Woody Joe’s Yakatabune Kit – New Build Log on MSW

For those interested in following the build of Woody Joe’s 1/24-scale Yakatabune kit, I decided to go ahead and start one on The NRG’s Model Ship World. For those who don’t know, the Yakatabune is a traditional Japanese pleasure boat used on lakes and rivers. They could be hired for a day or evening, allowing a group of passengers to enjoy the gentle rocking of the boat, the sites along the water, view the cherry blossoms, and as a place to simply gather, bring along hired entertainment, drink sake, or whatever.

Here’s an image of a colorized photo I found on the Internet, though I don’t recall where now.

The 1/24-scale Woody Joe kit is available for around $170 shipped. I got mine from Zootoyz.jp. Woody Joe calls this a 50-hour build, and that may be pretty close. It’s not a difficult kit.

Visit the build log here: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/10860-yakatabune-by-catopower-woody-joe-124-scale-small/ Note that you will note be able to see the images without joining Model Ship World and getting a free account. There is no advertising associated with this site and it is part of the Nautical Research Guild (NRG). There are also advantages in joining, as it grants you automatic associate NRG membership.

 

Ship Modeler Visits Woody Joe

I recently received an email from my contact at Woody Joe that there was a great deal of excitement when ship modeler Dr. Richard Rubinger and his wife stopped in to visit Woody Joe in Shizuoka, Japan. Richard and I have been in contact for about the last two years, as we both had been building Woody Joe’s Higaki Kaisen kit.

Richard and his wife with Woody Joe president, Mr. Tsuneki.

Richard Rubinger with Mr. Tsuneki, left, and Ms. Yukari Gojo, right.

Richard reports being impressed by the computer design that was taking place there. It sounds like he had a very nice chat with the head designer, the company president and their manager, all of who were genuinely happy to meet their visitors and Richard describes them as very gracious. He says he is more of a Woody Joe fan than ever, and highly recommends anyone traveling in the area of Shizuoka, to stop in and say hello.