Barcode: 0 89195 60435 4
Case Pack: 24 pieces per carton
Box Size: 5.1" x 3.9" x 2.6"
The Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank that Dragon Armor previously released was a
very popular item. An extra version of this 1/72 scale tank is being added to
the collection’s Japanese tank fleet in the form of a Late-Production variant.
The Type 97 was Japan’s most widely produced medium tank of WWII. Boasting a
short-barreled 57mm main gun and two Type 97 machine guns, this tank was intended
to serve as an up-scaled version of the Type 95 for infantry support. Armor
protection was modest on this vehicle. A total of 2,123 tanks were produced
from 1938-43, although 930 of these were of the improved version featuring a
higher-velocity 47mm gun. The tank could move at a speed of 38km/h.
The Chi-Ha was used in combat in Manchuria and China, as well as fighting against
the Allies. The new Dragon Armor model portrays a vehicle belonging to the 14th
Independent Tank Company of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). This unit was
hastily formed right at the end of WWII in response to fears of an invasion
from the north by the Soviet Red Army. The 1/72 scale model depicts a tank deployed
on Jeju Island (part of present-day South Korea) south of the Korean peninsular.
The Late-Production Chi-Ha sports a two-color camouflage scheme plus unique
lightning bolt markings on the turret. Japanese tanks of WWII don’t gain the
attention that German ones usually do, so this model allows collectors to get
further acquainted with a very important Japanese tank design.
