Which is the best-looking Japanese fighter of WWII?

[spicmart]

The Ki-84 kind of had faintly negatively swept wings if you look closely at the forward leading edge.
Just like the P-40.

I wonder if that had any advantages.

 

[Shortround6]

Do you have an official or even published source for this or is it just from looking at pictures?

 

[spicmart]

Just looking at pictures and building models of them.

 

[Shortround6]

Just looking at pictures and building models of them.

"America's Hundred Thousand" says that the P-40 had 1 degree, 19 minutes of wing sweep. Darn near straight but certainly not negative sweep.

 

[spicmart]

What is the definition of negative sweep?

 

[Robert Porter]

Wikipedia lists it as "The Nakajima Ki 43 is notable for being the only successful fighter aircraft with a truly forward-swept wing, although the forward sweep of its leading edge is nearly unnoticeable."

Forward-swept wing - Wikipedia

We all know you can't trust Wikipedia but the citations listed look legit. And it is the 43 not 83

 

[spicmart]

I meant the Nakajima Ki-84 "Frank", not the Ki-83.
Being also a Nakajima design you can look at some drawings and japanese model company designed (I think Hasegawa should know) aircraft models that the Frank did have some negative swept wing leading edges albeit just very slightly.

 

[tomo pauk]

I've tried to superimpose a line over the leading edges of both Ki-43 and Ki-84, result being both leading edges have zero sweep, wheter forward or backward.
The Wikipedia quote seems missing now.

 

[Robert Porter]

The reference does state that the sweep was not very noticeable. "although the forward sweep of its leading edge is nearly unnoticeable". Not sure where we could get design drawings, at least I have not found any on the web yet.

 

[Sir Percy Ware-Armitage]

My favorite is the Kyushu J7W Shinden.

 

[spicmart]

Mitsubishi Ki-83, a direct descendant of the Ki-46 "Dinah", one of the most elegant twin engined aircraft of WW2.
And it (Ki-83) had the performance to back up its killer beauty.

 

[Zippythehog]

Forward sweep reduces wingtip vortices and hence drag. Low airspeed roll control is enhanced for the same reason-spanwise airflow.

 

[HBPencil]

The Ki-84 for me. It has clean, well proportioned lines like the Oscar and Zero but with a stronger hint of utilitarian aggressiveness... in other words it looks more bad-ass

 

[MDriskill]

Another Tony vote...though, as a group, I think the Japanese had the best-looking fighter force overall of any WW2 nation! The Oscar, Tojo, Frank, Ki-100, George, and Jack have all been among my faves since I was a kid.

I believe the Oscar, Tojo, and Frank all had a straight wing leading edge, though with the pronounced dihedral, they can appear to be slightly forward-swept from some angles.