Following WWII, the Japanese Self-Defense
Force was re-armed with US equipment, such as the Chaffee and Sherman. One
new tank prototype, the ST-A4, was similar to the American M47, and became
the first post-WWII Japanese production tank, designated the Type 61. A
total of 500 were built, and the tank has remained in service into the 90s,
eventually being phased out by the newer types 74 and 90. Armament is a
90mm gun; armor is up to 64mm.
The nicely detailed Fujimi kit depicts a newer version of a vehicle in service. I backdated the kit by omitting the searchlight and smoke launchers, and used a different set of decals and gave it a monotone green color scheme, with a lot of dust on the undercarriage. Stretched sprue was used for the antennae, and two tow hooks were added to the bow. I also had to fill a gap between the glacis front top and bottom; other than that, the kit is out-of-box.
The Stridsvagn Strv-103 (also known as the "S-tank") entered service with the Swedish army in 1966. About 300 are in service. The vehicle is armed with a rigid L74 105mm rifled gun. Elevating the main armament is achieved by elevating the entire vehicle front through hydropneumatic suspension.
The resin model is produced by CROMWELL MODELS in 1/76 scale. An alternate camouflage scheme would be an intricate polygonal lozenge pattern which the Swedish Army applied in recent years.
One major difference between the T64 and its predecessor (the T62) was a new suspension, with six small roadwheels. Another is the 125mm smoothbore main gun, one of the largest mounted in a MBT to date. The T64 entered service in the late 60s, but only in the Soviet Army, and up to the early 90s none had been exported to foreign armies.
CROMWELL Models makes this 1/76 scale resin kit (although I suspect this might actually be a 1/87 kit; it seems much too small for 1/76 as advertized!). It comes with a lot of parts; I only added the antenna and a towing cable with the hooks to hold it. The kit has a hollow interior for those of you who like to add interior details.
The M551 Sheridan light tank was envisioned as a multi-purpose vehicle serving as the basis for a range of adaptations, and entered service in 1966. Interesting features were the 152mm gun/Shillelagh missle launcher, and the ability to swim (with a floatation device) and propel itself through water with its tracks. Unfortunately, several design deficiencies surfaced during service in Vietnam, and the program never lived up to the initial expectations. Nevertheless, Sheridans were used as recently as Operation Desert Storm by the 82nd Airborne Division.
This model is made by AIRFIX; the camouflage pattern is one I noted on M60s in Germany during the 70s. Museum visitor Robert Schoolfield notes: "I was stationed in Germany '75-'78, and this model is very close to a camo pattern that was used on pretty much everything, including Sheridans of the 2nd ACR in Amberg, Bayreuth and Bamberg".
INTERAVIA MODELS makes this plastic injection 1/76 kit of the Soviet ASU85 self-propelled gun. This vehicle's service began in 1961, primarily with airborne divisions.
Although a plastic kit, assembly felt more like building a resin kit. Casting was not that crisp, some parts seemed poorly molded, and the fit needed a lot of work. The tracks were a particluar nuisance; single semi-soft rubber pieces, they had too much flash and were brittle, and had an inaccurate pattern. I added quite a few parts that I felt should have been included in a plastic kit; mudguards, headlight guards, a splashplate, tow hooks, stowage tarp, and the antenna. Decals were included, but appeared to belong to another vehicle altogether, so I resorted to hand-painting the Airborne insignia on the glacis plate. Other companies (Armo-Jadar, maybe Omega-K) probably make more acceptable models. Still, an interesting vehicle to add to the museum.
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