I’m afraid that I might not report about the WIP but about the “WIR(Work in Regression)” this time !
I had been working on rivets and almost done for the main wing, so that the goal of this project seemed not to be so far, however…
The issue of the KHI’s great reference books “Restoration Records of Ki-61ii” has affected my project severely, because those show a lot to learn for me !
I decided to improve the nose cannon area about that I didn’t have enough information before seeing the KHI’s books. Firstly, I got rid of all the parts from the cannon section !
(i) Fire Wall
I had made the fire wall as same as Ki-61i before, but the fire wall of Ki-61ii has quite different shape according to the KHI’s books. Here is the older one as below.
This is the remade fire wall for Ki-61ii.
Painted and reinstalled. You can see the wide hole only on the port side. Ho-5 cannon was equipped with dumper and the port side Ho-5 cannon was been set in the forward position, so that the big hole was needed to clear the dumper for the port side only. And also you can see the rack for the dumper. The fire wall is painted in Yellow Green #7, of course.
(ii) Inspection Windows on the 1st engine panel
The 1st engine panel has inspection windows for generator and oil filler. The holes done, the caps in the future.
(iii) Canopy and gun panel.
Ki-61ii has a quite strangely asymmetric canopy (Ki-100 as well). The star board side edge has a “gap” maybe in order to clear the Ho-5 cannon’s butt, so I cut it as below.
Contrarily the panel has a tiny “prickle”, and it fits the gap of the canopy.
The port side panel of cannon has a narrow bulge in order to clear Ho-5 cannon. In fact, we can’t identify such a bulge on Ki-61ii #17, but I dared to make it because RAF’s Ki-100 having the same cannon has it.
(iv) Other items
Remade or newly made all the equipments for the cannon area.
It might not be so well known, but Ho-5 cannon on Ki-61ii had dumper to absorb the shooting shock. The KHI’s books don’t show the photos of dumper, but you can confirm them on Joe Picarella’s reference book “Aero detail #32”. Made out of brass pipe and plate.
Intake pressure adjuster is for gyro instruments. Gun Synchronizing coil is to start the gun synchronizer on the top of the engine. You can see the wires go from the coil. On RAF’s Ki-100, the intake pressure adjuster is located on the fire wall and the synchronizing coil beyond the fire wall near the engine respectively, but Ki-61ii’s coil was on the floor so that I’m assuming that the adjuster is on the location as below (same as Ki-61i, not as Ki-61ii #17).
Brake pipes. Decided to let them go from the holes on the floor in the same position as Ki-100.
Brake fluid reservoir. Ki-61i has it on the fire wall, but I decided to locate it as below, same as Ki-100.
Inertia clutch lever had been used to start engine. They can access it through the hole on the outer panel.
All the parts have been installed.
Overview.
Weathering works remain.
So then the goal of this project get further or nearer ? I still don’t know !
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