The backbone of the Imperial Japanese Army's armored force. And the tank that taught the world how far behind Japan was in armor.

The Type 97 Chi-Ha was the most important Japanese tank of the war — not because it was good, but because it was everywhere. From Manchuria to Malaya, from the Philippines to Burma to the Pacific islands, the Chi-Ha was the medium tank the Imperial Japanese Army sent into every theater it fought in. Over 2,100 were built across all variants.

In the early war, that was enough. Against Chinese forces, against British and Commonwealth troops in Malaya who had almost no anti-tank capability, and in the lightning campaigns across Southeast Asia in 1941-42, the Chi-Ha did its job. It was fast for its weight, mechanically reliable in tropical conditions, and available in numbers when nothing else was.

Then it met American Shermans. And the math stopped working.

The Chi-Ha's armor was thin — designed to stop rifle and machine gun fire, not anti-tank rounds. The original 57mm gun was a low-velocity weapon built for infantry support, not tank-on-tank combat. Even the improved Shinhoto (new turret) variant with its higher-velocity 47mm couldn't reliably penetrate a Sherman from the front. By 1944, Japanese tankers were fighting a war where their best medium tank was outclassed by nearly everything it faced.

They fought anyway. On Saipan, on Guam, on Luzon, Chi-Ha crews launched charges against American positions knowing the odds. The tank battles on the Pacific islands were some of the most lopsided armored engagements of the entire war — and the Chi-Ha crews drove into them regardless.

This kit is the first Japanese armor in the BrixKrieg catalog. It won't be the last.

What you're building:

• 563 pieces in 1:35 traditional model scale
• 3 crew figures included
• 2-in-1 design — build the original Chi-Ha with the 57mm turret OR the Shinhoto variant with the 47mm high-velocity turret. Two tanks from one kit. Your choice.
• The distinctive Chi-Ha silhouette — riveted hull, offset turret, the look that defined Japanese armor from 1938 to 1945

⚠️ PLEASE NOTE: This is a starter-level kit — a great entry point for builders who want to add Pacific Theater armor to their collection without committing to a premium build. No interior detail on this release. Clean exterior build focused on the silhouette and the display.