The IJN battlecruiser Kongo was laid down on January 17, 1911 at Vickers, Sons & Co. at Barrow-in-Furness. The ship’s hull was launched on May 18, 1912 and on August 16, 1913 the vessel entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy.

In the years after she had been launched the Kongo had undergone two major reconstructions, each having a deep impact on the ship’s characteristics and her overall arrangement.

"Scratchbuilders will enjoy this and the entire series."

"Highly recommended for building the four Japanese fast battleships, and also for details of fittings used throughout the fleet."

"This series of books from Kagero addresses most of the information, at least externally that the modeller would require for an accurate representation, and most importantly all in one place."

"Clearly a very useful reference for warship modellers, and the ships of the IJN of WW2 are very popular. The Kongo itself was torpedoed and sunk by the US submarine, USS Sealion. Another good addition to the TopDrawings series."