Launched in November 1919, the 45,816-ton displacement IJN Battleship Nagato was the first warship in the world to be fitted with 16" main guns. Added to this firepower was quickness, as the Nagato had a top speed of 25-26 knots, although the "official" speed was listed as 23 knots at the time as a military secret. The Nagato participated in the start of the Pacific war by giving the order "Niitakayama nobore 1208" ("Climb Mount Niitaka on December 8"), commanding the Japanese carrier strike force to commence its attack on Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941 (Japan time). The Nagato then went on to support the Battle of Midway (rescuing survivors of the sunken carrier Kaga), the Marianas Campaign, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf, seeing actual combat only during the Leyte Gulf battle. She returned to port after sustaining damage, and was used as a coastal defense ship due to lack of fuel and materials. The only Japanese battleship still afloat at the end of the war, she met her demise as a test ship in the Bikini Atoll atom bomb testing in 1946. She survived the first air detonation with little damage, but was finally sunk by the second underwater blast that severely damaged her hull.

There have been quite a few well-received releases in 1/350 naval subjects as of late, and Hasegawa has set the bar really high with this release of the Nagato! This all-newly-tooled kit features superb molding and details, with almost 850 parts to create one of the most accurate and detailed 1/350 ship models yet. The hull features bulkheads to offer greater structural integrity, the characteristic towering "pagoda" bridge structure is perfectly recreated, and the three Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplanes are painstakingly detailed. The kit builds into the Nagato as she appeared in 1941. Includes comprehensive instructions in Japanese and English, as well as a 13-page booklet of Nagato facts and photos, also in Japanese and English.

Amazing as this kit is right out of the box, for modelers wanting to take their Nagato to the absolute extremes of detailing, Hasegawa offers three fantastic photo-etched metal and resin detail sets, sold separately (linked below).