Can A6M5 be substituted as A6M3?

[1K3]

I'm hosting some US vs Japs in H2H.

I wonder if A6M5 can be subbed as A6M3.  I looked at M3 and M5 stats and they both make the same horsepower and they both almost have same cannon loadouts.

[Krusty]

Probably not. The -3 was a clipped wing version that was a half-way point between the 2 and 5. The 5 also incorporated internal changes, I think with a bit more armor and protection.

EDIT: P.S. The 3 was a minor version, not used or produced in great numbers.

[Ack-Ack]

Originally posted by 1K3
I'm hosting some US vs Japs in H2H.

I wonder if A6M5 can be subbed as A6M3.  I looked at M3 and M5 stats and they both make the same horsepower and they both almost have same cannon loadouts.

Probably could use the A6M5 in place of the A6M3 Model 22.  Krusty was referring to the model 32, which had a smaller wing due to the removal of the folding tips and also had a shorter range because of the smaller fuel tanks.  It had a better roll rate but at the cost of maneuverability.  Only 343 Model 32's were built.  Model 22 fixed those problems and had a production run of 560.


ack-ack

[1K3]

So, the A6M3 model 22 and A6M5 have almost identical performance right?

[Karnak]

Originally posted by 1K3
So, the A6M3 model 22 and A6M5 have almost identical performance right?

No, the A6M5 had some streamlining done and had ejector exhaust stacks added to get boost from the exhaust.  The result was a net gain of about 20mph in top speed, and some gain in climb.

Then they started adding more weight to it in the A6M5B and, even more so, A6M5c.