Dragon earlier produced a simply stunning 1/35 scale Smart Kit of the Japanese Type 2 “Ka-Mi” amphibious tank, and now the company has used it as a platform to create a 1/72 Dragon Armor version. The Type 2 was the first amphibious tank used by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). It was designed for Japanese landing forces performing amphibious invasions of Pacific islands that didn’t have regular port facilities. Production commenced in 1942 and a total of 184 Type 2 amphibious tanks were made, although the design was really too late to participate in Japan’s island-hopping campaign. When used in water, large pontoons were attached to the glacis plate and rear deck to give it a top speed of 10km/h. These pontoons could be shed as soon as it reached land. The turret featured a 3.7cm Type 1 gun and coaxial Type 97 machine gun.

Dragon Armor’s 1/72 scale model is extremely accurate, as it’s based on measurements taken from a surviving tank on Peleliu (present-day Palau). The tank is shown without its flotation pontoons, and it represents a vehicle from the 5th Naval Base Ground Guard (II). This unit was based in Saipan in the Mariana Islands, and it was heavily involved in the pivotal fighting there from 15 June-9 July 1944. Although it’s a very small model, it’s rich with detail. The vehicle’s period “battleship gray” color tone is authentically reproduced, as are the eye-catching IJN flags painted on the turret. This is a swimmingly good miniature of a fascinating subject!