A tankette fad occurred in Europe in the early 1930s, which was led by United Kingdom's Carden-Loyd Mk VI tankette. The IJA ordered six samples from the UK, along with some French Renault UE Chenillette vehicles and field tested them. The IJA determined that the British and French machines were too small to be practical, and started planning for a larger version, the "Tokushu Keninsha" (TK, meaning "Special Tractor"). The Imperial Japanese Army also experimented with a variety of armored cars with limited success. The wheeled armored cars were not suitable for most operations in the puppet state of Manchukuo, due to the poor road conditions and severe winter climate.