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Old 06-30-2019, 01:28 PM
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Don Boose Don Boose is offline
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I agree with Karol's identification of the third aircraft in the image as a Tachikawa Ki-36 (Allied Code Name Ida) reconnaissance aircraft. It is in the markings of the 47th Hikou Sentai, which was a fighter group equipped with Ki-44s and, later, Ki-84s.

An article at the Internet Modeler site describes a 1/72nd Fujimi plastic model of the Ki-36 in these markings and says that the aircraft appears as it did in the fall of 1943 when the sentai was based at Narimasu, near Tokyo. Internet Modeler Building Fujimi's 1/72nd Scale Army Type-98 Direct Cooperation Reconnaissance Plane, Ki-36 'Ida' (Kit number 72058)

Michael Kendix, the builder of the Fujimi kit appears to have done his homework. He cites as a source for this identification Tom Hall, "The Type 98 Direct Cooperation Reconnaissance Plane," Asahi Journal, Volume 2, Issue 4. I presume that the Ki-36 was a sentai utility aircraft, since in the fall of 1943, the 47th was equipped with Ki-44s. The sentai marking is in blue, indicating Headquarters Chutai, which would make sense for a utility aircraft. (Info on 47th Sentai is from Ikuhiko Hata, Yasuho Izawa, and Christopher Shores, Japanese Army Air Force Fighter Units and their Aces 1931-1945, London: Grub Street, 2002, pp. 138-140.)

As Karol points out, the Ki-55 advanced trainer was almost identical visually with the Ki-36, but had no wheel covers or observation windows underneath the fuselage (R.J. Francillon, Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, New York, Funk & Wagnalls, 1970, pp. 250-254).

Since Bruno's model has wheel spats, and in view of the Michael Kendix/Tom Hall identification, I call it a Ki-36 pending different and more authoritative information.

Bruno - As you can imagine, I will purchase the entire set of Japanese aircraft that you are currently designing and hope that I one day I will build some of them in 1/48. Many thanks for these great models.

Don
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