Built this many years ago, still have it
The 'Kirishima' was one of the IJN's 'fast battleships' along with her sisters 'Hiei', 'Kongo', and 'Haruna'. This kit depicts her at the time of her sinking at Guadalcanal in the 2nd naval battle of the Solomon Islands. Along with 'Hiei' and the cruiser 'Kinugasa' and destroyers 'Akatsuki', 'Yudachi', and 'Ayanami', she went to the bottom and was discovered by Dr. Robert Ballard in the early 1990s. The kit is pretty straightforward to put together; turrets and superstructure assemble pretty easy (except for some tiny searchlights and AA guns that need tweezers to attach). Anyone who's also built the other kits of her sisters will notice some differences, particularly in the conning tower superstructure construction. Suggest pre-painting parts before detaching them from the molds; this will save a lot of grief when it comes to assembly. Recommended.
