The myth of low Japanese aircraft quality, even well into 1945, is just that: A myth. Same with the engine reliability, fuel and maintenance: Fighter units, or at least the Ki-84s units for sure, were ensured 90 octane fuels all the way into 1945, maybe even to the end, and recon units had 100... Problems like the gear legs of the N1K1 breaking were due either to the engineering conception or the maintenance, not the inherent build quality, or they resulted from the unfamiliar engineering problems of seals on the inline engine Ki-61. True, overstressed maintenance crews could let non-essential things slip, like the tightness of the rigging on the control surfaces, but many tired P-47s were flown just as sloppy. There were probably all still better than the heavy two-handed controls of a P-51...
Even the reliability of the Ki-84 was not that major of an issue, unless the pilot had exceeded the recommended power limit in combat (which could mean an overhaul). That limit, based on captured pilot statements, meant a modest top speed of around 640 km/h with Japanese fuels combined with MW-50 (which was integral to its use). It is true the Ki-84 was delicately built in its service panels, and had engine accessories of lower durability compared to the US standard, so under rough field conditions the Ki-84 was not as easy to maintain as the FW-190A... But to say that it was junk because of this is to reveal a bias. The Ki-84 did have too small a prop, which reduced its speed and climb rate to much lower values than expected, but that was baked into the design by the gear length, and not the mythical issue of build quality.
The same thing is often done with late War German tanks, detractors often seizing upon a small irrelevant fact, like the lack of a particular steel alloy, or a biased Russian test, to say late War German armor was of poor quality. What they fail to get is that heat treatment matters far more than alloy content, and that all German armor featured a unique rear-hardening process, which maximized first shot resistance at the expense of subsequent shot resistance. The Russians, knowing this, used the Tiger II's own gun at point blank range for the first test shot, then claimed poor performance on the subsequent shots with Russian guns... See how this works?
Why are those claims of poor quality so persistent and widespread (When in truth they might apply to the last few weeks of the conflict, at best)? Because some people are politically uncomfortable with authoritarian regimes producing anything that appears like it "might" be technically superior, hence the particular focus on the Ki-84 or the German big cats. They then try to find "technical" sounding reasons to support their bias, ignoring that these authoritarian regimes were fighting with 1% or 2% of the fuel output of the US alone... It really boils down to not much more than that.
name, e-mail, 10.05.2023 13:02
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jonn1, e-mail, 21.01.2023 08:27
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name, e-mail, 12.09.2021 11:43
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name, e-mail, 11.09.2021 23:55
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name, e-mail, 11.09.2021 23:54
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 23:03
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 14:46
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jonn3, e-mail, 06.08.2021 14:11
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 13:45
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jonn3, e-mail, 06.08.2021 12:54
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 12:29
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 12:29
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jonn3, e-mail, 06.08.2021 12:04
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 12:03
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 11:38
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jonn3, e-mail, 06.08.2021 11:12
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jonn3, e-mail, 06.08.2021 11:12
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 10:46
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 10:46
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jonn3, e-mail, 06.08.2021 10:21
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 09:55
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 09:54
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jonn3, e-mail, 06.08.2021 09:27
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 09:26
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 09:00
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 09:00
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 08:34
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jonn3, e-mail, 06.08.2021 08:34
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 07:39
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 07:38
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 07:12
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 07:12
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 06:48
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jonn3, e-mail, 06.08.2021 06:47
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 06:22
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 06:22
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 05:57
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 05:57
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jonn2, e-mail, 06.08.2021 05:33
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 05:33
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jonn1, e-mail, 06.08.2021 05:07
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jonn3, e-mail, 06.08.2021 05:07
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Ron, e-mail, 06.10.2014 12:10
The Nick interceptor had the same Cannons as the faster Dinah had on theirs but in reverse, which was unsuccessful. Too bad the Ki 46 didn't just followed what worked on the Ki 45 so well.
Hiroyuki Takeuchi, e-mail, 23.03.2012 10:40
Although the Schräge Musik, and the Japanese oblique cannons share the concept, it seems to have been born out of necessity to fight against the tough US bombers and unrelated to each other in origin.
PeoriaGuy, e-mail, 16.12.2011 07:33
I wish that someone still made this model. I have built Nichimo models before and their quality was very good, especially considering it was 25 years ago the last one was made! Will be looking for this model. Gotta have it-it was a good plane, just lesser known one.
Angela, 20.06.2011 10:52
All the pilots in the squadron wanted to fly it but the powers that be refused permission. I did take a couple of pictures of it. There were also a couple of Bettys on the strip but they were damaged beyond repair.
Ken K., e-mail, 14.04.2011 23:38
Neat plane. I find it particularly interesting that the night fighter variant employed the German jazz music concept, the upward angled guns for use against bombers.
Ian, e-mail, 08.10.2010 23:51
Paul, I agree with you on that. The majority of Japanese planes do look very similar at first glance. They seem to be one of the least documented too. This site is a treasure trove of info for aircraft anoraks like me.
paul scott, e-mail, 10.09.2009 23:41
If it's not considered a joke, a lot of Japanese aircraft do look the same, however, on closer inspection, they are all unique. This one was a neat little 'plane too!
Mick Dunne, e-mail, 23.11.2008 08:21
Incidentally, much is made of the performance of US aircraft vis a vis Japanese types during WWII... To put things into perspective, air combat is not the same thing as Pylon Racing! Anyone that ACTUALLY flew Corsairs and Hellcats against Japanese facilities in Japan and its occupied territories soon realised that even at attack speeds of 400mph, a bunch of Nicks and Tojos joining combat from all angles at 350mph caused a whole bunch of trouble for the attackers! Engagements could be measured in seconds!
Mick Dunne, e-mail, 23.11.2008 08:10
Interesting observations Carl! Pity you guys didn't get to fly one...I know some ex RAAF pilots that got to fly Tachikawa Ki54 Hickory comunications aircraft as Squadron Hacks. They LOVED the plane! Very reluctant to give them up...
Sgt.KAR98, 04.04.2008 03:48
This plane looks great as Bf-110,althought the Zerstorer looks to have more firepower and the Ki-45,more agility
Mick Dunne, e-mail, 29.12.2007 04:27
Interesting comment about the build quality of the Nick! Historians seem to love rubbishing this plane...in fact, it was a very good design, it was well built and used most capably by its pilots. In the end it was NUMBERS rather than fighting qualities that proved to be its nemesis!
wilfredo alvarado, e-mail, 23.12.2007 18:09
I am a Giant scale R/C freak, and I wopuld like to build one KI 45.
But I need three views with cutaway sections, whera can I find them?
regards
Wilfredo
Carl Michels, e-mail, 08.06.2007 18:09
I was a Navy pilot in WWII and first saw a Nick fighter in a hangar at NAS Alameda before I left for the Pacific area. My impression of the aircraft was that it was lovingly constructed and must have taken lots of personal handiwork in its construction. I compared it to an F6F which was hangared next to the Nick, which looked like it had been put together in a great hurry, which was true since we turned out thousands of them in a relatively short time. Later, I was able to see another Nick up close which was left on the strip in perfect condition on the island of Palawan in the Philippines. All the pilots in the squadron wanted to fly it but the powers that be refused permission. I did take a couple of pictures of it. There were also a couple of Bettys on the strip but they were damaged beyond repair.
