The treaty halted all battleship construction for ten years, as well as setting ratios of capital ships between the signatories. As such, Japan found herself at a disadvantage given the 5 (US):5 (UK):3 (Japan) ratio in battleships. To help make up for her quantitative battleline disadvantage, Japan turned to a relatively unregulated category, that of cruisers. 

Cruisers were not limited by ratios or an overall tonnage allowance, only that of an individual ship tonnage limit of 10,000tons and a main battery no bigger than 8 inches/20.3cm. Japan turned her focus towards building cruisers with maximized armament to supplement the battleline. Her naval doctrine evolved to include the cruisers as part of an advance force to help whittle down an enemy fleet prior to engagement by the battleline. They would do so with high speed, a heavy main battery and torpedoes, and preferably at night. 

Design
At the time of the treaty, the Japanese had already embarked on an advanced cruiser design utilizing a 20.3cm (8”) battery, but on a lighter 7,500ton hull which allowed a broadside of only six 20.3cm mounts. The larger gun, plus surface launched torpedoes, classified the design as the Type “A” or first class, cruisers for the Japanese. Two such ships entered service in 1926, known as the Furutaka class. An additional two ships, the Aoba class, were an improved design on the same size hull. These entered service in late 1927.

A new class of four vessels was then designed to take advantage of the new treaty’s 10,000ton hull limit. These were known as the Myoko class and entered service in 1928-29. Their design was meant to maximize the armament that could be carried on a 10,000ton hull. The main battery was increased to ten 20.3cm mounts carried in five twin turrets. Originally designed without a torpedo armament, subsequent modernizations eventually included four triple torpedo launchers. Armor protection was greatly improved, along with the inclusion of an anti-torpedo belt. The powerplant was also increased in power, as was the ship’s range. 

When built, these ships carried the heaviest armament of any cruiser class yet built. However, the ships were overweight by approximately 10% at 11,633 tons (standard load) and 14,980 tons (full load), mostly a consequence of attempting to place too much in the way of arms, armor and equipment on a treaty restricted hull. The extra weight affected their sea-keeping abilities, along with range. The accommodations for the crew were also cramped.

A follow-up class was designed to address the shortcomings of the Myokos. Known as the Takao class (and consisting of sisters Takao, Atago, Maya, and Chokai), these ships were approximately the same size as the Myokos, with a hull 668.5ft. long and 62ft wide as built, and having a displacement of approximately 12,000tons standard and 15,000 tons at full load. The Takaos retained the same main gun battery and layout as the Myokos, but also with improved features and habitability. They entered service in the early 1930s.

Their bridges were enlarged to accommodate fleet command and control functionality. The bridge was also moved slightly aft to reduce the length of the armored citadel. Their hull armor was strengthened with the use of Ducol steel instead of HT steel and slightly thickened as well. This was particularly true in the areas surrounding the magazines. Their rotating twin, four 61cm torpedo batteries were located aft to reduce potential damage from possible induced explosions. Two catapults for reconnaissance aircraft were also installed.

Still, this new class was also about 10% overweight, despite the use of the Ducol steel armor, some electric welding and use of aluminum in the bridge structures. The large bridge structures added some degree of instability as well, necessitating the addition of a few hundred tons of ballast. The Myokos had not yet run their trials when most of the design work for the Takaos had been completed, so the issues with weight were not yet completely understood.

All the Takao sisters underwent a refit during 1936 in the wake of the 4th Fleet incident. Their hulls were strengthened considerably, and minor improvements were made to their masts, fittings, searchlights and light armaments. In 1937, adjustments were also made to their fire controls to reduce the dispersions of their main battery salvos. 

An extensive modernization was planned for the class in the 1938-1941 timeframe. Among the planned steps: a reduction in the size of the bridge to reduce top-weight, the addition of hull bulges to improve stability, torpedo protection and longitudinal hull strength, improvements to the powerplant, living quarters, communication facilities/equipment and flooding/counterflooding abilities, and the modernization of the antiaircraft armaments, torpedo armaments (increased from two to four per mount), fire controls, and aircraft handling facilities, as well as the installation of a new tripod foremast with improved RDF equipment. Upon completion of the improvements, the Takaos would remain the largest cruisers in the IJN.

Takao was modernized at the Yokosuka Navy Yard between May,1938 and August,1939. Atago was modernized between April,1938 and October,1939, though her modernization was split between Maizuru Navy Yard (hull and bridge) and the balance of work performed at Yokosuka. Modernizations for Chokai and Maya were planned for 1941, after modernizations for the Myokos and the Mogamis were completed.

However, the run-up to war required all work to be completed by June 1941. Six months were available for work but considered impractical given the scope of proposed changes. So, the modernizations for Maya and Chokai were postponed, and a small refit of their torpedo and AA armaments took place instead, along with an upgrade to their catapults. 

All the sisters received incremental refits throughout the war, mostly to do with increased AA, improved hull integrity and radar installations. Maya would notably receive an extensive modernization and refit as an AA cruiser after incurring extensive bomb damage in 1943. 

History
Takao is one of the more famous ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, both as name ship of her class, and in her own right. She was laid down on April 27, 1928, and commissioned on May 31, 1932. All four sisters were commissioned within a three-month interval and collectively designated as Cruiser Division (Sentai) 4. All would train together throughout the 1930s, excepting those times when the sisters underwent refits or modernization. Additionally, they jointly supported landings near Shanghai during the start of the Sino-Japanese war in 1937, as well patrol the waters off northeast China. 

At the outset of the Pacific War in late 1941, Takao and Sentai 4 participated in the landings in the Philippines, then spent much of February and March 1942 operating in the waters off the Netherlands East Indies out of Palau and subsequently, Staring Bay. From there, Takao helped intercept Allied shipping trying to escape as the Japanese overran those islands. She sank multiple merchant ships as well as several lighter naval units from the Allied ABDA forces. 

She returned to Yokosuka in mid-March 1942 and received a light refit, including additional 25mm AA guns and the replacement of her secondary battery of four 12cm mounts with four unshielded, twin 12.7cm mounts. Still at Yokosuka in late April, she sortied in the company of Maya and Atago as part of an unsuccessful pursuit of USN TF-16 (the Doolittle Force) that had bombed Japan, using B-25 bombers flown from the deck of the carrier Hornet. In early May, she and Maya rescued crew from the sinking seaplane tender Mizuho, torpedoed by USS Drum off the coast of Japan.

In late May, Takao and Maya joined with the Northern Force for the successful attack on Dutch Harbor and the capture of Attu and Kiska Islands in the Aleutian Islands in early June. Both ships returned to northern Japan, then sortied again as a convoy escort for a resupply mission to those same islands. They subsequently returned to Japan. 

In early July, Chokai was detached from Sentai 4 to act as flagship for the newly formed 8th Fleet, charged with operations in the South Pacific. After the invasion of the island of Guadalcanal by American Marines in early August, the other three sisters of Sentai 4 advanced to the fleet anchorage at Truk Atoll along with other heavy elements of the fleet. They were staged at Truk as part of a larger plan to retake Guadalcanal.

In mid-August, the Japanese initiated their plan by sending a heavily escorted reinforcement convoy to Guadalcanal from Truk. On the 21st, three Japanese task forces departed as well in support. One was a carrier group, the other two were surface forces looking to entrap and destroy elements of the US fleet after the carriers had neutralized any interference from US carriers and land-based air assets utilizing a crude airstrip known as Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. Sentai 4 was part of the Japanese “Advance Force”. 

In what is now known as the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on August 24-25, only the Japanese carrier group and ships of the Reinforcement convoy engaged American forces. The Japanese lost a light carrier, a destroyer, and several transports, while suffering considerable damage to a fleet carrier, a light cruiser and a seaplane tender, along with the loss of many aircrews. A US fleet carrier was heavily damaged, but air crew losses were low. Neither Takao nor her sisters saw any action. 

All Japanese fleet elements returned to Truk. There were several operational sorties from Truk throughout September for Sentai 4 and the Japanese fleet, but without any consequential actions or engagements. That changed in October when Takao and Sentai 4 sortied with the Japanese fleet as part of a new operation to retake Guadalcanal. The ensuing confrontation is known as the Battle for the Santa Cruz Islands. 

Again, Sentai 4 was part of a large surface task force. Also again, the battle was primarily a clash between opposing carrier forces, with significant damage and losses to both sides. Losses were high on both sides regarding carrier air crews, but more so for the Japanese. More importantly, the Japanese effort failed short of retaking Henderson Field on Guadalcanal; the ownership of the airfield now acknowledged as being the key to success for either side. Sentai 4 again failed to see any action.

Once more, the Japanese fleet returned to Truk. Still another attempt to retake the field was planned for November. Various heavy units of the fleet, including Maya but not Takao or Atago, participated in several nighttime bombardments of Henderson Field to destroy American air forces based there. These were only momentarily successful, but they did help set the stage for several battles over several days that took place in mid-November. These encounters became known as the Naval Battles for Guadalcanal.

A first clash between IJN and USN forces occurred on the night of November 12-13th, in which ships engaged each other at very close range for almost 40 minutes. The outcome was costly, yet indecisive. The Japanese lost one battleship and two destroyers in this encounter, with many other IJN ships suffering various amounts of damage. In turn, the American lost two light cruisers and four destroyers, plus several of their remaining ships incurring various amounts of damage.

This first round had not included any members of Sentai 4, but the following night, Maya returned to bombard Henderson Field in the company of heavy cruiser Suzuya while sister Chokai, heavy cruiser Kinugasa, and several destroyers acted as a covering force and distant escort for a large group of transports headed to Guadalcanal with troop reinforcements. The night’s bombardment proved ineffective because the following morning, surviving aircraft from Henderson Field, in conjunction with aircraft from the carrier Enterprise, inflicted considerable damage and loss upon this cruiser force as well as the transport force. Kinugasa was sunk and Maya was moderately damaged by a dive bomber that inadvertently crashed into her,

Subsequently, Atago and Takao, along with the battleship Kirishima, two light cruisers and eleven destroyers were tasked with one more bombardment of Henderson Field on the successive night of November 14-15. In doing so, they clashed yet again at close range with an ad hoc USN force of two battleships and four destroyers similarly tasked with preventing the bombardment by the Japanese.

Despite damaging one of the American battleships and sinking three destroyers, the Japanese were again denied the opportunity to eliminate or retake Henderson Field. They also lost Kirishima and a destroyer, while Atago incurred light damage. Atago and Takao did score several gunfire hits of multiple calipers upon the first US battleship (South Dakota) but missed in their attempts to torpedo the second USN battleship (Washington).

Afterwards, Sentai 4 retired toward Truk with the remaining IJN forces. Takao and Atago eventually returned to Kure, Japan at the end of November for a short refit. 

In January 1943, Takao returned to Truk, eventually participating as part of the supporting forces accompanying the successful evacuation of Guadalcanal by Japanese destroyers over several nights in early February. Afterwards, she remained at Truk with Atago and other heavy elements of the Fleet until July.

Takao and Atago returned to Yokosuka at the end of July for further refits and some upgrades. Among them were the addition of two triple 25mm AA mounts and windshields for the compass bridge level. More significant was the addition of a Type 21 air search radar atop the foremast. Within the foremast, the RDF room was converted to a radar monitoring compartment and the RDF monitoring function moved within the bridge. 

Takao returned to Truk in August with other heavy elements of the fleet. September and October were spent mostly at Truk, excepting some sorties with the fleet in attempts to intercept various American task forces as they conducted raids on Wake and various other movements. 

On November 1st, American amphibious forces invaded the island of Bougainville, which was further up the Solomons Islands chain to the northwest from Guadalcanal. The Japanese reacted immediately, sending troop transports and a covering cruiser/destroyer force. The Japanese forces ran into a similar USN cruiser /destroyer task force, which inflicted losses and damage to the Japanese with little of their own. This encounter, the Battle for Empress Augusta Bay, also denied the Japanese the opportunity to land their reinforcements.

A larger, more powerful Japanese force including Takao, Atago, and Maya of Sentai 4, plus four other heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and eleven destroyers were gathered at Truk for another attack against the American forces on and around Bougainville. This force departed Truk on the 3rd and after a quick 800-mile trip, entered Rabaul’s harbor around 6AM, November 5th. Several of the ships proceeded to refuel from tankers already stationed at Rabaul.

As a means of forestalling this new force, the US Navy took a very serious, calculated risk and sent two aircraft carriers (the fleet carrier Saratoga and the light carrier Princeton) to attack this cruiser/destroyer force while at Rabaul. Around noon that same day of November 5th, 97 US-carrier based aircraft from this carrier group attacked the Japanese cruiser force in Rabaul Harbor. An hour later, a small group of land-based B-24s of the US Fifth Air Force made a follow-up attack as part of a coordinated effort to inflict maximum damage upon the Japanese. 

Five of the seven heavy cruisers were damaged, four (Takao, Atago, Maya, and Mogami) badly enough to warrant a return to Japan. A light cruiser and three destroyers were also damaged. Takao was hit by two 500lb. bombs near numbers one and two turrets. 23 men in turret number one were killed, and her hull holed below the waterline. Accompanied by Atago (three near missed bombs also holed her below the waterline and killed 22 men), she returned to Yokosuka Naval Yard for repairs, arriving on November 15th. 

During Takao’s time in drydock, her battle damage was repaired, she had a refit and underwent some modifications. Her watertight integrity was improved with the sealing of her lower row of portholes. She saw the addition of eight single 25mm AA mounts and a Type 22 surface search radar was fitted to the top of her bridge superstructure. It was also likely at this time that a Type 93 Mod 2 hydrophone was installed up forward under the waterline. Atago’s refit was identical. 

Repairs were completed on January 18, 1944. Takao sailed for Truk in the company of several ships, but she and destroyer Tamanami were diverted to assist the escort carrier Unyo. Unyo’s bow had been lost to a torpedo hit, with damage compounded by rough seas. With the assistance of other destroyers warding off US subs, Unyo was successfully escorted back to Yokosuka.

Takao departed again, this time for Palau, arriving on February 20th. There, she joined with Sentai 4 sisters Atago and Chokai, along with Sentai 5’s Myoko and Haguro. Collectively, they conducted training exercises. Sentai 4 was also transferred administratively to Admiral Ozama’s First Mobile Fleet.

Both Sentai 4 and 5 departed Palau on March 29th, accompanied by several escorts, to join the main fleet (now called the First Mobile Fleet) at its new anchorage at Lingga Roads, Singapore. They stopped enroute at Davao, Philippines. Departing Davao, the cruiser force was attacked by US submarines, but all torpedoes were avoided. This force arrived at Lingga on Apil 9th. Between that date and May 11, Takao and Sentai 4 conducted training and simple maintenance, as did all the other elements of the fleet. In the meantime, sistership Maya had rejoined Sentai 4 on May 1st, resulting in the Sentai being fully constituted. 

The entire fleet moved again to Tawi Tawi, an anchorage off Borneo’s Tarakan Island which adjoined the Philippines Tawi Tawi Islands group, arriving on May 13th. It did so to be closer to fuel supplies and a potential fleet action. The fleet action came about a month later, when the First Mobile fleet sortied on June 13th to interdict American forces planning to invade Saipan and the Marianas Islands. The ensuing battle was called the Battle of the Philippine Sea. 

The Japanese fleet sortied in three task forces, each built around a core of three aircraft carriers. Sentai 4 sortied with the task force known as the Vanguard Force. This group, with three light carriers and a heavy escort of four battleships, eight heavy cruisers, one light cruiser and seven destroyers, was placed 100 miles in front of the two main carrier task forces as an intercept force. 

Fleet combat took place between June 19 – 20th. The battle was a disaster for the Japanese. Three fleet carriers and three fleet oil tankers were sunk, along with several submarines. Worse, Japan lost about 350 carrier-based aircraft and another 100+ land-based aircraft. Still worse was the loss of the large number of air crews. American losses were about 110+ aircraft and associated air crew. The battle essentially eliminated the Japanese carrier force as a viable fighting force. Sentai 4 did not directly engage in any action.

The First Mobile Fleet returned to Japan where both Takao and Atago underwent another refit at Kure during the last week of June. This refit lasted until early July. Four more triple 25mm and twenty-two single 25mm AA mounts were added to Takao’s AA suite. A Type 13 air search radar was fitted to the aft portion of her foremast. Atago’s refit was again identical to Takao’s.

Takao and Atago departed Kure on July 8th for Singapore, arriving there on the 16th. For some unclear reason, both ships went back into drydock at Singapore at the end of the month. Coming out of drydock after a few days, both ships headed to the Lingga anchorage. Both sisters circulated between Lingga and Singapore while focused on training until mid-October. 

Aware of American intentions to invade the Philippines, the Japanese fleet, Sentai 4 included, sortied for Brunei on the 18th, arriving on the 20th, where all ships refueled. The Japanese again divided their fleet into three groups. Sentai 4 was included as part of the Center Force, a very powerful surface group including five battleships, ten heavy cruisers, two light cruisers and fourteen destroyers. The Center Force’s orders were to attack and destroy the American landing forces headed for the island of Leyte.

All the Japanese forces sortied again on the 21st for battle. The Center Force’s intent, under Admiral Kurita, was to pass east through the Sibuyan Sea, then traverse the San Bernando Strait, exit into the Philippine Sea and turn south to hit the landing beaches. But first, to get to the Sibuyan Sea, the force had to pass through the Palawan Passage, which is an open, deep-water channel to the west of Palawan Island.

Unfortunately, Sentai 4 faired quite poorly during this passage. Two US submarines, Darter and Dace, were on patrol in this area to scout for any Japanese naval force that might be sent to the Philippines to attack the landings. They sighted the Center Force, radioed several position reports back to the US fleet, and then raced along the surface during the night to gain an attack position.

On the morning of October 23rd, the Center Force was passing through the Palawan Passage when Atago was hit by four torpedoes from Darter around 5:30AM. She sank shortly thereafter. Maya was hit about 20 minutes later by another four torpedoes from Dace. Maya, too, sank very quickly. In between these two incidents, Takao was struck by two torpedoes on the starboard side from Darter. No other Japanese ships were attacked, and the rest of the Center Force steamed on to confront the US fleet at the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea the next day and finally at the Battle off Samar on the 25th, where Japanese losses were heavy, and the mission had to turn back. The losses included the last of Sentai 4’s sisters, Chokai.

In Takao’s case, the two torpedoes struck aft, in the vicinity of the aftmost bank of torpedo tubes and again further aft along the fantail. Boiler rooms three and four were severely damaged, and Takao lost her outermost starboard propeller shaft. The inboard shaft was damaged, as was her steering. 33 men were killed and another 30 injured. Takao came to a halt and was unable to resume headway until 2100 hours, first making a speed of 6 knots and then gradually increasing to 11 knots. Steering was problematic using a jury-rigged rudder and destroyers Naganami and Asashimo had to escort her back to Brunei, arriving back there on October 25th. 

After some emergency repairs at Brunei, Takao limped back to Singapore by November 11th. She entered drydock there in early January,1945 but the hydraulic steering pump could not be effectively repaired. Further attempts were made, including additional repairs to the rudder, in the hope of having Takao be able to return to Japan but these were also in vain. In March, the decision was made for Takao to remain in Singapore to help defend the island. 

Her damaged stern was removed around frame 337 (between the aftmost propellers and the rudder) and emergency waterproofing measures applied to the remaining frame. She was then permanently moored as a floating AA battery. Camouflage paint was applied and non-essential personnel removed from the ship and placed ashore. Some of her 25mm AA were also removed and relocated to land-based emplacements.

By summer, her presence in the harbor (along with the similarly marooned and moored heavy cruiser Myoko) was considered a potential threat to pending efforts by the British to retake Singapore. Though her actual material condition was unknown to the Allies, the potential destructive power of her main batteries could not be ignored. Accordingly, the Royal Navy dispatched midget submarines with limpet mines and explosive charges to damage both cruisers.

On July 30-31, the British midget submarine XE3 managed to penetrate Singapore Harbor and attach several limpet mines to Takao’s hull. The subsequent explosions damaged the hull below the waterline, flooding several compartments, but without any injuries to Takao’s crew. A second midget submarine was unable to reach Myoko to attack.

Despite the damage, Takao remained fundamentally operational, with working boilers and generators. She remained in this condition until officially surrendered to the British in Singapore on September 21, 1945. Most of her crew were then moved ashore off the ship, but about 150 crew were retained aboard to keep the ship somewhat operational.

Eventually, Takao was taken over by the Royal Navy and a decision made to scuttle her. On October 27, 1946, Takao was towed into the Straits of Malacca and explosives placed on her hull bottom. In the late afternoon of the 29th, her Kingston valves were opened. Around 6:30PM, the explosives were set off. As she settled, the light cruiser HMS Newfoundland opened fire to help speed her demise. Takao sank stern first shortly thereafter, joining Myoko on the bottom, as Myoko had been scuttled in early July. Takao was struck from the Navy Register shortly thereafter. 

Aoshima released the first 1/350 injected styrene kits of Takao and her sisters in 2007. The kits have been extremely popular, and an improved version was released in 2011. The improved version(s) are known as “Retake” versions and feature, among other things, new main decks that are stripped of the molded-on deck equipment to facilitate painting. Those stripped off items, including reels, vents, and assorted fittings, are now molded separately, along with the addition of new, thinner 20.3cm barrels. The kits remain extremely popular, along with several aftermarket offerings of comprehensive photo-etch sets for greater detailing. 

The initial kits depicted Takao in either 1942 or 1944 fits. Up to now, only a 1942 version is available as a Retake kit, though it appears that some parts for a 1944 version are included with the kit. 

Mostly a very well-regarded and accurate kit, it is very nicely detailed and scaled, but it does have a few fit and part issues. The hull is 2mm longer than the scale dictates, but that translates to a mere 27 scale inches difference compared to the proper scale length. It comes as a full hull kit, with no scribed lines on the inside of the hull to indicate a waterline cut, unlike most subsequent Aoshima 1/350 kits. Still, the internal stiffeners are positioned so their bottoms end at the waterline level and a waterline cut will not interfere with them.

The hull is an early war hull with no sealed scuttles, and no degaussing cable. The kit provides a separate degaussing cable of molded vinyl and in several pieces, which is highly unsatisfactory and challenging to attach. Separate post-modernization torpedo blisters are also provided, which also means there is a small gap to fill between the hull and bulge, though the fit is mostly good.

More problematic, in fact what is probably the kit’s most difficult aspect, is that it requires a separate mating of the sidewalls of the 01 or HAG deck (High Angle Gun Deck in IJN parlance, which also houses the torpedo mounts) to the main hull above the torpedo blister. Aoshima chose to use one basic hull for all four sister ships. Doing so meant utilizing a different sidewall for Chokai, which never received the hull modifications or blisters that the other three sisters received. The only way to utilize one hull for all four sisters was with the interchangeable sidewalls. Unfortunately, the fit here is off and leaves a notable gap between the sidewall and hull that must be carefully filled and sanded to avoid damaging various molded on features such as portholes and hull plating lines.

Beyond these issues, the kit builds into a excellent representation of Takao with a few lesser fit issues. Some details, like the various AA guns and radars, have been surpassed in quality by newer accessories, but one can easily acquire those upgraded parts. The detailing is very good, particularly that of the bulkheads and decks, and nicely scaled. Overall, it’s been an extremely popular kit, but now faces a new competitor.

The Very Fire Takao
The new Very Fire kit is the second injection version of Takao to be released on a 1/350 scale. This version depicts Takao in a late war configuration. The kit is well packaged in a sturdy, thick cardboard box. The styrene is hard and matt-finished, with no greasy feel to it. Flash is nearly non-existent. No sinkholes were observed.

The kit is composed of 38 styrene sprues, including the hull and duplicate sprues. The styrene part count approaches 1300 pieces, most of which appear to be utilized in the build. These kits are also multimedia kits in that, beyond the styrene parts, both brass and 3D printed parts are included.

Both the deluxe and standard kits come with three brass frets of linoleum tie-down strips for the main decks. Each fret is fully formed as one piece. Additionally, the deluxe kit comes with another six frets of brass details as well as turned brass barrels, yardarms, booms, mooring bits and the like. 

3D printed parts are added to both levels of kit. A single raft of directors and rangefinders is included with both kits. The deluxe “Detail-Up” set adds a ton of additional parts, many of which are replacement components for injection molded parts that come in the standard kit. 

And, as of this writing, this Takao “Detail-Up” set is being offered separately on the Very Fire website and on eBay for those buyers of the standard kit who decide they want it the greater detail option after all.

The hull appears to be a stiff, stable structure even without the internal stiffeners. The hull walls approach a uniform thickness of approximately 2mm while the bulwarks plating atop the hull that makes up the lengthwise sides of the 01 deck are 1mm thick. 

The hull itself is beautifully rendered, with extremely sharp details. The ship was fitted with a notable torpedo bulge during its 1938-39 refit and that has been reproduced here as an integral part of the overall hull. Also integrated into the hull are the sides of the HAG deck, which eliminates the prominent seam issue seen in the Aoshima kit. 

The entire hull and bulge are plated with horizontal strakes which are alternately raised and recessed, along with intermittent, recessed lines depicting vertical plate seams. (The plates may look pronounced in the photos due to the angle of light. I wanted to bring out as much detail as possible.) There was a hint of flash on some plating edges at the stern, but these can be removed easily. 

Other highlights include a molded-on, well-defined degaussing cable with brackets, both open upper and closed lower scuttles, eyebrows for the open scuttles, recessed anchor hawseholes, and raised coamings around the openings for the internal, rotating torpedo mounts. Plus, the mounting points for the propeller shafts, support brackets, and bilge keels.

There are no openings for any water intakes or sea chests. Note that there are placement holes on the inside of the hull for locating the many water and waste discharge pipes located on the outside of the hull. These must be drilled out prior to hull assembly. 

Waterline fans will have to improvise somewhat for a cut down hull. No horizontal slot has been molded on the inside of each hull half to mark the actual waterline. Fortuitously, the plating lines of the bulges lie properly horizontally, and one seam appears to be quite close to the actual waterline. It won’t take much to extend that line to the bow and stern. However, cutting through the assembled hull will also involve cutting through the internal stiffeners, so some caution is advised.

The hull scales out extremely close to perfect. Takao’s particulars versus the scale and kit:
 

Overall Length: 203.76m/668’.5”	1/350 OA length: 582.17mm	Kit OA length: 582.5mm*
Waterline Length:  201.79m/662’	1/350 WL length: 576.54mm	Kit WL length: 576.5 mm
WL Beam:    19.0m/62’.4”	1/350 WL Beam: 54.29mm	Kit Beam: n/a **
Beam Upper Deck: 20.4m/67’	1/350 Beam Upper Deck:  58.23mm	58mm***

 * The difference is a scale 4.5 inches. Any measurement error could easily be mine.
**because the kit hull is split longitudinally, it is difficult to measure this width without assembling the hull.
*** A half width was measured with the hull lying flat on its side, then doubled.

For the rivet counters:
Plating – the plating pattern follows the pattern depicted in the AOTS Takao book and several other sources. As best I can tell, it is correct, at least as far as the horizontal strakes go. Additionally, tiny rivets have been molded around the margins of every hull plate. Technically, this is correct as Takao’s hull was reinforced and strengthened during her refits in a manner that included additional riveting. However, those rivets were mostly flush and very hard to see without standing very close to the hull.

The degree to which the hull strakes are visible is quite similar to those on the Aoshima kit, but the presence of the rivets actually highlights the strakes, making them stand out a little more than expected. A coat of paint might obscure the rivets somewhat if that is of concern. Alternately, a swipe of fine sandpaper might also do the trick. 

Configuration - timing-wise, the presence of sealed scuttles dates the kit after Takao’s December 1943 - January 1944 refit and repair. 

Degaussing cable – It is well-executed and correct for Takao, based on the most recent, available evidence. It’s a major improvement over the vinyl version offered by Aoshima on its kit. Since it’s molded onto the hull, it’s a case of no muss, no fuss. 

The one-piece main deck eliminates any seams needing to be filled. Perhaps even more significant is that the deck areas typically covered by linoleum with brass tie-down strips on Japanese warships (and represented by raised lines on kit decks) are stripped of detail and are completely smooth. This also includes any deck equipment or fittings.

Instead, VeryFire has provided complete, fully shaped, one-piece brass tie-down sections (three of them) that are each glued on in their entirety. This, as opposed to the usual, painstaking application of brass tie-downs on a strip-by-strip basis. While this is not the first time a one-piece fret of brass tie-downs has appeared (see Rainbow’s frets for the Aoshima 1/350 Tama kits), it is the first time it’s been matched with a correspondingly smooth deck. 

This is a unique approach to a complicated, time-consuming process and holds great promise. The only questions in my mind are what type of adhesive to use (so the fret can be positioned with a minimum of adjustments as well as avoiding any spread or bubbling out of the adhesive) and whether to attach the brass fret before or after applying a coat of linoleum colored paint to the decking itself. I imagine a variety of techniques will eventually emerge to manage this process.

The photoetch tie-down strip sections are self- explanatory. They just need to be positioned and glued in place. Also included with these photoetch pieces is the aircraft trolley rail track which is placed on top of the aircraft handling deck, the track rails, launching cradles for aircraft, hawser reel frames, and the support girders for the aircraft handling deck.

Just as welcome is that the smooth deck and one-piece brass tie-down sections are included with both the basic and deluxe kits. The smooth deck also aids in painting with a minimum of masking. The underside of the deck is molded with small recesses for drilling holes to add numerous ventilators after the deck paint has been applied.

The bilge keels are also intriguing. Instead of thin strips that are usually placed by locater holes or narrow slits in the hull, these are formed in a way to include the portion of hull plating they are mounted on. This assembly is glued into a recess on the hull that matches the outline of the plating piece. It’s another neat solution to a potentially problematic part placement. (And try saying that five times fast).

Which then brings us to what I think are two missteps with this kit: the surfaces of the aircraft handling deck and high angle gun deck. These are missing the metal treading that covered the entirety of the aircraft deck and a portion of the HAG deck. Not everyone will care, but the rivet counters will certainly take note. 

So, for the rivet counters:

Historically, all exposed deck surfaces of Imperial Japanese Navy warships were covered with either treaded metal or linoleum. There were minimal exceptions aside from the wood planking that covered IJN aircraft carrier flight decks and most of their battleship decks. The only time metal plating was utilized without treading was on the fore and aft ends of the flight decks and on the anchor decks of some of their cruisers. There were no other exceptions. 

I asked Veryfire why they chose to leave off the treading. They replied that their references were somewhat contradictory on this point, and they chose to leave it off. However, they were open to adding treading in the future if given more conclusive evidence. 

I respect their decision but must state that conclusive evidence for treaded metal surfaces does already exist. Takao and Atago were reconstructed to the same spec, and photos of Atago’s aircraft handling deck in 1942 clearly show treading over the entire surface. That same photo also shows treading on the aft end of the HAG deck.

Direct evidence for Takao’s deck is a bit more problematic due to the lack of photos of this deck. However, there is one photo of this area taken shortly after her refit was completed. The low angle of the photo is such that it does not show much actual deck area, but some treading can be seen on the right-hand side.

Beyond these primary sources, Skulski’s extensively researched AOTS book on Takao remains among the most detailed and authoritative references on this ship, and this book clearly shows treading in these areas. As do two significant, very large-scale models built of her built in Japan, notably the 1/100 model in the Kure Maritime Museum and the same scale model built by Hisashi Ando, founder of the Tam Tam hobby store chain and a very highly regarded IJN researcher and modeler. 

It should be noted that the actual decking for the HAG deck was almost certainly split between treading and linoleum walkways. Much of the linoleum would have been placed inboard, close to the funnels and superstructure, while some lay under the 9m cutters forward and around the secondary battery. The exact pattern is unknown for Takao; Maya shows a likely pattern in photos taken in late 1943. Skulski shows a similar pattern in his AOTS book. And, an overhead of Atago in 1941 shows definite areas of linoleum with tie-down strips when enlarged.

I forwarded this information to Veryfire and am hoping that they will act on it in the future. Particularly for Atago and hopefully for any sister kit. In the meantime, it can be hoped that an aftermarket company specializing in high quality 3D printing might bring proper replacement pieces to market.

On these two points, I feel that the Aoshima kit has the edge as its aircraft handling deck is properly covered with treading while its HAG deck mirrors Skulski’s pattern. With all this said, the missing treading does not make for a catastrophe. The aircraft handling deck would still be grey, as would a large portion of the HAG deck. A determined modeler can also replicate most of the treading with aftermarket treaded deck photoetch cut to size. And again, the more casual modeler just won’t care. 

Note that, like the hull, there are placement holes inside the funnels for guiding the auxiliary piping that must be drilled out. For some reason, this step is not indicated in the instructions. 

The turret faces and rears are superbly molded, but what I find truly outstanding is how Veryfire chose to depict the openings of the heat shield lagging plates, which are a unique feature of Japanese 20 cm turrets. The turrets are molded in a way that mimics the real ones, with separate heat shield lagging plates placed over the turret sides. Doing so allows for actual openings in the shielding. 

The effect is far more realistic than other efforts to date. Instead of the shallow depressions seen in the 8inch turrets of the Aoshima Takao class kits, the Tamiya IJN heavy cruiser kits, or in most of the photoetch offerings for these same kits, here there are deep, sharp-edged openings that line the intersection between the turret top and sides. 

For the rivet counters:

On the plus side, the rangefinder hoods (the openings on each side of the rangefinder) atop turrets two and four are properly asymmetrical, a detail that’s almost never noticed, and that would include by yours truly until recently. On the negative side, these rangefinders are only appropriate to the class until the refits of mid-1943. 

While not detailed in any literature, photographs taken after the refits show that the height of the hood was enlarged, almost doubled, during the refits. The rationale for doing so is unknown to me, but this change was applied to all the heavy cruisers during mid-1943 and not just the Takaos. Most of the change seems to apply to the upper portion of the hood, though the bottom was adjusted as well. 

Remedies are limited. Only Model Monkey happens to sell 3D printed versions of the late war Takao class turrets with the properly sized hoods. Alternatively, one could scratch-build the hoods with styrene strip. Or, thirdly, just leave them alone and ignore them. Incidentally, the Aoshima kit does not address this change, either. 

The other bothersome point has to do with the exposed ribbing for the heat shield lagging. I find it somewhat overscale, but I find this true for the ribbing on all the 20cm turrets offered by Aoshima and Tamiya for their IJN heavy cruiser kits. It’s also true for all the aftermarket photoetch coverings for these turrets. I realize that I’m probably in the minority on this point, but the fact remains that one would have rarely noticed the ribbing without being very close to the turrets.

The Tamiya versions are perhaps the least offensive in this regard, but none of these other versions offer the deep cooling slots in the lagging like Veryfire does. Bunker Studios and Model Monkey do offer 3D printed turrets with more pronounced vent holes for the lagging sheets, though the Bunker Studio version is extremely expensive.

The legs of the masts are properly scaled as are the yardarms. Brass rod replacement of the yardarms might be warranted, depending on the type of rigging material used. 

The entire mount is perhaps a little more detailed than styrene versions from Fujimi, Hasegawa and Tamiya, but the mount assembly is also a bit more complicated. Personally, I feel that a styrene alternative like the Fine Molds 1/350 version offers better details and scaling with fewer pieces. The same is true of several 3D printed versions out there. 

On this note, 3D printed versions come in the Deluxe Detail-up set for this kit, and they do have splinter shielding.

Technically, the “Pete” was deleted from the cruiser’s aircraft inventory after March 1944. See below. 

The only omission is the inclusion of a second E13A “Jake” aircraft. In the mid-war period, Type A cruisers were carrying two F1M2s and one E13a. However, in March, 1944, the aircraft complements of the heavy cruisers were changed to place more emphasis on long range reconnaissance, Accordingly, the F1M2s were disembarked and two E13as embarked as the standard complement of aircraft. Another E13A can easily be sources from aftermarket offerings. 

Two Type 22 radars are also included on the sprue.

The 11m motor launches and Daihatsus are not used on this kit. 

The 150cm searchlight is specific to the Yamato class battleships and are not used here. All the searchlight lenses are grey, not clear. 

Ditto my comments from the IE sprue regarding alternatives, including 3D printed versions included in the Detail-up set. 

The fidelity of these pieces is excellent, surpassing any injection versions that I’ve seen. The searchlight controllers are amazingly detailed. Surfaces are smooth, and print lines are very difficult to see except under extreme closeup and at an angle that catches the light. Care must be taken in removing the pieces from the raft.

At first glance, the decal sheet appears to be the same as those included with the Veryfire Yamato and Musashi kits, but there are differences, including different aircraft tail codes.

For the rivet counters:

The aircraft tail codes may only be partially correct. According to Combined Fleet Ultrasecret Operations Order No.79 issued May 30, 1944, Sentai 4 aircraft were to use prefix 24, followed by the ship’s position in the Sentai. So, Atago would have been 241, Takao 242, Maya 243, and Chokai 244.

The decal sheet uses prefix 211, followed by #s 01 to 04. Each aircraft would be numbered 01, 02, etc. The difference in prefix is an extremely minor deviation and there are 1/350 IJN aircraft decals out there for those who feel compelled to correct this.

The presentation style has changed from the last VeryFire kit that I reviewed, that of Taiho. This may not be the first iteration of this style instruction for VeryFire, just the first that I’ve seen. The Taiho set ran 28 pages and used the typical step-by-step, three-point perspective, printed in black and white.

Here, the instructions are handsomely printed in full color on glossy paper, running 18 pages and a color painting plate. Now, the instructions feature some exploded, three-point perspective views combined with color coded 3D CG renderings. At first glance, it seems more intuitive, but I’ll have to build the kit to confirm that impression. It’s certainly more eye catching. I will say that the 3D CG does help greatly with visualizing the placement of parts in relation to each other.

The instructions can lapse at times, so a careful review of each step is warranted. For instance, davits for the 9m cutters that are placed upon the HAG deck are shown in place but not mentioned by number as part of a step. The color plate page shows Takao at the top while ship’s boats and aircraft occupy the bottom of the page. Colors are keyed to an unidentified paint line which is likely Gunze Sangyo; the color callouts are correct. The decals are coded by number and laid out accordingly on the illustrations in a straightforward manner. 

Single, twin and triple 25mm AA guns and mounts are included here as well. The twins and triples have shielded mounts, unlike their injection counterparts. On the assorted raft are catapult pistons, paravanes, aircraft crane gearing, mushroom and gooseneck vents, deck winches, small searchlights and more. 

Assorted Parts Raft
Binoculars Raft
Boat Cradle Raft
Funnel Baffles Raft
Funnel Grills Raft
Blast Bags Raft
Main Director Towers Raft
Single 25mm guns Raft
Torpedo Reload/Stowage Raft
Twin/Triple 25mm guns Raft
Twin 12.7cm/40cal gun mounts Raft

Like all photoetch addition sets, it helps to carefully review these instructions in conjunction with the basic instructions, particularly if one is replacing injection pieces with 3D printed ones. 

To their credit, though, they are broadening their choice of iconic vessels to tackle, particularly regarding the Imperial Japanese Navy. They started with Taiho, a truly welcome event, then Yamato and Musashi, and now Takao. To be followed by Atago and, I was told, Maya and Chokai. I’m sure if the sales are there, then these releases will happen.

I was extremely curious to see what VeryFire might bring to the table as an improvement over the Aoshima version. Appearing almost fifteen years after the last set of tweaks to the Aoshima kit, one would hope for a new rendition to be truly worthy of attention, and I believe it is.

Even though there are a lot of pieces, I don’t see this as a particularly complicated model to build. The smooth main decks, the one-piece linoleum tie-down sections, the molded-on degaussing cable and the integrated torpedo bulge have eliminated a lot of time-consuming work as compared to the Aoshima kit, along with fewer opportunities for potentially sloppy or incomplete work. The molding and details are crisp, and the engineering seems smart. 

Although the actual fit of the kit remains to be seen, Veryfire generally has a very good reputation for fit, and I would like to think this kit would follow suit. The few issues with the kit that I’ve pointed out are, in my way of thinking, more the result of lapses in research rather than anything else. Initially, I was taken back a bit by these lapses, but no kit is perfect and there are workarounds for a determined modeler. Truthfully, a lot of modelers won’t be that concerned about these few issues at all. This is the second VeryFire kit that I have reviewed and, overall, I remain very impressed. I look forward to building this kit soon.

Highly Recommended. 

This is VeryFire model Imperial Japanese Navy Takao 1944, kit # BELBV350904DX. The official list price for this deluxe kit is $299.00, with shipping, taxes, duty, etc. as extra. Discounts are common. The basic kit is considerably less.

This sample was the courtesy of my wallet. I purchased this kit immediately upon its release at the end of February 2025 from VeryFire’s eBay store for US$189. At that time, shipping was $69 and tax $23. 

Since that purchase, prices have varied widely due to numerous and ongoing changes in tariffs, freight, de minimis exceptions, duty and taxes. The kit is available both domestically in the US and from online sellers overseas. To minimize cost, I can only suggest researching a potential purchase carefully for the foreseeable future.