Tamiya Type 3 Chi-Nu Japanese Tank
Tamiya Type 5 Chi-Ri Japanese Tank
I suppose it’s a bit of a liberal use of the word “new” as both of these kits are reboxings of kits produced by Fine Molds but never-the-less here they are, a Japanese Type 3 Chi-Nu and Japanese Type 5 Chi-Ri. The Type 3 comes with four figures whilst the Type 5 comes with a metal barrel. Both come in boxes similar to the later released LRDG Truck with the Breda gun – a white cardboard box with the picture stuck to the top.
These seem to be inline with Tamiya’s trend of reboxing other manufacturers kits ( ie the Italeri P40 and M2A2 Sherman ) and slapping on the Tamiya Logo. While I feel Italeri kits aren’t always up to the expectations of the Tamiya brand at least in this case we might actually be getting a better offering. Having never seen the Fine Molds kits in the flesh I won’t go so far as to endorse them but I will say that the reviews I’ve read on them say they are well made and well detailed kits with the Type 5 for example having over 700 parts ( even if 200 odd of those are the individual track links ) and making up into a large tank.
There is one big kicker though – the price. The US retail is a recommended $95USD and $137USD respectively. What that will translate into once it reaches our shores is at this moment guess work but the Sd.Kfz 9 FAMO with Sd.An 116 Trailer has a US recommended retail of $183USD and sells here for $280 while the Jagdtiger has a $69USD pricetag and sells here for $120 so that puts the Type 5 somewhere around the $200 NZD mark.
Just how many NZ modelers will want to part with $200 for a Japanese tank that never made it off the production line I wouldn’t like to guess but I’m sure there must be a few out there somewhere as the size and price makes this the Japanese eqivalent of Trumpeters huge Geschutzwagen Tiger, itself a German vehicle that never made it off the production line.
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