AOSHIMA (1208)

Bismarck was a German battleship, the keel of which was laid in 1936 and launched in February 1939. The battleship entered the rope service in the German Navy (German Kriegsmarine) in August 1940. The ship was 251 meters long, 36 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 53,000 tons. Bismarck's top speed was around 29-30 knots. The main armament was 8 380 mm guns in four twin turrets, and the secondary armament included: 12 150 mm guns or 16 105 mm guns. The Bismarck was the first ship of the type with the same name - the Bismarck. It was ordered to replace in line the old battleship Hannover, completely obsolete in the 1930s. At the time of launch, Bismarck was the largest German ship and the largest European battleship. It had good armor, and its main or secondary armament was inferior to its counterparts on British ships. He made his maiden voyage in September 1940, when he was ferry to Gdynia, which was to be his home port. Bismarck's combat trail during World War II was very short. Bismarck set out on its first combat voyage on May 19, 1941 - it was supposed to perform cruising operations in the Atlantic and attack primarily Allied convoys. In carrying out this plan, Bismarck, with the accompanying heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, was already crossing the Danish Strait a few days later. On May 24, a battle took place in this strait between the German team and British ships, as a result of which the battlecruiser HMS Hood was sunk and Bismarck itself was badly damaged. After this battle, significant Royal Navy forces - including the Polish destroyer ORP Piorun - were directed against Bismarck, which the German ship tracked down and sent to the bottom on May 27, 1941. It is worth noting that there is a probable hypothesis assuming that the battleship Bismarck was self-sunk by the crew in connection with the damage sustained in combat on May 27, which made it impossible to return to the base on its own. One of the most famous battleships of WWII, Germany's Bismarck reached nearly legendary status in the early days of the war, punctuated by the spectacular sinking of the British battlecruiser Hood. The Bismarck herself was then sunk shortly afterward by the combined might of British Naval forces, but not before having established a myth-like legacy. Aoshima's 1/700 Bismarck is a re-release of its excellent waterline Bismarck kit, this time without the Z-class destroyer included in the previous releases. The molding is sharp and the detail is fine. This is an injection-plastic ship model kit.

The Danmark is a three-masted training ship built in 1933 for the Denmark Trade and Industry Ministry. She participated along with 224 other sailing ships from 35 countries in the US Bicentennial celebration in New York. Aoshima's kit of the Danmark features authentic detail throughout, including a two-piece lower hull, vacuformed plastic sails (you have to cut them out), thread for rigging, and a nice display stand. The separate upper and lower hulls allow for completion as either a full-hull or waterline model. Measures 22cm long when complete.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized Nissan Skyline gussied up with a chin spoiler, rear under-spoiler, rear deck wing, funky side mirrors, and crazy-deep 14-inch chrome wheels and "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. The car body is molded in silver, with the chassis and interior molded in black. Decal sheet includes a swatch of yellow from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized Toyota Celica 1600GT gussied up with a chin spoiler, rear under-spoiler, rear deck wing, funky side mirrors, and crazy-deep 14-inch chrome wheels and "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. The car body is molded in yellow, with the chassis and interior molded in black. Decal sheet includes a swatch of yellow from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized 1972 "Ken & Mary" Nissan Skyline four-door gussied up with a chin spoiler, rear wing spoiler, funky side mirrors, and crazy deep eight-spoke 14-inch chrome wheels (with red inserts) with "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. Actually includes three sets of wheels; the other two sets are molded in black plastic. The car body is molded in red, with the chassis and interior molded in black. The decal sheet includes a swatch of black from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized Nissan 430 Cedric gussied up with a chin spoiler, rear spoiler, and crazy-deep 14-inch wheels with "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. The car body is molded in red, and the chassis and interior are molded in black. The decal sheet includes a swatch of black from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized 1979 Nissan Skyline Japan [HGC210] gussied up with a chin spoiler, rear under-spoiler, three-piece rear deck spoiler, funky side mirrors, and crazy-deep 14-inch chrome Star Shark wheels and "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. The car body is molded in dark blue, with the chassis and interior molded in black. The decal sheet includes a swatch of dark blue from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized 1978 Toyota 41 Chaser gussied up with a chin spoiler, rear under-spoiler, rear deck spoiler, funky side mirrors, and crazy-deep 14-inch chrome Shadow wheels and "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. The car body is molded in purple, with the chassis and interior molded in black. The decal sheet includes a swatch of dark blue from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand Champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized 1973 Nissan 130 Laurel gussied up with a chin spoiler, rear deck gullwing spoiler, "Jaguar" side mirrors, and crazy-deep 14-inch chrome TRV wheels (centers are also chrome; you'll have to paint 'em to match the gold centers as shown on the box art) and "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. The car body is molded in white, with the chassis and interior molded in black. The decal sheet includes a swatch of white from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand Champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized 1973 Nissan "Ken Mary" (so named from the characters in the popular commercials) Skyline GT-R gussied up with a chin spoiler, three-piece rear spoiler, custom grille and lights, and crazy-deep 14-inch chrome NEW MK-III wheels (with gold inserts) and "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. The car body is molded in black, with the chassis and interior molded in black. The decal sheet includes a swatch of white from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand Champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized 1977 Nissan 330 Gloria gussied up with a chin spoiler, rear deck gullwing spoiler, "Jaguar" side mirrors, and crazy-deep 14-inch chrome 5-lug Shadow wheels (centers are also chrome; you'll have to paint 'em to match the gold centers shown on the box art) and "hippari" (stretched) wide tires (two other types of wheels are also included). The car body is molded in silver, with the chassis and interior molded in black. The decal sheet includes a swatch of red from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand Champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized 1971 Toyota 10 Soarer gussied up with an air dam, rear aero, funky side mirrors, and crazy-deep 14-inch chrome Formula wire wheels (you'll have to paint the centers gold) and "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. The car body is molded in red, with the chassis and interior molded in black. The decal sheet includes a swatch of red from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized 1981 Nissan 430 Gloria gussied up with front, side, and rear aero parts, funky side mirrors, and crazy-deep 14-inch chrome wheels and "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. The car body is molded in white, with the chassis and interior molded in black. The decal sheet includes a swatch of yellow from which you can cut your own stripes.

"Gra-chan" ("Grand champion") is a very cool series of custom car models reminiscent of the hopped-up cars of the '80s. This entry is a customized 1975 Toyota Celica gussied up with a chin spoiler, rear under-spoiler, three-piece rear spoiler, funky side mirrors, and crazy-deep 14-inch chrome wheels and "hippari" (stretched) wide tires. The car body is molded in silver, with the chassis and interior molded in black. Decal sheet includes a swatch of yellow from which you can cut your own stripes.

Gorch Fock was a German training sailing ship, launched in 1933. At the time of launching, the ship was 73.6 m long, 12 m wide, and her full displacement was 1,545 tons. Gorch Fock was unarmed. It was a three-masted barge, with an initial sails area of 1797 m2. It had an additional drive in the form of a diesel engine with a capacity of 360 HP. The Gorch Fock was built at the Bohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg. Immediately after entering service, it served as a training unit in the German Navy. He was self-sunk by the crew on May 1, 1945. However, after the war, it was lifted from the seabed by Russia, renovated and incorporated into the Soviet Navy under the name Towariszcz. After a long renovation, sails replacement and the addition of a more powerful auxiliary engine, it entered service in 1951 with the home port of Odessa. After the collapse of the USSR, it served for a very short time under the flag of Ukraine, until it was finally bought by the "Tall Ship Friends Deutschland" company and since 2003 it has been in the port of Stralsund as a museum ship under the name Gorch Fock. Here's a 1/350-scale kit of the famous sailing vessel. Named after a poet, the Gorch Fock served as a training vessel for the Federal German Navy. Aoshima's kit includes a full hull section and display base, and can be built either as a full-hull or waterline model. Vacu-formed sails. Simplified detail, but can be built into a very nice replica. Decals, flags, and rigging line are included. Length 255mm, width 65mm, height 169mm. This is an injection-plastic sailing ship model kit.

The Nippon Maru was a Japanese training sailing ship, a twin ship for the Kaiwo Maru, launched in 1930. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 97 m, width 12.95 m, and full displacement - 2,290 tons. The Nippon Maru was unarmed. It was a four-masted ship, but had an additional propulsion in the form of two diesel engines with a capacity of 600 HP each. The Nippon Maru was built at Kawasaki's Kobe shipyard and originally served as a training unit for Japanese merchant navy officers. When the war in the Pacific began, it was incorporated into the navy, continuing to function as a training unit. It was not until the end of the war, in 1945, that the Nippon Maru was used as a transport unit in a marginal way. The ship survived the war and continued to serve in the fleet until 1984, when it was replaced by a new sailing ship - with the same name, by the way! At present, the Nippon Maru is a museum ship docked in the port of Yokohama. Aoshima's full-hull kit of the Nippon Maru features vacuformed sails, a display stand, twine for rigging, and cloth flags. At 1/150 scale this beauty will measure 64.7cm long, 15.3cm wide, and 37.5cm tall when completed. This is an injection-plastic sailing ship model kit.

Kaiwo Maru was a Japanese training sailing ship, a twin ship Nippon Maru, launched in 1930. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 97 m, width 12.95 m, and full displacement - 2,290 tons. Kaiwo Maru was never armed. It was a four-masted ship with a total sail area of 2,397 square meters, but it had an additional propulsion in the form of two diesel engines with a power of 600 HP each. The Kaiwo Maru was built at Kawasaki's Kobe shipyard and originally served as a training unit for Japanese merchant navy officers. When the war in the Pacific began, it was incorporated into the navy, continuing to serve as a training unit. The ship survived the war and continued to serve in the fleet after its end. In 1955 its rigging was modernized. Kaiwo Maru served until 1989. At present, she is a museum ship moored in the port of Imizu. Aoshima's full-hull kit of the Kaiwo Maru features vacuformed sails, a display stand, twine for rigging, and cloth flags. Also includes a nice selection of white metal detail parts. At 1/150 scale this beauty will measure 64.7cm long, 15.3cm wide, and 37.5cm tall when completed. This is an injection-plastic sailing ship model kit.

Nagato was a Japanese battleship laid under the keel in 1917, launched in November 1919, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in November 1920. The ship was 221 meters long, 34 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 42,800 tons. The maximum speed of battleship Nagato was around 25-26 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 8 410 mm guns in four turrets, two guns each, and the additional armament was mainly 20 140 mm guns. Nagato was the first battleship of the type with the same name - ie Nagato. Ty Nagato was the first series of battleships whose main artillery exceeded the caliber of 400 mm. Modernization of the battleship took place only in 1936, when it was extended, the entire engine room was modified, catapults for seaplanes were added, and anti-aircraft artillery was significantly expanded. At the outbreak of World War II, Nagato was the flagship of the entire Japanese fleet (Japanese: Ippon Kaigun) - it was from it that the order was sent to attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In June 1942 he took part in the Battle of Midway but survived it. In 1944, he fought in the Battle of Leyte, where he sank the USS Gambler Bay aircraft carrier and three destroyers. She was the only Japanese battleship to survive the war in the Pacific in good condition, and in 1946 the Americans used it to test nuclear weapons in Bikini Atoll. Nagato sank on July 25, 1946. Well, it may be 7.5 times more expensive than Aoshima's very-lacking older kit, but now we've at least got a great 1/700 kit of this important Japanese battleship -- one of the very few still on the surface of the water when the war ended (it was sunk during H-bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946). Kit is a combination of resin-cast and injection-plastic parts. Absolutely superb detail throughout. This is an advanced kit recommended for experienced modelers that requires you to cut brass rod, etc. to complete. Japanese instructions only, but well-illustrated. This is a resin or white metal ship model kit.

Nagato was a Japanese battleship laid under the keel in 1917, launched in November 1919, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in November 1920. The ship was 221 meters long, 34 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 42,800 tons. The maximum speed of battleship Nagato was around 25-26 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 8 410 mm guns in four turrets, two guns each, and the additional armament was mainly 20 140 mm guns. Nagato was the first battleship of the type with the same name - ie Nagato. Ty Nagato was the first series of battleships whose main artillery exceeded the caliber of 400 mm. Modernization of the battleship took place only in 1936, when it was extended, the entire engine room was modified, catapults for seaplanes were added, and anti-aircraft artillery was significantly expanded. At the outbreak of World War II, Nagato was the flagship of the entire Japanese fleet (Japanese: Ippon Kaigun) - it was from it that the order was sent to attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In June 1942 he took part in the Battle of Midway but survived it. In 1944, he fought in the Battle of Leyte, where he sank the USS Gambler Bay aircraft carrier and three destroyers. She was the only Japanese battleship to survive the war in the Pacific in good condition, and in 1946 the Americans used it to test nuclear weapons in Bikini Atoll. Nagato sank on July 25, 1946. This highly-detailed waterline kit of the Nagato builds into the version as outfitted in 1927.  This is an injection-plastic ship model kit.

Soryu (Japanese: Blue Dragon) was a Japanese aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1934, launched in December 1935, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in December 1937. The ship was 222 meters long, 21 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 19,500 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Soryu oscillated around 33-34 knots, and its main armament consisted of 73-75 on-board planes. The design solutions used on the Soryu were the result of the experience gained by the Japanese Navy in the course of operating other aircraft carriers - primarily the Hosho. As a result, already in the course of design, a lot of emphasis was placed on the maximum speed of the new aircraft carrier and its greatest possible impact force, expressed in a large number of on-board aircraft. On the other hand, the ship's armor was treated as secondary, as it was completely inadequate to protect the ship from an air attack. In parallel with Soryu, its sister unit, Hiryu, was being built, but the two ships differed quite significantly, e.g. in the location of the superstructure. During World War II, Soryu took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. In April 1942, Soryu also took part in the famous raid of the Japanese fleet to the Indian Ocean. He also took part in the Battle of Midway (June 1942) where he was sunk by American on-board planes. The Imperial Japanese Navy's first true aircraft carrier, the Soryu, gets a great renewal release in the Waterline Series! Using design data that hadn't yet been found when Aoshima created its initial Waterline Series IJN Soryu back in 1971, this newly tooled kit depicts the Pearl Harbor attacker as she appeared in 1941, with the makings for a dozen aircraft included. Crisply molded in gray styrene and beautifully detailed! Includes exploded-view pictorial-type instructions, with some notes Japanese, and with color callouts in Chinese, English, French, German, and Japanese. This is an injection-plastic ship model kit.

This is a plastic model kit, which comes unassembled and unpainted. So glue, model paints and other basic modelling tools are additionally required. The IJN Taiyo was a Japanese escort aircraft carrier that saw action during World War II. Taiyo was built in 1941 and was originally intended as a transport ship, but was later adapted to the role of an escort aircraft carrier. During the war, Taiyo participated in numerous operations in the Pacific, including the Battle of Guadalcanal and the Battle of the Solomon Islands. In May 1943, Taiyo was severely damaged during an attack by the American submarine USS Nautilus. Despite the damage, Taiyo was repaired and returned to service. In April 1944, Taiyo participated in Operation I-Go, which was an attempt by the Japanese fleet to destroy the American invasion force in the Solomon Islands. During the operation, Taiyo was hit by a torpedo from an American aircraft, which caused an explosion on board and a fire that contributed to its sinking. Only about 150 crew members survived, out of the more than 1,000 who were on board at the time of the attack. Taiyo was one of many Japanese aircraft carriers that were destroyed during the war. Her role as an escort carrier was important, but she lacked adequate weapons and armor, which made her an easy target for American air and sea attacks.  

Chuyo (Japanese: Soaring Hawk) was a Japanese light aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1938, launched in May 1939, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in November 1942. The length of the ship was 180.4 m, width 22.5 m, and a full displacement of 19,800 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Chuyo was only around 21 knots, and its main armament was 27 airplanes. In 1940, with the planned war in the Pacific, the command of the Japanese Navy decided to expand its air force by rebuilding ocean passenger ships under construction or already launched. One of the carriers created in this way was Chuyo - originally the Nitta Maru transatlantic liner. At the beginning of the war, Nitta Maru was confiscated by the fleet and served as a transport unit, but after the catastrophic losses suffered at Midway (the loss of as many as 4 aircraft carriers!), It was decided to convert it into an aircraft carrier. The works lasted from August to November 1942. Due to its low maximum speed and a small air group, it can be classified as an escort aircraft carrier. Chuyo during World War II took a very limited part in combat operations. It served primarily as a training unit and often sailed with its sister ships Taiyo and Unyo. In December 1943, she was sunk by the American submarine USS Sailfish. This is an injection-plastic ship model kit.

Unyo (Japanese: Cloud-Ripping Hawk) was a Japanese light aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1938, launched in October 1939, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in May 1942. The length of the ship was 180.4 m, width 22.5 m, and a full displacement of 19,800 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Unyo was only around 21 knots, and its main armament consisted of 27 on-board planes. Originally, the Unyo was a transatlantic liner called Yawata Maru belonging to one of the Japanese shipping lines, which was built at the Mitsbushi shipyards in Nagasaki. At the outbreak of the war with the USA, it was commandeered by the fleet and served as a transport unit, but in the period from November 1941 to May 1942, work was undertaken to convert it into an aircraft carrier. Due to its low maximum speed and a small air group, it can be classified as an escort aircraft carrier. During World War II, Unyo took a very limited part in combat operations. It served primarily as a training unit and often sailed with its sister ships Taiyo and Chuyo. Interestingly, during its service, Unyo withstood two torpedo attacks by American submarines, and only the third attack by the USS Barb in September 1944 led to the sinking of Unyo. This is an injection-plastic ship model kit.