The Aircraft

While the Global Hawk may look like a larger version of the Predator UAV, it’s a different aircraft with a different mission. Predators provide real-time surveillance and reporting of local target and maneuver info, and Global Hawks provide long-range intelligence. Think of the difference between an RF-4 and a U-2.

Global Hawks have set a couple of world records for UAVs, including altitude (65,000+ feet) and range (8214 miles). The range record was also notable as the first flight by a UAV non-stop across the Pacific, Edwards AFB to Australia.

Over the years, model companies haven’t exactly been falling over each other to produce WW2 Japanese military vehicles in the smaller scales: 1/72^nd or 1/76^th. Hasegawa produced a couple of trucks in their 72^nd scale series many years ago, while Airfix produced a Type 97 “Chi-Ha” decades ago in 76^th scale. For the time the Airfix kit wasn’t a bad little model, bar the rubberized plastic tracks which nothing seemed to glue together. So it was a happy surprise to discover that Dragon Models was producing not one, but two 72^nd scale IJA tanks in their “Armor Pro” series, a Type 95 “Ha-Go” light tank, and the subject of this review, a Type 97 “Chi-Ha” medium tank.

History

JV44 was a special jet fighter unit, a sort of “Dream Team”, created right at the end of the war by Gen. Adolf Galland, after he was demoted during the final months of the war for being outspoken against the incompetency of the Hermann Goring and the Luftwaffe’s highest leadership. Galland was able to gather some of the highest scoring Luftwaffe aces, including Heinz Bar, Gerhard Barkhorn, Walter Krupinski, Gunther Lutzow, Johannes Steinhoff, Heinrich Brucker, and Heinz Sachsenburg, all Knight’s Cross holders, and others, who then received rudimentary training on this revolutionary aircraft before flying combat missions. The basic purpose of the unit, and the motivation of the men involved, was to prove to the Luftwaffe leadership, that the ME-262, when used properly, could have helped to regain Luftwaffe air supremacy during the latter stages of the war, when other leaders, notably HItler and Peltz, wanted to use the ME-262 as a bomber.