>>8360073Good selection of kits, the Fujimi Yamato is a pretty decent kit from what I've seen.
I'd start with something smaller like the Yamakaze like you said, destroyers in 1/700 are TINY though, so expect a fair bit of screaming and yelling dealing with photo etch in that scale. Get some good bending tools, a set of high quality pointed end tweezers, medium and thin CA glue, as well as some high quality flat head plier type tools for bending photo etch.
Pic related is pretty much all the tools I use for working with photo etch:
Lindstrom pliers (expensive, but worth every penny)
https://www.amazon.com/Lindstrom-Pliers-Supreme-7893-7490/dp/B077S5R92LPointed tweezers - get a high quality one, which is important because quality in tools like this really does matter and will hold the photo etch much more securely when working with it. You can get them at any beauty supply store, or look on Amazon for a brand like tweezerman.
https://www.amazon.com/Tweezerman-Stainless-Steel-Point-Tweezer/dp/B000EMYH62/The larger tools, the ones with the aluminum rollers are used for bending photo etch rails and other shapes into circles, the other side of the tool is a robber matt that you can put photo etch on and then press the rollers into the rubber on top of the etching to make the circles. All the circular rails on the photo etch I'm working on for my USS Texas is done like that.
I use simple scraping razors to cut my photo etching out of its fret instead of photo etch scissors, I think it's a better method that allows more control. I do all my cutting on a flat piece of glass.
Also, you don't really need a high quality set, but a decent set of metal jewelry files goes a long way. You're going to have to still sand off the "nubs" of photo etch for each piece, even with small piece. This is where my Lindstron pliers are so important because they hold the pieces extremely tight so there's no movement while I sand, even the tiniest pieces.
