Japanese Type 97 Shi-Ki |
| By Michael Bedard |
| Started: | Jun 25, 2003 | | Updated: | Jun 8, 2004 |
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As many who visit this site may know I do a lot of WW II Japanese armor. Within the last 5 years there have been a lot of WW II Japanese armor pieces introduced by Fine Molds. Still compared to other nations there are few plastic kits on the subject.
There were a wide variety of Japanese tanks used during WW II and this model represents one of the lesser know variants of the Type 97 medium. This is a conversion consisting of Tamiya's Type 97 Chi-Ha, MR Models Shi-Ki resin converion, Eduard Type 97 P.E. set, Fruilmodel Type 97 tracks and Fine Molds Type 94 37mm gun barrel.
The Type 97 Shi-Ki was a command tank. Differences from the standard Type 97 were the replacement of a smaller turret, 57mm main gun was removed to the hull and replaced with a 37mm gun, upper glacious plate flattened to a single piece and dual headlights. Most information that I have states that they were used for training in Japan but I plan to make mine a veteran vehicle of the Phillipines ( a bit of fantasy). David Harper contacted me through this site and a point that I forgot to mention was that the Shi-Ki had a taller hull than the standard Ch-Ha. The MR Models does not take this into account but this build is about the MR Models conversion. In 1/35th scale the hull should be 1/8th inch taller. This as due to the fact on the original vehicles command radios were installed in the hull.
There is some cutting to the upper hull of the Tamiya kit involved to adapt the resin conversion. Even after careful cutting and sanding there were gaps that needed to be filled that was accomplished by using A+B epxoy putty. Many handles were replaced with brass wire. Grantline Conical bolts were used to replace any bolts that were sanded off during construction along with detailing where they were absent.
The Eduard P.E. kit is great especially where the muffler is concerned. Not only do they give a screen that replaces the kit part but also the muffler itself. After bending I soldered the muffler together placing the seam on the down side. Detail Master header flanges and Grantline bolts were used to detail the mufflers.
Look careful on the detail shots and you will notice on the roadwheels chips taken out of the rubber. This was accomplished using a rasp file. Another detail shot shows the MR Models 37mm gun barrel (could have used Viagra!) and why it was replaced with the Fine Molds barrel.
Right now the model is ready to paint once the metal parts have been primed using Floquil Figure Primer. I use an acrylic paint to finish my models and it is imperative to prime the metal parts or otherwise the paint just will not adhere properly. |
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| Fuel Spills | Jun 8, 2004 |
| At this point in the finishing process is the addition of fuel spills. The Type 97 Chi-Ha tank was powered by a air-cooled diesel engine. One of the positives of my long drive home everyday from work is passing so many trucks on the freeway. Since traffic is slow, I usually get a good look at these spills.... more |
| Chips of Paint | May 26, 2004 |
| One of the first stages that I weathered the Ski-Ki was to add chips and scratches. For the scratches I used Vallejo paints, Vallejo Glaze medium and a very fine Winsor/Newton series 7 paintbrush. I used different colors for each area to correspond to the scratches. From my observations of some local... more |
| Ready to Weather | May 14, 2004 |
| Well here it is all ready to weather. Tow cable, tools, P.E. parts, all there. A collage of photos shows just where the status of the vehicle. |
| Almost There | May 11, 2004 |
| I have been using a new digital camera and think the results are better than previous photos. What do you think? Well here is the tank almost ready to weather. The tow cable on the rear will need to be added then it will be ready to weather. I know a lot of pros weather the vehicle while finishing... more |
| Tow Cable | May 8, 2004 |
| This picture shows the new finished tow cable. The kit cable ends were carefully cut out and removal of the mounting bracket. Ends were drilled out and a .018 cable from Emporium was glued in. First Tamiya flat black was painted followed by Alclad steel. A coat ofWindsor/Newton Ox Gall liquid and... more |
| Tail Lights | Apr 4, 2004 |
| It's been a while since I added anything to the BLOG, been sidetracked with other projects. That's what keeps me interested in the hobby, but it takes me a while to actually finish anything. Here we see how MV lenses were used for the taillights. MV makes green, red and clear lights. To... more |
| Wear Areas | Nov 14, 2003 |
| Here the sprockets and idelrs have been painted, washed and dry-brushed. Wear areas on the sprocket teeth and areas on the idler that touches the tracks has been drybrushed using PollyScale graphite. Once the paint is dry a No. 2 pencil is rubbed on the wear areas that creates a realistic metallic sheen... more |
| Finishing the Mufflers | Nov 12, 2003 |
| As with the tools, the mufflers were finished in the same manner. Step A shows again the metal areas spray painted flat black. Step B is painted with Alclad steel. Step C shows the coat of Windsor/Newton burnt sienna watercolor with Bragdon rust. Step D illustrates the mufflers installed on the tank.... more |
| Tracks | Nov 12, 2003 |
| For this project I used the Fruilmodel metal tracks. In my opinion these are the best tracks for this particular tank. I have used kit tracks, Modelkasten and Modelkasten workable. These can be seen on other tanks that I have downloaded on this site and in Military Modeling International. A shows the... more |
| Finishing the Tools | Nov 9, 2003 |
| This chapter shows how the tools were finished. Prior to any painting the tools had all attachment points shaved off since these were supplied in the Eduard set. Step A (sorry about the out of focus shot) shows how all the metal parts were painted Tamiya flat black. Step B is where all the metal parts... more |
| Wash, drybrush plus | Aug 18, 2003 |
| In this photo you can see the washing and drybrusing that has enhanced the many rivets and especially the detail in the road wheels. Washes were a combination of Windsor/Newton raw umber oil paint, Humbrol flat black, turpentine and Windsor/Newton Glazing & Blending Medium. The Glazing & Bleding Medium... more |
| camouflage painting | Jul 22, 2003 |
| I have painted the Shi-Ki in the camouflage from the 1943-44 period according to Armour Modelling magazine #27 June 2001. This is an excellent reference for Japanese armor color (ony that it is written in Japanese). I went with the color names which were Khaki, Olive Drab and Mahogany. I used Tamiya... more |
| corrected detail | Jul 21, 2003 |
| The tower on the turret shows in the kit the same general layout as the base Chi-Ha kit. After going back and checking references it appears that the cupola or tower did not have a hatch but just the periscope. I filled in the scribined line with Squadron Green putty, the seam with cyanacrlic glue and... more |
| worn rubber | Jul 19, 2003 |
| I shot a photo that will help see the results of the gouged rubber wheels on the roadwheels. This was done using a rasp file. Try not to go overboard with this. Most crews would replace heavily worn wheels unless there was absolutely no supply. Most tank don't survive combat long enough to have... more |
| added detail | Jul 17, 2003 |
| What a great help the Warrink brothers have been by also building a similar vehicle. Viewing their build had me going back and rechecking my reference. This photo shows new redone engine grate handles, added rivets to the rear and what I believe must be engine hatch latches. My reference shows that... more |
| primed | Jun 28, 2003 |
| Some better modelers than I prime the entire model prior to painting, which probly is a good idea. I just wash my models making sure no grease from molds or hands are there and just start painting. I have however noticed that acrylic paints seem to not adhere well to metal parts so I prime those with... more |
| Ready to paint | Jun 27, 2003 |
| Here is an overall view of the Shi-Ki prior to painting. The dual headlamps have yet to be installed and metal parts primed. The Tamiya kit is missing bolts on the final drive which you may notice in this photo. I really liked the Fruuilmodel metal tracks. They assemble fairly easy, have great detail,... more |
| underside | Jun 26, 2003 |
| In this photo you can see the detail that was added to the underside. Though this generally won't be seen, at least I know it's there. All the Fine Molds kits have underside detail so I figured why not the Chi-Ha. I used the Fujimi Type 97 as reference for the detail. Detail consists of... more |
| tool mounts | Jun 25, 2003 |
| Eduard also gives you the tool mounting brackets which really enhance the kit. All the tools and jack will need to be modified to use the brackets. Also notice the handles replaced on the engine hatches and Eduard's muffler guard that replaces Tamiya part B22. All the holes for these brackets... more |
| details on rear | Jun 24, 2003 |
| Eduard's PE set replaces the tow cable bracket and license plate which are visable in this photo. The rear taillights have also been drilled out to recieve MV lenses later on in the process. You may also notice the replaced handles (Tamiya part B28) with brass rod that has already been primed with... more |
| barrel replacement | Jun 23, 2003 |
| This photograph shows why the 37mm Type 94 gun was replaced. The MR Models comes with the barrel molded into the mount but my example was badly warped. It was cut off, mantlet drilled and a Fine Molds replaced turned barrel was used. You may also notice in this picture the thinned front fenders, Grantline... more |
| mufflers | Jun 22, 2003 |
| This shot shows the mufflers using the Eduard PE parts, Grantline bolts and Detail Master's header flanges. You will need to modify Tamiya kit parts B20 & B19 by cutting off the ends and sanding flat Tamiya parts B24 & B25. The Eduard parts accurately represent the ribbed pattern of the original.... more |
