Komatsu G-40 - the Japanese military bulldozer

Military action during World War II in the Pacific Ocean forced the Japanese Imperial Navy to focus on the construction of outdoor aerodromes. Aviation played a major role in clashes and battles, and its mobility and range of operation depended heavily on the speed, with which new aerodromes were installed. This was especially important, when the actions of the enemy were unpredictable. In December 1942, the IJN issued an order to Komatsu, a small tractor factory, to design a bulldozer and start production as soon, as possible. For this purpose, the construction of the already manufactured G-40 tractor was modified by installing a special blade and its lifting and lowering hydraulic equipment. Bulldozer production began as early as January 1943, and 148 units were produced by the end of the war.

The model should not be a problem even for beginner modelers, but we do not recommend assembling it as the first model. Surprisingly, even the chassis and tracks of this crawler model aren’t very complicated.