Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| The Akatsuki was the class leader for newer class of destroyer. Mounting six 5" guns in three twin turrets and six deadly long lance torpedoes in three reloadable launchers these destroyers were more than a match for most any enemy DD. The Akatsuki was one of the ships present at the second battle of Savo Island at Guadalcanal, and was sunk by gunfire, largely from the USS Atlanta on Friday the 13th 1942. | |
| This is one of the original Waterline kits put out by Tamiya, it can still be found at most hobby shops. It was state of the art 30 years ago but a little dated by today's standards. Especially when compared with the current kits that Tamiya has been releasing such as their recent US Cruiser the Indianapolis. Still with a few upgrades this can be made into a nice model. | |
| The hull is pretty good shape wise however it doesn't have as much detail as some of the newer offerings such as the recent Skywave kits such as the DD Mitchisio. |
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| This is a pretty simple kit to build as there are not that many parts to assemble. The weapons are pretty plain and I would recommend replacing them with the Skywave IJN weapons set, and adding photo etch. |  |
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| What would a waterline kit be without it's weight and flat
waterline hull molded in red to simulate the hull red found on a lot of
ships. There is a decal set with a flag and the ships name, and of course
the tube of glue might come in handy.
The instructions are good, consisting of several exploded views showing the subassemblies and the modeler should have no problems following along. This kit is one of the original releases so there is no english translation. |
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| Also typical of the water line kits this one has a painting guide on
the back of the box.
Conclusions: This is really not a bad kit, it just needs some upgrading. I'm not sure if Tamiya has retooled this mold as this particular kit has been sitting around in my friend Ron's unbuilt kit stash for ages. I believe this kit has a current retail of about $11.50, but it is doubtful that you will have to pay that much. |
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