The Japanese battleship Yamato was laid down in November 1937 and commissioned in December 1941, demonstrating to the world the state of Japanese shipbuilding technology.
With a waterline length of 256m, a beam of 38.9m, a displacement of around 7,000 tons and nine 46cm guns that had a maximum range of 41km and were capable of penetrating 43cm thick armour from 30km away, the Yamato was a truly colossal vessel.
The vessel's armour weighed a staggering 21000 tonnes.
The hull of the vessel had been kept as short as possible, with the bridge, gun turrets and mechanical sections concentrated in the centre of the vessel for defence reasons.
Below the waterline, the vessel featured a bulbous bow that protruded 3 metres above the waterline, helping to increase wave resistance.
She took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Midway, among others.
On 7 April 1945, while en route to Okinawa, she was attacked by over three hundred US aircraft and sank to the bottom of the ocean.
Plastic model kit for the construction of a Yamato (new edition 2013)
- approx. 75 cm length
- approx. 11 cm width
scale 1:350
unbuilt / unpainted
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