Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (’Lorne’); 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai; Fussa, 1945

Dizzyfugu · January 09, 2016, 03:16:26 AM

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Kawasaki Ki-100 was a fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. The Japanese Army designation was "Type 5 Fighter". The emergency measure of adapting a Ki-61-II-KAI fighter to carry a Mitsubishi radial engine resulted in one of the best interceptors used by the Army during the entire war. It combined excellent power and maneuverability and, although its high-altitude performance against the USAAF Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers was limited by the lack of an efficient supercharger, it performed better than most other IJAAF fighters.

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Operational missions began in March 1945. From the first engagements, the Ki-100 performed well against the B-29 and showed itself to be equally effective against U.S. Navy carrier fighters. But the development did not stop, because the B-29 bombers still presented a serious threat, and even higher altitudes of the intruders were expected. As a desperate measure to improve high altitude performance, a radical further step was taken, which eventually led to the Ki-100-II with a turbocharged radial and the Ki-100-III with a modified airframe and a license-built German engine.

In 1944, Japanese engineers had become aware of the Jumo 213's use in the German Fw 190 airframe that became the Fw 190 D-9. They had also become aware that an aircraft of even better high altitude potential, the Ta 152 H with a Jumo 213E, was about to enter service - exactly what the IJA needed on short notice.

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Germany would not share Ta 152 blueprints or other construction details, and the production of a totally new aircraft type in Japan would have delayed trials and production by several months. But the delivery of five complete Jumo 213E engines including the typical annular radiator and German, wooden high altitude propeller with three large and deep blades could be negotiated, as well as an option for license production, under the local designation Kawasaki Ha-213.

In the meantime in Japan, three Ki-61-II-KAI airframes sans engine had been modified for dedicated high altitude operations, based on the German experience with the Fw 190 D and the Ta 152. These considerable changes included increased wing and rudder areas, as well as a pressurized cockpit, fed by bleed air from the engine, double glazing for the canopy with warm air blown between the glass layers to prevent icing. These airframes were to take the imported German engines for trials in early 1945. The engine packages arrived safely on board of a merchant submarine in January 1945 and were immediately mounted into what was now called the Ki-100-III.

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Trials started almost immediately. The army general staff was amazed by the flight characteristics of the plane, which surpassed the Hien 's in all but maximum speed (degraded by a maximum of 29 km/h[18 mph] by the larger area of the new engine's front cowling), and the model was ordered to be put into immediate production. All of the Ki-100 III airframes were, like the Ki-100-I and -II with their radial engines, remanufactured from Ki-61-II Kai and Ki-61-III airframes.

The prototypes kept the original radiator and the three-bladed wooden propeller. However, since the production of these propellers proved to be difficult (two disintegrated in flight!) and the Jumo 213E suffered from overheating problems especially on the ground and at low speed, the Ki-100-III KAI was launched in April 1945. Ki-100-III KAI machines featured an indigenous four blade metal propeller and a small support fan for the radiator was added, which was driven by the propeller shaft and rotated at 1.6 times its speed. The alternative Ki-100-II never progressed beyond three prototypes, since the complex engine kept suffering from teething troubles.

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Due to Allied raids, production of the Ki-100 III KAI was limited. Less than 50 airframes were completed/converted until Japan's capitulation at the Ichinomiya aircraft plant, while some early Ki-100 IIIs were upgraded to the KAI standard with the new propeller and the additional fan installation. Probably only thirty operational machines entered service with homeland defense units, primarily for the defense of Tokyo.
Since American crews did not identify the Ki-100-III KAI as a variant of the Ki-61 design, it received a separate code name, "Lorne". The Ki-100-I was handled under the Ki-61's code name "Tony", though.

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

In contrast to the Ki-100-III, the first 271 Ki-100-Ia aircraft, still with the raised "razorback" rear fuselage of the Ki-61, were rolled out of the factory between March and June 1945. A further 118 Ki-100-Ib were built with a cut-down rear fuselage and new rear-view canopy from May through to the end of July 1945.

Nevertheless, the Ki-100-III KAI proved to be very effective at altitudes of 12.000 m and more, and the machines' original armament of only two wing-mounted 20 mm Ho-5 cannons was quickly augmented in the field by another pair of these guns in streamlined pods on the underwing hardpoints.

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 10.29 m (33 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 14.25 m (46 ft 8 in)
Height: 4.17 m (13 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 20 m² (215 ft²)
Empty weight: 2,525 kg (5,567 lb)
Loaded weight: 3,495 kg (7,705 lb)

Powerplant:
1× Kawasaki Ha-213 (a license-built variant of the German Jumo 213E) liquid-cooled
inverted V-12, delivering 1,287 kW (1,750 PS) and temporary 2,050 PS with
MW-50 injection at low altitudes

Performance:
Maximum speed: 759 km/h (472 mph) at 12,500 m (41,000 ft) using GM-1 boost
Range: 2,000 km (1,240 mi)
Service ceiling: 15,100 m using GM-1 boost (49,540 ft using GM-1 boost)
Rate of climb: 20 m/s to 25.4 m/s (3,937 ft/min at maximum weight of 5,217 kg
to ~5,000+ ft/min at 4,727 kg)
Wing loading: 196.8 kg/m² (41.38 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.276 kW/kg (0.167 hp/lb)

Armament:
2× 20 mm Ho-5 cannons, mounted in the wings outside of the propeller arc.
Two underwing hardpoints for 94 gal. drop tanks or bombs of up to 250 kg caliber,
frequently occupied by two further Ho-5 cannons in external pods

The kit and its assembly:
This project was inspired by a very similar build that I found recently while browsing the WWW. I liked the idea of a Ki-61 with a German Jumo 213 from the Ta 152 high altitude fighter - would make sense, and there was actually a technology exchange between Japan an Germany, so that the combo appears plausible. The engine appears very suitable for a Japanese emergency high altitude fighter, because it was operational in 1945 and did not rely on a huge turbo-supercharger with complex plumbing, rather on a combined injection system for extra performance.

The basis is the vintage Ki-100 I kit from Aoshima from the early 70ies. It's simple, with raised details and a retractable landing gear(!). Anyway, it was cheap, I did not want to slice up a more modern (and much more expensive) kit of this aircraft. The Ki-100 was chosen because it already features the late, lowered spine, and the radial fitted to the streamlined Ki-61 fuselage would hopefully create a wider intersection to take the Jumo 213 more easily and with less body work.

The latter comes from the (also seriously vintage) Ta 152 from FROG, in this case in a recent Revell re-boxing. With its annular radiator, the engine looks almost like a radial, and it is pretty long. So I tried to put the new engine as close as possible to the cockpit. The respective fuselage cut was made at the wings' leading edge. Fitting the new engine to the narrow Ki-100 fuselage still proved to be trickier than expected, though. I had to take out wedges from both of the rather round Ta 152 engine section halves to narrow it down far enough that it would roughly match the oval Ki-100 fuselage. The round annular radiator was kept, though. The nose shape is a bit odd now, but the plausible result of mating things that were not originally intended for each other...

I also found the German propeller to be very massive an the slender Ki-100, so I replaced it with an alternative from an AZ Model Spitfire Mk. IX. The radiator fan (from a BMW 801) was added, because the FROG Ta 152 radiator just features a gaping ring hole. And instead of implanting a structure I rather hid the weak spot behind the fan... Odd arrangement, yes, but it works.

1:72, Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72, Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

As a high altitude fighter, I increased wingspan and rudder area. The additional wing tips are actually parts from an Airfix B-26 elevator, after LOTS of carving and sculpting... The original fixed part of the fin was retained but a deeper rudder with a more square shape, somewhat matching the new wing tips, was implanted, scratched/carved from a leftover tail of a PM Model Ta 183. The cannon pods under the wings come from a Hobby Boss Bf 109 kit.
In order to compensate for the bigger span and longer nose I finally implanted a 1cm fuselage plug in front of the tail – very similar to the Fw 190 D/Ta 152 arrangement. This was sculpted from massive 2C putty.

1:72, Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72, Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Inside, a complete cockpit was implanted, taken from an Italerl Fw 190 D. The landing gear was slightly upgraded, too. The rather massive struts are OOB, but new wheels, from a Hobby Boss Bf 109, were used. A bulkhead was added in the main gear wells, blocking sight into the fuselage. The original fixed tail wheel was replaced by a retractable alternative (also from a Spitfire) with new covers.

1:72, Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72, Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Painting and markings:
This went a bit wrong, but I kept the result. I originally wanted to paint the machine all over light green-grey, a bit like Sky "S". But I decided to mix a color instead of taking a stock paint - I mixed Humbrol 28 (FS 36622) with a little Humbrol 155 (FS 34087), and the result was not a pale green but rather a dull beige, almost like British Hemp with an olive hue. The tone looked interesting, though, so I stuck with it.

Anyway, the engine received covers in bare steel and aluminum, and I painted the radiator section as well as an anti-glare panel in front of the cockpit in black, which turned the Ki-100 II into a kind of IJN aircraft, reminiscent of early WWII A6M 'Zero' fighters of the IJN?

1:72, Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72, Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

That changed after weathering and panel shading, when I applied decals, especially the white home defense bars under the Hinomaru and the yellow ID stripes on the wings (all stripes were cut from generic decal sheet from TL Modellbau). Still, the livery is a little confusing?
All interior surfaces were painted with Chrome Yellow primer (Humbrol 81, mixed with 94).
The squadron markings comes from a vintage MicroScale decal sheet, the blue fuselage stripe is a personal addition that underlines the aircraft's 4th Sentai affiliation.

After some soot stains around guns and exhaust pipes the kit received a coat of matt acrylic varnish.

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-III KAI (Allied code name 'Lorne'), aircraft of the 22nd Sentai, 4th Chutai, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (大日本帝國陸軍飛行戰隊;Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Hikōsentai); Fussa (Tokyo region), July 1945 (Whif/Aoshima Ki-100-Ib conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

An interesting build, and quite a challenge. Even though most of the original Ki-100 was kept, the larger wing span and the different engine change the look considerably. At first glance, this one really reminds of the Ta 152 in Japanese colors, but except for the engine (which was modified, too) nothing actually comes from the German aircraft! On the other side, this conversion shows how 'natural' the way from the Fw 190 to the Ta 152 H must have been, since I went through similar modifications in order to get to this high altitude version?

Tophe · January 09, 2016, 05:43:49 AM

Yes, this engine is surprising, like a "Ki-161"... Congratulations.

su27rules · January 09, 2016, 05:56:28 AM

Captain Canada · January 10, 2016, 09:56:35 AM

Excellent. Love the sleek lines of this one ! The details around the engine are superb ! Bravo !

The Rat · January 10, 2016, 10:00:43 AM

Kit's going to love those loooong wings!

Dork the kit slayer · January 10, 2016, 10:20:55 AM

Gets a thumbs up from me

Dizzyfugu · January 10, 2016, 10:39:27 AM

Quote from: The Rat on January 10, 2016, 10:00:43 AM
Kit's going to love those loooong wings!

Thinks so, too...

Thanks a lot for the feedback. Paint went a bit off, but this thing looks really nice. Beyond a defintive Ta 152 similarity there's also some Hawker Tempest (esp. Mk. II) flavor about it?

PR19_Kit · January 10, 2016, 01:28:23 PM

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on January 10, 2016, 10:39:27 AM

Beyond a defintive Ta 152 similarity there's also some Hawker Tempest (esp. Mk. II) flavor about it?

Just what I was thinking, LOVE those lengthy wings, as predicted.

The Wooksta! · January 10, 2016, 04:03:16 PM

The Frog Ta 152 cowling is correct - the radiators are actually lining the inside walls of the cowl. Normally, there should be a grille at the front to block debris entering the area. The Airfix Fw 190D cowling may be more prototypical.

zenrat · January 11, 2016, 02:40:08 AM

Nice.

DogfighterZen · January 11, 2016, 06:05:33 AM

Nice it is!