Tamiya 1/35 Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank

[trekfanj]

Here's my entry into the "Rising Sun" GB!



I found a new hobby store last November and saw this on the shelf. I didn't have a Japanese tank in my collection, so I picked it up. From reviews I've read on the web, this is one of Tamiya's better kits from the 1970's.

Onto the requisite photos!

Lower hull (no motorization holes to fill! )





Upper hull:



Turret:



Sprue A:



Sprue B:



Sprue C:



Tracks:





For rubber band tracks the detail is okay; I'm still debating whether to go aftermarket or just use the kit tracks. They seem to be made of the new paintable/glueable stuff that Tamiya is using, and they only have two EPM's on one end. About the only advantage that Friulmodel tracks could offer are weight and sag.

Instructions:













Painting and marking instructions:


There are six markings options to choose from:



Some have the yellow stripe and some don't; right now I'm looking at both options because I can't figure out how to paint that yellow stripe right now (Silly Putty or Blue-Tack, maybe?).

Decals:



A bit of history, paraphrased from the kit's instructions and the book "The Illustrated Guide to Tanks of the World":

"Probably the most successful of all Japanese tank designs, the Chi-Ha ("Chi" is an abbreviation of "Chusensha," which means "medium tank" and "Ha" comes from the designations "Ha" and "Ni" ("C" and "D") that show the order of design; in other words, the Chi-Ha is a medium tank designed in the third place) saw service throughout World War II, having been selected for mass production in 1937. However, it's medium status could only be considered in Japanese production, for in combat it was no match for the Shermans or other Allied medium tanks. It was essentially a scaled-up version of the Type 95 Ha-Go Light tank fitted with a two man turret and armed with a 57mm short-barreled main gun and two machine guns, one of which was mounted at the turret rear. With a crew of four, this tank weighed nearly 15 tons, had a helical suspension system with clutch and brake steering, and was powered by a 170hp air-cooled diesel engine with a top speed of 39kph/24mph. As the war progressed and the Japanese came to realize just how underdeveloped their AFV's were when compared to the opposition, the demand grew for more powerful equipment. A later development (1942) was the Shinhoto Chi-Ha ("New Turret" Chi-Ha), an interim model Type 97 Chi-Ha fitted with a modified turret which mounted a long-barreled, high-velocity 47mm main gun.

Vehicle stats:
Weight: 15 tons
Length: 18ft, 0.5in
Height: 7ft 4in
Width: 7ft 7.5in
Armament: main-57mm gun, secondary armament-two 7.7mm machine guns
Powerplant: Mitsubishi 97 V12 diesel, 170hp
Performance: Max. speed-24.2mph, range-124.3 miles

Photos of the real deal:













Some photos are of the long-barreled Chi-Ha; my kit in particular is the short-barreled one.

So, far the only aftermarket stuff I've gotten is Eduard's PE set for this kit, and even that isn't very much:



And that's it for now. Till next time!

[AlkaSeltzer]

Looks like a cool little tank. Post a lot of pictures please.

[Nev]

Good luck with this build fella! Japanese tanks are really interesting

[trekfanj]

Looks like a cool little tank. Post a lot of pictures please.

I will!

[trekfanj]

Good luck with this build fella! Japanese tanks are really interesting

Thanks, Nev!
I had been looking for one to add to my collection for a long time!

[trekfanj]

First update:

I started construction with the lower hull, first by gluing the front and rear plates. The fit was really good; not perfect, but good. All that was needed when the glue dried was some sanding to take care of seam lines:



After that I began assembly of the running gear, starting with the drive sprockets and the drive housings:



Following that, I moved onto building the road wheels. Every road wheel has a line of flash down the middle; I used my hobby knife to scrape the flash away. Doing this also gives the wheels a roughened, more realistic (in my opinion, anyways) look, too. The wheel on the right is finished; the wheel on the left shows the flash.



There are six pairs of road wheels on either side of the tank; four of which are connected to swing arms (is that what they're called? ) Those round center hubs were the biggest PITA of this part; I lost and found one of them TWICE and another one got one edge sanded down too far, so it kind of looks egg-like. I have the feeling this tank will have just gone through a big, deep, messy mud puddle.





The pair of road wheels on the left show my egg-shaped hub.

Here's all the road wheels, sprockets and idlers assembled. The sprockets and the four separate road wheels are the only parts that get polycaps inside them; the swing-arm road wheels are glued onto pegs on the lower hull and the idlers have a pin that glues into corresponding holes in the lower hull.



After building the road wheels, I started construction on the suspension systems. First up were these springs:



There are two springs to each side of the hull:



I wouldn't call these detailed masterpieces, but they're definitely not toy-like either; somewhere in between the two. They did have two lines of flash running down their length, but all I did was sand that down with an emery board; I don't think they'll be too visible once all the wheels and tracks are on. At this time I also glued the middle return roller in place. After the springs were in place I glued these other suspension parts.




I guess Tamiya is trying to create the idea that there are other springs concealed under that tube-thing, but these are the only parts that are provided in the kit. I suppose you could make some coiled springs if you wanted, but I'm not much of a "rabid detail-obsessed fanatic" (AKA rivet-counter) so I didn't bother.

So, anyways, here is the tube-thing and the spring ends glued in place on the lower hull:



I added the remaining return rollers at this point. Each roller half has two ejector pin marks, but they're all on the inside where they won't be seen, unless you look REALLY hard.




And with that, the lower hull was done.
Well, almost done...

I used the first bits off of my Eduard PE set. No, those aren't little scraps off the fret, THOSE are the parts!



Here they are in place on the lower hull. In hindsight, I probably should have just skipped these parts and left this area alone. I just don't see what they add, detail-wise.


Most of this PE fret is teeny-tiny parts like these two. I might end up using just the larger parts and skip the rest, unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I'd end up followed immediately by

I'm leaving off the rest of the running gear till after painting; at this point, I'm still undecided about a yellow stripe/no yellow stripe scheme. My next part of the project will be to tackle the upper hull and turret.

Till next time!

[wappynutter]

Awesome dude!!!
Good to see you having a go at the Tamiya version as like you mentioned, its supposed to be a good piece of kit for its age...
As far as the suspension goes...
Mine are pre-moulded, but look the same.. lol....

IMG_20150105_184755.jpg

Even the artwork shows the same tubed suspension link arm piece...

IMG_20150105_184717.jpg

Good luck with yours, do you get a figure with the Tamiya offering??
Continued success...

[trekfanj]

Good luck with yours, do you get a figure with the Tamiya offering??
Continued success...

Thanks, Andy! Yes, the kit comes with two figures - one full-body commander figure and a head and torso driver figure. I'm only planning on using the commander figure at the moment. I also have a Warriors 1/35 "Imperial Japanese Officer" figure that I was going to incorporate with the tank into a diorama of some sort.

[trekfanj]

you tank guys have like 20 wheels and i have 2.

i'd rather have yours!

I'll take 2 wheels over 20 any day!

[JayCub]

This is an interesting build, and mud puddles are cool too, as for the pe it becomes a compulsion to use it for some strange reason we torture ourselves, I have almost the complete aber kit for a 1/16 Tiger... I have never built Japanese armor but it should be on my todo list
Tom

[trekfanj]

This is an interesting build, and mud puddles are cool too, as for the pe it becomes a compulsion to use it for some strange reason we torture ourselves, I have almost the complete aber kit for a 1/16 Tiger... I have never built Japanese armor but it should be on my todo list
Tom

Thanks, Tom!
Yeah, PE adds a lot of detail but the road getting there is hell! Somehow, though, in the end it's all worth it.

[robertw]

Those pe parts are so small I can't even tell where they went!

[Les]

As a novice builder, armor looks like it could be complex to assemble; you have done a great job so far. And those PE parts next to the penny, wow! Those are really small. I look forward to your next update, this build should be a great source of learning for me.

[trekfanj]

Those pe parts are so small I can't even tell where they went!

Teeny, tiny PE for a teeny, tiny tank!

[trekfanj]

As a novice builder, armor looks like it could be complex to assemble; you have done a great job so far. And those PE parts next to the penny, wow! Those are really small. I look forward to your next update, this build should be a great source of learning for me.

Thanks, Les!
I should have an update by tomorrow or Sunday; currently wrapping up the final stages of the turret.

[trekfanj]

Update time!

In my last update I said that I was done with the lower hull. Well, as it turns out, that wasn't entirely true; I had forgotten to add the towing shackles. Not a major crisis, but still...

So, here's the parts for the shackles, front



and rear



and a tail light I also forgot



And here's everything installed:





There's still a few bits to add, but those can wait till after painting, so for now, the lower hull is DONE!

So my next area of focus was the turret.



I started by building up the machine gun located on the turret's rear. This was where the first big goof-up of this build happened. I had decided to drill out the machine gun's barrel and due to a complete lack of finesse, I ended up mutilating it more than anything. Out came the Tamiya putty:



Once the putty had cured and I had sanded it into shape, I stretched some sprue and made a new gun barrel, snipping and sanding till it looked right:



What should have been a twenty second job turned into a two-day bout of frustration. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

So, after that fiasco, I glued in the turret base and the platform for the commander to stand on:



After that had dried, I went to work on the main gun. Usually if I can find an aftermarket turned-aluminum barrel for a kit, I'll go ahead and order one, but for this kit I decided to use the kit's barrel, mostly because it comes pre-attached to the gun cradle but also because it doesn't look too bad and I want to keep this build simple.

So, here's the parts for the gun:



The muzzle tip fits the barrel perfectly:



A little bit of sanding with progressively finer strips of sandpaper took care of the seam. The barrel itself fits snugly into the mantlet:



A small bit of flash prevented the mantlet frame from fitting correctly. Nice weld seam on the turret's roof, too!



Once the flash was cleared away, everything fit just as it should:



Next up was the commander's cupola, which comes in two halves:



Both halves are keyed, so there's no real chance of screwing up, something I always appreciate. Here they are glued in place on the turret:





The kit provides both open and closed turret hatches:



However, the open hatches have some pretty big ejector pin marks (EPM) on the underside:



Tamiya putty returns!



Finally, I added the signal light, AA gun mount, and the antenna:



I've also found a couple of photos that gave me inspiration for a diorama, too!





I found these by Googling, "Chiba tank school" and selecting "images." I'm guessing this is some kind of obstacle course the prospective tank crews have to negotiate. At this point, though, I don't know if I want to use the closed or open hatches. In the photo, I'm guessing that the idea is to navigate the course from commands issued by the commander based on what he can see through his periscopes. If that's the case, I'll use the closed hatches, but I would really like to use the kit figures, too. If anyone knows more about this, please let me know.

So that's it for now, next step will be the real meat of this project; the upper hull. Thanks for looking, see you next time!

[gosselin2112]

Nice subject and build thread. Are you still sticking with the stock tracks? Some of those pics show a whole lot of sag. I never built a Japanese tank before. Thumbing through this thread is giving me some interest in building one sometime. Model on!

[trekfanj]

Nice subject and build thread. Are you still sticking with the stock tracks? Some of those pics show a whole lot of sag. I never built a Japanese tank before. Thumbing through this thread is giving me some interest in building one sometime. Model on!

Thank you!

At the moment, yes, I'm still considering using the kit's tracks; although, I can't help but think how much a set of Friuls would add to this build...

This is my first Japanese tank, too; I've also got a Tamiya Panther I'm working on, and the Chi-Ha is so small placed beside it! I would definitely recommend this kit; there are no build issues (aside from my self-inflicted ones ) and the price is not too high, either.

[panzerman]

Good work on this old, Tamiya kit. It's nice to see it being built. Keep up the good work. Banzai!!!!!!!! Hahahahahahaha.
Bill.

[trekfanj]

Good work on this old, Tamiya kit. It's nice to see it being built. Keep up the good work. Banzai!!!!!!!! Hahahahahahaha.
Bill.

Thanks, Bill!

[amsvkng]

Hiya

Did you end up adding all those tiny little pieces. I actually wanted to ask what your reasoning was for leaving these out, simply because you dont see them or other reason. I am also uber new to the hobby and I was under the impression that it is the small details are what makes a model look detailed?

Thanks
/Karim

[trekfanj]

Hiya

Did you end up adding all those tiny little pieces. I actually wanted to ask what your reasoning was for leaving these out, simply because you dont see them or other reason. I am also uber new to the hobby and I was under the impression that it is the small details are what makes a model look detailed?


Thanks
/Karim

Well, actually, the PE set I got is for the Shinhoto turret version of this kit; so I won't have to use every photo-etched part on the fret. The parts I'm hesitant to add are some handles( I'll show them in my next update) that would definitely add a LOT better detail, but I'm not sure if my skill level is up to the challenge of adding them.

But...nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

I guess the point I'm trying to make is work with what you're comfortable with, and if you feel comfortable trying something new, go for it

[trekfanj]

Time for an update!

So with the turret and lower hull out of the way, next up is to work on the upper hull. This is where the majority of the PE will be used.

I started off by gluing the driver's platform in place along with the front plate for driver and bow machine-gunner, along with the machine gun:







As you can see, I didn't drill out the bow machine gun because I didn't want a repeat of last time with the turret's MG.

After that was assembled, I glued a plate that goes on the right side of the upper hull. Either through a fault of the kit or my own (probably the second one) there was this unavoidable gap.



No matter which way the part was positioned, there was either a gap at the front or a gap at the rear. I decided it would be easier to fill the gap at the front. I masked off the surrounding area to protect the rivet detail as much as I could, using Tamiya putty to fill the space:





Following that, I set to work filling in the EPM's on the underside of the fenders, and there was a LOT of them!



Even with that many EPM's, it was pretty easy work to fill and sand them all. Once that was done, I added the radiator grill/engine insert:





This will probably end up just painted black later; I don't intend to add too much detail in this area, but the radiator will be (somewhat) visible through the grills in the engine access hatch so I want to at least paint it if nothing else.

I also added the driver's viewport hatch:



Once that was glued in place, I added the toolbox, muffler guards, and rear hatch. The muffler guards had a pretty big, deep EPM on the inside that needed filling:











And finally, after a long, heated debate with myself, I went with "all hatches closed:"



Guess I didn't really need that driver's platform, did I?

Before proceeding with further details, I decided to just go ahead and glue the upper hull and lower hulls together. This decision was made mostly because if I waited till I had all the details on the upper hull, there was a greater chance of snapping or breaking something off later on when I went to assemble both hulls together. It took some strategically placed rubber bands to ensure that everything fit snugly:



Now it's starting to look like a tank!

So I went to work on the exhaust system:



I didn't drill out the exhaust pipes because there isn't much of a surface area to work a drill over, but I also had no idea where they were supposed to be drilled!

Now, these exhaust shrouds were the main reason I got this PE set in the first place. They have this "mesh" effect molded into the plastic, but it just looks terrible. Eduard's PE set offers replacement mesh covers that are just glued in place over the plastic ones (they sit on top of the framework covering the muffler). Of course, this meant they had to be formed into that shape, which meant annealing the brass.

Annealing is a pretty simple process; what you do is take a cigarette lighter (or I've seen some people use a small blowtorch; only for the bravest among us, I imagine! ) and move the flame back and forth against the PE, thereby heating up the metal. Do this for a few seconds, then let the metal cool off naturally. Once it's cooled (a couple of minutes is usually enough) the metal will be easier to conform to the shape you want it to be:







The PE grilles look MUCH better!





Don't worry about the metal turning blue; it's gonna be painted over, right? On that same note, don't hold the flame over the brass too long either; a minute or two should be enough to do the job.

I was also asked about some of the tiny PE details that I wasn't sure about using. Well...

This is the kit I have:



This is the PE set:



If you missed it, the PE set is for kit number 35137, whereas I have kit number 35075. This PE set is actually for the Shinhoto (new turret) version of the Chi Ha. Not a big deal, really; it just means I wont have to use every single part on the fret.

What's really making me hesitate are these handles:



Sorry for the blurry picture.

Anyhow, here's how you're supposed to bend these:



They want you to take the little "P" shaped parts and fold over the tail to make an arch, trapping the handle in place. That sounded like too much work to me, so I had resolved not to use them. But after reading Karim's (AKA amsvkn post, I got to thinking, "Why not give it a go?" I mean, all I have to make is four, so there's plenty of spares if I screw up.

So, I've decided to give it a shot. I've already filled the holes on the rear deck in preparation for this step:



So, Karim, if you're reading this, thanks for the motivation!

That's where I'm at for now. I went ahead and ordered a set of Friulmodel tracks; those should be here by the end of this week or the beginning of the next week, along with some other detail parts. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!

[amsvkng]

Hiya

I am indeed reading this and I am glad I was able to offer you the motivation to give it a go. I have to say I envy your pe part microwork, as I managed to break and loos all the handles on my current build and I have had to recreate all these little handles in plastic (NOT FUN) but a very good learning process. So I hope your managing to add those uber small details that make you want to take a long walk off a short pier Good luck and cant wait to see the results Considering their prominent position, I think it is going to be worth it adding them to the Tank

/Karim

[Russ72]

Really nice work mate. It's all coming together nicely.

[trekfanj]

Really nice work mate. It's all coming together nicely.

Thanks, Russ!

[trekfanj]

very solid work, sir. i also sympathize about the pe as i went through the same struggles using my first bits of the stuff on my tamiya spitfire.

Thanks, RG!

PE adds a lot of detail, but it's definitely not a quick and easy process!

[Aliktren]

Looking good, you are a braver man than me with your PE, looking forward to seeing how you get on with the teeny parts

John

[trekfanj]

Looking good, you are a braver man than me with your PE, looking forward to seeing how you get on with the teeny parts

John

Thanks, John!
I'm not that brave; I keep finding excuses to put off doing it!

[trekfanj]

Just a quick update...

First off, I got a cutting mat!



Well, actually, it was my wife's; she hated the color and I wanted one, so she gave me hers and I bought her a new one in a color she preferred.
Personally, I like the purple; it adds a bit of character to my workbench. Plus, no more photos with a paint and glue-smeared workbench as a background.

I haven't gotten much done on this project lately; I've been trying to finish off the WIP's that have piled up, so there's won't be much to this update.

I broke down and got me a set of Friuls:



I think they'll add a lot of detail that the kit's vinyl tracks wouldn't; I just wish they weren't so freaking expensive.

As far as assembly goes, I had originally decided not to fill in the open sponsons on the underside of the tank for two reasons:
1. I'm lazy.
2. I didn't have styrene sheet in a suitable thickness to use as a filler plate for the sponson.

But the more I thought about it, the more it bugged me till I finally decided to at least try something. So I popped off to my LHS to see if they had thick styrene sheet. Lo and behold, they did! I bought a sheet of .080" thickness and set to work.

Using a caliper, I measured out the shape I needed for the gap on the styrene and cut out a plate:



I then glued it in place:



As you can see, it's a far cry from a perfect fit, but some Tamiya putty took care of that issue:



After sanding:



The same process was repeated for the other side:



The putty work got a little sloppy, but the underside will get covered with mud anyways, so I'm not too worried about it.

Unfortunately, in doing this it meant that I had to cut out the platforms for the figures that I had glued in earlier:



Since I was going with "all hatches closed," I wasn't too devastated about it, but maneuvering a pair of cutters in that little space was an exercise in patience!

That's it for now. I'm working on finishing up the rest of the PE and I'll start putting the tracks together at the same time. I also have a few other tricks up my sleeve...

Till next time!

[brickfan8]

This is really cool
I didn't think a tamiya kit from the 70s could be that good which stopped me from buying this in the past
Could you post some detailed pictures of the figures so I can get an idea how good they are

[trekfanj]

This is really cool
I didn't think a tamiya kit from the 70s could be that good which stopped me from buying this in the past
Could you post some detailed pictures of the figures so I can get an idea how good they are

Thanks, brickfan8!

I would definitely recommend this kit; the fit is nearly flawless and the detail is pretty good for a kit this old.

I will definitely post pics of the figures in my next update.

Thanks for commenting!

[trekfanj]

Hi everybody!

It's been a while since my last update; I got a new promotion at work which takes up a lot of my time and I spent the last week weeding the front and back yards Everytime I close my eyes I see a weed.

But anyways, here's what I've gotten done so far:

I cleaned up and attached the tow cable:





The detail on this is kind of "meh," but I decided to use it anyway, mostly due to the fact that the cable brackets are already attached to the cable itself. If anyone else is building this kit, it would be easy enough to replace with wire or string or whatever other material is preferred.

I also added these small handles to the various hatches on the tank:









I actually lost one and spent at least a good half-hour finding it. I'm not sure how easy it would be to scratchbuild one of these, so it was a good thing I found it!

I then decided to make a new grab handle out of wire:

The first step to this process is to cut the kit's grab handle off the sprue. Don't worry about cleaning it up unless you have to; you only need it to measure the size of your grab handle:



I use a pair of needle-nose pliers to make my grab handles. First, measure the width of the kit's grab handle:



Then I cut a length of wire. The length doesn't matter, but you want enough to make a couple of these:



I then use the needle-nose pliers to hold the wire in place on the groove where I measured the kit's grab handle:



I first bend one side:



then the other:



And then you're left with this:



Trim down each side but leave enough to dangle down into the tank; doing this will give the wire a firm anchor in the model and nobody's going to see it anyways once the model is finished. This also allows you to adjust the grab handle's height to where you want it:



And like I said before, it's a good idea to make extra handles:



Then drill holes in the model. Most kit's will have indentations for the grab handles, so it's just a matter of drilling these through to the inside:



Insert your grab handle, adjust it to the proper height, and add a drop of super glue to each side to hold it in place:



Easy work!
The same process can be used for handles on open hatches; just wait for the glue to completely cure and then cut and sand down the excess.

I've also decided to replace the tail lights on the rear hull with MV Products lenses:









I also had a request from "brickfan8" to show a picture of the kit's figures:







They have pretty good detail, but I'm not planning on using them, so these are probably destined for the spares box.

And that's it for now. I'm waiting on some drill bits to arrive in the mail and then I can get started on the tracks. I've really been slacking on this project; I intend to make the most out of the next two months in order to finish this!

Till next time, thanks for looking!

[brickfan8]

Thanks those figures are alot better than I thought they would be

[trekfanj]

Thanks those figures are alot better than I thought they would be

You're welcome!
Yeah, they're pretty good; they just don't fit in with the diorama I'm planning. I would like to get another WW2-era Japanese tank so I can use them.

[trekfanj]

Time for an update:

I finished up the PE work I had left. I started with the grab handles on the rear of the upper hull:







It took the longest time to get those brackets lined up, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Next up were adding the actual handles. At first I tried bending my own out of the thinnest wire I had available but it didn't work out so I just went ahead and used the PE handles instead:







None of this turned out to be as hard as I thought it would be, other than lining up the handle brackets. Guess it just proves that some difficulties are all in your head.
Following that I moved on to the engine bay access hatch:



This part gave me just as much worry as the grab handles, mainly because of all the cutting and hacking involved. I actually had to cut out one end and replace it with .020" Evergreen strip styrene, and that was immediately followed by a lot of sanding and dry-fitting to get it to sit just right. In the end, though, I think it turned out okay:



I also added these duct covers:



They had two EPM's on the underside that I filled and sanded:





And here it is, all together!



I want to have the tank finished by the end of March so that I can focus solely on the base and diorama for it throughout April, and hopefully make the GB deadline. Next update will cover painting and the Friul tracks.

Till next time!

[trekfanj]

Found a great video about Japanese armor on Youtube, too:

[youtube]dpTLAAT_jnA[/youtube]

[trekfanj]

Time for a severely overdue update...

Well, as I mentioned last time, this would cover painting and tracks.

First, I mixed up my colors:

For the tan base coat, I used a mix of 70/30 Americana "Khaki Tan" acrylic paint and FolkArt "Yellow Ochre" artist's pigment:





For the green camo sections, I used a 50/50 mix of Apple Barrel "English Ivy Green" and Americana "Evergreen" with three or four drops of Apple Barrel "Flat Black:"





And lastly, for the red brown sections, I used Americana "Burnt Sienna"





Now let's get down to business!



I primed the model with Krylon Gray Primer:



Once the primer had dried, I painted on my tan base coat and then started masking with Silly Putty:



Next was the green:





I then used the Silly Putty to mask areas that would be red-brown, and here is the final result:



The next step was to paint the wavy yellow line. The first thing I did was hold the turret in place with a glob of Silly Putty:



I then brush-painted CraftSmart "Light Gray" to make a base for the yellow:



Next, I brush-painted FolkArt "Buttercup" over the gray:



And lastly, I brush-painted FolkArt "Primary Yellow:"



For the next phase of painting, I moved on to the running gear:





I used "flat black" for the rubber tires; it actually dries to a very dark gray and looks a bit more "tire-like" IMO:





Painting got a little sloppy on the backsides of the wheels; at the moment I haven't done anything to sharpen the lines up because I'm not sure how much will be seen when all is said and done:



I did put a bit more effort to the fronts, though:





Once that was done, I went to work painting details. I started with the turret, painting the machine gun with FolkArt "Gunmetal" and the antenna with FolkArt "Copper:"



On the hull, I painted the bow machine gun with the "gunmetal:"



Next I painted the jack, using "gunmetal" as well:



And then I painted the tow cable, using...you guessed it, "gunmetal:"



And here's how it looked when I was done:



I then painted the pick-ax and shovel using "gunmetal" for the metal parts and "khaki tan" for the wooden parts. Once these were painted I glued them in place on the model:



I also attached and painted the pry-bar. This was supposed to have PE straps, but I fat-fingered those and had to rely on a bit of creative scratchbuilding:



It looks pretty good all painted up:



I painted and weathered the exhaust pipes, using a 30/30/40 mix of FolkArt "Burnt Orange," "Terra Cotta," and Anita's Acrylic's "Earth Brown" and then stippling on ground-up dark orange pastel chalk while the paint was still wet:





And I couldn't find any pictorial references for this, but I also brush-painted FolkArt "Sterling Silver" on the idlers and in between the teeth of the drive sprockets to simulate wear:





Now, I did mention that I was going to use Friulmodel tracks on this model. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as planned; I made my track length's too long and when I put them on the model, they just hung off the wheels and running gear in all these weird positions, which would have been fine if the tank was standing still, but my Chi-Ha is supposed to be on the move. So, I went ahead with the kit tracks, painting them "flat black" and then "gunmetal:"





And finally...decals!

I decided to mark my Chi-Ha as a tank from the Chiba Tank School:



This was probably the easiest decaling job ever; there's only a grand total of 5-the numbers on the side and the Japanese letters on the turret and the rear number plate. I accidentally screwed up the number plate that was supposed to go with this particular Chi-Ha, so I used one of the extras:





And here's where she stands now:



There's less than two weeks to go in the GB; I think I can make it-the diorama I have in mind isn't too terribly complex. Once I've built the diorama, I'll go ahead and weather the tank and put the tracks on. Next update will cover building the base and diorama.

Till next time!

[wappynutter]

Well done Jarod, awesome stuff dude....
Looking forward to seeing the finished build and dio now!..
Good luck mate.....
Gonna hang around a bit and eat my popcorn waiting for the next installment!.. " munch...munch...munch..."

[trekfanj]

Well done Jarod, awesome stuff dude....
Looking forward to seeing the finished build and dio now!..
Good luck mate.....
Gonna hang around a bit and eat my popcorn waiting for the next installment!.. " munch...munch...munch..."

Thanks, Andy!

I should have the project finished by this coming week and the reveal shortly after.

[trekfanj]

Yikes! The GB is nearly over!!!

Okay, so in my last update, I had the tank all painted up and ready for weathering. So, to start the weathering process, I first mixed up some finely sifted dirt from my backyard, a little water, and a bit of FolkArt "Raw Sienna" acrylic paint:



I used a stiff brush to stipple this all over the underside and underneath the fenders and lightly touched the running gear:





Once that was dry, I used Winsor & Newton "Burnt Umber" oil paint to make a wash that I brushed all over the upper surfaces:



I chose the burnt umber because I thought that a black wash would have been too dark, but on the other hand, a black wash would have made the panel lines pop out a bit more...oh, well

So, once the oil wash had dried, I attached the tracks and tried to create a sag effect by wedging in Q-tips and tissue paper between the fenders and the track:



It worked well enough for me:



At this point I picked out a few "dust" colored pastel chalks and ground them onto bits of coarse sandpaper:



I then applied them over the upper surfaces of the tank:



I also added the MV Products lenses and weathered them as well:





and when it was all done, I had one REALLY dusty Type 97 Chi-Ha:





Now it was time to start the diorama!

This was the scene I wanted to replicate:



First thing I did was construct a base:







When the base was finished, I took a block of Styrofoam and started hacking and cutting to get the terrain I wanted:



I glued these in place and mixed up a batch of Celluclay to cover the base and Styrofoam:



Added some bushes:



I then went out to my backyard and using my flour sifter, gathered some small pebbles to add to the scene:







I then left the entire thing to dry for a day or two and went to work painting the figure I planned to use:







This guy is only my fourth resin figure, but by far it's the worst one I've had to work with; whoever poured the cast for this figure had the molds misaligned and as a result, half of the figure was off-center. A little bit of hacking, cutting and sanding straightened him out, though.

Here he is, all painted up:



Getting back to work on the base, I painted the entire thing with thinned FolkArt "Raw Sienna:"







The paint was too red for my liking, so I mixed up a heavily thinned 60/40 mix of Anita's Acrylics "flat black" and Apple Barrel "Pewter Gray." It left me with a color I dubbed "chocolate milk"



Brushing the chocolate milk over the raw sienna took out some of the redness:



I decided to paint the edges of the base black at this point; don't ask me why...



The "chocolate milk" mix lightened up the red, but it still just wasn't QUITE the color I was looking for, so I turned to my Acylicos Vallejo "Light Sienna" powdered pigment:



Success at last!



I also used the same pastel chalks that I dusted the Chi-Ha with to add some more color variations. It's hard to tell it's there, other than the lighter colors, but trust me, it's there





For the two flags at the top of the hill, I took a piece of masking tape:



Painted it gray...



...and cut two lengths of .039" music wire to serve as flagpoles:



I then cut the tape in half and folded them over the tops of the "poles" and painted them with Americana "Tuscan Red." I crumpled and folded them up a bit to make it look like they were fluttering in a breeze:



Added the figure to the base:



Added the flags and the tank and....



ALL DONE!!!!

See you in the final reveal!

[wappynutter]

Yay!!!!....
That's what I like to see... Loads of pictures showing all the processes... Everything!..
Wow... Well done Jarod, looks awesome from here mate..
Glad you running across the finish line in time!... Lol....
Thought you was gonna miss the deadline for a minute there!..
Well Done again mate..
Looking forward to the reveal now..
...
All the best..

[trekfanj]

Yay!!!!....
That's what I like to see... Loads of pictures showing all the processes... Everything!..
Wow... Well done Jarod, looks awesome from here mate..
Glad you running across the finish line in time!... Lol....
Thought you was gonna miss the deadline for a minute there!..
Well Done again mate..
Looking forward to the reveal now..
...
All the best..

Thanks, Andy!

Yeah, I was getting worried; my computer decided to be a total ass and not cooperate with me, otherwise I would've had this last post up two days ago. I guess a little threatening with and made it change its mind.

Once again, thanks very much!

[JayCub]

Awesome build log as I have been away for some time now, (health issues) it was great to catch up, some wonderful tips and tricks, and does serve memory lane well, although I don't remember my parents over the moon about digging up the garden I must build a Japenese tank at some stage
Tom

[trekfanj]

Awesome build log as I have been away for some time now, (health issues) it was great to catch up, some wonderful tips and tricks, and does serve memory lane well, although I don't remember my parents over the moon about digging up the garden I must build a Japenese tank at some stage
Tom

Thanks, Tom!

I want to build another one; I've got my eyes on a Dragon 1/35 Type 95 that seems to be pretty good. Hope your feeling better!