This is Tamiya’s Light Cruised Mikuma in 1/350th, as seen in original configuration. She deployed often to Chinese and Indo-Chinese waters in the late 1930s and early ‘40s. Once hostilities with the Allies commenced, Mikuma took part in early South Seas operations, including the invasions of Malaya, Borneo and Java, culminating with her participation in the battle of Sunda Straight. After covering the Indian Ocean raids, Mikuma was once more teamed with her sister Mogami for the Midway operation. On June 5th, while maneuvering to avoid submarine torpedoes, Mikuma rammed Mogami, which slowed her. The following day, she was attacked by U.S Navy dive bombers. Several bomb hits started fires and explosions that eventually destroyed the ship.

This is essentially the same kit as Tamiya’s recently released Mogami, with the obvious substitution of parts to reflect her fitting and armament as she appeared from the time of her commission until her 1939 refit. This includes her full five turret, fifteen 6-inch gun armament, her original aft deck and flight deck configuration, and her original aircraft compliment of two E8N “Daves” and one E7K “Alf” (two are included with the kit). Being so similar to the Mogami kit, his one shares most of the earlier model’s strengths and weaknesses. The detail and engineering of the parts are exceptionally well done. The hull can be made in full or waterline form. The fit of the deck parts to the hull is near perfect (and designed to be screwed into place). Deck fittings – vents, hatches, cable reels, tool and ammunition boxes, paravanes and such - are a combination of numerous small molded on and applied parts. Tamiya continues the use of soft plastic poly caps to attach many of the movable (and removable) parts, including the range finders, catapults, primary and secondary gun turrets, as well as all fifteen 6” gun barrels. Again, the optional parts are provided for any of the main gun barrels to be either leveled or elevated.

The two major failings of the Mogami kit are carried over to this model as well. The searchlight tower parts have to be assembled is such a way as to present a gap along what should be an open area where there really is no structure at all. Even with careful fitting, the resulting seam in a very confined area will have to be carefully filled and smoothed. Also, the ships cutters have obvious ejector pin circles stamped in the planking detail at the bottom of the boat. These will either have to be re-scribed, covered over or the boats themselves replaced.

Tamiya includes a small stainless steel PE sheet for some of the detailed parts. These are not optional pieces, and include some cross-member portions of the foremast, part of the aircraft/boat-handling crane, the top portion of each catapult, the metal plates connecting the upper portions of the smoke funnels, as well as the aircraft flight deck and catapult cradles, and the aircraft props. I wanted to give this model a more complete PE treatment, and used the Gold Medal Models Takao set like I used on Mogami. The upswept bow railings are a perfect fit, and there is more than enough flat deck railing to go around the vessel. I replaced the catapults with PE (the kit ones are quite nice, however), as well as the aircraft inter-wing and some of the float struts.

Flag lines from stretched sprue and a few dozen sailors from the Fujimi set completed the build. The waterline diorama was finished off with a made from scratch Chinese junk as a reflection of the many visits the ship made to Chinese waters in the late ‘30s. Overall, the Mikuma is a very enjoyable project, very well detailed and with excellently fitting parts. Even without the extra photo etch, the model builds up into one of the most attractive cruisers ever designed.

Bill Kluge