Reviews : Tamiya Japanese Tank Type 97

Tamiya's Type 97 tank kit was another excellent kit from Tamiya. It includes all the nice features that you come to expect from Tamiya, such as great detail and excellent fit, ease of construction, tools and of course figures (A full commander and half driver). This kit also includes the older style vinyl tank treads. You have to melt four pins to connect each track, but it was fairly easy. I'd rather have the type you can glue with regular plastic cement, or even the link and length type, but these weren't too bad as far as the old style goes. You can choose from six or seven different markings and paint schemes. Decals are few, but they went down just fine. You can choose to have the commander and driver hatches open or closed, and there is a single piece for the commander's hatch if you choose to leave it closed. Overall, an interesting subject and a very fun kit to build.

Historically, the Type 97 tank didn't stand up well against U.S. and Russian tanks, but as a model, it has some sparkling attributes that make it a winner. The design of the tank is asymmetrical, with good proportions and a pleasing aesthetic. The camouflage is such a neat pattern. A sweeping set of yellow lines breaks up clouds of brown, green, and khaki. This is absolutely a blast to apply. The tank has a Tamiya 1975 stamp, and it shows in the lack of overall refinement. Interior detail is absent, but you are given two figures (one full and one torso) and the option to open or close the hatches. I learned quite a bit about Japanese tanks building and detailing this model. More importantly, it was a relaxing and very enjoyable build. Goes to show you that 1975 was an okay year. . Try it, it is well worth the modest price-point.

I really enjoyed this kit. Being that it was from Tamiya, I knew it would be an easy build. It was. Everything fit as designed and it was a joy to fit rubber tracks that were effortless. Everything went together as it should and there were absolutely no trouble spots. The decals were minimal (I would have liked a few other options like the Rising Sun), but they were sufficient. The paint job was a blast. If you research this tank you will see the paint scheme actually disguised the tank in the jungle. I would highly recommend this tank to any degree of modeler, especially those into armor. Once again, thanks Tamiya for a Fantastic Representation of History. Next Tank please. See my photos

Great details on this kit. I would order another one or recommend it to anyone wanting to have an array of armor from the warring countries of WWII. Fine details but the line drawings can be a little confusing because of perception problems with line drawings and no shading or coloring and no clue as to colors other than shades of gray and corresponding numbers. I can never determine was color a 5, 25, or a 39 are. Showing the finished model in appropriate colors/camoflauge would be a great help

Once again Tamiya has topped a record with an old kit. I always wanted to build this japanese Army tank since it's release but never had a good diorama base but since years ago I have an island diorama with two sets of Japanese troops fighting Marines. As far as quality,I couldn't find anything that was out of place or lacking details, no parts had flash. As expected, Tamiya maintained good quality parts throughout the years. I'm looking forward to building this particular kit.

One of the reviews I came across praised the fit of this model. I got the one that was close but no cigar. Had quite a bit of flash to fix and had a problem getting the top of tank onto the lower body. Appeared to be slightly warped on one side of the top front, had to struggle to get it in and didn't fit flush. Other than that (and what model doesn't have problems like that) it was an easy build. Would still recommend this for any age modeler.

Wanted to start collecting tanks and men to start my pacific themed dioramas, this was a perfect start! Everything went together just fine, no flash, clear instructions, plus lots of n9ce details including the anti aircraft gun option! Figures are pretty detailed as well. Tracks are one piece rubber but fairly detailed considering that fact, plus less hassle for me haha I recommend this kit for both beginners and more experienced builders.

Even if you don't want to do a Japanese tank, give this a try. Everything about this kit is almost perfect. The price is the first point. The fit and engineering are great. The detail and outcome are so outstanding, you can tell that Tamiya gave a treat to the home crowd. The only thing is the crewman are pretty clean for combat. I made my model to be serving at the IJA tank school.

This is a great little kit. The details are nice and crisp, there is very little clean up on the parts, and they go together really well. The instructions are easy to follow. I would recommend this to the beginner to the experienced modeler.

this is a great kit , as always tamiya does it again . this is a good starting model for a first tank and also a good one for the expert modeler looking to expand his tank collection , no flash can be built in a weekend

I built this a few months ago and it was fun. It was my first Japanese model really liked it, plus it being a Tamiya helps. Went together no problem, if you are thinking about do it you will be glad you did.

Fun and interesting build. Enjoyed being able to recreate one of the lesser known armored work horses of WW2. Also got to experiment with painting on different patterns of camouflage.

This Japanese tank is very realistic and I would recommend this model to anyone who wants a realistic diorama I’m going to give this model a thumbs up . Easy build for anyone.

Model comes with Rubber tracks; top mounted machine gun if wanted in place of figure (cant easily fit both); some small gaps between upper/lower halves of hull.

my first Japanese armor - very small compared to my other tanks, but nice details and not too difficult to construct.

Better scale for 1/32 or 1/35 soldiers. economically priced Japanese tanks are hard to find

Nice design, good mold, and fun to build. My first Japanese armor and made a great diorama.

great price nice kit .easy to build. need more jap tanks and trucks.not enough on market

Fun to build. Instructions are easy follow. The parts are easy to put together.

another nice Tamiya kit. not really very challenging, but fun nonetheless

Easy instructions, goes together very good, detail is decent

old kit but is still a great kit with 2 detailed figures