Originally conceived as an Amagi Class battlecruiser,  she was converted to a carrier before completion because of the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty.  Built initially to hold 60 aircraft, she was later modified to carry heavier aircraft and more AAW weaponry. As first converted she had three flight decks forward, no island and two funnels on the starboard side. During her 1935 reconstruction, the two lower flight decks were removed and the main flight deck was extended forward to the bow, plus an island was added on the port side.  She led the attack on Pearl Harbor, but met her end only seven months later at the disastrous Battle of Midway. 

Akagi 
Builder- Kure Navy Yard 
Laid Down- Dec.6/20
Launched- Apr.22/25
Commissioned- Mar.25/27

canceled Feb./22 as Amagi class battlecruiser
then converted to a carrier starting in /23
island added in mid 1930's refit
attacked Jun.4/42 and badly damaged by dive bombers at Battle of Midway 
scuttled by crew Jun.5/42

This kit was picked up at an antique tag sale and shows its age.  It appears to be an early boxing.  Despite its age, the kit shows very nice detail on the flight deck, island, and hull.  The kit is molded in a dark grey plastic and also includes a couple sprues of Japanese naval aircraft including Zeroes and what appear to be Kates and Vals.  This is a nice size kit and will allow the builder sufficient room for adding brass details for enhancements Gold Medal Models set # 700-14 $12.00 is a good choice).  This kit is still in production (it was for sale on a few of the bigger online retailers.) 
 

In short, this is a kit long on the shelves that offers fine detail out-of-the-box and with strategic photo-etched brass details added will produce an excellent replica of a ship with a long service record- not to mention the role it played in the Pearl Harbor raid and the decisive Midway engagement. 
 

References: 

Len's Full buildup of the Akagi
Warship1.com