I bought the Trumpeter kit today and it is very nice, but it only contains parts to build Type A, i.e. 40mm grenade launcher version. It includes decals for Iraq Humanitarian Assistance Team vehicle, but all WAPCs I saw in photos from Iraq were Type B, i.e. with M2HB machine gun. Those vehicles also had gunner shields and wire cutters, not present in Trumpeter kit...
Unfortunately unlike Humvee, where M2HB and Mk.19 40mm launcher are interchangeable, Type 96 Type A and Type B have different cupolas, so it is not easy to change the weapon type.
Photos of Japanese troops in Iraq are quite difficult to find, so maybe some Type A vehicles were there? Does anyone know? To be honest I doubt it, as 40mm grenades are not very "humanitarian assistance" tools...

I have no caption for this picture, but judging by the markings, it looks like this one has been deployed in Iraq...



HTH

Frenchy

Thanks Henri-Pierre, but I think Japanese put these markings for some reason on vehicles which were not in fact deployed. I have several photos of such vehicles, but all were taken in Japan. I have not seen any photos of camouflaged vehicles in Iraq - all were in overall OD. Japanese deliberately sent only non camouflaged vehicles to Iraq (OD in a desert environment hardly qualifies as a camouflage...) with large national markings to make it clear that it was a non combat mission. For the same reason I don't think they deployed grenade launcher armed vehicles, but I would like to be proven wrong, as I want my model to be overall OD with HAT markings ...

Pawel

I'm on the same boat, so to speak...

Would it be difficult to scratchbuild the different cuppola and weapon station?

Cheers,

Christophe

Hello guys,
As I had the same dilemna about this kit because I want to build the Irak deployed Type 96 so I have to scratchbuild the M2HB support. I was close to give up and I found this gallery :
TYPE 96 WAPC
High resolution photos !!!!
Hope it would help, cause in my case, it would!
Cheers
Emilien

I have also made some research work about the type A cupola and found it was very similar to the one of the 6x6 wheeled NBC reconnaissance vehicle (sorry I can't remember the Type, maybe 82). Trumpeter have released this vehicle, so you could start from it.

Olivier

Well, Olivier you are right. the cuppola on the TYPE 82 NBC (but not on the command post version) looks exactly the same.....
Take care and thanks for the info
Emilien

Djiti's production just issued a conversion set, I have ordered one, will report in due time.

http://www.colleurs-de-plastique.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41867

Wrong type of ammo tray/box... And side shields missing from the cupola top.

Well it's a start. I'll see about mods when I begin construction.

A few photos of the set I received in the mail this morning.