Ki-61

[Spikes]

This thing is a beast!!!

Might be my new favorite Furballing bird for a while. Took it up for the hell of it, nothing better to do Friday night. Ended up going home with no damage and 13 clean kills. I've never flown it either. I forgot what base it was but I was on the deck turn fighting. I was outturning Spit 16's with no flaps down, running down La7's, etc. I absolutely love the 20mm nose cannons. Are the ballistics any good on them? Or was I just lucky? They seemed to be able to tear any plane to pieces with a few rounds. I couldn't tell if the 50cals were doing any help to me, but I didn't spend more than 3 seconds on a plane before ripping him to pieces.

[Treize69]

Its 20mm have good damage, but a slow re=ate of fire and slow ballistics. Get in close with them and they're lethal.

You also have to try a good long dive with it. It'll stay with a P-47 if they start the dive co-alt and about co-E.

[Spikes]

Its 20mm have good damage, but a slow re=ate of fire and slow ballistics. Get in close with them and they're lethal.

You also have to try a good long dive with it. It'll stay with a P-47 if they start the dive co-alt and about co-E.

Yeah, I did notice and I tried to wait till D400 out before firing. Don't see how they have a slow ROF, they seem to fire pretty quick.

[Treize69]

Go into a few fights with just teh cannons, not the MGs. You can almost watch every individual round fire. Typical Japanese galf-ball launcher.

[Anaxogoras]

I was outturning Spit 16's with no flaps down, running down La7's, etc. I absolutely love the 20mm nose cannons. Are the ballistics any good on them? Or was I just lucky? They seemed to be able to tear any plane to pieces with a few rounds. I couldn't tell if the 50cals were doing any help to me, but I didn't spend more than 3 seconds on a plane before ripping him to pieces.

You need a cold shower, or your opponents were absolute n00bs.

[Spikes]

You need a cold shower, or your opponents were absolute n00bs.

Meaning they would turn into me and I would out turn them, or beat them in a couple turns. Out-running LA7's coming off the deck, but still relatively fast IMHO.

[Anaxogoras]

The Ki-61 is a good mid-war plane.  It's not fast, and it's not as nimble as a Spitfire.  Surprisingly, one if its best qualities is energy retention after a dive.

[Spikes]

The Ki-61 is a good mid-war plane.  It's not fast, and it's not as nimble as a Spitfire.  Surprisingly, one if its best qualities is energy retention after a dive.

I'll have to try it in Mid War. I take it it's pretty obsolete in Late War then? Regardless it's a fun little plane that everyone should try. I suck and I got 13 kills in it on my first try.

[Anaxogoras]

I wouldn't call it obsolete, not by a long shot.  A good pilot should be able to do quite well with it, as evidence by its high K/D ratio in the lwma.

[Spikes]

I wouldn't call it obsolete, not by a long shot.  A good pilot should be able to do quite well with it, as evidence by its high K/D ratio in the lwma.

Yeah, true. I know Karaya flies it a lot. I have to find some data on it soon. Anyone have the link to Soda's page?

[Treize69]

I fly it a lot when its available in the AvA, but I get sick of trying to run down LAs and P-51s in it in the MA. Plus when I get a ricer fancy in the MA, I usually grab me an A6M-5.

Doesn't help that I fly it like a 109 that can dive and turn a bit better...

[BnZs]

It has nose mounted cannon firepower, is a steady gun platform, good views, and as has been pointed, can dive and retain energy. It doesn't turn as well as it should but can still out-turn a lot.

Widewing has pointed out on numerous occasions that this bird has a light wingloading that would seem to indicate it should be turning better than it does in game, and that war-time tests bear this out, showing it to have a turning capacity similar to that of an FM2. Like the Pony, the Ki-61 seems to have a bug in the modeling somewhere. I predict that if this ever fixed the Ki-61 will become quite the nice ride and maybe even popular.

[Masherbrum]

Its 20mm have good damage, but a slow re=ate of fire and slow ballistics. Get in close with them and they're lethal.

You also have to try a good long dive with it. It'll stay with a P-47 if they start the dive co-alt and about co-E.

Huh?   They are the fastest firing cannons (cyclic rate) in the game.   The Niki's are slow.   Close?   The majority of my "kills" are from about 400.   They DO NOT have the characteristics of a Luftwaffe cannon.    

You need a cold shower, or your opponents were absolute n00bs.

I'll turn with a Spit 16 all day long in a Ki-61 (and no "angles" BS either).  I RARELY use flaps in this game.  Hell, ask AKDogg what a Tony is capable of, Simaril, Helm, Goth, HtHide, and others who actually "fly" the virtual aircraft a lot.   It is by far, the most underestimated craft in the entire plane set.  

[BnZs]

Huh?   They are the fastest firing cannons (cyclic rate) in the game.   The Niki's are slow.   Close?   The majority of my "kills" are from about 400.   They DO NOT have the characteristics of a Luftwaffe cannon.    

I'll turn with a Spit 16 all day long in a Ki-61 (and no "angles" BS either).  I RARELY use flaps in this game.  Hell, ask AKDogg what a Tony is capable of, Simaril, Helm, Goth, HtHide, and others who actually "fly" the virtual aircraft a lot.   It is by far, the most underestimated craft in the entire plane set.  

Some American pilots considered it more dangerous than any variation on the Zero.

According to DokGonzo's, the Ki-61's turn radius is indeed inferior to the Spit16's but not greatly inferior, and considering that its flaps are more useful..

[Anaxogoras]

Flaps don't improve the Ki-61's turn performance.