Tamiya 31113 Japanese Battleship Yamato

Scale 1/700

Yamato (“Great Harmony”) was the lead ship of her class of battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) shortly before World War II. She and her sister ship. Musashi. were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed. displacing 72.800 tonnes at full load and armed with nine 46 cm (18.1 in) Type 94 main guns. which were the largest guns ever mounted on a warship.

Named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province. Yamato was designed to counter the numerically superior battleship fleet of the United States. Japan’s main rival in the Pacific. She was laid down in 1937 and formally commissioned a week after the Pearl Harbor attack in late 1941. Throughout 1942. she served as the flagship of the Combined Fleet. and in June 1942 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto directed the fleet from her bridge during the Battle of Midway. a disastrous defeat for Japan. Musashi took over as the Combined Fleet flagship in early 1943. and Yamato spent the rest of the year. and much of 1944. moving between the major Japanese naval bases of Truk and Kure in response to American threats. Although present at the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944. she played no part in the battle.

Tamiya has recreated the Yamato in her final form. as she headed towards Okinawa on her final sortie. The flare of the bow and the armor belts along her sides have been accurately reproduced. along with her main turrets. secondary 15. 5cm gun turrets. and anti-aircraft armament including 12. 7cm gun mounts. Parts are also included to depict rangefinders. radars. and cranes to enable a detailed finish. Requires paint and assembly.