"Zeb" Twin-Engined Zero

[PACOPEPE]

I like it too. It seems to Beaufigther or XP-50. Perhaps, i´d elongated the fuselage; al least untill the propeller.

Anyway, very well done. I imagine the camo like the Kawasaki Nick; mottled dark green.......

Have you seen the "twin Zero" that appear in "Whif´s you have found...."?.


Cheers
Fran

[Taiidantomcat]

Awesome pictures! I think it looks great, Very purposeful 

[sequoiaranger]

>I like it too. It seems to Beaufigther or XP-50.<
Thanks. The Beaufighter, though, is HUGE in comparison. More like the Grumman F5F/XP-50 was my intention.

>Perhaps, i´d elongated the fuselage; al least untill the propeller.<
I wanted the "stubby" look, only as long in front of the cockpit as the actual Zero (though the tail section is a tad longer than the Zero's). With such a heavy armament, and the weight of two engines, I can't see unbalancing the CG more by moving the guns farther forward (then "we" would need a nosewheel and a LOT more elevator!).

>I imagine the camo like the Kawasaki Nick; mottled dark green....Have you seen the "twin Zero" that appear in "Whif´s you have found...."?<
Scroll down to the very first post in this thread---the "whif" pic is there, as well as the "Thai-grr" camo/markings I will use. I have had a twin-Zero in mind for decades, and was delighted that such a similar twin appeared illustrated in the Manga comic.

>Awesome pictures! I think it looks great, Very purposeful<
Thanks. If only we knew what that purpose was!    But that will be in the backstory, still forming.

[Alvis 3.14159]

There's something very purposeful looking aboot this. Coming along nicely, I'll most likely enjoy the finished result.

Alvis Pi

[sequoiaranger]

Here are two comparative photographs of my "Misago" (Zeb) and a RW Zero and whiffed F5F. The angle of the photograph elongates a little. The RW Zero and my Misago fuselage are about the same length (the nose being truncated a little, and the tail lengthened a little). Despite the appearance due to the photography angle, the wingspan of the F5F is slightly MORE than the Misago and the length of the Misago is slightly MORE than the F5F (actually I was a bit surpised by how close was the similarity). I actually think the Misago is more dimensionally "balanced" than the F5F.

[kitbasher]

Quite a pugnacious beastie!
Having not visited this thread before I read the FW187/Tigercat/Hornet debate with interest, having just finished reading tony Buttler's book on the Sea Fury.  One of the featured Sea Fury pilots reckoned there was very little difference performance-wise between the Hornet and the Sea Fury.  Basically both had their strengths and weaknesses but were very good performers and both were proved in combat - although the Hornet wasn't challenged in the air as the Sea Fury was over Korea.  Test pilot Eric Brown is also recorded as saying there was very, very little between the Bearcat and the Sea Fury; probably misquoting but I recall his saying that the former had the edge in some respects, the latter in other.

[Pablo1965]

The "Twin engine Zero" is a cool idea as I said, and it seems completely plausible, his dimensions are proportionality perfect.
A question:
Does The props rotate in opposite directions?

[Brian da Basher]

Those pics fill me with delight and amazement, SR! You've definitely captured that often elusive Japanese quality and the dimensional closeness to both the Zero and the F5F turn your Zeb from a What-If to Should've-Been!

Brian da Basjer

[sequoiaranger]

>Quite a pugnacious beastie!<

Yes, I have a soft spot in my heart for pugnacious little twins like the Westland Whirlwind, F5F, etc.  Despite later single-engined aircraft having the same horsepower, there is just SOMETHING about these twins.

>Does The props rotate in opposite directions?<

Not on this one. I had thought of that, but of the "famous" early-war twins, only the Lockheed P-38 had "handed" props. The later DH Hornet had "handed" props, but the F7F did not. I don't believe ANY Japanese twin had the "handed" [edit--found that the J1N1 "Gekko" prototype was designed with such props, but they were discarded for all other Gekkos], so it wouldn't be "necessary" for the Misago. Also, though I have a plethora of spare props, I do not have another pair that match in shape AND are "handed". I used such a pair on my "He-1062 Newt", but that was a fluke, and the only such pair I had. Oops, I *DO* have a pair (from a P-38, co-incidentally) that I intend to use on a future twin-engined P-40.

I discovered I have more PSR to do than I thought (filling in the "trenches" in the SBD tail to more closely match the fine detail of the Dinah fuselage).

Regarding camo, I think I am going to take my "cues" from the Alligator lizard (anyone see a "reptilian" theme going here lately with my whifs??), and make "zig-zags" of the "Thai" colors rather than ragged 45-degree lines as shown in the Ki.43 profile.



I think "white" is too bright for the lightest color, so will substitute the light-green-gray similar to early-war IJN aircraft for the underside and the lightest flecks on the topside. I also think I am going to substitute black for the "white" on the inner cowl sides and nose, as "anti-glare" protection. We'll see.

[sequoiaranger]

While searching for Japanese twin-engined aircraft with "handed" props (found only the prototype J1N1 Gekko---subsequent aircraft despensed with them), I came upon this Tachikawa Ki. 97 "Patsy" bomber that has much the same look as my Misago.  That is, it features a blunt nose, "Dauntless" tail, and single-person canopy. Granted, the nose extends beyond the propellor line, and of course overall it is a much larger and heavier aircraft, but nonetheless it is shaped somewhat similarly. FWIW.



In fact, If I shorten the wings and pull the nose and canopy back with Photoshop, the result is REMARKABLY like the Misago:

[Taiidantomcat]

That is cool I always thought the Patsy looked interesting 

[sequoiaranger]

Here is the pilot sitting in the Misago--note sight ring on "dashboard". I have a little touch-up/fill-in to the canopy area, then the masking goes on and you won't see the pilot again until all the painting/decalling is done. The pilot is wearing an orange-ish suit because it is Thursday (where he is), and orange is a lucky color to wear on Thursdays in Thailand (red on Sunday is lucky---why Tiger Woods and his Thai mother are almost always seen on Sunday in red). The eventual number on the side will be the Thai numbers for "94" because "9" is lucky, AND...(if only this was a recce machine) the pronunciation of "nine" and "four" is "Gao See"! (It is conveniently coincidental that both the "9" and the "4" have an "elephant trunk"-like look!)

[sequoiaranger]

Well, to re-visit temporarily the camo that was my inspiration:


I wanted to do something similar, but break up the long "grain" lines with perpendiculars, so here is what I came up with:


The green and gray is all hand-painted (airbrushed red-brown base coat) and looks just a little sloppy in places, but the Ki.43 from which I took my inspiration is also hand-painted and sloppy in places, so I am in good company. The brown on my model is a little redder than it looks in the photo, but I really like the effect. I *MAY* overpaint the gray streaks in the "anti-glare" areas of the nacelles and nose with black instead. Maybe. *NOW* this is getting *FUN*!!

[Taiidantomcat]

Excellent work! How long did that take?   

[Pablo1965]

Wow, nice, really nice.