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Eduard 1/48 Japan Navy Aircraft Carrier Deck Zuikaku Class

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

There are quite a few 1/48 Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft available, and many are highly detailed and easy to assemble. Once finished, though, they're often relegated to a shelf, as few want to attempt to manufacture an accurate display base. Building a carrier deck from scratch is time consuming and challenging, even if one doesn't consider the research required. So this new release from Eduard is very welcome for fans of IJN aircraft.

The 'Kit'

I suppose I have to call this a kit, because there are multiple pieces, but really, it's mainly going to be a painting exercise. This is not the first display base that Eduard has done, as they did a Perforated Steel Plate base back in 2000. This is far more ambitious, as it accurately replicates a carrier deck, including an elevator. The extra pieces are four clear parts that fit into holes in the deck.

The positives of this display base are some beautiful detailing present, from tie downs to planks to weld lines on the elevator. The depth of the recessed detailing will help with painting and weathering, although the tie downs could have benefitted from a bit more depth. The negatives with this display base are a complete lack of instructions. There is no explanation provided for the clear parts, for example. It's obvious where they go, but it is not obvious as to what they are covering up. Painting instructions are also absent, with the only color information provided in the cover illustration. The hopes of getting a nice display base without needing to do a bunch of research are pretty much dashed with this, as the modeler will have to do quite a bit of color research to determine just what kind of markings to apply to this particular section of decking.

Conclusion

Despite the lack of documentation provided, this is a very welcome display base, and the low price makes it a very affordable option to display your latest IJN aircraft. Once the colors are figured out, this will be a fun base to paint up. My thanks to Eduard for the review sample.