Hello, I'm just landed here today. Before that, sorry for my bad english. I am currently write a story about flying ww2 warplanes. Long short story, one of the main character that fly an Ki-61-II Kai had her Ha-140 engine seized, but didn't have an replacement engine. So she wanted to replace it with a Mitsubishi Kinsei to make it into a Ki-100. My question is what changes had to be done to Ki-61's fuselage to accomodate the Mitsubishi Kinsei engine. I just wanted to make this story more detailed. Thank you
Ki-61 to Ki-100 conversion
- Thread starter LordRain
- Start date
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Fuselage was deepened to cater for the increased height of the radial vs. V12 engine. Fuselage also received the side fairings past the engine so the transition is smoother between the cowling and fuselage. Note the pink-ish details. The aft radiator system was removed, the oil cooler was installed under the engine section.
In 1945, a BMW 801 was found at Kawasaki's factory by the Allied forces, we can only guess how much of the installation's details were replicated on the Ki-100 (obviously the oil system was not copied).
In 1945, a BMW 801 was found at Kawasaki's factory by the Allied forces, we can only guess how much of the installation's details were replicated on the Ki-100 (obviously the oil system was not copied).
Hello LordRain,
Replacing the Ha 140 engine with a Kinsei would NOT be an easy task.
As Tomo Pauk pointed out, there were some other changes, but those were not that bad as compared to the need to completely remove the two side walls of the forward fuselage ahead of the firewall which are the original engine mounts and fabricate new tubular engine mounts.
To me, this seems like a task for a factory and not one for the typical wartime repair shop.
That isn't to say that it is impossible. After all, if they can raise the Yamato and boost it into space, this is pretty trivial.
Since this is a bit imaginary anyway, how about pulling a German Daimler Benz 605 from an aircraft the Germans may have sent over to Japan for testing?
- Ivan.
Replacing the Ha 140 engine with a Kinsei would NOT be an easy task.
As Tomo Pauk pointed out, there were some other changes, but those were not that bad as compared to the need to completely remove the two side walls of the forward fuselage ahead of the firewall which are the original engine mounts and fabricate new tubular engine mounts.
To me, this seems like a task for a factory and not one for the typical wartime repair shop.
That isn't to say that it is impossible. After all, if they can raise the Yamato and boost it into space, this is pretty trivial.
Since this is a bit imaginary anyway, how about pulling a German Daimler Benz 605 from an aircraft the Germans may have sent over to Japan for testing?
- Ivan.
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Tomo, is that perhaps the engine from one of the Fw190A-5 aircraft Japan received?
I don't have a direct confirmation. My guess: yes.
- Thread starter
- #7
This looks like promising idea, I'll think that out.
- Thread starter
- #8
By the way, the story is about flying ww2 era or replica of ww2 warplane as sport, not a wartime story, sorry if my question is a bit confusing
Escuadrilla Azul
Staff Sergeant
- 1,487
- Feb 27, 2020
Hello LordRain,
Folks in the warbird community would know better, but I believe that in the modern world, a Kinsei engine would be very hard to come by and probably near impossible to maintain for spares. Up until a couple decades ago, there was still a flying example of a Ki 84 Hayate. Perhaps there is a stash of engines in someone's barn somewhere that no one knows about???? The modern FW 190A just about all fly with a Helicopter version of the Shvetsov M-82 which is comparable in size to the BMW 801 though without quite the same altitude performance or even low altitude performance. It is easily more powerful than the Kinsei though. I don't know how it compares for weight as far as affecting balance in a conversion to "Ki 100". As for engine mounts, that is a relatively easy thing to build today as compared to finding a proper engine, though cutting up a very rare Ki 61-II KAI would be a real waste.
A Daimler Benz 605 would probably be easier because there are still a few flying examples and probably a few rebuildable cores out there.
An Allison or Merlin would be much easier to find and maintain though the supercharger would obviously not match the original intake location.
- Ivan.
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Some modern Fw190's are using the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine.
- Thread starter
- #12
Hello Ivan,
Good answer there, but well, my story is fiction, and nowhere near our world at all. Well to sum it up, my story is about a new sport based on ww2 combat was opened, using new reproduction warplane that was produced by their former manufacturer, you can use real vintage wartime plane, but it will cost much compared to fly new reproduction ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The plane's used in this sport is using live frangible round, and many sensor is attached to airframe to detect hit and measure damage. Kinda like how RP-63 Pinball used by US in ww2. Now, the plane is basically new, and there's about enough parts to do regular maintenance on the plane, my real concern is how the conversion is done. You already answer that though. I would like your opinion if there's sport like that. Thanks
