Border Model 1/350 Takao IJN Heavy Cruiser # 005

The Takao was the lead ship of the Takao-class heavy cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), representing some of the most powerful and heavily armed cruisers afloat at the outbreak of the Second World War.

Commissioned in 1932, Takao was designed under the limitations of the Washington Naval Treaty but pushed those limits to the extreme.

Displacing over 13,000 tons at full load, she carried an impressive main battery of ten 8-inch (203 mm) guns mounted in five twin turrets — giving her tremendous broadside firepower.

Her secondary armament, torpedo tubes armed with the formidable Type 93 “Long Lance” torpedoes, and a heavy anti-aircraft suite made her a formidable surface combatant.

Takao’s towering bridge structure, larger and more complex than earlier cruiser designs, gave the class a distinctive silhouette.

While impressive, this design contributed to top-heaviness — an issue later addressed during refits that improved stability and modernised her anti-aircraft defences as air threats intensified.

During the early Pacific campaigns, Takao played a significant role in Japanese operations.

She supported landings in Southeast Asia and the Philippines and participated in major naval engagements, including the Battle of the Java Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Throughout 1942–1944, she operated across the vast Pacific theatre, often as part of powerful cruiser-destroyer task forces.

In October 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Takao was torpedoed by the submarine USS Darter in the Palawan Passage.

Badly damaged, she was forced to withdraw and later became a stationary anti-aircraft battery at Singapore. In July 1945, she was further damaged by British midget submarines in Operation Struggle.

After Japan’s surrender, the crippled cruiser was scuttled in 1946.

The Takao remains one of the most recognisable Japanese heavy cruisers of WWII — admired for her aggressive design, heavy armament, and prominent service in the Pacific War.

Her imposing profile and combat history make her a favourite subject for naval historians and scale modellers alike.