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Project Notes

#751 Type 97 ChiHa in Malaya

A Type 97 Chi-Ha チハ roaring down the Malayan peninsula in 1941. This is the old Airfix 1:76 kit with a couple of infantry figures, echoing a pretty well-known picture. No electronics in this one.

Build

Notes

The Type 97 Chi-Ha (九七式中戦車 チハ, Kyūnana-shiki chū-sensha Chi-ha or simply “Type 97/57”), was the most widely produced Japanese medium tank of the Imperial Japanese Army during WWII. Entering service in 1937, the Chi Ha saw widespread service in China and the Pacific, but inadequate armour protection and the low velocity of its 57mm gun made it no match when it came up against Allied tanks.

vehicle_type97chiha8

Paint Scheme

No 3 Squadron No 1 Tank Division Malaya 1941/2

Feature Color Recommended Paint Used
A camouflage IJA Khaki 26 70.879 Green Brown
B camouflage IJN Earth Brown 98 70.872 Chocolate Brown
C camouflage IJA Grass Green 76 H60 / 70.895 Gunship Green
D camouflage Yellow 74 70.953 Flat Yellow
E tracks Gunmetal 53 H18
F exhaust Rust 113 H18 + AK Light Rust wash
G tools Wood    
H tires Black    
J n/a Grey   n/a
K n/a IJA Dry Grass   n/a

Build Log

build01a build01b build01c build02a build02b build03a build03b build03c build04a build05a build06a build06b build06c build06d build06e build06f build06g

Credits and References

About LEAP#751 scale modelsCraft
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This page is a web-friendly rendering of my project notes shared in the LEAP GitHub repository.

LEAP is just my personal collection of projects. Two main themes have emerged in recent years, sometimes combined:

  • electronics - usually involving an Arduino or other microprocessor in one way or another. Some are full-blown projects, while many are trivial breadboard experiments, intended to learn and explore something interesting
  • scale modelling - I caught the bug after deciding to build a Harrier during covid to demonstrate an electronic jet engine simulation. Let the fun begin..
To be honest, I haven't quite figured out if these two interests belong in the same GitHub repo or not. But for now - they are all here!

Projects are often inspired by things found wild on the net, or ideas from the many great electronics and scale modelling podcasts and YouTube channels. Feel free to borrow liberally, and if you spot any issues do let me know (or send a PR!). See the individual projects for credits where due.