Features:

• Type 95 rendered w/excellent details
• Newly designed 3 directional slide-molded machine gun for Type 95 can be
  optionally assembled
• 3-directional slide-molded ball mount for 7.7mm Type 97 machine gun
• Factory name authentically molded on the surface of tire
• Road wheels realistically produced in separate parts
• Suspension system realistically represented with multiple parts
• Multi-parts sprocket wheels have breathtaking detail
• Extra wheel provided as opinion for suspension system
• Turret for 37mm Type 94 tank gun made by irregular 5-directional slide-molded technology
• Opening for the 7.7mm Types 97 machine gun mount is produced by slide-molded technology
• Turret ring molded w/intricate details
• 4-directional slide-molded upper hull w/river detail
• Slide-molded lower hull molded w/details
• Hatches with photo-etched parts can be assembled open/closed
• Cupola ring made by slide mold
• Hatches on glacis can be assembled open/closed
• Hatches on upper hull can be assembled open/closed
• Vision port cover can be assembled in either injection-molded plastic or clear parts
• Both front and rear fenders made by slide-mold technology
• Slide-molded lower glacis plate features rivet details
• Separate tow hook
• Intricate ventilator cover can be assembled open/closed
• Photo-etched mesh added to ventilators' cover
• Sharply produced on-vehicle tools
• Intricate 7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun produced in separate parts
• Holes molded on gun barrel made by slide-molded technology
• Smoke grenade launcher fitted on the side of the turret
• One-piece 37mm Type 94 gun barrel
• Detailed stowage box included
• Hollowed exhaust pipe w/photo-exhaust cover
• Red hull details accurately produced
• One-piece DS tracks reproduced

Dragon introduced an exciting new 1/35 scale Type 95 “Ha-Go” Early Production in 2012 and it was an instant hit. Now one more family gem is coming this year. This time it’s a Hokuman version, with ‘Hokuman’ being the Japanese term for northern China. This Type 95 light tank was used in northern China in combat against Soviet forces. Weighing just 7.4 tonnes, the “Ha-Go” was designed primarily as an infantry support weapon. Indeed, it was the most common light tank used by the IJA, with about 2,300 units manufactured. It had a crew of three, and the main armament was a Type 94 37mm gun. Its maximum speed was 45km/h.

Although it’s a small vehicle, Dragon’s new 1/35 scale kit is brimming with detail, something facilitated by the widespread use of slide molds. In fact, every single sprue employs slide molds, which is an astounding achievement! For example, the turret is of single-piece construction, with the multi-directional slide mold allowing the rivets to be rendered. The lower hull comes as one piece and has the correct armor panels and bolts on it. The upper hull is also one piece. This kit includes all the new parts needed to create a Hokuman version. Perhaps the most obvious difference is the bell crank suspension, which appears ‘upside down’ compared to the previous kit, while a new third small wheel is included within the bogies. Also new is a different machine gun. This extremely exciting subject from Dragon now allows modelers to produce a Japanese tank fighting against the Soviet tanks!

Reviews:

Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale ‘39-‘45 Series Kit No. 6777;
IJA Type 95 Light Tank “Ha-Go” Hokuman Version - Smart Kit; 292 parts (228 in grey styrene, 56 etched brass, 6 clear styrene, 2 DS Plastic track runs); pre-order price US$49.95 via Dragon USA Online

Advantages: new kit of this vehicle in this scale; petite details nicely reproduced; full armament provided
Disadvantages: no detail other than weaponry for interior provided, may be based on a prototype
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for all Pacific War fans

As previously noted, Japanese tank design, like many others, started with examples of the Renault FT from WWI and advanced from there. Their first efforts, the Type 89 Medium and Type 92 Tankette, paralleled Western designs. In 1935 they designed a new three-man light tank armed with a 37mm cannon and two 7,7mm machine guns. Weighting at about 8 metric tons, the little tank underwent four years of testing before entering full production in 1939. But the Japanese did not understand or take into account the results of tank combat with the Soviets in 1938-1939 at the Khasmin Lakes or Khal’kin Gol. As a result, they wound up with tanks with inferior armor and armament to their main enemy in the Pacific, the United States.

While around 2,100 Ha-Go tanks were built with about 900 coming from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, they served in all theaters and for the entire course of the war. But they rarely enjoyed success in combat; tanks which work fine against unarmed peasants in China and Korea are usually not well suited for a mechanized enemy with better tanks and better tactics. Attempts at upgrades, such as modifying the little tank to mount the heavier Type 97 Chi-Ha turret with 57mm gun, provided little relief. Possessed of poor visibility, a large “dead zone” around the tank, and tissue-paper thin armor, it was usually more lethal to its crew than the enemy. Its swan song was during its use by the 2nd Japanese Armored Division as dug-in pillboxes on the island of Luzon.

A prototype was developed for use in China and Manchuria which used an improved suspension, but it apparently did not go into production.

DML has now produced a model of the Type 95 as modified for use in Hokuman – their term for northwest China and Manchuria in the 1930s. But as noted I cannot find any information on this tank and it may in fact only be based on the prototype noted above. The box art has a nice rendition of one passing a knocked-out BT tank, but as even Japanese histories admit the Type 95 had virtually no chance against the 45mm gun armed Soviet tanks and most of the tanks knocked out fell to artillery or “Molotov cocktails”.

Be that as it may, the kit is basically their very nice Type 95 kit with a new sprue of parts for the modified suspension bogies. The suspension comes with four brass spacers/washers per road wheel pair and a slide molded center ring for each pair of wheels, so they are quite involved. Here each bogie is fitted with an auxiliary “helper” wheel to provide for better contact with the ground by the tracks.

The suspension is very petite but complete, and happily DML has provided a set of DS Plastic tracks rather than single link ones for this kit. The tracks are about the size of 1/72 Sherman tracks as a comparison so this is a good idea. But unlike their 1/72 scale kits they do not give a required length to the tracks so there is no way to tell if the set provided is too long, too short, or right on the money.

There is no interior per se in the model, but the turret has one and it covers a nicely done replica of the 37mm gun with a choice of two different breeches/catch baskets and moveable ball mounts for the two machine guns. The commander’s hatch offers either two styrene flaps or one with an etched brass seal. All hatches are separate and the front glacis ones offer either closed and locked or open with unlocked latches. The driver has an optional closed hatch or one with the viewer flipped up; each comes with its own clear styrene insert.

The vehicle is provided with basic OVM to include three tow cables, pioneer tools, and a four-piece jack.

Technical assistance was provided by Shin Okada.

Two finishing options are offered: 4th Tank Regiment, 2nd Company Command Tank, Khal’kin-Gol 1939(four-color camouflage, no markings, blank registration plate); Koushurei Tank School, North China 1941 (four color camouflage, character, registration number 302). A small sheet of Cartograf decals is provided.

Overall, this offers another option for the Type 95 but as noted there is very little information available about it.

Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.

-Cookie Sewell-