Known for their accuracy and attention to detail, Aoshima's precision Waterline Series focuses on naval ship models, depicting the ship's structure from the waterline and above. Models in this series are designed to be seen as if floating on the water, highlighting the above-water structure, whilst also making for a more practical and space-efficient display on a flat surface.
Mutsu was the second of two Nagato class super-dreanought battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) at the end of the First World War. No sooner had Mutsu been comissioned in 1921 than she was at the center of wrangling at the Washington Naval Conference, over which battleships to scrap; Mutsu was spared, with the obsolete dreadnought Settsu being scrapped instead.
From 1934 to 1936, Mutsu underwent an extensive reconstruction and modernization; her stern was lengthened, she was given torpedo bulges, and her superstructure was rebuilt in the distinctive 'pagoda' style. Much of her machinery was replaced, and she received updated armament, including replacement turrets and main armament.
Besides being present at the Battle of Midway, and the Battle of the Eastern Solomons (where she fired four main gun rounds at enemy reconnaissance aircraft - the only time her guns fired in anger), Mutsu spent most of the first year of the Pacific War training in home waters. On June 8th 1943, while moored at Hashirajima fleet anchorage, the magazine of Mutsu's No. 3 turret exploded, cutting the ship in half and sinking her. Although alternatives have been proposed, the official investigation concluded that the explosion was caused by a disgruntled crewman.
This precision Waterline Series model kit represents Mutsu as she would have appeared after her mid-thirties reconstruction, complete with pagoda superstructure.
- 1/700 scale precision model kit
- Waterline design
- Assembly required
- Glue, paint, and tools not included - available separately
- Not a toy: not intended for children under 15 years old
- Made in Japan
