I purchased this kit a few years ago along with Hasegawa’s 450 scale Yamato, they were on sale for $29.99 each. The prospect of having two large in-scale IJN ships to display together for only $60 was too good to pass up, three years latter I’m finally there!
Click the pic below to see the two built kits displayed together.
This build took a ridiculously long time to finish at just over 2 years. Of course there were some loooong breaks but still, this was a challenging build. It’s by far my most ambitious photo etch project and I can’t say I loved it… but the results were worth it.
You really can’t go too wrong with this kit, even at $39.99 it’s a good deal. The stock detailing is pretty darn good for an older (and inexpensive!) kit. The hull’s engraved details are sharp and plentiful. It would have been better if some of them where separate pieces but by and large they look fine and I’m glad they’re there. They add interest (and hopefully authenticity) to what would otherwise be flat surfaces (Like on Yamato…) From what I’ve seen and heard this kit is the best of Hasegawa’s 450 series (edit: no longer true!). It’s really a shame as I like this scale a lot. Not so big that it can’t share a display shelve still large enough to support all manner of added details and modifications.
I used Gold Medal Models Akagi 1/450 PE set on this build, and it’s well worth the money. The flight deck supports add so much, and of course there are plenty of doors, ladders, rails and stairs.
One last thing to note
The accuracy of this older kit is reasonably good, the new Hasegawa 1/350 Akagi kit notably shows changes to the base of the heavy AA guns and the stern boat deck where it meets the level of the casemated guns. There are numerous less obvious changes to many to mention. All told though, this kit stands up well and I really like it. Even more so, now that it’s finally done.
Hasegawa IJN Akagi, 1/450 scale ship model, Japanese WW2 Aircraft Carrier CV, Japanese warship