# Japan's upgunned main tank - the Shinhoto Chi-Ha finished!



## Faust (Dec 1, 2012)

A lot of people feel like they should root for the underdog. Well, if that was the case, then the Japanese stable of WWII tanks would be getting love like no tomorrow! Of course, that’s not the case, and it fact I didn’t know much about Japanese tanks, other than that they were largely inadequate, until I picked up the old Fuijimi 1/76 Shinhoto Chi-Ha at a show. It was the same scale as my Matchboxes, and it looked weak and unloved, so I thought why not.

Just like Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree, I thought if I gave the little guy some love he might turn out okay. Given that this is only my third tank, I actually am rather pleased at how it ended up. If you’re a fan of obscure and ineffective military hardware, follow the link below.

Given that I’m pretty new to armour, I’d be very appreciative of any comments you guys have!

*https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/fujimi-1-76-type-97-kai-shinhoto-chi-ha/*


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## terryr (Feb 11, 2001)

Nice looking kit.

Japanese WW2 tanks look like they copied German tanks without having any blueprints to work from.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Looks good. I had that one as a kid. I finished the Tamiya kit last year. Japanese tanks almost always had a yellow cross shaped stripe dividing the vehicle into four quarters.


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## Faust (Dec 1, 2012)

djnick66 said:


> Looks good. I had that one as a kid. I finished the Tamiya kit last year. Japanese tanks almost always had a yellow cross shaped stripe dividing the vehicle into four quarters.


Wow, that Tamiya looks fantastic!

I didn't now that about the yellow cross. I don't recall seeing it in the paint plan, and I have next to no books on WWII Japanese armour. That's handy to know! What was the point? Aerial recognition, I'd guess.

Thanks!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The yellow stripes are a pretty old feature of Japanese armor so they probably were not meant for aerial recognition. The Japanese were not known for close air to ground support either. More likely it was an attempt to break up the shape of the tank. It's pretty common to see on gun tanks through 1944. Towards the end of the war, camouflage painting regulations changed for Japanese armor and you started to see more simplified and monochromatic paint jobs. This Type 97 Chi Ha restored in Japan shows the cross design off to full effect. The marking is visible in the wartime photo of a Shinhoto Chi Ha too.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Nice work! :thumbsup:


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