Hi guys,

It's been a few years since I last posted; wanted to share a recent build, Tamiya's 1/35 scale Type 97 Chi-Ha











It's a simple low-budget project done almost completely out-of-the-box. I used Gunze's IJA Japanese tank early camouflage paint set for the 3-tone camo, and various Tamiya acrylics for the other colours. Yellow stripe was painted free-hand.

I am quite pleased with the track sag effect, which was done by drilling holes at various spots along the lower hull and inserting metal wires to hold the tracks down. I wasn't sure if its going to work, but it turns out fine and the wires are also hidden pretty well by the subsequent painting and weathering processes.

Hope you enjoyed the pics; stay safe and comments welcomed!

Cheers
Lawrence

Great work on the camo Man, I've been seeing quite a few people building this same kit. I wish I bought one while they were still available - they look quite cute haha.

Nice piece!

I did have a question on the white surface on the inside hatches. Is this correct?

To be honest, I have no idea. Personally I think it shouldn't be in white, since this might make the vehicle easier to spot from afar when the hatches are opened? However, since I just wanted a simple build, I didn't delve too deep into this

I remember this kit was in the very first Tamiya Catalogue I bought - must have been around 1982 or 3.

Is this still the original or has it been remodeled by Tamiya since then?

No, this is still the original 1975 release in it's original form. It can still stand right up against the Dragon and Finemolds releases very well. The reasons for that are that the kit was never meant to be motorized, so the dimentions are all accurate; and being the main IJA tank of WWII Mr. Tamiya insisted on an extra special job being done on this kit. It's still an excellent kit.

Whether the inside of the hatch color (white) is right or wrong,
that is how Tamiya instructs you to paint them.
Cheers,

The colour was 'probably' white (based on photographic evidence) - but i've seen pictures of Japanese WWII tanks in the Pacific theatre with the hatch interiors pained to match the camouflage scheme of the exterior.