Type 97 Chi-Ha Medium Tank

 

Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank used by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War Two.

More than 1,100 of them were made between 1938 and 1943.

They participated in combat in China, Philippines, Corregidor, Saipan, Guam, and Okinawa.

This 3D printed model in HO 1/87 scale comes unassembled in gray plastic.

It is sold by Filament Fighers from Fidelis Models.

I painted it green without first using primer paint.

I will get a few more and some will be camouflaged.

The tank was intended primarily for infantry support and the gun suffered from short range and poor armor penetration.

The leaning here is caused by the angle of the photo, not the tank!

Crew was four with a bow machine gun and a rear turret machine gun.  This kit is easy to assemble and will be a great wargame model.

Japanese Tankers

The uniforms are very Japanese looking.

But tankers of all nations have to lug heavy Jerry cans.

Note the goggles, very nice.  Flags used to communicate without radio.

Even with a radio the flag is instant and not subject to jamming or interception like radio.

Casual moments.

Both are looking, one of the left is leaning on the tank fender.

More action poses, running towards the tank.

Firing the pistol at the enemy.

Seated on the tank, and getting a drink of water.

Seated figures are nice because you can use them on the tank, or in the back of trucks, or in offices, or as vehicle crews.
 

Japanese Tank Crew

1/72nd scale soft plastic Japanese WWII tank crews.

Figures made by Orion in Ukraine.

You get four sprues like this one.

Figures are crisply molded and no flash.

Nice poses and great detail, note the guy on the right with a samurai sword.

The private gets a shovel.  Tanks often have to be dug out of holes and mud.
 

1938 Army Deployed

Trucks tow artillery into place while the infantry deploy.

The newest version of the French 75 artillery piece.

Armored cars also bring in medium artillery mounted on the rear of the chassis.

Batter is set up, with ammo dump between them.

Armored artillery is ready with ammo supply truck ready.

The overhead view.
 

1938 US Army

My 1938 US Army is actually two different but overlapping armies.  Armored cars support advancing infantry.

It is a War of the Worlds army that includes armored cars like the one above that are not based on actual historic vehicles, but are toys from the period, or are other toys that represent vehicles that are speculative, that is fictional, that have been built in the period, but were not actually built, or even seriously proposed.

The magazines the Electrical Experimenter and Popular Science and others often had military related articles that proposed fantastical weapons, vehicles and equipment that may have been possible but usually impractical and sometimes even impossible or useless.

The other 1938 US Army represents a real US Army organization with actual vehicles, troops, equipment, weapons that were used in training, some of which went on to be used in WWII, although often in slightly different versions.

Usually I combine these two armies, especially since the WOTW army is not really intended to be complete, but rather a supplement to the actual existing 1938 US Army.  Some like the little trucks above towing French 75s in their 1938 configuration without gunshield and with pneumatic tires, are trucks from the general era but may not be exactly like those of the US Army.
 

Streamlined Armored Car

This is a resin model.

It is based on a slush cast model that had a big gun in the rear, that was heavily damaged.

I modified it so that it can serve instead as an ammo re-supply vehicle.

The wheels are resin cast.

It is  a very modern and streamlined armored car.

Another vehicle for my 1938 US Army.
 

1938 Armored Car

Years ago I purchased vast numbers of slush cast vehicles.  I got them on ebay, at train shows, model shows, GI Joe shows, Kit Collector Shows, Gun Shows, and Toy Soldier shows and other places.

Many of these were made as early as the 1930s.  My plan was to use them for my WWI and 1938 US Army forces, but I was going to repaint them and give them realistic wheels.  Even though some of them, like this armored car, were likely fictional vehicles.  I did not want to buy models in perfect condition because I think it is selfish to take 80 year old models in new condition and pull of the wheels and repaint them a different color.  I think those should be left to those who collect these little gems.  So I always looked for the ones with most of the paint knocked off, wheels missing, dents and other problems.

I have four of these and at least one of them had the cannon almost torn off!  I managed to glue it back on.  They were originally in silver paint and look pretty good that way.

This model has new resin tires and has been heavily repaired.  It had a big dent in the side and most of the paint was worn off.

I mostly paint them in olive drab by Testors spray paint and then touch up with their little jars of paint.

Those old time models were all different sizes, and I look for ones that work well with 1/72nd scale plastic figures.  This is a Strelets Early War WWII US Army figure.

I selected 1938 as the year to collect models because the M1 rifle was in service and so was the Thompson but they were not that common yet.  So I can use a mixture of WWI and WWII troops as long as they have the the M1917 flat hat helmet.

1938 the Army was using a mixture of World War One equipment, World War Two equipment, and Interwar vehicles that did not serve in either war.  It is also when the Orson Wells War of the Worlds radio broadcast was made in October, so these troops can fight Martians in a historic wargame.