# Mitsubishi J8M 'Shusui' at the Mitsubishi showroom



## Shinpachi (Dec 3, 2010)

I am pleased to introduce a dozen of detailed photos of Mitsubishi J8M Shusui at the Mitsubishi showroom in four times by courtesy of one of my best local friends 'Okachan' in my hometown Sendai City.

Please enjoy!

Thank you, Okachan!


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## timshatz (Dec 3, 2010)

Man, you gotta be crazy brave to fly that thing. No two ways about it.


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## Shinpachi (Dec 3, 2010)

The first, and eventually last, test flight was taken place on July 7, 1945 to crash...


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 3, 2010)

Very cool!!


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## timshatz (Dec 3, 2010)

Shinpachi said:


> The first, and eventually last, test flight was taken place on July 7, 1945 to crash...



Figures. The fuel is the stuff that worries me. I can deal with the bird being a handful, but the idea that your fuel is trying to eat it's way through the tank and dissolve the pilot (that would be me) is just too much. 

Nah, pass on that one.


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## Gnomey (Dec 3, 2010)

Nice shots!

Think I would also pass on flying it though...


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## Micdrow (Dec 3, 2010)

Great shots!!!


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## Shinpachi (Dec 3, 2010)

Thanks for so generous comments, guys
Here are next three.

I'm glad to see you again Micdrow!


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## Shinpachi (Dec 4, 2010)

The tail landing gear and the engine.

The 4-view drawing is quoted from "Illustrated Warplane History 8th edition -
The Xplanes of Imperial Japanese Army Navy 1924-45" published by Green Arrow Publishing Co., Ltd. Tokyo, Japan in 1999.


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## Shinpachi (Dec 4, 2010)

And last three.

Thank you very much!


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## Maximowitz (Dec 4, 2010)

Absolutely fantastic! A "Komet" from the rising sun.


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## ccheese (Dec 4, 2010)

Great pic's, thanks Shinpachi-san...

Charles


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## Wayne Little (Dec 4, 2010)

Fantastic pics Shinpachi, thanks for sharing.....curious as to that top colour green though.....


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## Shinpachi (Dec 4, 2010)

Thank you very much and you are welcome, guys!

I need some more time to research her color scheme by myself, Wayne, but the green would have been a plan.

For your further curiousity, let me attach a pdf file of all drawings quoted from the magazine.

Thanks.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Dec 4, 2010)

Excellent shots on a very interesting aircraft Shinpachi! Nice job sir.


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## Shinpachi (Dec 4, 2010)

Thank you, Aaron!
My friend is happy


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## Maximowitz (Dec 5, 2010)

My friend, that PDF is excellent!

There's a new book out on JG 400 - it might be interesting for you to read it and imagine what might have been had the J8M made it into service with Japanese Air Force.


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## wheelsup_cavu (Dec 5, 2010)

Great pictures Shinpachi. 

Not to sidetrack but Planes of Fame has one on static display.
It is painted an _off"_ yellowish orange instead of green.
It's hard to get good pictures of it because they have it hanging from their ceiling between several items.











Wheels


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## Shinpachi (Dec 6, 2010)

Maximowitz said:


> My friend, that PDF is excellent!
> 
> There's a new book out on JG 400 - it might be interesting for you to read it and imagine what might have been had the J8M made it into service with Japanese Air Force.



Thanks for your kind information about the book, Paul!
As I have introduced in my another thread, here is a real engine for Me-163 in my neighborhood museum.
JG 400 story will sound more real for me.





wheelsup_cavu said:


> Great pictures Shinpachi.
> 
> Not to sidetrack but Planes of Fame has one on static display.
> It is painted an _off"_ yellowish orange instead of green.
> ...



Thank you very much, wheelsup_cavu, for your nice follow-up!


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## Shinpachi (Dec 6, 2010)

Walter HWK509A-2r rocket engine for Me163B circa 1943.


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## otftch (Dec 6, 2010)

Great photos. Thanks. I didn't know here were any left.
Ed


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## Shinpachi (Dec 6, 2010)

You are welcome, otftch.

This engine was gifted to Modern Transportation Museum in Osaka by USAF in 1970 together with a set of XLR-11-RM-5 rocket engine for the Bell X-1.


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## SirWellington (Dec 14, 2010)

Hello everyone!!!

Great photos and great PDF. !!!!! Do you by chance have any other PDF.s like this one or can show me a link to some more


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## Shinpachi (Dec 15, 2010)

Yes, I have hundreds of pdf files.
Welcome to the forum, SirWellington.


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## SirWellington (Dec 15, 2010)

Thanks! But I think you can just call me Alex.


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## vampirella (Feb 1, 2011)

Hello Shinpachi-san!

This is all great information and great pictures of The J8M!

But what about this color? Is there any information available on what basis this color was chosen for the restoration?

it is so striking unusual. 
thanks for any inpu here


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## Shinpachi (Feb 1, 2011)

Light green was the scheduled color for the production type.
Orange was for the prototype.

Light green is said being introduced in the local book "日本航空機大図鑑(The Japanese Air Craft Visual Collection 1910-1945 published by Kokusyo Kankokai)".

No more detailed information at the moment.


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## vampirella (Feb 1, 2011)

So this is a color which was scheduled for future production to replace the dark green in general (also other planes) or was it special for the 
J8M?

interesting! never heared that before.

is the book stating a reference document where this is coming from?

as others are also interested in the matter I will spread that news if you don't mind.

arigato!


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## Shinpachi (Feb 1, 2011)

You are welcome, vampirella.
No further information for me at the moment as I do not like to comment on my guess but you may spread it as that is the common knowledge among the scale modellers in Japan.

The book is hard to come by today as publish discontinued.
Acording to my quick research, some local libraries are keeping the book of 3 volumes. I'm going to visit one of them in the future.

Thanks!


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## Shinpachi (Feb 2, 2011)

So this is the book.
Technical information was gathered by the author, Toshihiko Ogawa, as a former IJA officer and aircraft engineer during the war and after the war.


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## vampirella (Feb 3, 2011)

arigato gosaimasu, Shinpachi-san!!

wonderful. It is interesting that he was an officer himself, first hand information is very valuable.

actually one question remains to me - is this color mentioned for the J8M alone or does he say that the light green was supposed to be the future standard color for new aircraft, superseding the dark green?!

on the other hand... the depiction of the A6M colors seems a bit off compared to the latest findings. especially the "white" is way too white for what seems to have been the correct color from what I have found on the internet. the dark green seems not dark enough to me. But then, I am an amateur when it comes to such things


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## Shinpachi (Feb 3, 2011)

You are welcome, vampirella.
I'm glad if my information may be useful for you.

The rocket fighter "Shusui" project was a joint-development of army and navy.
J8M1 was navy's designation. For army, it was Ki-200. The book identifys the light green Shusui as Ki-200, so I think the color would probably have been for the army service.

The author, Toshihiko Ogawa, also says that the color definition was not necessarily so strict as the allies. Therefore, he often found out different green or grey on the same model of aircraft during the war. He says these colors in the book are based on his 'own' experience during the war and research after the war.

Thanks.


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## vampirella (Feb 4, 2011)

I didn't want to push anyone in that directin but the Army color thing also crossed my mind at some point in the past... I am happy to see someone like you having the same idea. Interesting taht the version in the Museum is a Navy version, weapons and all...

actually that statement of the author regarding "experienced" color vs. western style cathegorized colors is interesting. I have made the experience that also todays modelling community in japan approaches the matter somewaht differently that the american counterparts (being european I may feel free to chose what fits me best).

Thanks for your superfast insights into this book which would not be available or even known otherwise. 
ご支援いただきありがとうございます


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## Shinpachi (Feb 4, 2011)

どういたしましてvampirellaさん。
お役に立てて光栄です。

You are welcome, vampirella.
It's my honor to have supported you.
Thanks


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