it did not impose any restrictions on the number of ships that could be possessed, so the great powers, especially the Japanese Navy, focused their efforts on building cruisers, and thus the construction of heavy cruisers with a standard displacement of 10,000 tons and equipped with 20.3 cm (8 inch) guns began in various countries around the world.
For this reason, these cruisers are collectively called treaty cruisers.
The Myoko was built by Captain Yuzuru Hiraga amidst these global circumstances, but 1929 was the year the Great Depression began, and due to budgetary constraints, construction progressed extremely slowly, and it wasn't completed until September 1930.
When the Myoko entered service, it formed the 4th Fleet, 2nd Squadron with other ships of the same class, and, coinciding with the fact that battleships were undergoing refitting, it became the main fleet.
However, as shipbuilding technology advanced rapidly, the Myoko began to lag slightly behind the Takao-class and Mogami-class ships that entered service later, so from 1933 onwards, it underwent a series of modernization refits. The Myoko began a series of refits in September 1934 and was finally completed in 1936.
The main modifications included strengthening gunnery capabilities, improving torpedo armament, strengthening aircraft armament, strengthening anti-aircraft armament, and enlarging the bulge to accommodate the weight increase resulting from these modifications.
After the completion of the first modernization work, Myoko operated mainly in the South China Sea as the flagship of the 3rd Fleet and 9th Squadron to support the Sino-Japanese War, which had just begun.
Just a few years later, Myoko would undergo another modernization refit.
The points of the refit were basically the same as the first, including strengthening gunnery capabilities, improving torpedo armament (with this refit, two quadruple torpedo launchers on each side were fully equipped), strengthening aircraft armament, strengthening anti-aircraft armament, and further enlarging the bulge to accommodate the weight increase resulting from these modifications.
Incidentally, Haguro was the first of its class to undergo refitting, and Myoko was the last to be refitted. Work began in March 1940 and was completed in April 1940.
Thus, the four Myoko-class battleships entered the Pacific War in this form.
At the outbreak of war in December 1941, Myoko formed the main body of the 2nd Fleet and, as the flagship of the 5th Squadron, carried out escort operations for the Army convoys advancing the invasion of the Philippines.
Although the operation itself proceeded smoothly, it was attacked by B-17s in Davao Harbor, and a 250kg bomb hit near its No. 2 turret, causing damage, and it had to be immediately repaired in Sasebo.
The repairs were completed in February 1942, and it immediately advanced south.
It arrived in time for the latter half of the Battle of the Java Sea, which was underway at the time, and achieved the distinction of sinking the Australian light cruiser Perth and the British heavy cruiser Exeter, which it had missed in the battle on February 27, in the battle on March 1.
However, the Japanese fleet's hit rate in this battle was extremely poor, perhaps because they engaged in long-range gunnery, which later became a problem.
Furthermore, this victory meant that the Allied naval forces were completely wiped out from the Java and Philippines areas.
After this, Myoko participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 as a direct escort for Shokaku and Zuikaku, but was deployed 4 km ahead of the carrier group, and the American planes paid no attention to anything other than the carriers, so it suffered no damage, but also did not get a chance to fire a single shell. Furthermore, in the Battle of Midway in June of the same year, it was on escort duty for a convoy carrying Army landing forces, so it had no opportunity to fight.
After the Battle of Midway, the battlefield shifted to the South Pacific, and the fighting for the isolated island of Guadalcanal was particularly fierce.
The Navy concentrated many ships in these waters, and fierce battles were fought with the American fleet, resulting in ships from both Japan and the United States resting in these waters.
In November 1943, Myoko participated as the flagship of the 5th Squadron in the Battle of Bougainville, which took place between the 5th Squadron, led by Rear Admiral Omori, which was heading south to attack an enemy transport convoy, and a US fleet mainly composed of light cruisers that tried to stop it. However, in this battle, the Japanese tactics were poor, and the enemy light cruiser fleet, which was using a T-crossing formation in a single line, held the front of the Japanese fleet. The Japanese fleet lost the light cruiser Sendai and the destroyer Hatsukaze, and many destroyers and the second ship Haguro were severely damaged, while only damaging the US light cruiser Denver, resulting in a complete defeat.
After this, Myoko participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, hoping to turn the tide of the battle, and served as an escort for the task force flagship Taiho, but perhaps because she was the rear guard, she did not suffer any particular damage.
Then, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the last organized operation of the glorious Imperial Japanese Navy, she participated as the flagship of the 5th Squadron along with Vice Admiral Kurita's 2nd Fleet, advancing through the Sibuyan Sea while under fierce air attacks from the US task force, but was hit by a torpedo from the US aircraft carrier Intrepid's Avenger, reducing her speed to 15 knots, making it impossible for her to continue operations, and she retreated.
She was the only ship to return to Brunei anchorage, albeit swaying precariously.
After this, Myoko was towed to Singapore for repairs, but ultimately ended up being used as an anti-aircraft battery until the end of the war.
Thus, Myoko, the last surviving Myoko-class ship, was scuttled in the Strait of Malacca by the British in July 1946, ending her life.
(Key Specifications)
Final Standard Displacement: 13,000 tons
Waterline Length: 201.70m
Maximum Beam: 20.8m
Main Boilers: 12 Type Ro-type naval heavy oil-fired boilers
Speed: 33.9 knots
Range: 7,500 nautical miles at 14 knots
Armament: 5 x 20.3cm twin guns, 4 x 12.7mm twin anti-aircraft guns, 4 x 25mm triple machine guns, 8 x 25mm twin machine guns, 24 x 25mm single machine guns, 2 x quadruple torpedo tubes
■Product Specifications
Manufacturer: Hasegawa
Item No: 333
Scale: 1/700
JAN: 4967834493339