Tachikawa's Ki-36 "Ida"

 

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ki-36 Type -98 kai

 

Posted By: zero22 <zero22@mac.com>

Date: Monday, 26 August 2002, at 6:13 a.m.

 

This is my latest movie(animation)

Tachikawa Type 98 Direct Cooperative Reconnaissance-plane

(Asahi newspaper company version)

 

Editors note: Link to http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~moon1972/

 

Ki-36 Ki-55

 

Posted By: Venancio <vlebre@netcabo.pt>

Date: Tuesday, 30 July 2002, at 11:30 a.m.

 

I was looking for to know if the Ki-36 or Ki-55 had the windows beneath the center wings in wich versions ? all ? the bomber, training or recce ?

I have no source as to these info, could anyone point me out any direction or a answer ?

 

Re: Ki-36 Ki-55

 

Posted By: Nick Millman

Date: Saturday, 3 August 2002, at 2:50 p.m.

 

In Response To: Ki-36 Ki-55 (Venancio)

 

The Ki-55 advanced trainer had no side or belly windows. The trainer also lacked armament, gunsight and radio equipment. It had dual controls and rear seat instrumentation. In addition the Ki-55 dispensed with the wheel spats and wing slats.

 

The Ki-36 was an army ground co-operation aircraft and could be field modified in a number of ways to carry equipment suitable to the specific mission being flown, including bombs (usually five 12.5 kg or 15 kg under each wing) or a camera. The rear compartment had only a folding jump seat or stool for the observer.

 

The single 250 kg or 500 kg bomb carried under the fuselage was for suicide missions.

 

The 1/72 Fujimi Kit:

 

If you are building one of the Fujimi kits, little jewels that they are, you will still need to pay particular attention to the details as they are "hybrids" of all versions. All the kits have the belly windows of the Ki-36 but no wing slats and if you are building this version the flashed-over fuselage observation windows will also have to be cut out.

 

The external sliding covers for the "message dropping" windows underneath the observation windows are included in the kit as separate parts in "closed" configuration but need refining - the cover is too thick and the sliding rails are too heavy. If a window is to be shown open it will need to be cut out completely - there was no perspex in it - and the cover modified to represent the open position.

 

The rear compartment also has the full seat of the trainer version. There were generally two types of rear seat in the Ki-36 - a plain round padded "stool" or a tubular framed canvas seat with a folding back rest.

 

The instructions suggest fitting both the 250 kg and 15 kg bombs together - but that is an unlikely configuration. The 250 kg bomb would be most likely seen on a suicide aircraft only. If modelling the Ki-55 the ugly slots under the wings for the bombs will need to be filled.

 

The small engraved rectangle in the wing centre-section, just behind the cowl and to the right of the centre line, is actually a small window and should be cut out or painted to represent it. I do not know if this window was fitted on the Ki-55.

 

Finally, the kit benefits from the engraved landing light in the port wing being cut out, boxed in and glazed - I use sellotape with the edges sealed with paint.

 

Re: Ki-36 Ki-55

 

Posted By: Venancio <vlebre@netcabo.pt>

Date: Saturday, 3 August 2002, at 5:44 p.m.

 

In Response To: Re: Ki-36 Ki-55 (Nick Millman)

 

Thank you so much for your answer !!!

It really make clear for me what needed to be rebuilt rearrangeded !!

 

Re: Ki-36 Ki-55

 

Posted By: Nick Millman

Date: Sunday, 4 August 2002, at 12:06 a.m.

 

In Response To: Re: Ki-36 Ki-55 (Venancio)

 

I forgot to mention a few other detail points! There is a tubular "roll-over" frame inside the cockpit between the pilot and observer positions. This is quite visible through the canopy and can easily be modelled using sprue.

 

There is a rectangular access step beneath the port wing root.

 

A small venturi is fitted just in front of the port belly window - at the wing root.

 

The pitot tube on the port wing is "Z" shaped with a vane attachment rather than the plain tube included with the kit. The box art for the Ki-36 shows the correct configuration but I can also send you scans of drawings if you need them.

 

Re: Ki-36 Ki-55

 

Posted By: Mike Driskill <kyofu@aol.com>

Date: Sunday, 4 August 2002, at 12:48 p.m.

 

In Response To: Re: Ki-36 Ki-55 (Nick Millman)

 

Nick, it is my understanding that all Ki-36's did not have wing slats. Seems I read someplace that these were on the prototype, but that production machines had wingtip wash-out instead. This seems to be borne out by photos.

 

A question: most drawings of the Ki-36, and the Fujimi kits, show windows under the wing roots (in addition to those under the observer in the fuselage belly). This always seemed very unlikely to me--since the fuselage is basically a tubular structure, how does one see through or access these windows? Did they really exist and if so, why?

 

By the way, the newish Monogram book on Japanese interiors has some superb shots of the Ki-55 in Thailand, the best published reference I am aware of.

 

Re: Ki-36 Ki-55

 

Posted By: Nick Millman

Date: Sunday, 4 August 2002, at 1:55 p.m.

 

In Response To: Re: Ki-36 Ki-55 (Mike Driskill)

 

yes, you're right - I misread my own notes. Only the six "test-production" aircraft had the slats - subsequent production aircraft dispensed with them and had 2' washout on the wingtips instead.

 

The floor in the rear compartment was raised above the structure and had quite large open sections permitting a view down through the belly windows. This included spaces at the "wing roots". Although the Thai example is a Ki-55 and has no windows the spaces in the floor and at the sides of the wing roots can still be seen in the photos in the Monogram book, especially those at the foot of page 115. (Rudder pedals and control stick would of course be out of the way on the Ki-36). The outer floor windows may have been quite useful when assessing the timing of a message drop from the open side window - a "line of sight" exercise with the Fujimi model should make it clear what I mean!

 

Colonel Tsuji probably used these side windows to drop his message and gifts of cake and tobacco to the troops of the Ando detachment during the Perak river fighting in Malaya. In attempting to drop them over the side of the cockpit the wing would have obscured the downward and forward view considerably.

 

The Ki-36 was almost a JAAF "Lysander" and could stooge at 150 km/hr, take-off in 234 metres and land in 291 metres. In addition to artillery spotting and general battlefield reconnaissance it was used for classic army co-op style message drops and pick-ups to and from ground troops in forward positions.

 

 

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