1/600 Japanese Atakebune

I'm pleased to share our latest 1:600 scale Age of Sail ship model release. Now it's been the turn for a Japanese warship from the Sengoku Jidai and early Edo periods - the fearsome Atakebune (安宅船). Conceived as floating fortresses, atakebunes were primarily used as formidable boarding platforms, with little ordnance on board - generally four cannons, or six at most.

As for the model itself, it consists of a high quality cast resin hull completed by a set of seven 3D-printed alternative parts - oars sets, a couple of masts with unfurled sails, a laid down mast and two alternative on-deck housings. The kit is complemented by a flag sheet comprising a number of Tokugawa shogunate flags - that can also be purchased separately.

Upcoming 1:600 Atakebune video

I've thought that some among you would like to know how our upcoming Atakebune builds, and what it looks like once painted. In this YouTube video below, you can watch how Minis, My Way author deals with it!

Our Atakebune model is close to a deadline now - next month, hopefully!

Japanese warship preview

Minairons' upcoming Age of Sail model kit will be the Atakebune, a fearsome Japanese warship widely used during the convulse Sengoku Jidai and early Edo periods. Atakebunes can be considered floating fortresses rather than true, seaworthy warships, so they were used mainly in coastal actions. Although provided with sails, they were actually powered by oars in combat - and we're going to foresee both propulsion methods, as it can be seen below.

Model itself will consist of a hull main part, which is going to be resin cast, complemented by a number of optional accessories such as two alternative deck housings, both sitting and standing masts, and two oar rows. This will allow eventual users to personalize to taste their ships, as well as giving to them either a seafaring or fighting configuration.

For instance, here you have two alternative propulsion configurations using the same on-deck housing.

We expect to release the Atakebune at some point this Summer.