The destroyer was ordered in 1937. Nowaki was laid down on 8 November 1939 and launched on 17 September 1940. The ship was commissioned into the IJN on 28 April 1941. Nowaki was initially assigned to Destroyer Division 4 of the Destroyer Squadron 4. At the beginning of World War II, she was engaged as an escort during the invasion of the Philippine Islands and during subsequent operations around Malaya. On 1–4 March, while in company with the cruisers Maya, Atago, Takao, and destroyer Arashi, she was involved in sinking a number of Allied vessels during operations in the Java Sea.
On 1 March, Nowaki assisted Arashi in sinking the Dutch motorship Toranja and the British minesweeper Scott Harley, and later that day captured the Dutch steamship Bintoehan. On 2 March, Nowaki assisted in sinking the destroyer HMS Stronghold. On 3 March 1942, Nowaki helped sink the gunboat USS Asheville. On 4 March, Nowaki assisted in sinking the Australian sloop Yarra and the British Motor Minesweeper 51, tanker Francol, and depot ship Anking.
With this set you can build any one of three IJN Destroyers including two that participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and one from the Battle of Midway. These vessels all carried six five-inch guns plus a battery of anti-aircraft guns and Long Lance torpedoes. Despite the power of the ships and the courage of their crews, all three were sunk by enemy action before the end of the war.
- Highly detailed plastic pieces
- Limited edition
- Detailed hull
- Kit Hasegawa 40094
- Waterslide decals
- Illustrated instructions
- Scale: 1/350
- Length: 13.68″ (347.5mm)
- Width: 1.29″ (33mm)
- Height: 3.42″ (87mm)
- Skill level: 3
- Parts: 210
- MSRP: $139.99
- Street Price: $124.99
MARKING
OPTIONS: One decal sheet with markings for 3 versions:
1) IJN Destroyer Nowaki Battle of the Philippine Sea June 1944
2) IJN Destroyer Hamakaze Battle of the Philippine Sea June 1944
3) IJN Destroyer Tanikaze Sep., 1943
Finally!
Something that floats arrived this week to my office. I know, this is not the Bismarck nor the Yamato. But the IJN Destroyer Type KOH from Hasegawa was also an important subject during WW2. The kit has been revisited by Hasegawa under the Famous Ship Series. It is a 1/350 scale model with that comes with heck of a comprehensive photo etched fret with all the necessary railings, ladders. The kit is printing very well. On my production copy I found little to no flash and superb engraved and raised lines. As stated above on the kit highlights, the kit included an exquisitely printed decal sheet.
I’ll be honest, this is a project that I will do on the side because this is a kit that will keep any model builder a long period of time. With model kits like the IJN Type KOH it is a good idea to leave it around the workbench and work in small increments with a pair of fresh eyes every time. The amount of photo etched detail can be overwhelming even for experienced model builders.
If you like WW2 history in model kits from the Japanese perspective, the Hasegawa IJN NOWAKI is a no brainer. For the great detail it has, this model kit will not disappoint you. I highly recommend it to the experienced model builder however it is a bit of a complex model kit for a beginner. No water line option -bummer-.
My sincere thanks to Hasegawa USA for the review sample.
