IJN_A6M2_21 2024-11-09

[Deathwind]

I don't like any game dealing with German's in ww2 without Swastikas. My opinion is if you hate Swastikas then don't fly for Germany during ww2 but rather shoot them down. Nobody would fly the Zero if we left off the rising sun. Be like playing cowboys and Indians but you can't wear feathers or warpaint. Germans were flying for their country and like everybody else it would be hard to skip the military because you didn't like Hitler if a war was going on. Probably get a better job being a volunteer than being made to serve.

 

[Ivan]

Sometimes the lack of a Swastika isn't a choice. Apparently the Europeans are a bit sensitive about that.
My point here was that this Macchi C.202 wears the Fascist symbol just in front of the cockpit. I don't think there are any laws anywhere against that.
Note the Black Widow squadron insignia? That is purely my invention, but the style is meant to be similar to typical insignia so it doesn't stand out.

Here is a cool little project that I had working pretty well a few years back. It was flying pretty reasonably with a heavily modified Learjet AIR file but that got lost with one of the HDD crashes.

- Ivan.

 

[Ivan]

Here is something that is a bit more familiar.

- Ivan.

 

[Deathwind]

Nice planes I think they all look good. Not sure about the laws on swaztika’s except I’m sure they are legal on game aircraft in the USA if you want to. I know Germany is strict about them but likely on an aircraft on your computer isn’t going to draw attention unless your posting screen shots on Facebook or somewhere. Anyway it’s a personal choice here to add them to games just game designers don’t because of backlash reasons. Private designers and modders who upload for free don’t seem to be targeted here that I’m aware of.

 

[Ivan]

There is an amusing little story related to a similar aeroplane.
A few months ago, my Daughter was in Chicago O'Hare airport for some reason and she texts me that she just saw a "F-15".
I figured she had seen a F-15 Eagle doing touch and go landings or something. I know I have seen something similar when I was at an airport during one of my business trips.
She later texts me that the airplane was inside the airport! Now THIS is strange. A F-15 Eagle is a fairly big aeroplane and not all that easy to get Inside a busy airport.
I asked her to send me a photograph which she did.....
It was a F4F-3 Wildcat. I asked her how she knew it was a "F-15"
She sent me another photograph with a clearer view of the markings on the side.
As she told me, it had "F-15" written on the side of the plane!
Hmmmmm......
No, my Daughter is not an airplane enthusiast.

- Ivan.

 

[Deathwind]

Hahaha good story. Yes I saw that airplane before inside of O,Hare. Saw it more than once for that matter.

 

[Ivan]

The last time I was in O'Hare was while I was on a business trip and I am not sure my Daughter was even born yet.
I certainly didn't have a cell phone at the time and I am not sure that Wildcat was there. This was around 25 years ago.

As for MY Wildcat, it was done with dimensional drawings which I believe were also drawn by William Wylam. These apparently were quite a bit better than the one for the P-40E that I used earlier. Sometimes, finding a good set of drawings makes all the difference.

-Ivan.

 

[Deathwind]

Not a very good decal placer but it looks better then it did. I just wanted it to look somewhat realistic even if this plane didn't exist.

 

[Deathwind]

better dp file for the A6M2 did test

 

[Ivan]

I had always intended to build a Me 109G/K but just haven't gotten to it yet. Perhaps I never will get there.
The closest I have come is reworking Richard Osborne's Me109E-4Trop into a generic BoB style 109E-4. Markings are my interpretation of Monogram's 1/48 scale 109E-3 from the 1960's. It is a nostalgia build. There is much more of my work than Osborne's work in the final result, but since the AFX began as his, I can't claim it as my original work.

Your DP has a lot of cool features I simply can't implement in CFS1. At the moment, my A6M2 is in flight testing for its "Overboost" setting.
It also needs minor modifications to the instrument panel.

- Ivan.

 

[Deathwind]

what are you using for loadouts. it's part of the mdl. instead of the dp in CFs1 except of course the trigger.

 

[Deathwind]

Just finished the Betty added Center Left And Right tanks to make it the flying Zippo. Didnt have one tank in the Dp nor does the C47 but they do now.

 

[Hiede]

Just finished the Betty added Center Left And Right tanks to make it the flying Zippo. Didnt have one tank in the Dp nor does the C47 but they do now.

That was also done 15 to 20 years ago for the stock Betty and Talon did it to the SG_Betty after it came out.He fixed many planes and ships to get them to burn and smoke more.The Bookie has done of Stuarts ships over the years.

Hiede

 

[Deathwind]

That was also done 15 to 20 years ago for the stock Betty and Talon did it to the SG_Betty after it came out.He fixed many planes and ships to get them to burn and smoke more.The Bookie has done of Stuarts ships over the years.

Hiede

Hello, Heide! Thank you for stopping by. Your thoughts, insights, and contributions are always welcome and appreciated here.

 

[Ivan]

what are you using for loadouts. it's part of the mdl. instead of the dp in CFs1 except of course the trigger.

You already know that the "Loadouts" in CFS1 are much more primitive and screwy.
The ordnance carried is a single 550 pound bomb. The reasoning for this is that for weight, a 550 pound / 250 KG bomb is almost exactly the same weight as a 330 Liter Drop Tank which was often used on the A6M2. This size of bomb was not used until much later with the Sen-Baku series of A6M2 aircraft built by Nakajima for use on carriers. The wing armament on those aircraft had been updated to Type 99-2 cannon as well.
As for representing the bomb or drop tank in the visual model, I don't even try. For most of my models, I am way too close to the limit for polygon count. The Canopy Glass and Frame are especially costly to model.

What is a bit odd is that not all the Japanese manuals are in agreement as to the capacity of the Drop Tank. The regular manual for the Type 0 Fighter which covers the A6M2 through A6M5 states it was a 330 Liter tank. The A6M3 Operations manual states it was a 320 Liter tank.

- Ivan.

 

[Deathwind]

ChatGPT said this.

Imperial Japanese Navy Drop Tank Nomenclature​

Standard Centerline Drop Tank (330 Liters)​

• Japanese Name:
  増槽（ぞうそう） — Zōsō = "auxiliary tank" or "drop tank"
  Specifically referred to as:
  

  九九式三〇〇粍増槽（きゅうきゅうしき さんびゃくみり ぞうそう）
  Type 99 300mm Drop Tank

• Capacity:
  Although it’s called “300mm,” this referred to the approximate diameter of the tank, not its capacity.
  Actual fuel capacity was 330 liters.
• Commonly Used On:
  A6M2 Model 21, A6M5, and some A6M3 Model 22.
• Markings (typically stenciled):
  • 燃料用増槽 = "Fuel Use Drop Tank"
  • 容量 三三〇公升 = "Capacity: 330 Liters"
  • Painted in gray or green primer, often with kanji stenciled on the upper surface.

---

Reduced-Size Drop Tank (320 Liters) – A6M3-Specific​

• Japanese Name (in manuals):
  Still referred to as 増槽 or sometimes specified in context as:
  

  三二型用三二〇公升増槽
  "320-Liter Drop Tank for Model 32"

• Capacity:
  320 liters, shorter than the earlier 330L variant.
• Reason for Change:
  Possibly aerodynamic trimming or mounting clearance due to Model 32’s shorter fuselage and modified centerline pylon.

---

Visual/Model Notes:​

• The shape of both tanks was similar (teardrop/torpedo-style), but:
  • The 330L tank is slightly longer, often with a more tapered end.
  • The 320L tank appears a bit more compact.

 

[Ivan]

The interesting thing is that the manual for all the Type 0 variants makes no mention at all of a 320 Liter drop tank.
Only the 330 Liter tank is mentioned for all aircraft.
I will go back and look for more detail in the A6M3 Operations Manual. It covers both the Model 32 and the Model 22.

 

[Deathwind]

Well shoot, maybe that 320-liter tank done snuck in there like a possum in the chicken coop — ‘cause it sure ain't in the manual! Reckon them fellas just rounded up to 330 so the math wouldn't give 'em a headache. I'll tell ya what though, if that A6M3 manual don't spill the beans, it might be hidin' more secrets than Uncle Earl's moonshine recipe!

 

[Ivan]

The A6M3 manual has a diagram showing a 320 liter tank but no mention of a 330 liter tank.
Drop tanks are expendable items and it could be that by the time the general Type 0 Manual came out that includes the A6M5, the standard drop tank had been updated from 320 liters to 330 liters.

 

[Deathwind]

Maybe