Nuno Lima joins the MMI team with an experimental Japanese design.
‘O-I’ was the chosen designation for a series of proposed super-heavy tanks to be used by the Japanese in the Pacific War. With lessons learnt from the Battles of Khalkhin Gol against the Soviet Union, the Japanese made attempts to improve their tank designs. The Type 95 Ha-Go light tank and the Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank had proved to be no match against Soviet armour, so a much larger and more powerful tank was urgently required.
In early 1940, Hideo Iwakuro (a colonel with the Army Ministry of Japan) orderedthe development of a new weapon; a super-heavy tank with a proposed weight of at least 100 tons, and equipped with a Type 92 105mm cannon as its main armament. Work was undertaken by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Tokyo Machinery Division, with the new 120-ton vehicle being designated ‘Mi-To’ (Mitsubishi-Tokyo). The name was changed to ‘O-I’ ( ). ‘ ’ ‘is an abbreviation of ‘ ’ (transl. ‘large’) and ‘ ’ in Japanese army nomenclature, refers to model number 1, from the ancient iroha alphabet.
Supplementing the mainarmament, two smaller turrets would be fitted at the front; one mounting a 47mm cannon, the other a 7.7 machine-gun. To the rear would be two smaller turrets, each mounting a 7.7mm machine-gun. To fulfil its intended role, the tank would have been protected by armour up to a maximum of 200mm, and would have been powered by a pair of V-12 petrol engines (designed by the German manufacturer, BMW).
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2019 من Military Modelcraft International.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2019 من Military Modelcraft International.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
VIVE LA FRANCE!
Daniel Brooker returns with France’s ‘What-if’ Cold War Super Tank.
T-28
Fernando Olszewski joins the MMI team with a Small-Scale stunner.
COMRADES IN ARMS
Łukasz Orczyc-Musiałek returns with an ambitious World War II project.
KRAZ-6446 With Semi-Trailer
A descendant of the KrAZ-6322 6x6 heavy utility truck, the KrAZ-6446 was developed in Ukraine, specifically designed to haul semi-trailers.
Small-Scale Airbone
Ján Moravčík builds S-Model’s BMD-1.
Desert Beetle
Rob Ferreira builds Ryefield Model’s new VW.
The Edge Of Darkness
Roger Hurkmans depicts Dutch volunteers on the Eastern Front.
Amtrac
David Chou builds a USMC LVTP-5 from the Vietnam War.
Super Stupa
The Editor builds Tamiya’s new kit with some help from Eduard.
'Toujours Pret'
The Editor paints and weathers Panda Model’s Stryker Dragoon.