During WWII, the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to refit the Tone-class as heavy cruisers and the construction of the Tone was completed in November 1938. As the Tone was designed to provide reconnaissance even during battle, she was therefore armed with four 20.3cm twin gun turrets which were concentrated forward of the bridge while the aft deck was dedicated to aircraft operations and could carry up to 6 floatplanes. With a rational hull design, she featured a top speed of 35 knots and had a long cruising range. As the Pacific War broke out in December 1941, the Tone served during the Pearl Harbor attack and was also apart of the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Later in October 1944, the Battle of Leyte Gulf saw the Tone contribute in sinking the USS Gambier Bay. She was then later assigned to the Japanese Naval Academy as a training ship and returned to Kure, where she was damaged by an air attack from the U.S. Navy’s Task Force 58 in March 1945. In July, she was attacked in Etajima Bay by aircraft from Task Force 38 and sank in shallow water.

Specifications
Standard displacement: 11,200 tons Length: 201.6m Power Output: 152,000hp Maximum Speed: 35 knots Armament: Twin 20.3cm Gun Turrets x4, Twin 12.7cm High Angle Gun Mounts x4, Triple 60cm Torpedo Launchers x4, Triple 25mm Gun Mounts x8, Twin 25mm Gun Mounts x4, Single 25mm Gun Mounts Aircraft: Aichi E13A “Jake”

About the Model
This is a 1/350 scale plastic assembly kit of the Japanese Heavy Cruiser Tone. Length: 576mm, Beam: 71mm. The sharp form of the Tone has been accurately reproduced. The kit depicts the ship as she appeared during the Battle of Layte Gulf in October 1944. The hull separates into port and starboard parts and one-piece lower hull helps to produce the form of the beautiful bow. The precision moldings of the turrets reproduce panel lines and radiator slits. The compact bridge, ventilators, and funnels all have a realistic finish. The aft area features parts such as trolley rails and turntables for floatplanes as well as a sloped rail and a large aircraft crane. Parts such as mast and antenna’s are made from strong ABS resin parts. Transparent parts accurately depict glass part such as the bridge’s windows and searchlight lenses. Metal parts depict anchor chains and propeller shafts. Set includes detailed floatplanes. Display stands for depicting aircraft in flight are also included. Full hull model display stand included.