Type 97 Chi-Ha 120mm Medium tank (Japanese)

Description

The Type 97 Chi-Ha 120mm, also known as the Type 97 Chi-Ha Short Gun, was a late-war variant of the Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank. Developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy, this version was designed to provide heavy fire support for the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF). The standard Type 1 47 mm tank gun was replaced with a short-barrelled 120 mm naval gun, originally intended for anti-submarine warfare.

The 120 mm gun was a high-angle, multi-purpose weapon capable of providing close-range defensive fire against aircraft, small attack boats, and even submerged submarines. However, due to its extremely short barrel, the gun was not effective for long-range engagements. The tank also carried a single Type 92 7.7 mm machine gun for additional firepower.

The Type 97 Chi-Ha 120mm had a crew of four and retained the same Mitsubishi SA12200VD air-cooled diesel engine as the standard Chi-Ha, allowing it to reach speeds of up to 38 km/h. The armour ranged from 8 to 25 mm, providing basic protection against small arms fire and shrapnel.

Approximately 12 units of this variant were produced, and they saw limited action during the final stages of World War II.

• Country/Army: Japanese
• Material: UV Cured resin
• Original Designer: TigerAce1945
• All models are produced under license with the original designer.
• These models are designed for modellers and collectors. They are not toys and are not suitable for children.
• Model supplied unassembled and unpainted. Additional finishing may be required during assembly.
• Finished colour of the product may vary from images shown due to material availability and differences in batches.
• Photos show 28mm models unless noted otherwise.
• All dimensions are complete with weapons unless otherwise stated.
• Other scales and dimensions may be available upon request.
• Models supplied at scales smaller than 20mm may be an alternative design more suitable for small scale prints. These may be sourced from a different designer to the one noted above and the model may differ in details such as lacking camo netting, stowage, having a chunkier weapon barrel, tracks etc.