Type 89 Chi-Ro Platoon (x5)

includes five Type 89 Chi-Ro Medium tanks & five Tank Commander figures. In 1929, the Type 89 (1929) tank was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Initially it started life as a light tank design, but was re-designated a medium tank once its weight had gone over 10 tons. Production of the Type 89 began in 1931 and it became the main tank of the Imperial Japanese Army. The Type 89 entered combat in Manchuria in 1931, and saw action during the battle of Shanghai in 1932, all against various Chinese forces. It fought strictly in the infantry support role where its 15mm of armour protected it from small-arms fire and its short 57mm Type 90 gun proved effective at knocking out Chinese machine-gun nests. It continued to be used in China throughout the 1930s.