Info on work done on "Weeks" or other Nakajima-built A6M5s
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 1:59 pm
Hello everyone,
I am a modeler from Canada, and I have been trying to confirm an important discovery I have made about the A6M5 Zero as built by Nakajima.
This is quite remarquable and will of course not be widely accepted, but my main interest is to find a Nakajima-built A6M5 whose canopy rear extremity to rudder hinge measurement would be valid and not massively re-built.
The NASM's A6M5 Zero has what I believe is the correct Nakajima measurement, but is unaccessible despite some pleas to the curator Mr. Tom Dietzt. His refusal is understandable as the aircraft is suspended very high for 75 years at least...
The only other airframe I could find was the partial A6M5 at the Weeks Fantasy of flight, but before I try really hard to get my E-mails returned, I would like to know just how heavily re-built this very rough-looking airframe is, or if there is anything better out there...
Note that the A6M5 at the Planes of Fame has had its tail chopped-up "to the cockpit" by a Helldiver in 1945, and its new tail now looks correct for a MITSUBISHI-built A6M5, in other words, not as it originally was, IF it was indeed a Nakajima...
If no suitable airframe comes up, I will do a photo overlay that will show that, no matter how distorted a photo is, IF it is from close to a neutral angle point of view, the ratio on a SINGLE axis of different elements remains the same.
The canopy rear extremity to rudder hinge measurement is 137 inches, matching an overall lenght of 9.06M. (Sorry for the mix of metric).
My estimation for a Nakajima-built A6M5 is 129 inches for a lenght of about 8.86M.
An objective feature distinguishing the two is the position of the rudder hinge from 1 inch ahead of the trailing edge of the elevators Nakajima to 3 inches behind Mitsubishi. I will post photos of this also..
If there is an airframe out there, let me know...
Gaston.
P.S. MacArthur ordered destroyed all Japanese blueprints...
I am a modeler from Canada, and I have been trying to confirm an important discovery I have made about the A6M5 Zero as built by Nakajima.
This is quite remarquable and will of course not be widely accepted, but my main interest is to find a Nakajima-built A6M5 whose canopy rear extremity to rudder hinge measurement would be valid and not massively re-built.
The NASM's A6M5 Zero has what I believe is the correct Nakajima measurement, but is unaccessible despite some pleas to the curator Mr. Tom Dietzt. His refusal is understandable as the aircraft is suspended very high for 75 years at least...
The only other airframe I could find was the partial A6M5 at the Weeks Fantasy of flight, but before I try really hard to get my E-mails returned, I would like to know just how heavily re-built this very rough-looking airframe is, or if there is anything better out there...
Note that the A6M5 at the Planes of Fame has had its tail chopped-up "to the cockpit" by a Helldiver in 1945, and its new tail now looks correct for a MITSUBISHI-built A6M5, in other words, not as it originally was, IF it was indeed a Nakajima...
If no suitable airframe comes up, I will do a photo overlay that will show that, no matter how distorted a photo is, IF it is from close to a neutral angle point of view, the ratio on a SINGLE axis of different elements remains the same.
The canopy rear extremity to rudder hinge measurement is 137 inches, matching an overall lenght of 9.06M. (Sorry for the mix of metric).
My estimation for a Nakajima-built A6M5 is 129 inches for a lenght of about 8.86M.
An objective feature distinguishing the two is the position of the rudder hinge from 1 inch ahead of the trailing edge of the elevators Nakajima to 3 inches behind Mitsubishi. I will post photos of this also..
If there is an airframe out there, let me know...
Gaston.
P.S. MacArthur ordered destroyed all Japanese blueprints...