Zero Kamikaze

Post by **aferguson** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:41 pm

i'm gong to modify my green bbi zero into a kamikaze plane (the a6m2 was the most common kamikaze plane) but need to make a 250kg bomb for it. Anyone know of some slick way of making one of these? They look fairly different from all the bombs i have at hand.

Also, anyone know of what other mods are necessary to make a kamikaze out of the zero? (eg maybe removing the cowl machine guns?)

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:21 pm

aferguson wrote:Also, anyone know of what other mods are necessary to make a kamikaze out of the zero? (eg maybe removing the cowl machine guns?)

You have to replace the head of the BBI Japanese pilot with the head of the 21c Japanese figure Sgt. Kudo (the machine gunner) that has the flag wrapped around it and the screaming expression

I'm not sure about removing the cowling - was that often done? It seems like it would ruin the areodynamics...

Post by **aferguson** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:25 pm

i said the cowl machine guns...not the cowl.

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:32 pm

Also at this stage in its life, the Zero would need lots of weathering. And paint chips on the leading edges of the wings would be neat too.

catman · Post by **catman** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:11 pm

tman is right, aferg about the japanese figure. bear in midn though before, the japanese ones have a differrent thing. i tried to pull a head off it came out with no headpost. it was unfixable

JimBob55 · Post by **JimBob55** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 5:24 am

Do you have a copy of Squadron's "Zero In Action"? It has some good references for the bomb and mount. If you don't, I can scan and send some images. The photo below is from the Squadron book:

I had a thought that a bomb from the Stuka may be close, although it may be too big.

JimBob

Post by **aferguson** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 5:51 am

That's a nice picture JimBob..

No, i don't have a copy of that book. Do you know if there were any other modifications done to the A6M2 for the kamikaze role, other than the addition of the belly bomb rack? Armour plating added to the cockpit, guns removed from wings and/or cowl etc?

JimBob55 · Post by **JimBob55** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 5:54 pm

I can't find any references to special adaptations of the Zero or other standard aircraft for Kamikaze service. I would guess that they simply strapped one or several bombs and just go with that. No extra armor, no removed guns. (Perhaps someone may find more or better references for this...I couldn't find much)

No need for a drop tank; they had plenty of fuel as they were going one-way only. The escorts would've had drop tanks. Many A6M2 Zeros were converted to conventional fighter-bombers later in the war, with the later Zero versions retaining the fighter roles. This retrofitted bomb rack was used for conventional and Kamikaze Zero conversions.

(images from Squadron's "A6M Zero In Action")

I hope this helps...
JimBob

JimBob55 · Post by **JimBob55** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:00 pm

More information on the photo in the Squadron book:

Might be a good one to replicate with the BBI green Zero.

JimBob

Post by **aferguson** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:11 pm

Thanks JimBob! Much appreciated.

MightyMustang · Post by **MightyMustang** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:59 pm

aferguson,

Watch out for the Bunker Hill F4U on your butt buddy. They did shoot down alot of those Kamikaze's before the USS Bunker Hill got hit. That would make a great fight scene on your ceiling now wouldnt it? The Bunker Hill F4U chasing down your Green Zero? Hell thats a very good idea! I'm gonna have to get a green Zero and do that myself.

Rogue · Post by **Rogue** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 8:56 pm

Whatever happened to the 21st Zero in 1/18?

I see A6M2 and later variant in 1/32.

Post by **aferguson** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 9:09 pm

i believe it got scratched because of BBI and also Admiral making one. Not surprising, they were pretty luke warm about doing it in the first place..

Moth · Post by **Moth** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 9:11 pm

Admiral Toys is making a Zero?

News to me

kevrut · Post by **kevrut** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 10:01 pm

Aferg, don't forget to make a plume of black smoke for your Zero.

Post by **aferguson** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:21 am

i had planned on it kevrut.

yup, AT annunced a Zero around the beginning of the year, complete with folding wingtips. ETA unknown.

Morian Miner · Post by **Morian Miner** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 6:25 am

Interesting quote in the photo above that "early missions were voluntary". In one of my books, there is a quote that the first pilot sent out was one of their top aces. He went, but said before he left it was a desperate situation if a country had to waste one of its best soldiers on something like this.

Post by **aferguson** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 8:33 am

In theory, the kamikaze 'special attack' philosophy was both efficient and potentially war winning.

The 'one plane, one ship' idea is very efficient. How many planes were lost and good pilots killed during conventional air attacks that often amounted to nothing? Here, there was a gauranteed chance of a hit (again in theory) and a very good chance of at least serious damage and possibly total destruction of the target....all for the loss of but a single aircraft and pilot. (sounds pretty good, if you're not the pilot)

Send out a thousand aircraft and sink several hundred ships and at the very least you could sue for peace with fairly favourable terms (rather than the unconditional surrender option that the Japanese were faced with).

Of course it didn't pan out that way, nothing in life ever does and there was a wide variety of ways of dealing fairly effectively with the kamikaze threat. Still, it was one of the most effective strategies the Japanese used during the war (suicide attacks are still very effective today and also very hard to stop, as we all are well aware) and was the prime motivator for Truman's decision to drop the atomic bombs, as it was well known the Japanese had stockpiled several thousand aircraft plus boats, subs and other 'special attack' craft for the home defense of Japan.

Had the Japenese been able to find a way of effectively launching large numbers of the Ohka rocket powered kamikaze aircraft, the allied forces would have been in a serious situation. At 600 mph it would have been unstopable and with a warhead of 1 ton it would have severly damaged or destroyed any ship it hit.

All and all another very interesting chapter in the very interesting history of WWII.

Post by **aferguson** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:42 pm

if anyone's interested, here is a link to some colour footage of kamikaze attacks on US warships. Four videos total, look down the right side for the others. Really makes you shiver...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tCvS5GGMKso& ... 2+kamikaze

Razor17019 · Post by **Razor17019** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:02 pm

What's with that last part and the Japanese pilot???
Did they throw hand grenades and blow him up and shoot him too???

kevrut · Post by **kevrut** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:24 pm

The anime-kamikaze sakuro was interesting. Would like to hear it in English.

Post by **aferguson** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:24 pm

there's an audio. The pilot blew himself up with a grenade, rather than being rescued/captured.

Razor17019 · Post by **Razor17019** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:46 pm

Sorry, no audio where I am at now...

I once knew a Japanese fellow. He told me that as a child during the war, he was told that if the Americans ever invaded Japan that the American soldiers would boil the kids and eat them! It's sad when a people, culture or even a country will pump their own fears into their children...

grunt1 · Post by **grunt1** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 2:27 pm

Did anyone watch this movie trailer? (Or heck, even perhaps see the movie itself?)

Called Winds of God - Story of Kamikaze pilots in 1945.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wmiv7P9HvWA

Post by **aferguson** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:06 pm

Have never heard of that movie before. Apparently it's a comedy; a play originally and was very well recieved by audiences.

The anime is good, i hadn't noticed it before. The audio is music, no dialogue.

Small Scale Military Headquarters

Zero Kamikaze

Zero Kamikaze

Re: Zero Kamikaze

Zero Kamikaze

Kamikaze

One more from the book

xd

xd