Tamiya 12630 - 1:350 Degaussing Cable Set

Degaussing cable detail set for 1:350 scale ship models

Wartime photographs of Japanese warships show distinctive cables running along the hull sides, just below the upper deck. These are degaussing cables — a detail that is easy to forget and that visibly changes the character of the hull. Tamiya 12630 lets you reproduce them on 1:350 scale models of Imperial Japanese Navy ships.

The set combines two technologies: a sheet of photo-etched parts and about 2 metres of cable divided into 22 lengths. The cable is routed along the hull sides following the layout of the real ship, while the photo-etched parts are used to secure and finish the run. The ship model is sold separately and is not included in this set.

What's in the box:

• Photo-etched parts sheet
• Approximately 2 metres of cable, divided into 22 lengths

Set specifications:

• Scale: 1:350
• Product code: 12630
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Type: detail set for modelling hull-side degaussing cables
• Material: photo-etched parts, cable
• Intended for: 1:350 models of Imperial Japanese Navy ships
• Ship model sold separately — not included in this set

Photo-etched parts and cable – a detail that cannot be moulded in plastic

Photo-etched parts are chemically etched from thin metal sheet, which gives them a thickness that injection moulding simply cannot match. Combined with real cable of the right diameter, they let you reproduce a hull-side cable run the way it looked on the original — as a thin, clearly standing-off line rather than a flat raised trace on the hull surface.

It is worth dry-fitting each length of cable and planning its route before gluing it in place; cyanoacrylate glue works well for attaching both the photo-etched parts and the cable to the hull. Fitting the cables before painting the hull allows everything to be covered in a single coat of paint, avoiding visible differences in shade. Painting and weathering are entirely up to you — this is a detail that responds well to a gentle shadow accent.

About the original – degaussing cables on warships:

Degaussing cables were fitted along the sides of warships to cancel out the magnetic field of the hull. A steel hull behaves like a large magnet — and it was precisely this disturbance of the Earth's magnetic field that triggered the fuses of magnetic mines, one of the most dangerous underwater weapons of the Second World War.

Passing a current through a cable loop encircling the hull compensated for its magnetism and significantly reduced the risk of a mine detonating beneath the ship. Such installations became common in every belligerent navy, including the Japanese. Many period photographs show the characteristic bands of cable running along the hull sides — a detail absent from most model kits, and one that noticeably improves the accuracy of a finished model.

About the manufacturer – Tamiya:

Tamiya is a Japanese company from Shizuoka, in business since 1946 — originally as a timber works, and from the 1960s as one of the most recognisable plastic model manufacturers in the world. The brand built its position on precise tooling, clear instructions and predictable parts fit. Alongside its kits, Tamiya develops a range of detail-up accessories for its own models: photo-etched parts, metal parts, wooden decks, figures, and modelling chemicals and tools. The 1:350 ship accessories are designed as a complement to the company's line of ship models.