Parts layout for the left stand support, which has the power connection.

The power supply is made up of 4 color-coded cords like this, so there's no chance of mixing them up. ^^ The battery in the stand supplies power to the ship and sends sound to the speaker through those 4 cords. They even thoughtfully include silver foil stickers to keep the wiring neat. The manual even tells you exactly where to stick them. How nice of them to specify the color order of the wires so they don't get tangled..;

Parts layout for the right stand support, which has the angle adjustment feature.

Parts layout for the stand body.

This is the speaker that mounts onto the stand.

They even include an audio jack, so you can expand to headphones or a bigger speaker later. But the built-in speaker is already pretty loud, so I'm not sure you'd ever really need to hook up a bigger one.. ^^;

Speaker.

Assembling the stand body. It's just a tiny bit complex since the stand itself is the power source.

Securing the speaker and audio jack.

Securing the switch and metal pins for the power connection.

Like this, the included silver foil tape keeps the wiring nice and tidy..

This is the battery compartment. You need 3 of the biggest, thickest ones.

Stand complete. Building the stand takes a little more time than I expected.

You attach the name and specs using metal stickers. Watch your fingers — those edges are sharp!

The power switch is on the lower left of the back, and the audio jack is on the right. Due to the material of the stand, dust sticks to it like crazy;; Probably static electricity.

The battery cover on the back has the Yamato's specs molded into it.

The right angle-adjustment support folds inward like this, with 3 notches to adjust the height. You can set it to 3 different levels to change the angle of the Yamato.

You use the biggest batteries. I can't quite remember the type designation..; The manual says Type D alkaline batteries.. Just head to a convenience store or supermarket and grab the biggest ones and you'll be fine. ^^; Not sure if one particular brand is getting a bit too much exposure here, hmm..

The remote control also needs 2 regular batteries.

The 5 main electronic unit blocks and their connecting cables.

First, this is the pulse cannon unit that moves the small gun turrets. Once activated, a whopping 20 small pulse cannons all move simultaneously.

Wiring up the pulse cannon unit. As you can see, the power is set up with PC-style connectors, which makes assembly super easy. You just plug them in, and when you need to remove them, you just pull them out. This kit has a ton of wiring, but there's none of that twisting, connecting, and wrapping business. It's a kit that goes to extreme lengths to make assembly convenient for the user.

This is the rear No. 3 main gun unit. It has 2 rotating turrets.

Connecting the power for the No. 2 main gun unit. The 2 turrets each have separate power inputs. Connecting the power feels just like building a PC. ^^;;; The connectors look very similar to hard drive power cables..

The No. 1 and No. 2 main gun units at the front. There are 3 rotating turrets. Power connects at 2 points.. Every wire is a different color, so as long as you follow the manual carefully, you won't get confused at all.

The infrared receiver unit. This is what the IR receiver looks like. I wonder if it's surrounded by metal to protect it from breaking..

This is the control unit. Power comes in here, and it manages all the other power and operations — kind of like a CPU. Since all the power lines run through here, there are a lot of connector ports.

On the bottom are 4 cord holes that connect to the stand..

For testing, you first slot it into the stand like this.

Then you plug in all the electronic control units and run a test..

The remote control section comes with 5 small parts — they're just covers to hide the screw holes. Did they really need to go that far.. ^^;

Parts layout for the rear hull bottom section.

You attach the armor plates one by one onto the frame like this — it really feels like a true PG build!

After fitting the hangar unit.

Bottom detail. This is not the Yamato detail we knew..; The blandness is completely gone — it's incredibly precise.

The hangar on the bottom opens like this, and later the ceiling section will be lit up too. And despite being barely visible, the interior of the hangar has great detail. Well, it is PG-grade, after all.

Parts layout for the engine section.

The massive nozzle parts. Incredible volume — every single one is molded as a solid piece. Seam lines? What are those..

One red main nozzle LED and two small yellow nozzle LEDs are used.

Installing the yellow LEDs for the small nozzles.

The complex wiring for those is also secured neatly with silver foil tape. And underneath that silver tape, one red LED is installed to serve as lighting for the hangar below. I should've taken a photo before sticking the tape on.. -.,-

Installing the main nozzle LED.

Many wires run through the center of the ship toward the front. So many bulkhead frames.. It really feels like you're building an actual ship.

Fitting the No. 3 main gun unit.

Add the side armor, put on the rear deck, and plug in the nozzles — done!

Assembly Part 5 — the engine section is complete.

To keep the wiring tidy, there's space built into each bulkhead to tuck the wires through.

The main cable that connects to the front control section. It's all cleverly designed so that multiple wires all feed into just one or two connectors.

It's coming together more and more, like building with LEGO! Though really, we're still just laying the foundation.

Parts layout for the wing gimmick.

The wings fold and unfold in 2 stages. Even when folded, they're designed to sit nice and slim.

There's also a wing cover. When you spread the wings, you slide the cover downward, and when the wings are folded in, you slide it back up to hide them. PG-grade, as expected.

After securing the wings.

Wings folded and wings spread.

These sliding wings are auto-opening. Normally the wings want to spring open on their own due to the tension of the spring visible at the top, but when you fold them in, they click into the central locking unit and stay closed.

The switch for this is on the bottom of the hull. When you press that round button, the wing lock releases and the wings slide open with a swoosh~ thanks to the spring action.

But.. pressing the button should make them slide open like that with a swoosh~, but..

You need to get the tension just right on the screws and washers that hold the 3 connected wings together.

This is the proper sequence for the wings to open — they shouldn't all open at once. First the whole assembly needs to spring outward, and then the 3 wings should separate and spread open.

If the wing screws at the top are too loose, after pressing the switch, the 3 wings will sloppily fall apart before the whole assembly even springs outward. Then the inner wing gets caught on the internal bulkhead due to the structure, and you end up with the baffling situation of the wings being stuck and unable to come out;;

Parts layout for the torpedo section. A total of 12 springs go in, 6 on each side.

Structural diagram of the internal spring gimmick. Springs operate in 2 different directions. The spring behind the torpedo cover and the spring behind the torpedo each operate independently — the mechanism works as described below.

Torpedo operation. When you press the torpedo cover, the spring tension behind the torpedo automatically launches the torpedo forward with a pop~.

Conversely, when you pull the torpedo launch handle back to retract the torpedo, the torpedo cover automatically springs back up with a pop~ thanks to the spring on the bottom. The torpedo launch gimmick doesn't actually fire real torpedoes, but the whole process of loading and unloading — with both actions automatically snapping into place via 2 springs — is really fun. :-)

The spring behind the torpedo is inserted like this and then secured with a cover.. I was worried the cover looked fragile, but once it's on, it holds just fine. :-)

Combining the 3-tier torpedo gimmick to complete the torpedo section.

Parts layout for the bow. I completely forgot and assembled the anchor chain section first -_-; so it ended up in the parts photo already assembled.

The chain is incredibly long. About 40cm? That's way too long..

The chain is secured and wound up like this. The chain itself feels really nice.

During assembly the chain comes loose easily, which is quite a hassle. So thoughtfully, they include tape to hold it in place just while you're building. :-)

Two LEDs are attached to the wave motion gun, inserted from 2 different directions like this. The two LEDs are different colors and light up in sequence, so the color of the light distinguishes between the wave motion gun charging up and firing.

The wiring for the central frame and torpedo gimmick assembly is roughly like this.. In practice, the orange wire should be routed underneath the torpedo gimmick to make later assembly easier. I only figured that out after everything was assembled, and I forgot to take a photo -_-; Anyway, if you're building this yourself, route the orange wire of the 2 LED wires to the bottom.

Assembling the lower cover.

Finally, joining the bow and the control unit~

After attaching the control unit, plug in the LED cables.

The power connection on the control unit mates with the hole in the lower outer armor. You can see seam lines on the underside of the bow T_T.. The rear section has none though. Bleh~

Completed bow.

Parts layout for the bridge base.

This is the captain's quarters at the very top. The chair is molded in.

Interior detail of the upper bridge. The fact that seats and a helm console are carved into something this tiny is genuinely moving T_T~

The upper bridge cover is a clear part, with a yellow LED fitted on top. The effect lights up the entire interior of the bridge through the transparent ceiling..

Joining the captain's quarters and the upper bridge. As you can see, clear parts are assembled in double layers just inside the outer bridge armor, creating a soft, warm glow throughout the interior when the LEDs are lit.

The lower bridge also has interior detail parts fitted inside clear parts. The interior detail on the lower bridge is pretty good too. (Sorry for the blurry photo ;;)

The lower bridge also has seats and a basic helm console molded in.

An additional yellow LED is attached separately above the lower bridge as well. Silver foil stickers are applied to certain areas for effective light placement and reflection.

The captain's quarters + upper/lower bridge combined. The interior is done in clear parts as expected.. 2 sets of wiring from the 2 LEDs

All 4 wires are neatly secured with foil stickers like that.

The back of the bridge with the cover on. Nice detail, right?

Assembly of the pulse gun movable section and bridge cover.

Once the bridge is placed on top, the bridge base is complete! That's just the basic structure though — the nearly 30 pulse guns, radar, and various additional parts haven't been attached yet.

Detail of the bridge base. The exterior parts aren't finished yet, but it's already looking great.

Of the 26 pulse guns, 20 are articulated. (the black protruding parts) It'd be quite a sight to see all 20 moving at once~

The wiring on the bottom.

Parts diagram for the side torpedo section.

The numbers are molded right in so you don't mix up similar-looking parts. Oh, what a nice little service~

The torpedo section completed. It's openable, and when you open the cover, the torpedoes automatically pop out slightly.

Parts diagram for the exterior armor section

First, attach the No. 1/2 main gun units and the infrared unit together,

then slot it in underneath the bridge section.

Below that is the wiring structure like this.. the wiring is secured with 2 pieces of tape.

Attaching the side armor of the bridge

Joining the bridge and the lower hull

Ta-da~ The side armor isn't on yet so it's wide open.

All this wiring feels just like building a PC :-)

Slot the torpedo section into the interior of the side armor.

Side armor attached.

Fit the frame parts inside the front side armor..

And attach.

The exterior of the rear hull section is mostly all assembled now.

The infrared section protrudes out like that..

and it gets covered by a clear part like this. Seamless, right??

The other side doesn't have an infrared unit, so ^^; it just gets a plain piece fitted in.

The manual helpfully explains how to open and close the side armor panels. What you see in the hand is a dedicated locking pin for opening and closing — without it, opening and closing is a real pain;

Joining the rear and front hull sections!

A full-length battleship is finally born! At 76cm, it's finally outgrown my mini photo studio.

Now to remove the sticker to unwind the coiled chain..

Pull it out through the side hole like that, and attach the anchor fixing part as indicated by the arrow. At this point, the anchor fixing part doesn't hold very well, so the instructions say you must use glue.

The anchor is really~ long.

Positioning the anchor.

Plug all the remaining cords into the control unit.

Ahhh~ barely crammed into the mini studio; it's overflowing now T_T And from Part 9 onward you're supposed to place it on the stand, because from Part 10 you need to finish the lower hull details.

Fit in the round piece on the bottom and the basic structure is done for now~ It's only at Part 9 that it finally starts looking like a proper ship ^^

Parts diagram for the upper deck and lower detail parts

The wave motion gun nozzles are all single-piece parts with no seam lines.

Assembling the wave motion gun section

This is the last we'll see of those interior gimmicks T_T/ Farewell~

Attaching the center deck

Center deck

That round section on the bow deck is a sliding mechanism..

and it moves like this. The purpose is to reel the anchor back in.

The front section deck is complete too!

Finally all the exterior armor is complete, hiding all the internal gimmicks from view. Somehow feels a little bittersweet.. T_T

Three fins attached to the rear nozzles.

Parts diagram for the lower structure.

I think it was in the movie... there was a scene where this part got swept away by lava, and it was somehow heartbreaking;

There are clear parts inside, but it's a bit of a shame there's no light-up gimmick.

Opening the lower hangar

These are the parts that attach to the underside.

Details are reinforced here and there.

Part 10 complete! Now it's nearly done except for the main guns, pulse guns, and bridge details.

The front deck looks like it's floating up a bit — that section doesn't fit together very well. You need to make sure it's properly seated ;; (Should've taken the photo properly! Argh!)

Parts diagram for the main guns / secondary guns

To allow each barrel to move independently, 3 supports are fitted onto a single metal shaft.

Some undergates are used here.

When the rotation gimmick in the center of the gun interior turns, each barrel moves individually.

The 3 barrels move independently like this.

Main gun

Secondary gun

Before fitting the main/secondary guns onto the hull, you need to use a separate part to set all 3 barrels to their lowest horizontal position.

Main/secondary gun mounting point. You need to insert it with the convex side facing the front of the barrels.

The main/secondary gun units have a dual rotation system — the outer rotation swings the entire gun around, while the inner rotation adjusts the angle of each barrel individually.

Main / secondary guns on the front and rear sections.

You can really feel that metallic texture ^^

Along with assembling the main/secondary guns... also assembling the launcher section at the rear.

The launcher mount can also move up and down to some degree like that.

That cocoon-like part is also added to the sides

Part 11 complete! The finish line is getting close~

Parts used for the bridge details.

Bridge details complete. The antenna detail is very good indeed.

Rear view

Pulse guns added in every nook and cranny.

With the bridge details nearly complete, it's definitely giving off PG-level presence. Take a closer look~

Parts diagram for the pulse guns. There are 3 types of pulse guns, 26 in total.

Hold on! There's something to watch out for when fitting the pulse guns. As shown in the photo above, you should insert them when the flat face of the mounting peg is pointing sideways on all of them.

The reason is... if you've accidentally triggered the motorized gimmick and the pulse guns have rotated, the direction of the locking pegs on the lower tier becomes ambiguous, making it confusing to know which way to insert the pulse guns.

The thing is, when these 20 pulse guns actually operate simultaneously, they rotate in alternating directions by tier. So you need to insert them like the left diagram — if you insert them all facing the same direction like the right diagram, the gimmick won't move at all;

So you either need to run the motorized gimmick until all the pulse guns are facing forward and then insert them in a single row, or insert them in the alternating pattern from the start. I didn't know this and put them in wrong, then had to take the whole thing apart again to figure out what was going on T_T

A dedicated alignment part for lining up the thin pulse gun barrels is also included.

The highlight of the Yamato — the gorgeous array of pulse gun barrels.. all clustered together~

Parts diagram for the smokestack section

The internal gimmick of the smokestack-shaped structure. Press the switch on the back and a missile-shaped piece pops out.

Press the back section like that, and the missile comes out while automatically pushing the cover open.

Bridge details complete. It's finally looking seriously impressive!

Carrier-based aircraft parts diagram.

There are 7 carrier-based aircraft in total.

Black Tiger

Underside

Cosmo Zero

Underside

Cosmo Tiger II

Underside

The Cosmo Zero, of which only one is included, is meant to be placed on the rear launcher. There are two launcher spots though — would've been nice to include 2 of them -_-;

The rest are meant to be displayed on the stand along with the launcher parts.

The parts additionally assembled in Part 16 are just these;

There are 2 types of anchors to attach..

The flat anchor is for when the ship is docked, and the 3D anchor is for when it's attached to the hull.

Gimmicks for the front section and the side hull torpedoes

The lower hull hangar. You can actually store the carrier-based aircraft inside, but the angle to get them in there is a bit awkward;

Spreading the wings

The wing cover that requires two hands to pull out

Opening and closing the wing cover. It's hard to open and close with just your fingers.

The power cord on the lower hull can be covered with a panel.. but this kit is incredibly difficult to store without the stand, so you probably won't end up covering it much. Unless you hang it up somewhere..

The wing cover opening tool and barrel adjustment rods are stored in various spots on the stand.

Smokestack missile gimmick

Adjusting the angle of the stand

The main body — excluding the etched parts — is finally complete. What a moment T_T/