More metal with a side of rivets….Fine Molds 1/35 Japanese Army type 89 Medium tank….

Still on an armor run. This one was actually a great surprise Boithday gift from my kid last year (January 22) and a fabulous gift it was. I probably never would have bothered to get it, as it came in a three-installment deal in concert with Armor Modeling magazine. A Hard way to get a model, but the mags did come with considerable pictures and reference paintings. Unfortunately the text was in Japanese, where my translation skills are nil.

Two poor points on an otherwise nice kit-the muffler comes with a solid molded screen, no good at all in these times. I cut out the screen parts and replaced them with etched screening filched from spares. Not fun but done. The other problem is the tracks, old fashioned rubber bands that just have no sag to them. These I decided to deal with till I get around to getting better ones.

Thr rest of the build was a breeze. Base color is Humbrol Khaki, browner than Khaki I think, and a good match for Japanese light brown. The green, brown and yellow are all brushed on using Vallejo figure paints. Weathering is with Tamiya weathering sticks, Light Earth and Mud. I'm happy with the First War looks of my type 89, reminicsent of a larger Renault FT17. Represented is a tank involved in the Nomanhan fighting in 1939, actually it lost to Russian 45mm tank guns, the old thin armor just not up to the job.

8 additional images. Click to enlarge.