Japanese Light Cruiser 三隈 Mikuma

In August 1935, construction of the Mikuma, sister ship to the Mogami, was completed.Though of the same class, the Mikuma"s bridge and some other features were slightly different from those of its sister ships. After Japans withdrawal from the disadvantageous London Naval Treaty in January 1936, the Mikuma"s original five triple 15.5cm turrets were replaced with twin 20.3cm turrets which turned her into a heavy cruiser. Later, Mikuma and her sister ships formed the Cruiser Division 7 of the 2nd fleet and took part in the Malay landing operation and the Battle of Sundra Strait at the beginning of the Pacific War. However in June 1942, at Midway, the Mikuma would have her fate sealed. She was ordered with her unit to go and shell Midway at night. The operation was later canceled and the unit left to return home when an enemy submarine was spotted. To avoid a torpedo attack, the flagship, Kumano signaled to make evasive turns, during which the bow of the Mogami slammed into the Mikuma"s hull. After wards, the Mikuma sustained heavy attacks from over 100 US aircraft and sank to the ocean floor on the seas Northwest of Midway. This is a 1/350 scale assembly kit model of the Japanese Light Cruiser Mikuma built under the London Naval Treaty, which featured five triple 15.5cm gun turrets. You can choose to build either a waterline or a full-hull model. Assembly of the deck and hull for such a large model is difficult, but this kit includes reinforcing frame parts and screws to enable accurate assembly for both WL and full hull models. The display stand securely attaches to the hull via screws. The metal name plate enhances the finish of the model. Display stands for the highly detailed float planes are included allowing you to also create a flying diorama. The bridge windows and search light lenses are made of transparent parts. High quality photo-etched parts to depict details such as float plane propellers and crane are included. The masts and radio antennas are made of reinforced ABS resin. Metal plated shaft is used for the screw shaft. The anchor and chain are also depicted with metal parts. Machine gun parts feature laser processing for a sharper, more realistic finish. Parts are included to depict main gun barrels at 2 different elevation levels. Polycaps enable switching of gun turrets as well as free turret rotation for a variety of displays. Two Nakajima E8N1 and two Kawanishi E7K1 float planes are included. (Actual complement was two Nakajima E8N1 and one Kawanishi E7K1.)