BADLY neglected plane set.

[Karnak]

My "required" list for the Japanese reads thus:

A6M3
B6N2
D4Y
G4M2
Ki-43-I
Ki-43-II
Ki-44-II
Ki-61-Ia or Ki-61-Ib
N1K1-J

Added to that is my "would be really nice have" list:

J2M
Ki-21 or Ki-48
P1Y1

And my "wish the could be added" list:

B7A2
H8K2


Because the Japanese did the same Army/Navy split that we did, they fielded almost as many designs as we did.

[Clone155]

Reading comprehension is your friend.

Ha ha, you win this time Bert...

New list! Hellcat, Wildcat, devastator

[Saxman]

Because the Japanese did the same Army/Navy split that we did, they fielded almost as many designs as we did.

That's a pretty key distinction being missed. With the wider range of types used by the Japanese it makes sense that they WOULD have a larger plane set. Even just going by Karnak's list you're still looking at almost 20-25 aircraft.

[BnZs]

You can when the only one that you have for 1941-1943 is among the worst.

Curious... 3/4s?

La 7
Yak 9U

OK... but...

Yak 9T
La 5FN
I 16

Looks more like 2/5...

The La5 does what, close to 360 on the deck? While having good thrust/weight and being maneuverable? It is a better fighter plane in the typical low alt melee than every model in the USAAF lineup. Its good even in late-war. I forgot about the I-16...I'm not sure how that one is going to work out yet. Betcha its going to have a similar "market share" to Hurris and Zekes though and be far more annoying to fight than anyone gives it credit for.

Hey, but don't me wrong...I don't object to more planes, any planes!

[killerdude8]

YOU GUYS ARE FORGETING ONE JAPENESE DIVE BOMBER!!!


D3a1 val

[Enker]

YOU GUYS ARE FORGETING ONE JAPENESE DIVE BOMBER!!!


D3a1 val

We have that. Clipboard comprehension is your friend.

[killerdude8]

whoops my bad i forgot 

[SgtPappy]

I vote Ki-43 for next fighter!

Very heavily produced and very fun to fly in this game, I would think. It'd probably out turn a Zero. Many of them flew in the CBI as well, and as I recall, the CBI really has become a forgotten war.

[sparow]

DESPERATELY Needed:

Ki-43 (PRIORITY AIRCRAFT!)
G4M (PRIORITY AIRCRAFT!)

Could not agree more with the priorities but I disagree with the term "neglected". Decisions had to be made, things must be maintained and we must be realistic. It's the price we must pay for having less mistakes in what is important: fligh models. But development continues. We have reasons to believe that, in due time, many more important models will arrive. And not only aircraft. Soon we will have the I-16 and the Brewster. Others will follow.

On the aircraft priority list I would add 2 bombers for the Russian VVS, the Pe-2 and the Il-4; 2 more to the Italian Reggia, the CR-42 and the SM-72 (or close); 4 for the French Armée de l'Air (this has to be done), the Curtiss-Hawk 75, the MS-406, the Potez 63-11 and the LeO 451; for the German Luftwaffe, the He111 and the Ju-52. I believe this would keep AH development team busy until the end of 2010...and the, there´s all the rest...Lucky guys, they have their jobs secured well until 2020...

<S> all and let's keep pushing for the less popular planes that were so important in the conflict that inspired this game.

[Saxman]

Sparow:

As I told Dave there's going to be almost nowhere that the Ju-52 will find usage to merit its addition ahead of almost ANY other aircraft. It WILL be a hangar queen in the Mains. While some Ju-52s were armed, it's almost 30mph SLOWER than the C-47 (if that's even possible) so it's going to be no less (if not MORE) vulnerable a target, guns (only a single dorsal 13mm and two waist 7.7mm's: a B-17 it ain't) or not. The "bomber" variant was a Spanish Civil War aircraft that saw only extremely limited use during the first few months of the war over Warsaw. And unlike other aircraft that would be superfluous in the mains but have uses elsewhere, there's NOWHERE in scenario-type play the Ju-52 has value. I've yet to fly in an FSO setup utilizing C-47s to begin with, much less have a place to use Ju-52s (can someone tell me if they were ever used in FSO?). The number of scenarios and shapshots that would find a use for it are likewise going to be limited if ANY, and are C-47s EVER available in AVA in the first place?

We're talking an absolute scraping the crud from UNDERNEATH the bottom-of-the-bucket addition. Every Japanese plane in my list will by FAR be a more valuable addition for ACTUAL usage than the Ju-52. The only real reason to add it is because "it was there."

[swareiam]

Sparow:

As I told Dave there's going to be almost nowhere that the Ju-52 will find usage to merit its addition ahead of almost ANY other aircraft. It WILL be a hangar queen in the Mains. While some Ju-52s were armed, it's almost 30mph SLOWER than the C-47 (if that's even possible) so it's going to be no less (if not MORE) vulnerable a target, guns (only a single dorsal 13mm and two waist 7.7mm's: a B-17 it ain't) or not. The "bomber" variant was a Spanish Civil War aircraft that saw only extremely limited use during the first few months of the war over Warsaw. And unlike other aircraft that would be superfluous in the mains but have uses elsewhere, there's NOWHERE in scenario-type play the Ju-52 has value. I've yet to fly in an FSO setup utilizing C-47s to begin with, much less have a place to use Ju-52s (can someone tell me if they were ever used in FSO?). The number of scenarios and shapshots that would find a use for it are likewise going to be limited if ANY, and are C-47s EVER available in AVA in the first place?

We're talking an absolute scraping the crud from UNDERNEATH the bottom-of-the-bucket addition. Every Japanese plane in my list will by FAR be a more valuable addition for ACTUAL usage than the Ju-52. The only real reason to add it is because "it was there."

You know SAX, if someone were to do a AXIS captured Dakota skin. That would really put the coffin lid on the Ju52.

Just a thought...

[TonyJoey]

YOU GUYS ARE FORGETING ONE JAPENESE DIVE BOMBER!!!


D3a1 val

 

Ki-43, G4M, and J2M are still the first priorities on my Japanese planeset list. As someone posted in another thread, a good ratio IMO is 4 early/mid war planes: 1 Late war plane added.

[Saxman]

You know SAX, if someone were to do a AXIS captured Dakota skin. That would really put the coffin lid on the Ju52.

Just a thought...

Too bad captured skins aren't allowed...

Although Japan DID build a version of their own (L2D) and we do have an IJAAF skin for it.

[redman555]

Japanese planes neglected?? what bout us Italians, theres C-202 and C-205.. i think.. thats it?


-BigBOBCH

[Saxman]

Japanese planes neglected?? what bout us Italians, theres C-202 and C-205.. i think.. thats it?


-BigBOBCH

As has been said elsewhere, a large enough number of German aircraft were flown by the Italians--and the contribution of those designs to the war wasn't nearly as significant as the Germans or Japanese--that there's no immediate need for them in either the Mains or Scenario-type play. The Japanese completely lack legitimate substitutions like what the Italians have available with the German iron, (and to a lesser extent like the Russians with Lend/Lease) which makes the gaps in the set by FAR more glaring than the Italian set.

You can run a North African or MTO campaign focusing on the Regia Aeronautica and there's sufficient aircraft to accurately portray all the belligerents involved. This is NOT a case with the Pacific Theater. We don't have an early or mid-war Japanese level bomber. The only setups we have ALL the major aircraft for are the 1942 carrier battles (except the TBD Devastator for Coral Sea and Midway, which ALSO should be added). It's difficult to do anything in New Guinea or the Solomons because we're missing the Betty, A6M3 and Ki-43. We can't really do early or mid-war CBI because we don't have the Ki-43, Ki-44 and Ki-21 (the G3M, Ki-27 and A5M also factored into the early phase of the war). Bougainville and Rabaul are also difficult because those missing aircraft were also significantly involved.

Should more Italian designs be added? Sure! But when you have the main Axis power of an ENTIRE THEATER as poorly represented as Japan it becomes a priority. Imagine the Luftwaffe only being represented by the 109E and G6, 190D9, 110C, Ju-87 and Ju-88 and that pretty much covers what trying to do anything with the Japanese plane set.