SPA Modeler

BlackSheep214 wrote:Originally the Mogami was classified as a heavy cruiser with five main gun turrents - 3 in front, 2 in the rear before converting to an aircraft carrying cruiser later during WW2.

Actually, as built, the Mogami class were 6” gunned light cruisers, with a main battery of five triple Six Inch Gun turrets. In the late 30’s they were upgunned to 8” heavy cruisers, with the triple 6” turrets being replaced by twin 8” gun turrets. Light cruisers and heavy cruisers were differentiated by their main battery armament. 6” guns and smaller were classified as light cruisers by international treaty. Those with 7” or above were classified as heavy cruisers.
Mogami was converted to the float plane configuration after the severe damage she took at Midway, where her sister ship Mikuma was sunk. The two other cruisers of the class that were also present at Midway, Kumano and Suzuya, stayed in their five turret 8” gun configuration for the rest of their service lives until sunk later in the war.

Something like that. LOL! I knew the whenabouts she was converted to an aircraft carrying cruiser after she suffered severe damage at Midway.

LyleW wrote:AMS...the silent stealer of eyesight, sanity, normalcy.

Go fo it Tom.

LOL! Thanks for the vote of confidence, Lyle.

An idea to a simple solution in creating canvas covers on the cowls.... ready for this? Liquid paper.

That should work

More painting progress....
Rear mast with crane. Sorry for bad pic but middle portion is painted flat black as directed to instruction guide.


I may modify the crane as seen in photos and pics. Two braces are supposed to support the crane. Shouldn't be too hard to replicate.

Boats! Yeah, they are tiny.


The big guns - #1, #2, & #3 and four Anti Aircraft guns.



I went ahead and painted these in Interwar colors through Wings Pallette website. I do have to thank arlos for idea using Carlos using Sharpie Extra Fine Paint markers. Yup - I used the red marker for the meatballs. I did get yellow and white as well.

Nakajima E8N "Dave" and Kawanishi Type 94 E7K1 "Alf"


Main deck portions painted Tamiya Linoleum Deck Brown


Last night, I finally mated the deck to the hull!


Want to hear more insanity? I have seriously thought about actually rigging this baby... if I can stretch sprues as thin as possible to create rigging lines. Call me crazy but at least I ain't using no stinkin' 1/700 scale PE railings.

What you've accomplished so far looks really good. Now, buckle down and get busy stretching sprue.....Good luck!

Looking very sharp Tom! One thing to consider though, by the time that Mogami was rebuilt into the float plane carrying configuration the aircraft scheme had switched to the green upper surfaces.

Here is a photo of aircraft on her deck shortly after her conversion.

Yup. That was the photo I was using for reference and noticed they had canvas covering the cowls and cockpit areas.

Looks like they have boards strapped to the wings to act as spoilers, too.