AB Fighter Plane Reviews

[TeddybearrNL 8]

In!

[Yubided 465]

Good job with the 190 A-1. Flies a bit like a souped-up P-400 doesn't it?

 

I agree that low level is where it really performs but I find it's weight means that you can take it up higher and fly it a bit like a P-47 too. Sure, it doesn't climb that well at mid-levels but once you are up there you can zoom back up without much loss after a dive. I find the A-1 a lot easier to use than the 109s around it's BR. The guns are so much more effective.

 

Also, what did the gnome do this time to get long5hot's and your attention?

Edited July 15, 2014 by Yubided

[long5hot 7,302]

Also, what did the gnome do this time to get long5hot's and your attention?

Mostly my attention. He made a vid with the D520 where he flew it really badly, a few days before I finished my tutorial on the plane. I was aghast at the time - how could anyone treat that beautiful plane so badly, I thought, and why would 60k people flock to watch it. Now I see how funny it is, its like watching a B grade horror movie that's so bad it makes you laugh.

[Blastmaster1972 1,235]

:facepalm:

 

Oh no... another one making video tutorials! When will I ever have time enough to watch them all! :Ps

 

All joking aside, I watched a couple of your videos, very nice! Good work, keep it up. :good:

[tx141 815]

Good job with the 190 A-1. Flies a bit like a souped-up P-400 doesn't it?

 

I agree that low level is where it really performs but I find it's weight means that you can take it up higher and fly it a bit like a P-47 too. Sure, it doesn't climb that well at mid-levels but once you are up there you can zoom back up without much loss after a dive. I find the A-1 a lot easier to use than the 109s around it's BR. The guns are so much more effective.

 

Also, what did the gnome do this time to get long5hot's and your attention?

 

Thank you. At times it does have that "souped-up P-400" feel to it, yet I feel more confident with the A-1 than I do with the P-400: that I can take greater risks because of its greater maneuverability.

 

Your point regarding the use of the A-1 at higher altitudes is valid, I will admit that it does feel much more lethal than the BF 109s (i.e. E-3, F-1, F-2), and this seems to be a trait that continues to occur at the higher ranks/BR (i.e. case in point, the FW 190 A-8 vs. BF 109 G-6).

 

Well, I am not going to specify said player or which video in particular, but they have, on a number of occasions put across the opinion that Arcade is a huge waste of space unless you play at low ranks. Interestingly, one video in particular from said persons, and one other player (who I shall not name) both encouraged me to cover Arcade due to their incredibly low appraisal for Arcade Mode.

 

Still, we digress from the topic at hand; I may go into this more in an update video as I have had a couple of players ask what encouraged me to put these reviews together. :)

 

Oh no... another one making video tutorials! When will I ever have time enough to watch them all!

 

All joking aside, I watched a couple of your videos, very nice! Good work, keep it up.

 

Haha, I know the feeling! :D

 

Well I am grateful that you have taken some of your time to check out my videos, I will do my best to maintain my standards. Additionally, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to post them.

[tx141 815]

Update 16.07.2014:

• Uploaded a channel update video which you may see here. The background game-play demonstrates how I employ the F6F-3 in a BR 5.0+ (Rank IV) game and acts to re-enforce the points raised in my review of the F6F-3.
• I decided to avoid talking about what encouraged me to start these reviews. To keep things short and simple: I love Arcade mode, and I feel that every fighter plane has a specific methodology that needs to be applied in order to do well. To me, there is no such thing as one mode being better than the other, I just play what I enjoy.
• Formulating the first parts of my new tutorial series: "tx's tips", a series where I discuss my control set-up, and how I handle given situations in Arcade Mode. First part may be up by tomorrow.

Edit: First part will be up on Friday.

Edited July 16, 2014 by tx141

[tx141 815]

Update 18.07.2014:

• First episode of Tx's Tips has been uploaded; I have covered my control set-up. The video may be seen here, or by using the link the supplementary content section on the first page of this topic.
• Second episode, covering some basic maneuvers  will be up by Tuesday (hopefully!).
• Now working on my Ki-61-1b (Otsu) review.

[tx141 815]

Update 21.07.2014:

• Ki-61-1b Otsu Hien review has been added and may be seen here, or in the list on my original post.
• Now proceeding to review the MC. 200 Serie 3, additionally aiming to get my F8F-1 Bearcat fully upgraded by the start of next week.
• Episode 2 of Tx's Tips should be up within the coming days.

[SteamingSpoon 3]

Love your videos mate, i subbed. Could you consider doing reviews for the I-153 series (USSR Tier 3 and 4)?

 

Keep 'em coming  :good:

[Yubided 465]

Ki-61-1b Otsu. This is going to take me some edits...

 

In short: I agree with about 50% of your review. I disagree with the other 50%.

 

Points I don't agree with:

 

1. BR comment. I get BR 3.0+ planes every second match. What on earth did you have in your lineup to get biplanes?!?!?!

2. Air target ammo hasn't worked for me at all. Neither has 300 m convergence. I see significant improvements with Tracers at 200 m.

3. Ki-61 acceleration is OK going from low speed up to about 300 km/h. It takes forever to get up to 400 km/h+ IMO. Additionally, the Ki-61 accelerates poorly in a dive and has underwhelming energy retention out of a dive (probably because it's light and the engine isn't as good as other pure energy fighter types like the Bf-109). You'll really feel this against BR 3.0+ planes. In terms of speed, the sweet spot seems to be between 300 and 400 km/h.

4. I find the Ki-61 is an effective bomber hunter. You have to hit engines to bring them down. Again Tracer fires make this easier. Out of everything up to BR 2.7 in the Japanese tree, I find the Otsu to be the most effective bomber hunter. Japanese 20 mm performs even worse against bombers than the .50 cals.

5. I don't find fires extinguish reliably at all in this aircraft.

6. Being "relentless" (i.e. tunnel vision) will get you killed a lot of the time. I find you have to let a lot of planes go or you will get blind-sided. You're either very good at picking your target or you get lucky (and left alone) while you are being relentless.

7. It's a great 1v1 plane for aircraft up to it's BR. Well flown BR 3.0+ aircraft smash it. You simply can't keep up with them. A lot of your higher BR kills are against pilots tunneling teammates or opponents turn fighting in energy / inertia fighters. The 109 pilots you mention either didn't understand what they were fighting or we're bad (sorry but it's true). A well flown 109 E-3 will beat a Ki-61 in the energy game, let alone an F-4. Sure, if a 109 turn fights you it'll get killed. However, a 109 pilot that turn fights you is an idiot. I'm not taking anything away from you here, Paul. Clearly you were the better pilot in those engagements. All I am saying is that you didn't win because you had the better aircraft (assuming both are flown to their strengths).

8. Damage to the aircraft structure doesn't appear to have much effect on aircraft handling. Damage to control surfaces really kills your maneuverability.

 

Points I agree with:

1. It catches fire easily.

2. It leaks fuel with even the most minor amount of damage (which is why it catches fire easily).

3. It is an excellent aircraft for improving your flying. In fact, from an airframe and powerplant perspective it is a good aircraft. It's let down by it's guns, durability, dive characteristics and acceleration at higher speeds.

4. The guns are terrible compared to American .50 cals and random in general. Sometimes they kill quickly. Other times you can empty 3 mags into an opponent and get jack.

5. It requires some time to get "seasoned" on this aircraft. Being "seasoned" definitely helps with this aircraft.

6. It takes a long match to do well with this aircraft (as evident by the length of your replay).

7. You will surprise people with it's turning ability, particularly at 4 km+.

 

My verdict of the Ki-61 Otsu - it's an acquired taste. Despite how frustrating the aircraft can be, I enjoy flying it. I think it's because you have to employ energy and turn fighting tactics depending on what aircraft you're facing. It forces you to really out-fly your opponents.

 

I also suggest climbing at every opportunity. The aircraft will continue going up under 100% power, at 20 degrees, all day long. The higher it goes, the better it handles. It can also be the difference between a won game and lost game. I've lost count of the number of bombers I've chased to 7 km (seems to be a Japanese bomber thing) in the closing stages to stop an airfield snipe.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Yubided

[long5hot 7,302]

1. BR comment. I get BR 3.0+ planes every second match. What on earth did you have in your lineup to get biplanes?!?!?!

While the "ace in a game" format is excellent in many ways, it can be a drawback in terms of showing you planes you regularly face in battle if the video'd match lucks you out on the MM. Like Yubi I also regularly see 3.0+ opponents, up to 3.7 if I don't average down, while flying the Ki-61.

2. Air target ammo hasn't worked for me at all. Neither has 300 m convergence. I see significant improvements with Tracers at 200 m.

My experience is the same as well. Only tracers at ultra-close range and convergence seem to do anything at all reliably, and even then its still a bit of a lottery. The armament is this plane's #1 drawback, its fragility is its 2nd weakness but of course you should plan not to get hit in the first place when flying Japanese ;)

3. Ki-61 acceleration is OK going from low speed up to about 300 km/h. It takes forever to get up to 400 km/h+ IMO. Additionally, the Ki-61 accelerates poorly in a dive and has underwhelming energy retention out of a dive (probably because it's light and the engine isn't as good as other pure energy fighter types like the Bf-109). You'll really feel this against BR 3.0+ planes. In terms of speed, the sweet spot seems to be between 300 and 400 km/h.

I would have said it was phenomenal accelerating up to 300km/h. In fact in some of the duels I've flown, the main problem is overshooting because of its acceleration. If you're between 300-400km/h, the lightness of the plane allows you to energy fight in the vertical very effectively with its superb maneuverability - the only way an Emil could win is if it had significantly higher speed at the start of the engagement. Also the 61 doesn't lockup at high speeds.

4. I find the Ki-61 is an effective bomber hunter. You have to hit engines to bring them down. Again Tracer fires make this easier. Out of everything up to BR 2.7 in the Japanese tree, I find the Otsu to be the most effective bomber hunter. Japanese 20 mm performs even worse against bombers than the .50 cals.

I know you'll hunt bombers in anything & everything, but the one real problem with the 61's armament, the requirement to get in close and stay there for a decent length burst, means that you're at much greater risk of taking a stray bullet from a gunner - doesn't matter about your angle of attack (unless you're completely within a blind spot) sooner or later a gunner will wing you, and the chances of catching fire are just way too high. Having said that, I too have hunted bombers in this plane, but it really isn't its strength at all & there'll always be better bomber hunters than you in the sky. I find it more effective to run escort for your own bombers and kill whoever tries to attack them.

5. I don't find fires extinguish reliably at all in this aircraft.

I 100% agree with this. I've caught fire many times and not once been able to put it out. Its a death sentence.

My verdict of the Ki-61 Otsu - it's an acquired taste. Despite how frustrating the aircraft can be, I enjoy flying it. I think it's because you have to employ energy and turn fighting tactics depending on what aircraft you're facing. It forces you to really out-fly your opponents.
 
I also suggest climbing at every opportunity. The aircraft will continue going up under 100% power, at 20 degrees, all day long. The higher it goes, the better it handles. It can also be the difference between a won game and lost game. I've lost count of the number of bombers I've chased to 7 km (seems to be a Japanese bomber thing) in the closing stages to stop an airfield snipe.

Agree with this too. The mistake many players make is to assume its a turn-fighter just because its Japanese. While it can certainly out-turn many other energy fighters, it cannot go toe to toe with dedicated turners and survive, especially if you slow down. Fighting in the vertical is essential, for which you need speed - and for speed you need to have first climbed.

One last note - the tactics you learn with this plane are in no way applicable to the next Ki-61, the cannon-armed hei.

[Yubided 465]

Regarding 3 - I'll do some tests and get back to you on that. Admittedly, my view may be skewed by the Ki-61 pilots I have faced when flying the E-3. Based on my experience, the E-3 was superior at higher speeds (it could reach them faster and didn't require as much power to maintain them), it dived better and it held the energy, gained in a dive, better for the following climb. I use those traits to beat the Ki-61. I avoid lower speeds and turning (the Ki-61 strengths). In essence, I fight it like I fight an A6M2. I have no idea if my observations are how the planes are meant to perform - I just call it as I see / feel it. I don't see much point in working with historical data to assess Arcade flight models.

 

Regarding 4 - I agree it's not the best bomber killer out there. However, the combination of it's climb performance, decent speed and ability to put a lot of fire into a bomber between reloads makes it the most effective bomber hunter up to that BR in the Japanese tree. The 37mm Ki-45s will kill a bomber faster if you manage to catch them and hit them. In all honesty I think the .50 cals on the Otsu are actually more effective than the majority of 20 mm cannon out there. There's something wrong with 20 mm at the moment when it comes to killing bombers. 20 mm HE rounds of all varieties seem to bounce off rather than do damage.

 

I wish there were more people flying these better bomber hunters you speak of. Quite often, I'm the only one up there after the initial engagement. I still think you pay too much respect to AI gunners. I rarely lose an aircraft to bombers at BR 2.7 or thereabouts. It's not as risky as you think provided you don't stay behind or above a lot of them. Coming in from below and off to the side dramatically reduces the fire you take. Funnily enough, I'm losing more aircraft to bombers now that I'm maxing out the last of my Laggs. I've really lost my eye for Russian rockets. Granted Laggs aren't great performers at altitude so catching smart bomber pilots can be a PITA. Why oh why can't the Yak-1b fit rockets?!?! *Sigh*

 

Regarding 5 - I've put fires out but I usually have to land and repair after that. My point there was that Paul made it sound like the plane's self sealing fuel tanks were very effective. I don't find them to be that good. Again, the best defence against fires is minimising the amount of times you get hit.

 

Heh - speaking of aircraft that are supposedly the same airframe, the same applies to the Mig-3-34. I'll take the Mig 3-15 or the BK any day of the week thank you very much.

 

**Edit: And no, I don't hunt bombers in anything and everything. I merely use a wider selection of aircraft than most people. As I said earlier, 20 mm cannons just don't seem to be cutting it at the moment. Basically, the key qualifying factors for me are: decent mid altitude performance, rockets and/or lots of machine guns with API (.30 or .50 cal) or 30 mm+ cannon. So, for example I don't take a 109 E-1, E-3, F-1, Zeros or Spitfires after bombers if I can help it (there are a lot more types too but they're the one's that sprung to mind).

 

Quick test results: E-3 is noticeably better in dive speed and acceleration. I was getting approximately (it's not that easy to judge) 100 km/h advantage per 500 m. The Ki-61 completely destroys the E-3 in control surface response even in 400 kph zone. Speed bleed was pretty even in level flight too - moreso than I thought. E-3 climbs a bit better too. So yeah, as a Ki-61 I want the E-3 close. As an E-3 I have to get the Ki-61 to lose energy before attacking. I will edit my initial post. I make it sound too clear cut.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Yubided

[long5hot 7,302]

Yes I totally agree with you about 20mm ineffectiveness against many bombers (but not all). Even with the F4U 1C I found its 4 Hispano-equivalents to only be capable of scratching hits & the odd critical on bombers around that BR range, though against lower tier bombers it was pretty devastating. Given a choice between taking 3 or 4 passes and failing to seriously hurt a bomber, or of dropping fighters with half second bursts, its very easy to choose the fighters, but I digress...

I attack bombers as you do - front (only for bombers without fixed forward guns), side and underneath with high speed passes, but lately I've had a rotten run of luck with the odd bullet catching me and either setting me alight, killing my engine or ripping off a wing. Its made me much more wary of attacking bombers than I used to be, especially in planes that are notably fragile/flammable or lack good armament, and with the Ki-61 both are true. Give me a rugged US fighter with half a dozen Browning freedom-cals and I'll hunt bombers to the brink of extinction.

The 61-1b is an odd hybrid of a plane, forcing you to fly it differently according to the opponent you're up against. In fact its a bit like the Yak-1 & Yak-7 in that respect, capable of energy fighting but also being good turners if they extend landing flaps. Edited July 22, 2014 by long5hot

[tx141 815]

I had a rather grim feeling about reviewing the Ki-61 Otsu from the outset, still, it is nice to see some detailed feedback, and so here I go!

 

Ki-61-1b Otsu. This is going to take me some edits...

 

In short: I agree with about 50% of your review. I disagree with the other 50%.

 

Points I don't agree with:

 

1. BR comment. I get BR 3.0+ planes every second match. What on earth did you have in your lineup to get biplanes?!?!?!

2. Air target ammo hasn't worked for me at all. Neither has 300 m convergence. I see significant improvements with Tracers at 200 m.

3. Ki-61 acceleration is OK going from low speed up to about 300 km/h. It takes forever to get up to 400 km/h+ IMO. Additionally, the Ki-61 accelerates poorly in a dive and has underwhelming energy retention out of a dive (probably because it's light and the engine isn't as good as other pure energy fighter types like the Bf-109). You'll really feel this against BR 3.0+ planes. In terms of speed, the sweet spot seems to be between 300 and 400 km/h.

4. I find the Ki-61 is an effective bomber hunter. You have to hit engines to bring them down. Again Tracer fires make this easier. Out of everything up to BR 2.7 in the Japanese tree, I find the Otsu to be the most effective bomber hunter. Japanese 20 mm performs even worse against bombers than the .50 cals.

5. I don't find fires extinguish reliably at all in this aircraft.

6. Being "relentless" (i.e. tunnel vision) will get you killed a lot of the time. I find you have to let a lot of planes go or you will get blind-sided. You're either very good at picking your target or you get lucky (and left alone) while you are being relentless.

7. It's a great 1v1 plane for aircraft up to it's BR. Well flown BR 3.0+ aircraft smash it. You simply can't keep up with them. A lot of your higher BR kills are against pilots tunneling teammates or opponents turn fighting in energy / inertia fighters. The 109 pilots you mention either didn't understand what they were fighting or we're bad (sorry but it's true). A well flown 109 E-3 will beat a Ki-61 in the energy game, let alone an F-4. Sure, if a 109 turn fights you it'll get killed. However, a 109 pilot that turn fights you is an idiot. I'm not taking anything away from you here, Paul. Clearly you were the better pilot in those engagements. All I am saying is that you didn't win because you had the better aircraft (assuming both are flown to their strengths).

8. Damage to the aircraft structure doesn't appear to have much effect on aircraft handling. Damage to control surfaces really kills your maneuverability.

 

My verdict of the Ki-61 Otsu - it's an acquired taste. Despite how frustrating the aircraft can be, I enjoy flying it. I think it's because you have to employ energy and turn fighting tactics depending on what aircraft you're facing. It forces you to really out-fly your opponents.

 

I also suggest climbing at every opportunity. The aircraft will continue going up under 100% power, at 20 degrees, all day long. The higher it goes, the better it handles. It can also be the difference between a won game and lost game. I've lost count of the number of bombers I've chased to 7 km (seems to be a Japanese bomber thing) in the closing stages to stop an airfield snipe.

 

I am grateful for the significant difference of opinion Yubided, and I hope my rebuttals to your points of disagreement, where appropriate, are justified:

 

1. I may have been lucky, but in doing this review I sent out my Otsu in about thirty different sessions. In at least 75% of these sessions, the opponents I went up against were usually fielding one of two 2.3+ BR monoplanes and then either early monoplanes (i.e. BR < 2.3) or bi-planes (usually the more advanced variants). In the latter 25% I faced opponents with line ups of 3.0 BR+ planes. These were all games where the Ki-61 Otsu and Ko were the top two planes in my line up, with the rest being usually the Ki-43, the A5M4 and a Ki-10.

 

Still, this does not entirely justified why Match-making may have been highly favourable for me; we must also consider the time at which I decided to play. The vast majority of my games were during the morning and early afternoon (local time in the UK), between 10:30 and 13:30 where, especially during the week, most people are at work and so the population of players is more sparse. It was during these times that I entered the "bi-plane" games I originally mentioned.

 

On the other hand, upon playing from 18:00 onwards, I noticed the tilt towards the higher BR end of the spectrum (likely) due to the player population rising and allowing Match-maker to field opponents on an equal rating to the Otsu. As soon as I put the A6M2 into my line up (BR 3.7), the variance depreciated and I ended up waiting (especially in the mornings) for the higher BR matches.

 

I may have been incredibly lucky in this regard, and perhaps I have over-played my hand here, but I personally thought it was worth highlighting the anomalies I noticed.

 

2. I will be honest here, all the ammo types made me want to rip my hair out at some given instance. When I initially tried the Tracer rounds, I set my first two opponents on fire very quickly and I thought I was onto something, yet eventually Tracer rounds (and even Stealth) seemed to show no improvement on the Air Target belt. I never tried 200m gun convergence, I gave 250m a try but I had about the same success as 300m, and hence I decided to stick with 300m.

 

3. By comparison with the Spitfire Mk. II series of planes, I thought the acceleration on the Ha-40 engine from 300km/h to 400km/h was rather impressive. I would agree that you struggle in acceleration by comparison with some of your more energetic foes (i.e. BF 109 F-1), yet for a plane that in my opinion demands versatility and maneuverability, the acceleration is beyond sufficient. Additionally, I did not notice a major sweet spot, the plane seems to handle well from 250-450 km/h with no notable depreciation by comparison with planes such as the Spitfire (its main rival for its BR in my opinion).

 

In terms of energy retention, this was not an aspect I considered too much just because my style of play with the plane involved trying to match up against opponents on a more level playing field rather than seeking an energy-based role. I have noticed that the combination of switching off the engine and applying landing flaps causes the plane to bleed speed immensely following a dive, and permits your opponents to overshoot, yet I avoided considering this for the video just as it was something I did not employ too frequently.

 

4. I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on this juncture. I have had little to no success in hunting bombers with the Otsu, yet the A6M2 Reisen seems to perform sufficiently for me if I attack an enemy bomber from above. I would always expect to take maximal damage in an IJAAF/IJNAF fighter in this regard, yet the A6M2 seems to be my bomber hunter (not considering Ki-45s or planes beyond the Rank II set-up).

 

5. Again, this could just be sheer luck, I was set on fire multiple times during my test flights, and in about 60% of cases, the fire was put out before I lost control of the aircraft. The most hilarious instance would have to be an I-16 Type 27 who set my right wing on fire, broke off and five seconds later (after turning off the engine), the fire died out.

 

6. You know me too well, I look for the lone target cut off from the main group in most cases or the one tailing a friendly off into the distance. But this is something I do in a good number of fighter planes.

 

7. I am aware of what you are saying here, and I am looking forward to flying the Hei variant. Hopefully I'll get to go up against some players who know how to use their aircraft a little better.

 

8. Again, I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

I agree with your conclusion on the plane, although I would rather fly the Yak-1B over the Ki-61 Otsu as I feel it can play the "Jack of all Trades" role much better up to an altitude of 3000m than the Ki-61. The Ki-61 can perform just as well up high (if not better) as it can down low, but it is sometimes a struggle whereas other BR contemporaries are not.

 

While the "ace in a game" format is excellent in many ways, it can be a drawback in terms of showing you planes you regularly face in battle if the video'd match lucks you out on the MM. Like Yubi I also regularly see 3.0+ opponents, up to 3.7 if I don't average down, while flying the Ki-61.

My experience is the same as well. Only tracers at ultra-close range and convergence seem to do anything at all reliably, and even then its still a bit of a lottery. The armament is this plane's #1 drawback, its fragility is its 2nd weakness but of course you should plan not to get hit in the first place when flying Japanese ;)


I would have said it was phenomenal accelerating up to 300km/h. In fact in some of the duels I've flown, the main problem is overshooting because of its acceleration. If you're between 300-400km/h, the lightness of the plane allows you to energy fight in the vertical very effectively with its superb maneuverability - the only way an Emil could win is if it had significantly higher speed at the start of the engagement. Also the 61 doesn't lockup at high speeds.


I know you'll hunt bombers in anything & everything, but the one real problem with the 61's armament, the requirement to get in close and stay there for a decent length burst, means that you're at much greater risk of taking a stray bullet from a gunner - doesn't matter about your angle of attack (unless you're completely within a blind spot) sooner or later a gunner will wing you, and the chances of catching fire are just way too high. Having said that, I too have hunted bombers in this plane, but it really isn't its strength at all & there'll always be better bomber hunters than you in the sky. I find it more effective to run escort for your own bombers and kill whoever tries to attack them.


I 100% agree with this. I've caught fire many times and not once been able to put it out. Its a death sentence.


Agree with this too. The mistake many players make is to assume its a turn-fighter just because its Japanese. While it can certainly out-turn many other energy fighters, it cannot go toe to toe with dedicated turners and survive, especially if you slow down. Fighting in the vertical is essential, for which you need speed - and for speed you need to have first climbed.

One last note - the tactics you learn with this plane are in no way applicable to the next Ki-61, the cannon-armed hei.

 

Hello Mr. long5hot, a number of your points may have been answered in my response to Yubi but here goes:

 

-  I agree with the drawbacks of my review format, and hence I will always attempt to review the plane in a game where the majority of the enemy team are fielding planes with equal or higher BR to the plane I am reviewing. The logic I go by is that if I can find the strengths of the plane against its greatest adversaries, then facing weaker adversaries will become second nature. The BR issue is probably just my luck. :/

 

-  I get the feeling Otsu vs. Emil would be a 50-50 match up if both planes met on an equal footing. They are both rather equal planes, although the Ki-61 would perhaps eventually win if he/she forced the Emil to drop their speed below 250km/h as the Emil drops off rapidly at low speed in my opinion. Concerning the lock-up, I noticed a minor roll rate lock up at 650km/h+, it is not too much of an issue, your roll rate becomes that of a Yak-1B essentially.

 

- I agree, this plane does not enjoy hunting bombers as much as other BR contemporaries, although it makes for a decent escort.

 

- Oddly enough I have engaged Spitfires with an initial speed of 350km/h+ and I have, with the addition of rudder usage, been able to keep with them for one or two turns before they have managed to gain the advantage. It is at this point I'll try to climb away or run for it over the course of a rather steep dive. The only foe I will never turn with is a Reisen.

 

- Oh boy I'm looking forward to the Hei, it should be a tricky one at BR 4.7! :D

[Resonance84 28]

-  I agree with the drawbacks of my review format, and hence I will always attempt to review the plane in a game where the majority of the enemy team are fielding planes with equal or higher BR to the plane I am reviewing. The logic I go by is that if I can find the strengths of the plane against its greatest adversaries, then facing weaker adversaries will become second nature. The BR issue is probably just my luck. :/

 

I'm not sure it is as much of a drawback as you think it is.  I do try to keep my expectations caged when watching your videos just because I cannot reproduce a performance in an aircraft it does not make it invalid.  In many ways I think it is more valuable as is since it lets me see how a plane performs when handled by someone with a different skillset.  You are an exceptionally good shot; often getting criticals or kills on targets I never even would have attempted to hit.  Knowing that it is possible and being able to examine the intro and execution is valuable itself; especially since I would never be able to examine such things simply by looking at my own play.

 

7. It's a great 1v1 plane for aircraft up to it's BR. Well flown BR 3.0+ aircraft smash it. You simply can't keep up with them. A lot of your higher BR kills are against pilots tunneling teammates or opponents turn fighting in energy / inertia fighters. The 109 pilots you mention either didn't understand what they were fighting or we're bad (sorry but it's true). 

 

I'm not sure you are doing yourself any favors by artificially pumping your BR.  You'll just be trading "plane is overpowered for it's BR" opinions for "other pilots are just incompetent" opinions.  The BR system is pretty messed up right now and it gets worse if you play during off hours.  If you feel that pumping your BR is good for your growth as a pilot, by all means push yourself, but I don't think that's any less distorted than what the system is already doing to itself.  I think flying the plane well looks pretty much the same regardless of the opposition.

[long5hot 7,302]

- Oh boy I'm looking forward to the Hei, it should be a tricky one at BR 4.7! :D

Haha well I looked forward to it as well ... and then I unlocked it and started to fly the plane. Wow is it a fish out of water at that BR. It should be 3.7 maximum, and that's being generous. I've decided that the only way to fairly review that plane is to grind all its upgrades to get a true picture of how it performs, but its proving to be a long painful road to hoe. Most kills I've managed in one gane so far is 3, and its retaught me everything I know about flying defensively.

[Yubided 465]

I'm not sure you are doing yourself any favors by artificially pumping your BR.  You'll just be trading "plane is overpowered for it's BR" opinions for "other pilots are just incompetent" opinions.  The BR system is pretty messed up right now and it gets worse if you play during off hours.  If you feel that pumping your BR is good for your growth as a pilot, by all means push yourself, but I don't think that's any less distorted than what the system is already doing to itself.  I think flying the plane well looks pretty much the same regardless of the opposition.

 

Oh boy I wish that was the case. Throughout the entirety of my most recent, and extensive, run I've been fielding three BR 2.7 planes and two BR 2.3. I haven't experienced matchmaking remotely close to what Paul talks about in his review. 75% of my games have me against BR 3.0 aircraft. It's not a huge deal though. I get much more attention at altitude in those matches and I rarely get through all five planes. 9/10 times if I lose the Otsu, I switch to the A6M2-N and finish the game off. If I'm feeling cheeky I bring out the Ki-45 Hei troll plane.

 

In terms of energy retention, this was not an aspect I considered too much just because my style of play with the plane involved trying to match up against opponents on a more level playing field rather than seeking an energy-based role. I have noticed that the combination of switching off the engine and applying landing flaps causes the plane to bleed speed immensely following a dive, and permits your opponents to overshoot, yet I avoided considering this for the video just as it was something I did not employ too frequently.

 

I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on this juncture. I have had little to no success in hunting bombers with the Otsu, yet the A6M2 Reisen seems to perform sufficiently for me if I attack an enemy bomber from above. I would always expect to take maximal damage in an IJAAF/IJNAF fighter in this regard, yet the A6M2 seems to be my bomber hunter (not considering Ki-45s or planes beyond the Rank II set-up).

 

I agree with your conclusion on the plane, although I would rather fly the Yak-1B over the Ki-61 Otsu as I feel it can play the "Jack of all Trades" role much better up to an altitude of 3000m than the Ki-61. The Ki-61 can perform just as well up high (if not better) as it can down low, but it is sometimes a struggle whereas other BR contemporaries are not.

 

 

Hmm a diving overshoot - I'll have to try that.

 

If you are managing to get above bombers in the initial wave you are either doing something much better than me in your initial climb or the bomber pilots are practicing diving suicide runs for later tiers. I don't think it's an agree or disagree situation to be honest. Your technique and objectives seem to be different from mine. My technique is based on killing the four highest bombers in a wave (i.e. the guys at 5 km+ when you reach the first wave). I don't have time to get above them. I go after the climbers because hardly anyone else does. If I don't get them on the first run or am forced off of them, they usually keep climbing to ~7 km. I'll chase a bomber up that high if it's necessary but I prefer to kill them on the way up and then camp the enemy bomber spawn. I make no apologies for camping bombers. As it stands bombers, that aren't killed fast or forced into the lawnmowers, tend to end games too quickly. If a game has to end quickly, I want to be on the winning side. It also has the added bonus of being close to where my friendly bombers are and getting fighter attention over the enemy airfield. If they challenge my altitude supremacy, I'll put some holes in them too (I tend to rack up lots of kills in those instances - fun times)!

 

Yak-1b   Yak-7b  

 

Ki-61 definitely performs better up high for me.

[tx141 815]

Haha well I looked forward to it as well ... and then I unlocked it and started to fly the plane. Wow is it a fish out of water at that BR. It should be 3.7 maximum, and that's being generous. I've decided that the only way to fairly review that plane is to grind all its upgrades to get a true picture of how it performs, but its proving to be a long painful road to hoe. Most kills I've managed in one gane so far is 3, and its retaught me everything I know about flying defensively.

 

  Well, played my first game in it today, only got one kill although I believe my opponent may have thrown their keyboard at the screen. To give you a run-down of what happened:

Ki-61 Hei vs. F8F-1 Bearcat

 

- We go head to head at 2500m, I do no damage whatsoever, meanwhile he/she set my right wing on fire.

- As the Bearcat passes by me and turns to re-engage, I do the same. Within seven seconds the fire goes out.

- Second head on pass, rip both their wings off with my cannons, they do no more damage, dogfight over.

 

I get the feeling lady luck may be with me on the Ki-61s in general.

 

Hmm a diving overshoot - I'll have to try that.

 

If you are managing to get above bombers in the initial wave you are either doing something much better than me in your initial climb or the bomber pilots are practicing diving suicide runs for later tiers. I don't think it's an agree or disagree situation to be honest. Your technique and objectives seem to be different from mine. My technique is based on killing the four highest bombers in a wave (i.e. the guys at 5 km+ when you reach the first wave). I don't have time to get above them. I go after the climbers because hardly anyone else does. If I don't get them on the first run or am forced off of them, they usually keep climbing to ~7 km. I'll chase a bomber up that high if it's necessary but I prefer to kill them on the way up and then camp the enemy bomber spawn. I make no apologies for camping bombers. As it stands bombers, that aren't killed fast or forced into the lawnmowers, tend to end games too quickly. If a game has to end quickly, I want to be on the winning side. It also has the added bonus of being close to where my friendly bombers are and getting fighter attention over the enemy airfield. If they challenge my altitude supremacy, I'll put some holes in them too (I tend to rack up lots of kills in those instances - fun times)!

 

Yak-1b   Yak-7b 

 

Ki-61 definitely performs better up high for me.

 

The diving overshoot seems to catch many players off guard, even up in Rank 4. 

 

Within the opening segment of the game I can usually get to 4000m+ before I come into contact with the bombers, I will be covering my climbing technique in a future video. I completely agree with your stance on bomber hunting, although I tend to hang about 5km away from the bomber spawn in order to allow freshly spawned bombers a chance to instantly dive to their airfield upon spawn as then they have to usually fly through multiple furball zones.

 

We should all squad together one day (i.e. yourself, long5hot and myself), I am sure it would be a laugh! :)

 

Mini Update 23.07.2014:

 

- Next video will be up on Friday, it will be a re-review of the BF 109 G-6 as the plane has been bugging me for some time and I really think I've discovered its niche now that the BRs for a number of Rank 4 planes have been shifted.

- F8F-1 is now fully upgraded, review will be up next week.

- By Saturday I intend to have Ep.2 of Tx's Tips uploaded, this will cover basic maneuvers.

- Planes currently being researched has been updated.

 

Sorry for the delay in videos folks, bear with me, things are really looking up! :D

[*konate95 8]

Would you be willing to redo a review of the FU4-1c or do one of any of the others in the FU4 series? Edited July 24, 2014 by *konate95

[long5hot 7,302]

Ki-61 Hei vs. F8F-1 Bearcat
 
- We go head to head at 2500m, I do no damage whatsoever, meanwhile he/she set my right wing on fire.
- As the Bearcat passes by me and turns to re-engage, I do the same. Within seven seconds the fire goes out.
- Second head on pass, rip both their wings off with my cannons, they do no more damage, dogfight over.
 
I get the feeling lady luck may be with me on the Ki-61s in general.

That is indeed a major intervention by lady luck :) This 61 does seem to have self-sealing fuel tanks so at least some fires will go out, but otherwise its just as fragile as the other models. Its two cannons (German 151s) have a default belt that can only be described as ordinary, so the fact that you survived 2 headon passes against a Bearcat and succeeded in ripping off his wings does seem rather miraculous.

For me the main problem with this plane, at least at stock level, is its incredible sluggishness. The cannons & their ammo added about 500kg of extra weight in the wings while the engine was unchanged, and in a plane this light (the Ki-61s are around 3 tonnes, about the same as a large SUV or light truck) that extra weight makes a significant difference. Being so slow to climb and accelerate means you can't get to targets before your ultra-fast team-mates kill them, and that you can't easily run away. I've had A6M3s chase me down while flying a stock 61 hei. It does improve as the various engine upgrades are researched, though its never the plane that the otsu or ko are. I switched to flying a P-39Q and laughed at the difference - effortless climb and acceleration, far more hitting power, just as much agility, and its BR is 1.0 lower.

[Yubided 465]

Within the opening segment of the game I can usually get to 4000m+ before I come into contact with the bombers, I will be covering my climbing technique in a future video. I completely agree with your stance on bomber hunting, although I tend to hang about 5km away from the bomber spawn in order to allow freshly spawned bombers a chance to instantly dive to their airfield upon spawn as then they have to usually fly through multiple furball zones.

 

We should all squad together one day (i.e. yourself, long5hot and myself), I am sure it would be a laugh! :)

 

4k is easy to get to, even in aircraft not designed for higher altitude work. I find a lot of aircraft seem to hit their performance limits heading up to 5k though. The Ki-61 isn't one of them which is why I use it to go after the high bombers. Most of the time, the higher climbing bombers are up around 5.5k by the time I get into guns range. Unless I basically camp an objective and climb I'm not going to be above them - even in something like the Ki-61. I prefer to head out and meet the bombers before they even get a chance to drop one load. I'm trying to buy as much time as I can for my team. The longer they have to move out to mini-bases or other objectives, the better.

 

The other reason I don't aim to be above bombers is because that encourages them to dive. If a bomber dives I want it to expose the cockpit, or wings and engines, on the way past me. If I'm above them when they dive - I end up shooting at the tail, which is the last place I want to be. Coming up from underneath usually fools bomber pilots into climbing hard and stalling out, which gives me a long easy burst. The other thing that does happen a bit is having to fight off an enemy group that climbs. It always seems to happen when no other friendly fighter climbs with me.

 

As for a squad - if I see you on, I'll pst you but I've got you both on my watch list and I'm never on when you guys are (whenever that is). Happy to embarrass myself anytime though. 

Edited July 24, 2014 by Yubided

[tx141 815]

Would you be willing to redo a review of the FU4-1c or do one of any of the others in the FU4 series?

 

Indeed I would, I just need to get my reviews for the MC. 200 Serie 3 and F8F-1 Bearcat out of the way, and then I will finish off my review of the F4U-1C. I will then proceed to evaluate the F4U-1D and, at a later date, the 1A.

 

Thank you for your suggestion. :)

 

That is indeed a major intervention by lady luck :) This 61 does seem to have self-sealing fuel tanks so at least some fires will go out, but otherwise its just as fragile as the other models. Its two cannons (German 151s) have a default belt that can only be described as ordinary, so the fact that you survived 2 headon passes against a Bearcat and succeeded in ripping off his wings does seem rather miraculous.

For me the main problem with this plane, at least at stock level, is its incredible sluggishness. The cannons & their ammo added about 500kg of extra weight in the wings while the engine was unchanged, and in a plane this light (the Ki-61s are around 3 tonnes, about the same as a large SUV or light truck) that extra weight makes a significant difference. Being so slow to climb and accelerate means you can't get to targets before your ultra-fast team-mates kill them, and that you can't easily run away. I've had A6M3s chase me down while flying a stock 61 hei. It does improve as the various engine upgrades are researched, though its never the plane that the otsu or ko are. I switched to flying a P-39Q and laughed at the difference - effortless climb and acceleration, far more hitting power, just as much agility, and its BR is 1.0 lower.

 

I will admit the Hei feels much heavier than its previous two iterations, although I get the feeling this may be an advantage in bleeding speed during a tight dogfight with a plane such as a Typhoon. Still, I do not have any of the upgrades as of yet, so much is still to come!

 

4k is easy to get to, even in aircraft not designed for higher altitude work. I find a lot of aircraft seem to hit their performance limits heading up to 5k though. The Ki-61 isn't one of them which is why I use it to go after the high bombers. Most of the time, the higher climbing bombers are up around 5.5k by the time I get into guns range. Unless I basically camp an objective and climb I'm not going to be above them - even in something like the Ki-61. I prefer to head out and meet the bombers before they even get a chance to drop one load. I'm trying to buy as much time as I can for my team. The longer they have to move out to mini-bases or other objectives, the better.

 

The other reason I don't aim to be above bombers is because that encourages them to dive. If a bomber dives I want it to expose the cockpit, or wings and engines, on the way past me. If I'm above them when they dive - I end up shooting at the tail, which is the last place I want to be. Coming up from underneath usually fools bomber pilots into climbing hard and stalling out, which gives me a long easy burst. The other thing that does happen a bit is having to fight off an enemy group that climbs. It always seems to happen when no other friendly fighter climbs with me.

 

As for a squad - if I see you on, I'll pst you but I've got you both on my watch list and I'm never on when you guys are (whenever that is). Happy to embarrass myself anytime though. 

 

I see. I must admit I have caught the bombers en-route to their objectives a number of times, yet I usually end up being caught out by the enemy fighters that have attempted to climb at the start of the game, and so I have to shift my attention onto suppressing their involvement up at higher altitudes.

 

The reason I always come from above (and usually to the side) is because it is the only way I have ever been able to eliminate B17s in my D-9, especially the G variants with their irritating chin turret. I had a game a little while back where my team completely neglected higher altitudes, as did the enemy fighters, meaning I had to take on a squad of four B17s, I managed to take two down within the time of the game with slight damage to my D-9's main fuselage.

 

I never mind the bombers diving, as I hope that when the bomber dives, a friendly fighter will notice this and try to pick the bomber off at lower altitudes. Concerning coming up from underneath, I learnt my lesson when I attempted to tackle a G5N1 in this manner. My burst crippled their right engines but I stalled out on their tail and fell victim to quite a few 20mm shells! Something for me to work on I would say. :)

 

Likewise, I'll keep my eyes open for you! :D

 

Update 25.07.2014:

• BF 109 G-6 Re-review added, you may see it here, or using the link in the first post.
• Now working on Tx's Tips Episode 2.
• Next review: MC.200 Serie 3.

[*konate95 8]

Really looking forward to it! Thanks!!!

[tx141 815]

Update 26.07.2014:

• Tx's Tips Episode 2 has been uploaded and may be viewed here, or using the link in the first post. This episode covers the basic maneuvers I use in order to achieve Ace in a Day status.
• MC. 200 Serie 3 review footage has been recorded, and the review should be done for Monday.
• Working on getting my F8F-1 Review together.

I may have a week where I solely cover the F4U variants, if so that will probably be during the second week of August. Stay tuned! :)

[*konate95 8]

Baited breath!