Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: elcid

Terminus is correct in any historical mod, without doubt. The G10N1 was more or less a "Japanese B-36" -
and even the B-36 - a wartime design - didn't make production for the war. [In part, priority was low,
as the potential need - being thrown out of Europe and Asia altogether, didn't happen. Similarly the Hughes
Flying Boat was not well funded - and continued more as a private project due to lack of requirement.]
But in Japan, it was different: this was a paper study, for future developments, pending the development,
above all, of engines with the required power. In fact, the original design called for engines of twice the power
as were finally settled on for an initial production version - the later engines (if memory serves) being actually
an engine pair in the same nacile. But the design does show remarkable similarity to the B-36 insofar as both
contemplated a similar number of engines of similar size (although tractor vice pusher in layout).

Even in developing several layers of "an enhanced Japan mod" for RHS in WITP days, I was never able to justify
the G10N1 - and not much interested since, if I could have done, it would have been very late arriving - certainly
not better than the B-36 achieved in the extreme best case. But there is no actual end date for a mod, and
it might be possible to rationalize for post 1945 appearance. If that is tempting, let me describe what happened when
we put a German bomber into Japan in an ahistorical mod for WITP: Nemo found it ate too many supplies to be
worth having in numbers. Since players rarely notice the use of supplies by aircraft, this indicates the impact of huge
planes in the game system. In part - the reason the Me-264 used so many supplies is because of its gigantic
fuel capacity - something that surely would apply to a G-10 - and I modeled this by defining the max load - and
using much of it for what might be called "internal drop tanks" - so they would have a supply cost. We had to rationalize
why the Japanese didn't get the Condor (which they paid for FYI - and licenced - but the jigs and prototypes didn't make
it to Japan; in any case the Condor isn't impressive by Pacific standards - although remember it was an early development
and was relatively better when designed than later) - but funded the 264 instead? Messerschmidt, Hoenkel and FW all had
development teams in Japan - Hoenkel himself lived there for a while and his He-100 was also licenced there - as was the
Me-109E - although in the event only 3 of each were obtained and none were built. The required engine was put into production,
and it was only the judgement the Ki-44 was better that killed prospects for both. The engine ended up being used in the Ki-61s.
Anyway - it might be possible to rationalize the Me-264 - and Nemo loved it - but I ended up removing it (slots were too rare in
WITP days) - because it was too marginal. For one thing, building more than two engine bombers costs too many engines for Japan
to afford in numbers.

Another bomber that might be possible is the G7. This plane - rejected because it was impossible to achieve what the navy wanted on two engines
of the power available - leading to G8 development - COULD have been built to a lesser specification (that is, what the two engines could support).
It would be available sooner than a G8 - although lacking its range and sheer lift - but be similar in terms of protection and defensive armament
technology. Think of it as a super Betty.

I have art for all these projects - done by Cobra years ago - as well as specs - if you want them.