Warbird Contest 2010; Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien or "Tony"
03-24-2010, 02:16 PM
#1
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Warbird Contest 2010; Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien or "Tony"
Hello All,
My entry in the 2010 Warbird build contest will be the Japanese WWII fighter/interceptor Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien ("Swallow") Allied code name "Tony".
The model will be scratch-built from a TDM Models plan set (plans + canopy only);
http://www.tdmsoftware.com/tdmmodels...KI61design.asp
The "Tony" was one of the very few Japanese WWII fighters built with an in-line engine. It was designed to be a high-altitude, high-speed interceptor, to be used against the American B-29's which were regularly bombing Japan near the end of the Pacific war.
The engine was a Japanese version of the inverted V-12 inline DB-601A, built under license from Daimler-Benz of Germany.
The first sighting of the aircraft was during the famous "Dolittle Raid" when one of the B-25 pilots thought it was a Japanese version of the German Me-109.
http://markkaiser.com/japaneseaviation/hien.html
It also bore a strong resemblance to the infamous "Mystery Fighter" from Germany, the Heinkel He-100, as well as the American P-51. Over 3000 of the Ki-61's were built (in various versions) during the war.
Specs;
Empty weight 6261 Lbs.
Take Off weight 8334-8433 Lbs.
Wing span; 39' 4"
Length; 30' 4" or 28' 9" (different versions)
Height; 12' 2"
Wing Area; 215.28 square feet
Max Speed; 379 mph
Cruise Speed; 249 mph
Ceiling; 36100 Ft.
Range, Max Fuel; 994 miles
Range Max Payload; 684 miles
Armament; 2 x 20mm cannon, 2 x 12.7mm machine guns, 2 x 250kg bombs.
http://www.ijaafphotos.com/
An interesting sidelight to the Tony saga was that in the last years of the war, the Akasai Factory, which produced the HA-140 engines for the Ki-61, was bombed and destroyed, leaving 275 new and complete airframes without engines.
The Kawasaki engineers were ordered to complete the aircraft at any cost, so desperate were the military for fighter planes. The only production engines availabe at the time were the Mitsubishi Ha-112-Ie radials, so the engineers re-structured the entire front end of the fuselage, blending the large-diameter radial onto the slim nose as best they could. In what turned out to be a complete suprise, the result was an aircraft that some have described as the best Japanese fighter of the Pacific war!
The new version of the Ki-61 was designated as the "Army Type 5 Fighter" or Kawasaki Ka-100-1a. 272 aircraft were completed as modifications and an additional 99 were built from the ground up for the radial engine. These last versions had slightly different canopies and the fuselage was shorter.
http://www.aviastar.org/air/japan/kawasaki_ki-100.php
The model has a 34" wingspan, is built all-sheeted and will have a "400" (roughly) sized outrunner motor. RTF weight is expected to be between 18 and 20 ounces. Wing area is 165 square inches.
The plans are in pdf format and I'll have them printed soon. Then comes the balsa-buying and construction. Hope to get started next month, there's a couple of other projects to finish up first.
Thanks to Terry at TDM for the quick replies and friendly service!
Ron
My entry in the 2010 Warbird build contest will be the Japanese WWII fighter/interceptor Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien ("Swallow") Allied code name "Tony".
The model will be scratch-built from a TDM Models plan set (plans + canopy only);
http://www.tdmsoftware.com/tdmmodels...KI61design.asp
The "Tony" was one of the very few Japanese WWII fighters built with an in-line engine. It was designed to be a high-altitude, high-speed interceptor, to be used against the American B-29's which were regularly bombing Japan near the end of the Pacific war.
The engine was a Japanese version of the inverted V-12 inline DB-601A, built under license from Daimler-Benz of Germany.
The first sighting of the aircraft was during the famous "Dolittle Raid" when one of the B-25 pilots thought it was a Japanese version of the German Me-109.
http://markkaiser.com/japaneseaviation/hien.html
It also bore a strong resemblance to the infamous "Mystery Fighter" from Germany, the Heinkel He-100, as well as the American P-51. Over 3000 of the Ki-61's were built (in various versions) during the war.
Specs;
Empty weight 6261 Lbs.
Take Off weight 8334-8433 Lbs.
Wing span; 39' 4"
Length; 30' 4" or 28' 9" (different versions)
Height; 12' 2"
Wing Area; 215.28 square feet
Max Speed; 379 mph
Cruise Speed; 249 mph
Ceiling; 36100 Ft.
Range, Max Fuel; 994 miles
Range Max Payload; 684 miles
Armament; 2 x 20mm cannon, 2 x 12.7mm machine guns, 2 x 250kg bombs.
http://www.ijaafphotos.com/
An interesting sidelight to the Tony saga was that in the last years of the war, the Akasai Factory, which produced the HA-140 engines for the Ki-61, was bombed and destroyed, leaving 275 new and complete airframes without engines.
The Kawasaki engineers were ordered to complete the aircraft at any cost, so desperate were the military for fighter planes. The only production engines availabe at the time were the Mitsubishi Ha-112-Ie radials, so the engineers re-structured the entire front end of the fuselage, blending the large-diameter radial onto the slim nose as best they could. In what turned out to be a complete suprise, the result was an aircraft that some have described as the best Japanese fighter of the Pacific war!
The new version of the Ki-61 was designated as the "Army Type 5 Fighter" or Kawasaki Ka-100-1a. 272 aircraft were completed as modifications and an additional 99 were built from the ground up for the radial engine. These last versions had slightly different canopies and the fuselage was shorter.
http://www.aviastar.org/air/japan/kawasaki_ki-100.php
The model has a 34" wingspan, is built all-sheeted and will have a "400" (roughly) sized outrunner motor. RTF weight is expected to be between 18 and 20 ounces. Wing area is 165 square inches.
The plans are in pdf format and I'll have them printed soon. Then comes the balsa-buying and construction. Hope to get started next month, there's a couple of other projects to finish up first.
Thanks to Terry at TDM for the quick replies and friendly service!
Ron
03-24-2010, 03:45 PM
#4
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More Models, more Fun!
Thanks, Bean + Tom,
I've been following your threads as well, we've got some interesting aircraft, quite a wide choice. This should turn out to be fun!
Good Luck!
Ron
I've been following your threads as well, we've got some interesting aircraft, quite a wide choice. This should turn out to be fun!
Good Luck!
Ron
03-24-2010, 03:56 PM
#5
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 12,070
I feel like I'm the only one that has chosen a widely modeled aircraft which is not typical for me. I guess someone had to add some boredom to the contest and I was just the guy to do it. The other thing I like about this contest is that it appears to have consistently skilled builders so the competition (or fun as I see it) should be very close across the board. Can't wait to see all the finished planes.
03-24-2010, 05:30 PM
#6
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Glens Falls, NY
Posts: 122
Originally Posted by Grasshopper
I feel like I'm the only one that has chosen a widely modeled aircraft which is not typical for me. I guess someone had to add some boredom to the contest and I was just the guy to do it. The other thing I like about this contest is that it appears to have consistently skilled builders so the competition (or fun as I see it) should be very close across the board. Can't wait to see all the finished planes.
(I might be in trouble here
)
03-24-2010, 08:34 PM
#8
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Location: annapolis, md
Posts: 1,166
Hey Ron,
So why am I not surprised!!!
This is really stacking up to be a good build program. Glad you joined in...l figured you were just finishing up a couple including the Slipso before you slipped into the "scratchbirdwarbuild". Thanks for mixing it up with yet another interesting plane.
This should be fun
Bob
So why am I not surprised!!!
This is really stacking up to be a good build program. Glad you joined in...l figured you were just finishing up a couple including the Slipso before you slipped into the "scratchbirdwarbuild". Thanks for mixing it up with yet another interesting plane.This should be fun
Bob
03-24-2010, 09:01 PM
#9
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More Planes, More Fun!
Hi Paul,
Thanks, the "Tony" has always been one of my favorite designs. Are we going to see an entry from you?
Hi Bob,
Yes, I need to finish the Slipso, the wing servos just came in the mail. I've watched your thread on the "Dewoitine" too, great choice!
Hi Bean,
I hope my suggestions have helped with the Cessna, if you have any problems with the Dauntless, ask away!
Hello Tom,
I don't believe the choice of the Spitfire will hurt you anyway, you're a fine builder and there's a reason the "Spit" is so popular; It's one of the most beautiful aircraft ever produced!
Good Luck to everyone!
Ron
Thanks, the "Tony" has always been one of my favorite designs. Are we going to see an entry from you?
Hi Bob,
Yes, I need to finish the Slipso, the wing servos just came in the mail. I've watched your thread on the "Dewoitine" too, great choice!
Hi Bean,
I hope my suggestions have helped with the Cessna, if you have any problems with the Dauntless, ask away!
Hello Tom,
I don't believe the choice of the Spitfire will hurt you anyway, you're a fine builder and there's a reason the "Spit" is so popular; It's one of the most beautiful aircraft ever produced!
Good Luck to everyone!
Ron
03-25-2010, 12:09 AM
#11
Still Learning
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: North of Boston
Posts: 4,098
Originally Posted by Ryan Flyer
It is really cool to see someone modeling such a rear plane. Good luck in the contest!
Pat
PS could someone tell me where to find more info on the warbird contest? It sounds really cool.
Pat
PS could someone tell me where to find more info on the warbird contest? It sounds really cool.
Try here.
http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54438
03-25-2010, 01:02 AM
#12
Friend Across the Water
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 2,109
The Ki-61 is a beautiful airplane (I know, I know- they are ALL beautiful
) so it is fitting for the warbird build contest. I would enter, but the contest would be long over before I ever finished.
) so it is fitting for the warbird build contest. I would enter, but the contest would be long over before I ever finished.
03-26-2010, 07:02 AM
#17
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Location: McAlester, Oklahoma
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Originally Posted by Bill G
Nice choice Ron. I should have entered this contest. Maybe a Ki-100 would have been on the list. Always liked the 61 and 100.
03-26-2010, 12:06 PM
#18
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New Entries?
Thanks to Voyager2lcats, Ryan Flyer, Ed and Jim!
Hi Bill, sorry I stole a favorite, it's an aircraft I've always wanted to model. The TDM site has several other rarely-modeled WWII designs, like the Sturmovik, Raiden, Rata + MIG-3. Plans are about $15.00 and they have short kits also.
http://www.tdmsoftware.com/TDMmodels/
Hope you enter!
Ron
Hi Bill, sorry I stole a favorite, it's an aircraft I've always wanted to model. The TDM site has several other rarely-modeled WWII designs, like the Sturmovik, Raiden, Rata + MIG-3. Plans are about $15.00 and they have short kits also.
http://www.tdmsoftware.com/TDMmodels/
Hope you enter!
Ron
03-29-2010, 12:55 PM
#19
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posts: 5,455
Ki-61 and 100
Hello All,
For those who are interested in the differences between the inline Ki-61 and radial Ki-100, here's profiles of the various versions;
[media]http://markkaiser.com/japaneseaviation/tony/ki_61_profiles_2.gif[/media]
And a couple of photos;
Quite a change!
Ron
For those who are interested in the differences between the inline Ki-61 and radial Ki-100, here's profiles of the various versions;
[media]http://markkaiser.com/japaneseaviation/tony/ki_61_profiles_2.gif[/media]
And a couple of photos;
Quite a change!
Ron
03-31-2010, 02:15 AM
#23
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Location: annapolis, md
Posts: 1,166
Ron,
Its a shame the Japanese had issues with production/delivery of the inline...There would not be a choice then. As for slope down look to hood, I guess you'll just have to spend more time inverted.
It is one slick looking plane...I had not seen one prior to your entry.
So many planes....so little time.....
Bob
Its a shame the Japanese had issues with production/delivery of the inline...There would not be a choice then. As for slope down look to hood, I guess you'll just have to spend more time inverted
. It is one slick looking plane...I had not seen one prior to your entry.
So many planes....so little time.....
Bob
03-31-2010, 02:43 AM
#24
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Inline vs Radial?
Hi Bob, Jim, James and Offtom,
The exhausts do look strange on the bottom, we're all used to seeing the Spitfire and Mustang type of configuration.
But on this plane I do prefer the inline. That's what it was designed for and it's a sleek and well-proportioned aircraft.
I also like the brute-looking radials like the Corsair, FW-190 and Zero, but they were designed to have that big round cowl. On the KI-61, it looks cobbled on. I imagine if they'd had more time to redesign the fuselage it would look OK. The later models with the bubble canopy are better, but still not as good as, say, a Zero.
Anyway, that's why I chose the Ki-61!
Ron
The exhausts do look strange on the bottom, we're all used to seeing the Spitfire and Mustang type of configuration.
But on this plane I do prefer the inline. That's what it was designed for and it's a sleek and well-proportioned aircraft.
I also like the brute-looking radials like the Corsair, FW-190 and Zero, but they were designed to have that big round cowl. On the KI-61, it looks cobbled on. I imagine if they'd had more time to redesign the fuselage it would look OK. The later models with the bubble canopy are better, but still not as good as, say, a Zero.
Anyway, that's why I chose the Ki-61!
Ron
04-09-2010, 11:13 PM
#25
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Plans
Well, I finally got a chance to go to Office Depot and have the plan enlargements made. Cost about $7.00 for the two sheets.
Now I can read the fine print to figure out what size and type of balsa is needed.
When I finish the "Slipso" I'll start building the Tony. Spare time has been hard to come by, lately!
Ron
Now I can read the fine print to figure out what size and type of balsa is needed.
When I finish the "Slipso" I'll start building the Tony. Spare time has been hard to come by, lately!
Ron
