Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Spritle on March 25, 2000, 03:07:00 AM
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When are we going to see the Ki-84 Frank?
I think this is pretty much the best Japanese fighter. Faster than the N1K2, and a better turner too.
Spritle
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After the Ki-44 Shoki(Tojo), if funked gets his way! (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/biggrin.gif)
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Yeah! (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
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And what about the Reppu? *
*anybody else heard of this ultra-late war plane?
-bfield
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The A7M? The Zero's successor, of which only 8 were built, and a few others started? Code named "Sam"?
Never heard of it. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
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bfield,
According to Francillon's book there was only 1 production A7M, and 9 prototypes. This is a plane that qualifies as something that should not be included in the game because the performance would be pure speculation.
I'm interested to see how the Frank that will eventually come out in AH is modeled. The one in WB is pathetic. Somehow they modeled weak wing spars that prevented any kind of turning at speed. This is completely bogus. The only pilot reports about the Frank are that it had weak landing gear due to improper heat treatment which resulted in many aircraft being lost during a rough landing. There is even a nickname which Japanese pilots gave the Frank. The translation is something like "Weak legs" but I can't remember exactly. I'll look it up when I get home.
More than likely the wing myth was brought about by confusion on the US side during the war as any aircraft with a Hinomarus was a Zero. This can be seen by many people's belief that the AVG (Flying Tigers) actually fought Zeros over China. Wrong! Most of the single engine fighters that the AVG encountered were either Ki-27s or Ki-43s. In fact I don't think there is a single Zero that was shot down by the AVG.
Anyway the Zero had huge control surfaces that gave it exceptional maneuverability at slow speeds (250mph and less) however as speed built up over 250 the controls became increasingly heavy. Many a Kamikaze pilot found this out too late as they over shot their target because they couldn't move the stick. Because the stick was frozen the aircraft would continue to build speed until the wings ripped off. I believe this is how the myth of weak wing spars of the Frank evolved. I can't find a single report of failing wings in any of my Frank references. I just don't think it happened.
Another thing that kind of bugs me about the wing failure at speed situation is how is this super pilot reporting his wings fell off at a certain speed? I mean come on. If you were in a dive at say 500mph and your wings just tore off are you honestly going to say that you would just report over your radio "I just passed through 500mph and my wings came off, now lets see what this baby will really do"? I doubt it. You will more than likely be freaking out at the thought of your immanent demise. I could be wrong, as there is not a lot of eyewitness accounts of this stuff.
Spritle
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Yeah I concur Spritle, lots of reports of "Zeros" in areas where the IJNAF wasn't even operating.
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Hey guys, I am reading a book by a p40 pilot that was in China after the AVG. He states that they called all "JAP" fighters zero's and only realy got technical with the debrief officers. This author says that habit about zero's carried over to books written post war.
See ya on line
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Frank and beans!
The next Japanese plane will be a Zero, probably an A6M5b. The Ki-84 will come sometime, I just don't know when.
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Doug "Pyro" Balmos
HiTech Creations
Perfect plans, aren't.
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Pyro,
Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I really welcome any Japanese aircraft. It will be interesting to see if the base defending plane of choice will still be the Spit. V after the Zero is introduced.
Spritle
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I can tell you already it will be the Zero for THIS pilot. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
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Al Gore could really further campaign finance reform through a personal criminal conviction.
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Spritle,
Thanks I gotta get that Francillon book -- I swear I wasn't actually suggesting adding the Reppu, I was just being completely tongue in cheek, facitious. It was a troll, and now I feel guilty as hell (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif).
I came across the Reppu in Sakai Saburo's book "Samurai" where he mentioned test flying right at the end of the war and it being the greatest plane he ever flew; but that the Mitsubishi factory was "blasted into wreckage" before they could go into production.
Of course the plane had no actual role in the war and has no place in a sim.
-bfield