JGSDF Type 16 Maneuver Combat Vehicle Tamiya 1/35

This time, I would like to make a Type-16 Tamiya kit, Maneuver Combat Vehicle, which I have wanted to make for a long time, but at one time, it was scarce and hard to get. I’m not sure if it was because of increased demands for models due to corona or because of a shortage due to the production cycle, but I got it a little while ago, so I’m going to start building it right away.

It starts by making the top and bottom of the AFV body by biting the supports. It is quite a rare way of assembling.

Looking at the complete instruction manual, I think this area has the most parts. The front four tires can be turned. What’s more, it’s interesting how they work together and change simultaneously. Since most of the kits with such a complicated mechanism are fragile and break, I have often fixed them in the middle, so I was surprised that they are strong and move smoothly. The remainder will be fine if the paint doesn’t get in and the moving parts stick.

There are eight rubber tires with a sense of precision. Should rubber tires also be painted? In my case, I like to paint after assembling all the parts, so I will paint the tires because the paint will stick out. Maybe I should fit only the tires later.

For the time being, all the wheels have been fitted. Even now, I can take it off again if I try hard. There was a parting line in the middle of the tire, so I think it would look better if shaved with a file.
(2021/12/29)

OVM seems to be concentrated at the rear of the vehicle. Even so, there are not so many parts. Considering that the previous kit made the battleship Musashi by including etched parts, the assembly is going very smoothly this time.

I started assembling the turret. The right and left armor plates are put in after the top and bottom are put together. Tamiya’s kit fits well, so there should be no problem.

The Type 16 Mobile Combat Vehicle assembly was completed without any problems.

The front four tires move, so if I turn a little, the expression changes, and it’s interesting.

This vehicle. The position of the turret is pretty far back. Rather than just looking at the box picture, if I look at it closely after actually putting it together, it is considerably from the back. Thanks to that, a small area of the gun barrel sticks out of the whole body, so I don’t have to occupy space when decorating.

Assembling the basket at the back of the vehicle also has few parts and fits well, so it soon took shape.
(2022/01/02)

Tamiya figures are quite realistic. Perhaps this is made more realistic by using 3D scanning. They have a Japanese look. The assembly is very similar to the WWII US tank crew set that I made in the past. Is the fitting of the parts of Tamiya’s recent figure kit like this? Maybe it’s comparable to resin figures.

This kit from Tamiya had a masking seal for painting lights and periscopes. It is the type you cut by yourself, peel it off, and stick it. I think it was better than taking my measurements and cutting them. There are ten pieces of periscope masking, so I thought it would be okay to fail, but it was just ten pieces. The quantity is not enough to fail even one.

It is hard to cut out round stickers. But I managed to cut and paste it carefully.

There was also a sticker to reproduce the fact that there were many small holes in the muzzle brake. I appreciate this.

I made a lot of 5mm holes, and even though it was twisted in some places, I think it will look better by doing this work.
(2022/01/06)

The overall painting is flat black. Even after basic painting, I think the shading will be emphasized a little, and the painted surface will be good, but I doubt it is true.

They are crews of armored vehicles. I blew a white surfacer. From here, it may be brushwork.

It looks much better after basic painting. I wonder if it will be finished soon.

I used the JGSDF tank color set from Mr. Color of Cleos. These are already sold separately, and I got them, too. But I forgot to keep them as a set, duplicated. That’s a typical thing for a modeler.
(2022/01/11)

I wondered what to do with the tires when painting the delicate parts. Is it okay if I wipe with thinner the area that sticks out with the airbrush? In the end, I painted a rubber black tone with a brush with Vallejo Model Colors. But at that time, the whole vehicle was painted flat black.

Vallejo is easy to paint, but the camouflage pattern is complicated. Or rather, I don’t have enough patience. I doubt it looks like an actual JGSDF uniform camouflage pattern, but I painted it with a brush for now. The decals are attached to the vehicle, and the face of the figure is painted with oil color, so it’s better to dry it a little before blowing the matte clear. The tan area of the uniform looked a little green, so I painted it like that, but it might be an optical illusion.
(2022/01/14)

The Type-16 mobile combat vehicle, which had been in process since around the end of the year, has been completed. The big tire gives a strong impression and seems to move quickly. I like armored vehicles quite a lot and have made some Strikers.

This kit is perfect. It fits well with a small number of parts and takes the minimum amount of work to get the shape right away.

When I see the video of the actual vehicle, the impact at the time of shooting the main gun is so big. I thought that it would aim adequately and hit. The performance is probably high because shooting is done while driving and also shooting sideways while driving. Since armored vehicles have weaker defenses than tanks, their first-strike capability may be necessary for improving their survival chances.

The markings on all the decals are excellent. This year is the Year of the Tiger, so I chose a vehicle of tiger mark. White Tiger. It is a vehicle belonging to the 1st Mobile Vehicle Company of the 42nd Rapid Response Activated Regiment belonging to the 8th Division of the JGSDF Western Army.

Painting figurines is a bit troublesome, but I tried my best to make them. There was a stand to put half the figure, so I put them together without thinking. Tamiya kits often contain figurines, so if it is attached, I think I usually make them.

The root was broken when I opened and closed the cupola hatch for the commander many times. It is open and fixed, but I am setting the figure, so I think I can leave it.

When I see photos of actual vehicles, equipment is painted the same color as the body. I changed the color of the metal parts. The handle of the tool is painted brown, like wood in German vehicles, but I left it as the body color this time. It doesn’t look good as a model, but the rear part of the vehicle has accents, such as taillights, so it’s okay.

The decal has turned a little white. I think it didn’t stick well. Tamiya’s decals seem squishy as soon as I use the mark softer, so I was cautious and rarely used the softer. Maybe I should have tried harder.

Since the rapid response regiment is said to focus on aircraft transportation, perhaps they are considering forming a force capable of responding to an invasion by a particular country. The number of mobile combat vehicles will be about 200 by 2022. It seems to be deployed reasonably evenly from north to south.

I recommend Tamiya’s type-16 mobile combat vehicle kit because you can build it quickly. The mechanism around the suspension is interesting, and it is fun to move the front four tires in combination even after completion.
(2022/01/17)