Yokosuka P2Y Tenousei High Speed Medium Bomber: Finished Pics Page 8.

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.

Should be finished by Monday.

[zenrat]

OK, Tuesday.

Yokosuka P2Y Tenousei

Yokosuka P2Y Tenousei - 22 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

When the RAAF started operating the De Havilland Mosquito over Papua New Guinea and Burma, the hierarchy of the Imperial Japanese Navy took an interest in them, issuing orders that intact examples be obtained using whatever means necessary.
As aircraft were obtained (forced landings in paddy fields proved to provide relatively undamaged, albeit unairworthy airframes) they were shipped to Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal for study.

Yokosuka P2Y Tenousei - 10 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

By 1943 the IJN, decided they had looked at enough muddy Mosquitoes and issued specification 18 Shi for an unarmed high speed bomber.
Miki Tadanao drew up the P2Y for the Naval Air Technical Arsenal taking the aircrafts streamlining a stage further than his earlier P1Y Ginga.  In order to conserve strategically scarce metals he took guidance from the damp De Havillands he had observed, making the wings of wooden construction.  The fuselage consisted of a steel frame skinned with plywood.  All panel gaps were puttied and smoothed to reduce drag as much as possible.  Power was provided by two Nakajima Ha 303 Chujitsu 27 cylinder three row radials.  These were still under development but Nakajima promised 3000hp.  A crew of three was carried with the pilot sitting in the extreme nose behind streamlined glazing.  Navigator and Radio Operator/Bomb Aimer sat in an enclosed cabin behind the pilot with the Bomb Aimer moving to a prone position alongside the pilot when required.  Accommodations were very cramped with space and comfort sacrificed in order to achieve as low a fuselage cross section as possible.  Pilots egress in particular was extremely awkward requiring him to leave his seat and move through a hatch into the cabin before exiting the aircraft through a floor hatch.  Something he would be unlikely to manage when baling out.

Yokosuka P2Y Tenousei - 5 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Yokosuka P2Y Tenousei - 19 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Named Tenousei (Uranus), the prototype flew in late 1944 achieving 475 mph before the engines caught fire.  The second prototype showed that provided two thirds throttle wasn't exceeded, the aircraft could cruise at 420mph carrying a one ton load without the engines overheating too badly.  IJN high command demanded Nakajima build aircraft for a development squadron which would work to solve the engines issues whilst operating against the enroaching allied forces.  This wasn't to happen.  Just a single aircraft had been built at war's end but it had not been signed off as being fit for operational use and was seized when Victorian troops occupied the Yokosuka area.  Shipped back to the People's Democratic Republic of Victoria it has been a long term exhibit at the Dadswell Bridge Museum of Flight.  Initially kept in flying condition (with strict throttle opening limits applied) it was grounded and placed on static display in 1953 when it was discovered the glue laminating the plywood skin was de-bonding.

Yokosuka P2Y Tenousei - 24 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

In 1990 the museum's managing committee took it off display with the aim of restoring it to flying condition for the 50th anniversary of VJ day in 1996.  The complete aircraft was thoroughly overhauled before being reskinned with modern plywood.  It was finished in a "what-if" hypothetical in-service paint scheme and took part in the PDRV's victory commemorations over the Shrine of Remembrance in Batmania on the VJ day holiday in 1996, completing the flypast on one engine after the starboard unit overheated badly and had to be shut down.
It remains in the museums collection where it is regularly flown.

Yokosuka P2Y Tenousei - 3 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The Model

Inspired by a pic cross posted from BTS, and Old Wombats flat-top high speed Mitchell.
Airfix Dornier Do 217.
Italeri B-25 nose glazing and vertical tails.
Parts box cowlings (possibly Supermodel Savoia Marchetti SM81).
Scratchbuilt nose gear.

Yokosuka P2Y Tenousei - 25 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[PR19_Kit]

Absolutely the BUSINESS Fred. 

And the backstory is terrific, specially the later bits about it ending up in Victoria. 

[Scotaidh]

Very nice!  I've never seen that camo pattern before - I like it. 

As I was looking at your beauty pics, I suddenly flashed on a similar treatment for a Ju-88 as a high-speed nightfighter. 

[NARSES2]

That's come out really well Fred, particularly like the back story 

[ChernayaAkula]

Great design!  Cool camo! 

[rickshaw]

Nice!   

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.
Appreciate it.

[AndrewF]

Superb.

[chrisonord]

I keep looking at this  and  admiring it  Fred? It looks absolutely  bob on.  The back  story  is brilliant if only for the  zenrat grade dry humour 
Chris

[comrade harps]

Stunning 

[Old Wombat]

Awesome, Fred! Absolutely stunning!

[ericr]

beautiful pattern !

[su27rules]

Nice!!

[zenrat]

Thank you very much everyone.

The camo scheme became more an artwork than a paintjob and in the end I couldn't bring myself to weather it so I had to make the back story reflect the relatively pristine finish.
I wish I have found room to include the phrases "boggy bomber" and "moist merlins".