Nakajima Ki-44 CGI Project

[Shinpachi]

Thanks Wayne, Merv and Thor for checking!

I made the engine first in my CGI two months ago but, when I attempted to mount it into the airframe which I made based on the 3-view drawings introduced in FAOTW and Maru Mechanic, the engine was too large to fit inside the cowl. As the engine size could be accurate, I doubted the drawings to remake them from the beginning.

I understood that a rough-look fuselage illustration introduced in the original operation manual is telling the original shape, a carrot shape, very well. A nice harvest for me.

 

[Wurger]

Excellent !!!

 

[fubar57]

A great new project Shinpachi.

Geo

 

[evangilder]

 

[Gnomey]

Excellent work shinpachi!

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks for checking, Wojtek, Geo, Eric and Gnomey.
My work goes on

 

[vikingBerserker]

Man, that is just amazing!

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks, David for checking too

The Engine Nakajima Ha-109 was originally designed for the bomber Ki-49 with larger bore and stroke than the other ones for fighters.
The Ki-44 airframe might not have looked smart but very powerful with the small-look canopy.

Ha-109 engine was a twin-row version of single-row Nakajima's Kotobuki series.
Kotobuki came from Bristol Jupiter with the same bore 146mm and the stroke 160mm.

It was 130mm x 150mm for other ordinary fighters like Zero, Ki-43, Ki-84 or N1K2 Shiden-kai.

 

[Shinpachi]

Almost final shape of the airframe with the engine and the propeller in size of 3,200mm diameter traced from old picture but standard size was 3,000mm. I think the 3,200mm came from Ki-49 bomber for torque testing.

My work of the landing gear at the moment with the drawings I referred to. Retractor, cover and wires will be added soon.

Thanks!

 

[GrauGeist]

Shinpachi-san, I see that you've started a new project and of course, I will be following the progress with great interest!

I have to ask, what do you do about the discrepancy between the measurements when compared against the Maru data, the wind tunnel model and such? Do you decide on an average and go from there?

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks GG for kind comment and good question.

If discrepancy found, I will respect the wind tunnel model because Maru or FAOTW did not know it when published in the 1970s or 80s. The model was discovered in the University of Tokyo just several years ago and I think the shape coincides with the old manual and photos well.

Your question always gets to the point, GG

 

[Shinpachi]

Researching with the keywords "Ki-44 wind tunnel model" in Google, I am surprised at the result that I may be the almost first guy who introduced it outside Japan and, of course, you may be the first people who have known it. I wonder if my key words are inappropriate.

 

[Wurger]

I don't think your key words are inappropriate. Why do you think that?

 

[Shinpachi]

I don't think your key words are inappropriate. Why do you think that?

Thanks for your comment, Wojtek.
I wondered because I thought not a few people had already known about the Ki-44 wind tunnel model as it's old news.
OK. We are the first people who talked about it in the world

 

[Wurger]

Oh I see. I was thinking you was talking about the screen above and the place of the signature there what can be associated with making of the topic more widely known. My Google shows it at the third place but when switched to the Internet option your thread is displayed at the top as the first one. Anyway it is a great work my friend.

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks again, Wojtek.
I understand that no one has ever introduced it before.
This is great.

 

[Wurger]

You are right methinks. Again bravo for the topic.

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks Wojtek.

This is the old wind tunnel laboratory in the University of Tokyo.
Facilities do not look destroyed by the Allies unlike other military ones.

Direct link to the site

 

[Wurger]

Very interesting. THX for sharing. Is that a kind of a museum now?

 

[GrauGeist]

Shinpachi, I have searched using a few different combinations of KI-44, windtunnel, test, wooden model and so on, with the results always coming back with this thread here regarding your CGI project at the top of the results!