The upper hull has been modified to fit the turret, with the hull MG position extended and the driver's port modified. Engine hatch hinges have been moved and some rivets made flush from what it appears. Some of this is based on the very limited photo evidence, and the rest (hull top) is pure speculation as no one knows what it looked like. Fine Molds has been somewhat active still, with several kits re-released under the girls und panzer series. They have a new figure set and Kurogane coming out. What I really want to see is a kit with full interior and crew. At least there is some attention from manufacturers in this area. Maybe Voyager could be encouraged to do some indy link tracks for IJA subjects.

This is great news! I had never heard of this version. Matter of fact I was just reading about this the other day about how only a hundred or so were made and they saw little to no action. Jeff

This is great news. I do hope Dragon will go on to make the vehicles that Tamiya has made for so many years. It would be great to have modern versions.

Great but I agree about the link and length instead of those sodding DS tracks. How is anyone going to do the sag with those damn things?

The Japanese Army also developed a 6-wheeled (per side, that is) HA-GO, designated as the "Type 98A, KE-NI", which employed a lot more welding in it's construction. 200 of these were built. As an alternative to the 98A, the experimental Type 98B, KE-NI was also built as a sub-type and tested, but was not accepted for production. It featured 4 large Road Wheels, with Christie-type Running Gear, Rear-wheel Drive, and no Return Rollers. The Suspension was by Individual Bell Cranks, connected by Coil Springs... The latter was kind of a neat-looking little vehicle, reminiscent of Germany's Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.D, and the US Army's T4-series Combat & Scout Cars of the early 1930s... Wish someone would make a couple of representatives of these, but that'd be a REEEAL STRETCH...

David, I use a thin piece of wire glued to the inside of the track run along the return rollers. I place the track and bend to shape, then glue the track to the rollers to help hold the sag in place. If never touched again, the tracks will be fine. I moved My Ka-Mi on the shelf and the track broke.

I just looked that up... so weird looking but then I saw the Mitsubishi "B" version and I immediately thought T-34 type road wheels without return rollers. The things one learns with a new release. Jeff

I just looked that up... so weird looking but then I saw the Mitsubishi "B" version and I immediately thought T-34 type road wheels without return rollers. The things one learns with a new release. Jeff[/quote] Hi, Jeff! I think the Type 98B "KE-NI" is kinda cute, myself... Maybe I'll convert one of my spare "HA-GO"s someday... Gotta figure out how I'm gonna build those larger Road Wheels, though- Four 1/35 T-34 Road Wheels would be too big, and too wide for that particular Tank- I THINK only three 1/35 T-34 Road Wheels MAY fit, but they would still be way too wide for this application... You have to remember that the whole "HA-GO" and "KA-MI"-series of Tanks were pretty tiny in comparison to other combatants' armor... Those Road Wheels really aren't much like anything else out there that I could use for a scratch-built or a converted "master" to be used in a resin-pour, or else I'll just have to build them up, altogether... Hm... 1/48 T-34 Road Wheels..? I dunno...

Nice try, Russ! Unfortunately, I think that A/M Tracks are the only way to replicate that obvious "track-sag" at this point...