Late to the party here, the Nakajima G8N1 Renzan flew very well and had great potential, which was confirmed by US testing. It was an original design by Nakajima conceptually influenced by the B-17 and B-24 but not based on either, or any other Allied aircraft, and it was of a similar size.

The Nakajima G5N1/G5N2 Shinzan, was the aircraft that was developed using the Douglas DC-4E as the basis. It was not successful and the four G5N2 were converted into freighters.

The DC-4E is a completely different
aircraft from the DC-4. It was a B-29
size airliner that first flew in 1938.
It found no customers, it was too large
for the time, and the single example
was sold to Imperial Japanese Airways
in 1939. It was transferred to the IJN
who gave it to Nakajima to study. It
was the basis for the G5N.


You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.

With that nose and tail fin, it could really only be a Douglas product. 

Quote from: jcf on March 19, 2025, 10:26:04 AMLate to the party here, the Nakajima G8N1 Renzan flew very well and had great potential, which was confirmed by US testing.

That's not what i remember reading.  But unfortunately I can't find my copy of Japanese Secret Projects to check.

Quote from: zenrat on March 21, 2025, 04:21:42 AM

Quote from: jcf on March 19, 2025, 10:26:04 AMLate to the party here, the Nakajima G8N1 Renzan flew very well and had great potential, which was confirmed by US testing.

That's not what i remember reading.  But unfortunately I can't find my copy of Japanese Secret Projects to check.

The main problem with the G8N was the turbosupercharged Homare engines.
This was primarily due to a lack of the necessary materials needed to produce
reliable turbosuperchargers. This was an issue with all Japanese turbosupercharged 
engines, and the Homare had problems in regards to reliability. The crappy brakes
were mostly a result of materials shortages.

Quote from: jcf on March 21, 2025, 09:22:21 AM

Quote from: zenrat on March 21, 2025, 04:21:42 AM

Quote from: jcf on March 19, 2025, 10:26:04 AMLate to the party here, the Nakajima G8N1 Renzan flew very well and had great potential, which was confirmed by US testing.

That's not what i remember reading.  But unfortunately I can't find my copy of Japanese Secret Projects to check.

The main problem with the G8N was the turbosupercharged Homare engines.
This was primarily due to a lack of the necessary materials needed to produce
reliable turbosuperchargers. This was an issue with all Japanese turbosupercharged
engines, and the Homare had problems in regards to reliability. The crappy brakes
were mostly a result of materials shortages.

ISTR something about the way it flew.  Extremely heavy controls?
Damn that book.  It must be in storage.  All the books I used to keep together in the old coffee table are also missing.

Quote from: zenrat on March 22, 2025, 03:43:55 AM

Quote from: jcf on March 21, 2025, 09:22:21 AM

Quote from: zenrat on March 21, 2025, 04:21:42 AM

Quote from: jcf on March 19, 2025, 10:26:04 AMLate to the party here, the Nakajima G8N1 Renzan flew very well and had great potential, which was confirmed by US testing.

That's not what i remember reading.  But unfortunately I can't find my copy of Japanese Secret Projects to check.

The main problem with the G8N was the turbosupercharged Homare engines.
This was primarily due to a lack of the necessary materials needed to produce
reliable turbosuperchargers. This was an issue with all Japanese turbosupercharged
engines, and the Homare had problems in regards to reliability. The crappy brakes
were mostly a result of materials shortages.

ISTR something about the way it flew.  Extremely heavy controls?
Damn that book.  It must be in storage.  All the books I used to keep together in the old coffee table are also missing.

Maybe they're supporting/replacing the table? 

Quote from: Rick Lowe on March 22, 2025, 03:21:53 PM

Quote from: zenrat on March 22, 2025, 03:43:55 AM

Quote from: jcf on March 21, 2025, 09:22:21 AM

Quote from: zenrat on March 21, 2025, 04:21:42 AM

Quote from: jcf on March 19, 2025, 10:26:04 AMLate to the party here, the Nakajima G8N1 Renzan flew very well and had great potential, which was confirmed by US testing.

That's not what i remember reading.  But unfortunately I can't find my copy of Japanese Secret Projects to check.

The main problem with the G8N was the turbosupercharged Homare engines.
This was primarily due to a lack of the necessary materials needed to produce
reliable turbosuperchargers. This was an issue with all Japanese turbosupercharged
engines, and the Homare had problems in regards to reliability. The crappy brakes
were mostly a result of materials shortages.

ISTR something about the way it flew.  Extremely heavy controls?
Damn that book.  It must be in storage.  All the books I used to keep together in the old coffee table are also missing.

Maybe they're supporting/replacing the table? 

No.  They are in storage.  We put them there when the house flooded.  The coffee table has gone despite my protestations.
It was a survivor.  We bought it over 20 years ago from Habitat in Croydon.  It was a big heavy solid veneered particleboard box I added wheels to (everything is better on wheels) and rebuilt twice.
I've got to pay the storage bill before the end of the month.  I'll bring them home then.

OK.
There again, how much longer could it have survived, with the flooding? I know customwood turns to weet-bix after getting wet, and particle board is almost as bad.

It was fine.  The flooding was only to a depth of less than an inch (just enough to f**k the floating floor I had laid every single piece of all through the house) and this thing was on wheels.
It was IMO the perfect coffee table as it had a huge amount of storage.  OK, so it was on the large side (2' by 4') and was frikkin heavy when it was full of large format reference books, and the dog had a habit of loosing balls into it, and the weight meant the wheels didn't roll properly.  But still...

Not that i'm bitter or anything.  But I really don't think Mrs z appreciated the amount of effort I put into the varnish the second time I rebuilt it.  It was like glass.  Still, happy wife, happy life.
 

Quote from: zenrat on March 25, 2025, 03:52:22 AMIt was fine.  The flooding was only to a depth of less than an inch (just enough to f**k the floating floor I had laid every single piece of all through the house) and this thing was on wheels.
It was IMO the perfect coffee table as it had a huge amount of storage.  OK, so it was on the large side (2' by 4') and was frikkin heavy when it was full of large format reference books, and the dog had a habit of loosing balls into it, and the weight meant the wheels didn't roll properly.  But still...

Not that i'm bitter or anything.  But I really don't think Mrs z appreciated the amount of effort I put into the varnish the second time I rebuilt it.  It was like glass.  Still, happy wife, happy life.
 

OK, so a bit of a loss, then.
The effort we sometimes put into domestic harmony... I guess it's worth it, but I can see why the axe-throwing place in Wellington does such good business...