Tamiya 78030 - 1:350 Yamato Japanese Battleship

Plastic model kit of the Japanese battleship Yamato in 1:350 scale

Yamato – the largest battleship ever built – in a release aimed at modellers who want this ship in their display cabinet without taking on a kit of several hundred extra details. Tamiya 78030 is a full hull 1:350 model based on earlier, modified Yamato moulds whose lineage goes back to the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, issued in this form in 2013.

The kit depicts the ship shortly before her final mission, in April 1945. The hull is one-piece, with the characteristic bulbous bow, and the included display stand is secured with screws, giving firm and stable support to a model over 75 cm long.

This is a simpler, approachable kit – it contains no photo-etched parts or metal components, so the build relies entirely on classic work with plastic. The main turrets with their blast bags rotate once assembled, and the ship is completed by 15 m rangefinders, a stern crane and four reconnaissance floatplanes.

What's in the box:

• Plastic sprues (one-piece hull with bulbous bow, superstructure, armament)
• 460 mm gun turrets with blast bags, rotating once assembled
• 15 m rangefinders and stern crane
• 4 reconnaissance floatplanes
• Waterslide decal sheet for markings
• Screw-mounted display stand
• Illustrated assembly instructions

Model specifications:

• Scale: 1:350
• Catalogue number: 78030
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Model length: approx. 751.5 mm, width: approx. 110 mm
• Skill level: beginner (straightforward build, classic all-plastic construction)

Please note: glue, paints and modelling tools are not included. This model is intended for self-assembly.

Building the model:

This is a good entry point into large warship models. The one-piece hull removes the need to sand a long seam, the number of small parts is moderate, and the build requires no work with photo-etched parts. The stand screws to the hull for a solid mount, so it is worth planning the display space in advance – the finished model is over 75 cm long.

For painting we suggest colours typical of late-war Japanese warships: grey for the hull and superstructure (e.g. Tamiya XF-75 IJN Grey), dark linoleum brown for the decks (e.g. XF-79 Linoleum Deck Brown) and red for the underwater section of the hull (e.g. XF-9 Hull Red). Paint codes are given in the manufacturer's instructions. Decals are best applied over a gloss coat, which limits decal silvering, with a matt varnish as the final finish and a wash to bring out the detail.

Tools you will need:

• Modelling side cutters for removing parts from the sprues
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and sanding paper to clean up sprue gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Precision modelling tweezers
• Screwdriver for mounting the display stand
• Brushes in various sizes
• Modelling paints (acrylic or enamel)
• Modelling wash to bring out the detail

About the ship – Yamato:

Yamato was the largest battleship in history and the flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet. Her full load displacement reached approx. 70,000 tons, her waterline length was 256 m and her beam 38.9 m. The hull was protected by armour with a total weight of some 21,000 tons, and the bow was given a bulbous form that improved the ship's hydrodynamics.

Her main armament consisted of nine 460 mm guns in three triple turrets – the largest ever mounted on a warship, with a range of approx. 41 km. By 1945 her complement numbered around 3,300 men.

On 7 April 1945 Yamato was sunk by US carrier aircraft while steaming towards Okinawa. Around 3,000 sailors were lost. Her sinking is regarded as the symbolic end of the battleship era.

Original specifications (Yamato, 1945):

• Full load displacement: approx. 70,000 t
• Waterline length: 256 m
• Beam: 38.9 m
• Main armament: 9 x 460 mm guns in three triple turrets (range approx. 41 km)
• Armour: total weight approx. 21,000 t
• Distinctive design feature: bulbous bow
• Crew: approx. 3,300 (1945)
• Fate: sunk on 7 April 1945 by US aircraft

About the manufacturer – Tamiya:

Tamiya Corporation is a Japanese model company founded in 1946 by Yoshio Tamiya in Shizuoka, a city regarded as the heart of the Japanese model industry. The business started out in the timber trade and released its first plastic model kit in 1960. The brand is known for extremely precise injection moulds, well thought-out kit engineering and excellent parts fit, which is why its models are chosen by beginners and experienced modellers alike. In the field of ship modelling Tamiya earned its reputation with the 1:700 Water Line series, and since the turn of the 1970s and 1980s it has also developed large 1:350 warship kits. Tamiya instructions are clear and illustrated step by step, which makes even large kits much easier to build. Beyond the models themselves the company supplies a complete modelling range: paints, glues, tools and brushes. Today Tamiya is present in dozens of countries and remains one of the most recognisable brands in the hobby.