C6Y1 Yamagumo ("Mountain Clouds")

[sequoiaranger]

I have always been intrigued with the story of the D4Y Suisei (Judy), one of the very few inline-engined aircraft of Japan during WW II, and the only Navy plane so equipped. The successor to the fixed-landing-gear Aichi D3A (known as "Val") came late in the war, and was only a small improvement---HUGE speed improvement, but not bombload. The first D4Y's could only be used as recce planes, as dive tests revealed main wing spar weaknesses. Thus the very first appearance of the D4Y (aboard Soryu) was at Midway as a strictly reconnaissance plane, and in fact was the only plane to discover and get near Task Force 16 (Enterprise and Hornet). When Soryu went down, at least one D4Y landed aboard Hiryu, but all were lost when Hiryu went down. In subsequent battles around Guadalcanal, a couple of D4Y's (recce model) were used, but again not as dive bombers, merely recce planes. They had fighter speed, and I don't believe any of them ever got shot down.

Which brings me to my "Yamagumo". I am proposing that this aircraft was DESIGNED as an almost-uninterceptible recce plane, and evolved into the dive bomber that replaced the D3A later on. My "Furashita's Fleet" advanced timeline puts its first use over Pearl Harbor, thus becoming the first Japanese plane of the war to overfly American soil.

The model will not be anything hugely original or exotic, but a long-awaited and anticipated addition to my whif collection. I had made the old LS Judy long ago, that was too skinny, but always enjoyed the LOOK of the beast, and always wanted to model the Midway recce planes. The "Judy" was always very fast, but lacked the capability for a heavy bomb (I believe the 500kg bomb was its absolute limit, and then only for short distances--the 250kg bomb was most frequently used) to do damage commensurate to its potential. My version is not equipped for bombing, but is ridiculously fast, and loaded with fuel for long endurance over the battlefield, directing incoming strikes, and making "objective" determinations of damage.

The single-seat version seems to SCREAM for a fighter variant, but I will leave that to others. I will someday, however, do an "upgraded" two-place dive bomber based on the Suisei that is closer to an inline-engined Ryusei. That will be the Suisei-Kai "Judith", and may be the next project after my Yamagumo, since it uses nearly the same components.

Without giving away too much of the backstory (until it is finished), my 1/72 C6Y Yamagumo will be derived from the Fujimi D4Y Suisei kit, with the following modifications:

Single-seat, modified by moving the cockpit back a bit (filling in in front), having a "turtledeck" where the second seat would have been,

Photographic clear Perspex panels under the fuselage for two cameras (taken from DML Arado 234C), air scoops/slots to deflect engine crud from smearing photo panels,

Indented belly to take extra fuel tank (where bomb-bay used to be),

One nose gun blanked over, fake gun-ports painted on leading edge of wings,

Hinomarus, anti-glare panels, and other markings "misted out" with gray for low-visibility--"Suterusu", or "Stealth".
..........................

The illustration below is a doctored boxtop drawing. It's look is close to what I have in mind, but the color will be typical early-war IJN light gray, with low-viz markings, and the canopy will end in a semi-bubble instead of the "turtleback".

[Jschmus]

Sounds interesting.  One question: is the "Reece" on the artwork a hypothetical Allied call name or a mis-spelling of "Recce"?

[Taiidantomcat]

Looking forward to this! Great profile. I like the Judy too, both radial and inline 

[sequoiaranger]

>One question: is the "Reece" on the artwork a hypothetical Allied call name or a mis-spelling of "Recce"?<

A mis-spelling of "recce".

MY GOD! For fifty-some years I have mis-spelled and mis-pronounced this word! To tell you the truth, I have never heard it spoken. I always had thought it had a long "e" sound with a soft "c" at the end, as if rhyming with "geese".

I looked it up in the dictionary on the prod of your post, and....it is pronounced "WRECK-ee" and spelled as you had it. Sheesh! Well, me larned sumpn' today! I have now edited my post to reflect my newly-acquired education.

I was momentarily deeply embarrassed, but THANK YOU for shaking out of my ignorance.

As far as the profile goes, I may have a hard time "correcting" the spelling, due to the fickle nature of my art program, but I will try.

[Tophe]

Belated congratulations for this single-seater invention, nice!

[NARSES2]

That looks right.

Don't worry about pronounciation there are many a word I've got wrong for years "Wyvren" for one. I always said it "Wiv" rather then "Why". Just put it down to the way the "Queens English" is spoken differently around the country. She was born in London, so was I, therefore I must speak the same English, therefore "I is right" 

[sequoiaranger]

>Don't worry about pronunciation there are many a word I've got wrong for years<

I guess I will just have to "associate" to get it right, after mispronouncing "recce" like "reese" all these years. Like, f'rinstance, since the Martin Maryland was used as a reconnaissance aircraft, I can retain my correct pronunciation by thinking of:

"Recce Martin"

>Belated congratulations for this single-seater invention, nice!<

Though I will take congratulations anywhere, anytime, for any reason, I think in this case it is "premature" instead of "belated". I haven't even cut plastic yet. Thanks anyway, Tophe.

And, as far as an "announcement" goes, I have to declare a modeling hiatus (what ate us?), again for travel.  Mid-October I will resumagumo my Yamagumo.

[dy031101]

The single-seat version seems to SCREAM for a fighter variant, but I will leave that to others.

I have seen a few people agreeing with the first part as far as Suisei is concerned: (1) (2) 

[sequoiaranger]

I love the two renditions of the Suisei fighter (too bad I can't read Japanese). Thanks for sharing those.

Interesting that there are really not many (can you think of any others?) two-seat, single-engined bombers that would be decent candidates for fighters.  

A single-seat Curtiss Helldiver?, Stuka?, Barracuda?, Shturmovik (though there was a single-seat version)?  They all seem to pale in comparison, concept-wise. I would think it would be the other way around--a potent, large, single-seat fighter being turned into a two-seater (perhaps like my existing Grumman Gander, or upcoming Hawker Henley-made-from-Tempests or Ta-152T Two-seater).

The only Suisei "fighter" actually made (with Schrage-Musik type guns in the back seat) as a potential bomber-destroyer was a failure. But the Suisei had small size and reasonable speed as a light bomber. Maybe outfit it with a license-built DB-603 or something...?

[dy031101]

Interesting that there are really not many (can you think of any others?) two-seat, single-engined bombers that would be decent candidates for fighters.  

A single-seat Curtiss Helldiver?, Stuka?, Barracuda?, Shturmovik (though there was a single-seat version)?  They all seem to pale in comparison, concept-wise. I would think it would be the other way around--a potent, large, single-seat fighter being turned into a two-seater (perhaps like my existing Grumman Gander, or upcoming Hawker Henley-made-from-Tempests or Ta-152T Two-seater).

The only Suisei "fighter" actually made (with Schrage-Musik type guns in the back seat) as a potential bomber-destroyer was a failure. But the Suisei had small size and reasonable speed as a light bomber. Maybe outfit it with a license-built DB-603 or something...?

Aichi B7A Ryusei is said to have bested some versions of the A6M even in its torpedo bomber form.

M6A and Ju-87 both look rather fighter-like, too.  I did wonder how the M6A would have performed compared to the Kyofu (sounds ambitious I know) if pressed into fighter roles.

[sequoiaranger]

>I did wonder how the M6A would have performed compared to the Kyofu (sounds ambitious I know) if pressed into fighter roles.<

For a hint how a souped-up M6A might perform, see my He-113 Mittlesee!   

But the real M6A was "only" a 300mph aircraft in l945--WAY too slow to be a fighter. Take off the floats and we still would have only about a 340mph beast in a 400mph+ fighter environment. Even the Ki-61's with the best Daimler-Benz knock-off engine the Japanese could muster were unreliable. Very Good if everything went right.

>Aichi B7A Ryusei is said to have bested some versions of the A6M even in its torpedo bomber form.<

The Ryusei is another decent 2-seat attack aircraft for 1945, but NOT a 400mph+ plane like it would meet (OK--the Hellcats were only getting CLOSE to 400mph, but still should run rings around a Ryusei). The A6M by the time the Ryusei would have been operational was a sad shell of its former glory. The contemporary of the B7A, the A7M "Reppu" was far superior to the Ryusei, IMHO.
As for the Stuka....

[dy031101]

>I did wonder how the M6A would have performed compared to the Kyofu (sounds ambitious I know) if pressed into fighter roles.<

For a hint how a souped-up M6A might perform, see my He-113 Mittlesee!    

But the real M6A was "only" a 300mph aircraft in l945--WAY too slow to be a fighter. Take off the floats and we still would have only about a 340mph beast in a 400mph+ fighter environment. Even the Ki-61's with the best Daimler-Benz knock-off engine the Japanese could muster were unreliable. Very Good if everything went right.

Would they have been able to duplicate the effect of the Ki-100 by doing an engine swap for the Kinsei instead?

Oh actually it would appear that an engine swap might give it an improvement everywhere except for speed......  

You're right, it might need a better inline engine...... one that they might not be able to build a reliable copy from......

The Ryusei is another decent 2-seat attack aircraft for 1945, but NOT a 400mph+ plane like it would meet (OK--the Hellcats were only getting CLOSE to 400mph, but still should run rings around a Ryusei). The A6M by the time the Ryusei would have been operational was a sad shell of its former glory. The contemporary of the B7A, the A7M "Reppu" was far superior to the Ryusei, IMHO.

I've for quite some time thought that the torpedo-armed fighter concept was more meaningful to the Japanese to the other axis powers.

As for the Stuka....

I know, look is all it had when facing fighters.

[sequoiaranger]

Just got back from a 3-week vacation (traveling-type) and went right to work on the Yamagumo, having mulled over concepts and procedures whilst gazing at the sea flowing by my stateroom balcony off Prince Edward Island. For the craft, I needed to "operate" on the top and bottom of the fuselage, so I had to cement the sides together first, trusting that my operation on the top and bottom would provide enough room to insert a pilot and cockpit later.

The first picture shows my "color profile" that is slightly inaccurate, now, anyway:



Here below are the components that I hashed out to fulfill the "single-seater Judy" concept in plastic. I had thought of moving the pilot's position slightly aft (as I had done for the profile) but instead kept it where it was originally, and just eliminated the G.I.B.'s position [A]. I wanted to keep the Suisei's canopy look as much as possible. When I first conceived the craft, that was the case, but when I photoshopped the color profile, it had a "turtleback" instead because that was the easiest thing to do with the Photoshop-type program I had. I like the semi-bubble I came up with for the actual model. I cut off the pilot's canopy from the regular Suisei, and experimented with where I should cut back the GIB position (B).

Moving the rear part of the canopy up, it didn't match, and I had a big, empty space there. I *CAREFULLY* cut the support for the rear of the canopy, re-shaped it a bit [C], and then needed something to fill in the gap. Looking to my Northrop N3B [E] that I had hacked up for the (upcoming) Super-Judy, I noticed that the rear fuselage seemed to have the same tapers and thickness. AHA! So I cut out a piece and shaped it (not entirely done with that yet--needs a bit of finishing work) [D].

Also, my concept for a semi-recessed fuel tank turned out easier than I thought (now THERE'S a switch!), so I made the tapered-oval bay in the bottom of the Judy's wing part [F]. It will look much like the color profile's wing drop tank if only you "painted" the fuselage over the top and middle of the drop tank (see three photos below).



So here is what the cockpit area looks like dry-fitted together and before making minor adjustments:



Now here is another doctored version, with the canopy/fuel mods, but remember that the final product will be in light gray:



Next I will turn the beast over and work on cutting out the space for the recon cameras and ports, AND a special fixture to keep the lenses from getting smeared with engine products.

[Pablo1965]

Really faithfull to the profile....nice plane.

[Taiidantomcat]

Nice work!!  Very well thought out!