History
When I first saw this kit at the iHobby Expo, I was drawn to its attractive lines, but I thought it was an odd subject for a major manufacturer. After all, it wasn't a famous liner like the Titanic. Once I started researching the ship, though, I found it to have quite an interesting history filled with fascinating anecdotes. Launched on September 30, 1929, the Hikawa Maru was the first ship of three built for the NYK Line to ply the Pacific between Japan and the Pacific Northwest. All three ships were named after Shinto shrines (the other two were the Heian Maru and Hiye Maru), and throughout the 1930s formed the backbone of NYK Line's transport across the Pacific.
In the interests of keeping the history section short (my first draft stretched into pages), I'll just touch on a couple of the more interesting tidbits. During the 1930s, the Hikawa Maru carried some famous people (most notably, Charlie Chaplin), but more interestingly, the ship helped Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust to Canada. The sister ship, Hiye Maru, was the subject of an attempted terrorist attack in Seattle in 1938, where the bomb failed to go off only because the paper backing of the clock swelled up with water and stopped the clock.
During the war, the Hikawa Maru was enlisted as a hospital ship, while her two sister ships became auxiliary submarine tenders. Both of the submarine tenders were sunk during the war, but the Hikawa Maru, despite hitting mines on three different occasions, survived the war. In doing so, the ship was the only mainstream Japanese liner to survive the war, and immediately after the war it was impressed into service by the United States. For two years the Hikawa Maru took US personnel between the United States and Japan.
In 1954, the Hikawa Maru returned to the seas as an ocean liner, sailing with the NYK Lines until finally retired in 1960. Unlike most liners that have been retired, the Hikawa Maru was not scrapped. In 1961 it was converted into a floating youth hostel, which it remained until 1973. During the same time, it was set up as a maritime museum, and once the hostel closed, the vessel remained as a floating museum. Economic problems resulted in the ship being closed in 2006. A major restoration was undertaken in 2007, and in April 2008 it was re-opened as part of the NYK Maritime Museum, where it can be seen today.
The Kit
While the Hikawa Maru has had a very interesting history, that interest has not translated well into model kits. This is the first example of this subject in 1/350, and only the second kit I know about in any scale. Interestingly, the other kit is also by Hasegawa, but in 1/700 scale in their waterline series. This new kit is easily the best Hikawa Maru kit out there, with lots of detail in the box. Molded in white plastic, the kit is a full hull model and includes clear windows, anchor chain, and a decal sheet providing pre-war NYK Lines markings.
Starting with the hull, this kit is split into right and left halves, making assembly fairly easy. To further simplify things and help keep things aligned properly, there are five bulkheads and two large pins that, when all together, will result in a very sturdy main hull. The prop shafts are separate from the main hull assembly, split into upper and lower pieces for each side, and the large rudder is also separate. The main deck is split into three pieces, with a single rear deck piece and two fore deck pieces. On this basic assembly the rest of the vessel will be built up.
Moving up a level, the promenade deck comes as one piece, but the superstructure on it is built up of individual sides. Like the hull assembly, there are interior braces to ensure proper alignment and spacing, as well as to provide strength. This completed structure then fits into the hull assembly, after which a set of clear windows can be fitted in place. As these windows are small, it might be difficult to mask them for painting, so it might be better to paint the areas beforehand.
The stern castle is next, and this too is made up from separate sides. There are two main assemblies here, each getting a separate deck piece. The completed stern castle fits into a recess on the rear main deck, which should make assembly simple and eliminate any potential messy seams. The boat deck is a single piece, fitting over the promenade deck. With the overhangs created by both the stern castle and the boat deck, once again pre-painting areas will help out greatly.
Next up is the bridge assembly. This is a fairly prominent part of the vessel, and given its place of prominence, it is well done. The front face is done as one piece and features separate clear windows. The inner bridge assembly is built up from separate sides and decks, with lots of smaller details provided. The latter include the ship's wheel, a nice touch for a 1/350 ship. Once completed, this assembly slides in front of the promenade and boat deck pieces on the main hull. The final large deck assembly is the upper boat deck house, which has internal bracing, separate sides, and a separate top. On this fits the three piece stack.
With the main decks assembled, the rest of the kit consists of adding all the details. Here the modeler will be quite busy, as there are quite a few small parts covering all the decks. These include vents, windlasses, anchors, cleats, winches, and stairs, lots and lots of stairs. As a liner, a big visual aspect is the lifeboats, and there are six different types provided in this kit. Finally, the last plastic bits for assembly are the foremast, mizzen mast, and derricks. After those are in place, all that's left is adding the metal anchor chain and running the rigging lines.
Painting instructions are provided on a separate rolled sheet that has 1/350 scale drawings. One side has the painting diagram, while the other has the rigging diagram. Finishing the ship will be pretty straightforward, with a black hull with a white stripe. The funnel has two red stripes on a white band, while the superstructure sides are white. The windows have mahogany trim, while the masts are orange. All in all, a very colorful vessel. The decal sheet provides the hull stripes and the funnel stripes, as well as a set of flags, depth markers, and the ship's name.
In addition to the basic kit parts, this box also includes a nice post card painting of the Hikawa Maru under way, along with a pamphlet for the NYK Maritime Museum in Yokohama, where the Hikawa Maru is docked and part of the museum. This pamphlet also includes a discount coupon for admission, for those who might be making a trip to Japan. Finally, a booklet rounds out the model set. This booklet tells the history of the Hikawa Maru and includes several photographs of the vessel, both historically and as currently restored at the NYK Maritime Museum.
Conclusion
This is truly an impressive model of a fascinating ship. Given the number of Japanese ships that survived the war, it is even more interesting that this ship had a history before and after the war as well. That history, coupled with the attractive lines of the Hikawa Maru, makes this a great addition to any 1/350 ship collection. My thanks to Hasegawa USA for the review sample.