8th Japanese Boat Models Display, February 2019

Wasen Mokei 和船模型

My next display of models of Japanese traditional boats will run through the month of February in the display window of the Union Bank community room inside the Japan Center’s East Mall. It’s hard to believe, but this will be my eighth such display.

I made two more tall stands this week, giving me a total of seven stands, which is enough to put all the models I brought last time up on stands, getting them up off the floor of the display window. However, I’d like to put my Kobaya model on display too, even though it’s not yet complete – I did the same thing with my Kamakura period Umi-bune last time, which is done now.

The Kobayabune, though not complete, is my latest addition to the Japanese boats display.

The display includes the following models:

• Higaki Kaisen – 1/72-scale Woody Joe kit of a coastal transport.
• Hacchoro –…

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Building Woody Joe’s 1/72-scale Kitamaebune Kit – Part 2

An update on my Japanese northern transport ship. Specifically termed a Kitamaebune, it’s also often referred to as a Bezaisen or, more commonly, a Sengokubune.

Wasen Mokei 和船模型

Work continues on the Kitamaebune kit from Woody Joe. This 1/72-scale laser-cut kit is the simplified cousin to their earlier Higaki-Kaisen kit. The Kitamaebune is a northern port coastal transport used extensive in the Edo period. Because they sailed on the stormier Sea of Japan, they were a bit beefier than the Higaki-Kaisen, which journeyed along the Pacific coast between Osaka and Edo.

At this stage, the model is shown with a bulwarks sheet test fit into place.

Overall, I’ve found that while this build is less time consuming than the Higaki-Kaisen kit, it has its challenges, even with simplified construction.

While the first 6 steps were pretty simple and straight forward, step 7 takes a bit of work. It involves gluing together three parts making up the miyoshi or stem. This then has to be cut or sanded to a trapezoidal cross-section that’s wider at the tip and sharper…

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New Kit from Amati -1/32 scale Fifie

Nice to see a new wooden ship model kit, particularly one of large scale. And, you can’t beat Amati’s Victory Models line for high quality kits.

Ages of Sail

While Amati has been busy with development work on their fantastic new Orient Express Sleeping Car kit, we haven’t seen a new ship model kit from them for a little while, until now.

Amati’s latest kit represents a type of traditional fishing boat developed on the east coast of Scotland, and mainly engaged in the herring fishery. These boats characteristically featured a plumb stem, a long, straight keel, and wide beam – a configuration that made them very stable sailers.

Amati’s Fifie motor fishing boat is the latest release and, like the rail-bound previous release, this kit is a nice big 1/32 scale. At this large scale, the plank-on-bulkhead wooden model kit measures over 27″ long and just over 17″ high. As part of Amati’s Victory Models Line, it has been extensively researched and carefully designed. The kit features Amati’s highest quality materials and includes color illustrated step-by-step building instructions and…

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