What sort of tanks did the Japs use during WW2, they dont seem to be as famous as other countries tanks. also, which was the most common?

The Japanese had tanks during WWII all right, but they were generally inferior to their opponents' tanks. I'm looking in my World War II Tanks book and it confirms what I thought. It lists three kinds of Japanese tanks. One is the Type 89 medium tank of the 1930's. It had a 57mm gun and a frontal armor plate of 17mm and was apparantly still used in China during the war. Then there is the type 95 light tank. It featured a 37mm gun and maximum armor of 12mm. My source indicates some 1300-1500 were produced. I don't have production figures on the other types of tanks, but I am told the type 95 light tank was the most produced model. Thus, Japanese tank production pales compared to 35,000 Shermans! Finally, there is the type 97 medium tank, which was produced during WWII. It had a 47mm gun and a maximum armor of 25-35mm. I also see a reference in another book to a type 94 tankette, which had very thin skin and was armed only with a machine gun. Obviously, these tanks would fare very poorly in an open engagement with Allied armor.

There was one indicent in 1939 where Soviet armor crushed the Japanese armor in a border dispute in Mongolia. But the Japanese still stuck to inferior and obsolete designs, mainly because their principal opponent in land warfare were the Chinese, who obviously had little or no armor. Japanese industry was limited and they chose to devote more industrial resources to other kinds of arms. Japanese armor did have some success in the Burma, Phillippine, and Singapore campaigns, mainly because the American, British and ANZAC forces had little armor to counter. The smaller vehicles could navigate better in the Jungles. Also, most of the Japanese fighting in the Pacific was done by the infantry. Armor was used by both sides primarily in the infantry support role and there were very few tank on tank actions. Another reason the Japanese did not need advanced tank designs in WWII was because their forces had to be transported over water. Smaller tanks could be shipped to islands easier.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Hi ave, Fine Molds makes some beautiful 1/35 Japanese tanks.

For references, I'd recommend AJ Press' Japanese Armor, Vol 1 & 2, which give comprehensive details (including excellent 3-views) of their tanks and armored cars.

Mika

AFAIK, the Japs during WWII focused more on aircrafts and ships so they have inferior armor.

Go to Hobby Link Japan, and look up the models made by Fine Molds. As PvtParts stated, they have a fairly comprehensive line of WW2 Imperial Japanese Army tanks. Not only do they make numerous IJA tanks and tankettes, the quality is exceptionally high. I think the quality surpasses Tamiya's newest kits.

The latest Japanese tank that could have challeged the early Shermans that ruled the Pacific Theater was the Type 3 75mm medium tank. Fine Molds makes one, it is a nice kit. It was not produced in any great numbers to affect the outcome and later models of the Sherman tank still outclassed it (not to mention the Pershing heavy tanks).

Japan was still basically a foot army that lived off the land. Their early victories were against peasant armies that had outdated weapons and were little better than militias. They didn't feel the need to develop modern armor or mechanized tactics.