FMG - JAPAN UNITS

[FieldMarshalGames]

Hello all,
    ITALY is now “in the bag” so we are just waiting for the factory to finish the last few sculpts…  and start production.  From this point on I will start a thread like this specific to each nation.  The “discussion” thread is great but hard to find info in now that it is 73 PAGES LONG!

JAPAN is the next Nation to be made after ITALY.

Your thoughts on Japanese units etc here please.

[Imperious Leader]

I think the sculpt choices should be made from a poll for each category, rather than countless posts about “hey i like this or that”

[FieldMarshalGames]

@Imperious:

I think the sculpt choices should be made from a poll for each category, rather than countless posts about “hey i like this or that”

I agree.  I want this to be a community project above all.  We can have polls on the specific units.  FMG will accommodate where ever we can.

[Variable]

I already started this trend with the US aircraft poll. FMG - Can you set them all up as to what the choices are you have in mind? Also, people like example picks for each choice.

[FieldMarshalGames]

@Variable:

I already started this trend with the US aircraft poll. FMG - Can you set them all up as to what the choices are you have in mind? Also, people like example picks for each choice.

Yes, we will do this next week.

[Fishmoto37]

Oh come on now you must have more than two cents. You usually do.@Brain:

I can’t wait to put my two cents in :-D

[Guest]

Honestly the most important thing for me is quality, and with FMG, I know that I am gonna get it. I might make some suggestions, but I will be happy with their choices.

[reloader-1]

Here goes (I’ll do this for the other countries when you post them:)

Current OOB units: (per Krieghund)

Japanese Artillery: Model 92
Japanese Mechanized Infantry: SdKfz 251 (German)
Japanese Tank: Type 95 Kyugo
Japanese Fighter: A6M2 “Zero”
Japanese Tactical Bomber: D3A1 “Val”
Japanese Strategic Bomber: 24J “Betty”
Japanese Battleship: Yamato class
Japanese Cruiser: Takao class
Japanese Destroyer: Fubuki class
Japanese Carrier: Shinano class
Japanese Submarine: I class
Japanese Transport: Hakusan Maru class

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Saved (typing my response)

[Variable]

http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/images/japan/akagi-6.jpg

Akagi Class Carrier (rebuilt version as shown in link).

[Variable]

Here are some good choices for aircraft:

Twin engine fighter, Ki-45 Nick

Twin engine tac bomber, Ki-21 Sally

A bit different, a 4 engine seaplane bomber, H8K Emily

[Imperious Leader]

Japanese Artillery: Model 92?
Japanese Mechanized Infantry: ?
Japanese Tank:Type 97 Chi-Ha
Japanese Fighter: A6M2 “Zero”
Japanese Tactical Bomber: Kate
Japanese Strategic Bomber: Mitsubishi Ki-67 or Yokosuka P1Y
Japanese Battleship: Kongo class
Japanese Cruiser: Mogami-class Heavy Cruiser
Japanese Destroyer: Haguro class
Japanese Carrier: Shokaku-class Aircraft Carrier or Soryu class
Japanese Submarine: ?
Japanese Transport: ?

[kcdzim]

@Variable:

Here are some good choices for aircraft:

Twin engine fighter, Ki-45 Nick

Despite the game piece being called a tactical bomber, I see that roll in the game represented as more of a ground attack/heavy fighter/dive & torpedo bomber and only the smallest of load bombers, considering that’s how the pieces have been chosen and they have no OOB  ability to do raids on airfields or naval bases.  So (IMO) the Dragonslayer (Nick) is a better example for an in-game “tac bomber” than a “fighter”, especially as it was outperformed by P40s.  This blur of strategic vs tactical is only more glaring when considering that Italy, Japan, and Germany never developed a capable “strategic bomber” in the vein of the carpet bombers from the US and Britain (lancaster, flying fortress, et al).

I would prefer that the FMG fighter represent a later-war model that was equal or superior to contemporary allied fighters:  the Kawanishi N1K, the Ki-61 Hien, Ki-100, or Ki-84.  The N1k or Ki-61 would probably be best as they are most visually different from an A5m.

[Guest]

Japanese planes:

http://www.enter.net/~rocketeer/13thaaf/13thjbdata.html

[crusaderiv]

http://www.mediafire.com/i/?ze52tnzmztm
Good choice guys….

[crusaderiv]

http://www.mediafire.com/i/?ztwdyu2oddc
And don’t forget Yamamoto and Nagumo!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/i/?juozgjumir3

[Guest]

@crusaderiv:

http://www.mediafire.com/i/?ztwdyu2oddc
And don’t forget Yamamoto and Nagumo!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/i/?juozgjumir3

Oh yeah, you’re another one of those guys who makes me jealous of your game pieces. Nice work.

[AG124]

If I had to choose, these would be my choices. I know that some of them are A&A OOB units, but I consider the FMG units to be replacements for the OOB units (for the most part anyway) and I would thus like some better quality iconic units:

CV - Shokaku Class
BB - I’m torn on this one; Yamato class were the iconic class of IJN BB, and would represent new BB production.  However, the Kongo class would represent the backbone of the IJN BB surface fleet; they saw far more action than other Japanese BB’s in 1942 (due to their greater speed). I’ll leave it up to FMG to decide what mold to choose, and I won’t complain about what I get… (Too bad FMG isn’t producing two BB molds per nation - each nation in the game would benefit from having a pre-war and modern BB mold, IMO).
CA - Mogami Class
DD - Kagero Class
SS - B1 Class
AK/AP - Standard Merchant - I forget the exact designation of the variant of which I’m thinking, as several variants of standard wartime production merchant and auxiliary vessels were produced under direction of the Japanese government during the war. The variant of which I am thinking was approximately 5,000 GRT, and had an aft-engine forward-cargo hold configuration; it was the same variant included in the original Silent Hunter game, although the displacement and dimensions from Silent Hunter were completely inaccurate. I’ll post a screenshot of the silhouette of the Silent Hunter Standard Merchant (taken from Hawke’s Silent Hunter ID Manual) at the end of this post, and try to come up with a better picture later.
Fighter - A6M2 Zero “Zeke”
Fighter-Bomber/Tactical Bomber - B5N2 "Kate - At this scale, the mold could also probable be the Kate’s late war replacement, the B6N2 “Jill” - slightly different tail and cowling, other minor differences.
Bomber - Ki-67 “Peggy”
Heavy Bomber (If produced by FMG) - G8N “Rita” or G5N “Liz”
Air Transport - L2D “Tabby” (US DC-3 Mold can be used here with 100% historical accuracy)
Tank 1 - Type 95 Ha-Go
Tank 2 - Type 97 Chi-Ha (unless FMG is aiming for a medium and heavy tank for each nation; then use the Type 97 and either the Type 3 Chi-Nu or one of several never-completed Japanese heavy tank prototypes).
Half Track/Mech Infantry - Type 1 Ho-Ha
Artillery - Type 90
Truck - I understand these will be generic, so I shall not list a choice here.

EDIT - Standard Merchant Profile from Silent Hunter:

[Imperious Leader]

Too me its best not to rehash Yamato but go for the iconic ‘pagoda’ style japanese BB. Yamato OOB could not be a ‘super battleship’ piece…

this idea would be followed for each new type allowing the OOB to be either tech pieces or early, mid, or late war substitutions or house rule pieces to add to the new set.

That way we don’t invalidate anything that was already made and FMG now has its own flavor and not a rehash of Hasbro pieces.

Of course in some cases this may not be possible, but try wherever possible not to duplicate.

[kcdzim]

I’m more of a naval/air tech buff, so I’ll let the other weigh in on tanks, artillery, etc.  But my votes for the rest:
Japanese Fighter: N1K (George)
Japanese Tactical Bomber: KI-45 (Nick) land-based ground attack heavy fighter (as opposed to another carrier based dive bomber), but if it must be a dive bomber, then the Yokosuka D4Y (Judy)
Japanese Strategic Bomber: Ki-67 (Peggy)
Japanese Battleship: Nagato class
Japanese Cruiser: Tone class
Japanese Destroyer: Shiratsuyu class
Japanese Carrier: Shokaku class
Japanese Submarine: OOB appears to be B1 class (they were all called I-___ and the B1 was most common).  I guess the I-58 (B3 class) is visually different, and it sunk the Indianapolis, so has some infamy.

Japanese Transport:….