Tarawa Bunker

JP004 Tarawa Style Bunker

The Battle of Tarawa, or the invasion of Betio Island, was the first large scale amphibious assault by the United States on an island held by the Japanese. It would set the precedent for the entire island hoping campaign of World War Two in the Pacific with some harsh lessons learned.  This model is a composite of an actual bunker on the island as well as images from the film Sands of Iwo Jima. The top has an open observation area.  The entire structure is made of coconut logs with reinforced steel doors (usually salvaged from merchant vessels). All of this is buried under tons of sand and was an unpleasant to the marines, as these bunkers often took the  massive amount of ordnance the navy poured onto the island without appreciable damage.

It includes a Pegasus Hobbies Palm tree. In addition, the interior, accessible from the lift off roof is completely detailed with a radio station, map boards, and bunk beds. Many other details can be found cast onto the base.

While designed after Tarawa installations, these types of Japanese bunkers could be found all over the Pacific and wouldnt be out of place with additional foliage added for the jungles of Burma.

Figures not included and shown for scale reference only. This model is a hobby product recommended for ages 14 and over. This product is an unpainted kit that requires customer assembly.