AB Fighter Plane Reviews

[Renegade61 651]

Best of luck mate.  :good:

[audigex 1,197]

Typhoon 1b (premium) is my favourite "just racking up kills" plane - I use it almost like I'm in RB, climb to 4-7km (depending what the enemy are doing) then bomber hunt (4x20mm, yum) and boom'n'zoom all day.

Just sit high and take out bombers. If the enemy fighters spot you, just boom and zoom them as soon as they're less than 3km below you.

The only times I ever get in trouble are when the enemy climbs away from me without me noticing, or if I get cock or bored and don't maintain altitude. Most of the time, I end the match on 3-6 kills without dying and my aim is to survive the round.

Although if you just want to get stuck in, it's hard to beat the Spitfires and 109s for diving into a melee.

[JA_37D 718]

No problem, good luck with the exams! and I think you will like the Bearcat (fully upgraded atleast) - it is a beast!

[DarthHoodie 373]

I only watched one video, the one with the typhoon, but isn't putting a high convergence distance bad for wing-mounted machine guns?

Even if it is to intercept, you can close in another 300m in seconds.

Have you tried fighting single-engine planes with something like 300m convergence? I found the firepower pretty good for 7mm.

I found setting the convergence at 800m helps with taking down bombers. That way you're hitting them, but they're not touching you. :D

[Taranok 3,920]

I found setting the convergence at 800m helps with taking down bombers. That way you're hitting them, but they're not touching you. :D

 

I keep it at 400 regardless.  At 800m, you can aim just to the side of the tail and nab both the tail assembly and some wings.  Or, if you're attacking the bomber properly (have altitude, build speed, come in from any angle other than straight behind, especially below and behind) just zoom in fast, give them a nice splattering of fire from 600m to 200m, break off, gain distance, and circle around.  The only time 800m is strictly useful is in a plane where it won't also screw up convergence in anti-fighter actions, such as a P-38 or the jets.

[tx141 815]

Update 21.04.2014:

 

- One month to go, and so I thought I would take Easter Sunday off to bring you my review of the Spitfire F. Mk. IX, enjoy!

 

Best of luck mate.  :good:

 

Thank you.  :)s

 

No problem, good luck with the exams! and I think you will like the Bearcat (fully upgraded atleast) - it is a beast!

 

Thank you. It is great fun even stock!  :)s

[BBosstone 50]

It´s a shame that mods moved this thread from the AB section and that they are now unable stick one of the most valuable threads for newcomers.

So please dear moderators, stick this one, or move it back. Here, it will die and with it the awesome information.

 

I am very sorry for that, but try to keep up the good work mate.  

[long5hot 7,302]

Just bumping this thread as it doesn't deserve to be buried. Great vids here & am hoping tx is able to get back to making more soon :)

[tx141 815]

I will be back by the end of the month. I promise. Thank you all for your continued support. :)

[Guest]

Do not worry, you are not forgotten! :)

[long5hot 7,302]

I will be back by the end of the month. I promise. Thank you all for your continued support. :)

That's great news, looking forward to your next vid(s).

[Timoski_Redder1 82]

You and longshot are my fave youtubers.

 

Great stuff on your channels.

 

MagzTV is also decent.

 

These are the good youtube channels - too bad the most views go to the undeserving channels.

[Taranok 3,920]

Don't let this thread die, tx141!  Inquiring minds desire knowing how to play these planes!  You are the chosen one!

[tx141 815]

That's great news, looking forward to your next vid(s).

You and longshot are my fave youtubers.

 

Great stuff on your channels.

 

MagzTV is also decent.

 

These are the good youtube channels - too bad the most views go to the undeserving channels.

Don't let this thread die, tx141!  Inquiring minds desire knowing how to play these planes!  You are the chosen one!

 

Thank you for your continued support guys....I AM BACK! :D

 

Update 30.06.2014:

 

- BF 109 F-2 Review added.

- Typhoon Mk. 1B Review should be uploaded by Thursday at the latest.

 

I hope you all enjoy the new review, I am going to put out at least one (if not two) reviews per week.

 

Again, thanks guys, I appreciate all the support. :)

[long5hot 7,302]

I know what I'll be watching first thing tomorrow morning. Great to have you back tx :)

Edit: as expected, an excellent vid, I highly recommend prospective 109 pilots watch this. Edited July 1, 2014 by long5hot

[tx141 815]

I know what I'll be watching first thing tomorrow morning. Great to have you back tx :)

Edit: as expected, an excellent vid, I highly recommend prospective 109 pilots watch this.

 

Thank you. I must tune into more of your videos as well! :)

[long5hot 7,302]

Yesterday I went through your Spit Mk 1a vids, as that's the only plane we've both reviewed.  For the first one, you certainly had a better run at high altitude than I did.  Its a very willing climber as you mentioned, but one thing the Spit can't do is handle well at low speed, and using IAS its quickly apparent that the higher you go the less air's rushing over your wings (as its less dense) so the worse the plane will perform.  You weren't really tested on this in your vid because you had air superiority & could dive on people, so the plane never got into a low energy state.  I wasn't so fortunate, with a He112 of all planes meeting me on a level playing field at altitude and making me flounder around like a fish out of water.

 

The second vid at low alt, wow those enemies were amazing.  Coming at you one by one & all of them turnfighting you!  I was sure the Ki61 at the end would pull up and start BnZing, but no he turned as well.  People are awesome :) 

 

I like the way you dodge headons, different to me & it seems to work.  I kept expecting shells through your fuselage as you climbed but it never seemed to happen.  The snap roll I use is very effective, but what I don't like about it is its hard to keep track of an enemy during the merge, and during those vital seconds I can lose a dogfight.  Your method lets you keep a close watch on them the whole time, plus gives you an altitude advantage to swoop down on them.  I'm going to have to go away & start practicing :)

[tx141 815]

Yesterday I went through your Spit Mk 1a vids, as that's the only plane we've both reviewed.  For the first one, you certainly had a better run at high altitude than I did.  Its a very willing climber as you mentioned, but one thing the Spit can't do is handle well at low speed, and using IAS its quickly apparent that the higher you go the less air's rushing over your wings (as its less dense) so the worse the plane will perform.  You weren't really tested on this in your vid because you had air superiority & could dive on people, so the plane never got into a low energy state.  I wasn't so fortunate, with a He112 of all planes meeting me on a level playing field at altitude and making me flounder around like a fish out of water.

 

The second vid at low alt, wow those enemies were amazing.  Coming at you one by one & all of them turnfighting you!  I was sure the Ki61 at the end would pull up and start BnZing, but no he turned as well.  People are awesome :) 

 

I like the way you dodge headons, different to me & it seems to work.  I kept expecting shells through your fuselage as you climbed but it never seemed to happen.  The snap roll I use is very effective, but what I don't like about it is its hard to keep track of an enemy during the merge, and during those vital seconds I can lose a dogfight.  Your method lets you keep a close watch on them the whole time, plus gives you an altitude advantage to swoop down on them.  I'm going to have to go away & start practicing :)

 

I must be honest, I really enjoyed your review of the Mk. Ia and I would happily recommend it to anyone who is interested. I can appreciate that my approach of showing a single gameplay can blur the lines of how well a plane matches up in a number of engagements (i.e. over 10 battles, you are always bound to find yourself in a difficult situation). Still, I would class myself (especially going by some of the feedback I have received) as a highly conservative player, and I will spend huge portions of the game aiming to achieve air superiority before engaging targets, but that is the principle I have followed ever since I started War Thunder, and as I always say, each to their own.

 

Nonetheless, your 1 vs 1 against that He 112 demonstrated notable weaknesses in the Spitfire, the best counter to situations of that kind in my experience would be to try to dive and break, simply because both planes suffer horrendous roll rates at high speed, yet you could have perhaps abused the Landing flaps at high speed to force an overshoot. Still, that is not a criticism, it is merely my take on the situation.

 

That snap roll was rather impressive, and a maneuver which I should use more, seeing as I have only used it in the Ki-43 (pre 1.41). Still, as you say, we both have a lot to learn! :)

 

Update 02.07.2014:

 

- Typhoon Mk. IB/Late review added.

- Footage for P-38G review has been recorded, video should be up by Sunday.

- Working on upgrading the FW 190 A-1 and P-400 for review.

- Marked Ki-43 review as patch 1.39 to avoid confusion.

Edited July 2, 2014 by tx141

[Renegade61 651]

Good to see you back in the flow tx mate. Hope the exams went well.

 

[Taranok 3,920]

I'm curious about Longshot's spitfire gameplay now.  Also, new content, zomg!

[tx141 815]

Good to see you back in the flow tx mate. Hope the exams went well.

 

It feels great to be back. They did thank you, I graduated with a first! :)

 

I'm curious about Longshot's spitfire gameplay now.  Also, new content, zomg!

 

It is a worthwhile watch. Haha, we all thought the day would never come. ;)

[karl_eller 91]

I love your videos, they're really helping me get a handle on my Spitfires and Typhoon, as well as improving my over-all game-play (Although I'm still working on dodging head-to-heads without eating cannon rounds  :facepalm: ).

 

Since you're working on the Beaufighter Mk.21, is there any chance of you maybe doing a Mk.VIc review? I'm this close to dropping it from my line-up, as the only time I can do any good in it is when a string of baddies try to head-on me, and I'm really struggling to see where it's role fits in to AB games.

[Yubided 465]

Paul, I think you need to take another look at the 109 F-2. If you do, fit the rockets. It completely changes the lethality of the plane. I've been having a ball with the plane once I got the hang of it. Be aware that the rockets of the F-2 seem to have a lower velocity than the types the Brits, Americans and Russians use. As such you need to apply a bit more lead for snap-shots. Also, you need to place the rockets a bit further above the target for head-ons.

 

Your comments about dogfighting below 350 km/h aren't the complete story either. When you get to that speed, you want to enter a flat spiralling climb. Your superior power to weight ratio will keep you turning well past what most fighters can do. Pop combat flaps (but not take off or landing settings!) at 300 km/h to maintain the spiral as you slow down. The F-2 handles superbly at low speed provided you keep the wings fairly level. I've turned the tables on Yaks, Spits, La-5s, Laggs, I-185s, FW190s, P-39s, P-63s and plenty of others. About the only opponents that will kill you easily by doing this are the Chaika and Zero (which are taken down using head-ons or BnZ). A well flown I-16 or P-36 can give you hassles too. Seriously, if you aren't up against the really manoeuvrable planes (with good vertical performance), you can fight your way out of 3v1s doing this. Most people stay in the spiral way too long and give you an easy sustained burst with the guns. It's even more fun if you have a smart wingman. They pick apart anything that enters the spiral for you (did that in a recent domination with a P-38 - sat about 1km off their spawn; wrecked all their bombers and anything trying to chase me in the spiral).

 

With rockets, the F-2 becomes one of the best point defenders for its battle rating. Fire off the rockets at tougher targets (aim to get a minimum of 4 kills) then land and get some more when there's a break in the action. The F-2 has such a good climb rate that you'll be able to get up to 4k+ in between bomber waves if you time it right. Once you're in the 4 - 5 k range the only planes that are meaningful threats are other 109s, 190s, P-47s and maybe the Yak 9. I keep hearing the La-5 is good in the vertical but haven't had any trouble dispatching them thus far - I'm guessing I haven't crossed wings with a good pilot yet. Aside from those types, nothing else can keep up if you use your energy well.

 

Karl, the Mk.VIc is still as lethal as it ever was - the only change is that you are facing much higher performance aircraft with the BR changes. I find the most effective way to use it now is to just keep climbing over friendly objectives. Let the bad guys come to you. Also, the cannons are good well outside of the .76 km max indicator range. Learn to snipe from over a km especially for head-ons. More and more people are using rockets and a Beaufighter is a good target for them. For tougher targets I find Omni rounds to be the best. If you are hunting fighters only, use stealth. The cannon are also very effective against light pillboxes and medium tanks (hit the turret preferably from the rear). The Mk. VIc also has exceptional elevator authority at high speeds. Enter a turn at over 500 km/h and a Zero will have a hard time following you. Be aware that the turn will burn your energy away very fast but if you can line up a shot before then, you're probably going to get a kill.

Edited July 6, 2014 by Yubided

[tx141 815]

I love your videos, they're really helping me get a handle on my Spitfires and Typhoon, as well as improving my over-all game-play (Although I'm still working on dodging head-to-heads without eating cannon rounds).

 

Since you're working on the Beaufighter Mk.21, is there any chance of you maybe doing a Mk.VIc review? I'm this close to dropping it from my line-up, as the only time I can do any good in it is when a string of baddies try to head-on me, and I'm really struggling to see where it's role fits in to AB games.

 

Thank you, I am glad to hear they are helping you to improve your game-play. :)

 

I will add the Beaufighter Mk. VIc to the request list, it may be quite some time before I get around to reviewing the plane, but it will eventually get done. Thank you for your suggestion.

 

 

Paul, I think you need to take another look at the 109 F-2. If you do, fit the rockets. It completely changes the lethality of the plane. I've been having a ball with the plane once I got the hang of it. Be aware that the rockets of the F-2 seem to have a lower velocity than the types the Brits, Americans and Russians use. As such you need to apply a bit more lead for snap-shots. Also, you need to place the rockets a bit further above the target for head-ons.

 

 

 

Your comments about dogfighting below 350 km/h aren't the complete story either. When you get to that speed, you want to enter a flat spiralling climb. Your superior power to weight ratio will keep you turning well past what most fighters can do. Pop combat flaps (but not take off or landing settings!) at 300 km/h to maintain the spiral as you slow down. The F-2 handles superbly at low speed provided you keep the wings fairly level. I've turned the tables on Yaks, Spits, La-5s, Laggs, I-185s, FW190s, P-39s, P-63s and plenty of others. About the only opponents that will kill you easily by doing this are the Chaika and Zero (which are taken down using head-ons or BnZ). A well flown I-16 or P-36 can give you hassles too. Seriously, if you aren't up against the really manoeuvrable planes (with good vertical performance), you can fight your way out of 3v1s doing this. Most people stay in the spiral way too long and give you an easy sustained burst with the guns. It's even more fun if you have a smart wingman. They pick apart anything that enters the spiral for you (did that in a recent domination with a P-38 - sat about 1km off their spawn; wrecked all their bombers and anything trying to chase me in the spiral).

 

 

 

With rockets, the F-2 becomes one of the best point defenders for its battle rating. Fire off the rockets at tougher targets (aim to get a minimum of 4 kills) then land and get some more when there's a break in the action. The F-2 has such a good climb rate that you'll be able to get up to 4k+ in between bomber waves if you time it right. Once you're in the 4 - 5 k range the only planes that are meaningful threats are other 109s, 190s, P-47s and maybe the Yak 9. I keep hearing the La-5 is good in the vertical but haven't had any trouble dispatching them thus far - I'm guessing I haven't crossed wings with a good pilot yet. Aside from those types, nothing else can keep up if you use your energy well.

 

 

Yubided, thank you for your advice. To answer your two main points:

 

1) The use of rockets with the F-2:

 

  At this moment in time I am trying to avoid using additional armament racks (i.e. rockets, surplus 20mm cannons etc.) on any of the planes I review unless I personally feel they are crucial to the plane's success. I am doing this in order to demonstrate that one can do well in just the standard plane, rather than have to rely on additional armament to remain at a given competitive level; a good example of this would be the FW 190 F-8 where I felt that equipping the twin 30mm pods was essential to the success of the plane.

 

  Of course, that is not to say that the use of "rockets" or said rack types will not improve an already brilliant plane, and so I will be examining certain planes with multiple reviews (i.e. P-47D Thunderbolt with the full load-out, BF 109 F-4 with and without 20mm pods etc.). I will add the F-2 to this list (and this list has been added to the first post for reference) as you are one of a number of players who have asked me to check out the rockets.

 

2) The spiral approach

 

  The maneuver you are referring to is one which I have only experienced notable success with in one plane: the P-51D Mustang. I have yet to give the trick a go in the F-2 (or any German plane for that matter) and this is primarily due to the fact I never considered to give the maneuver a go in the F-2. I apologize for this, and I will look into it more when I commence a re-review of the plane at a later date.

 

  I would agree that my review has been rather shortsighted in this regard, and I hope my future supplementary review can fill in the gaps.

 

  Thank you for your input and suggestions. :)

 

Update 06.07.2014:

 

- P-38G Lightning review added.

- New section added concerning planes I intend to re-review or do an additional review for in the future.

- P-400 will be the next plane under review, hoping to upload the review by Tuesday.

 

As always, thank you for your continued support! :D

[Yubided 465]

Jeez, don't apologize. What you said was correct. It was merely missing a detail. Was I being overly blunt again? Probably...

 

The spiral works for all of the pure energy fighters (note: not divers / inertia fighters). What makes the spiral particularly effective for the 109 is that you rarely find yourself in a disadvantageous energy situation due to its ability to climb. I also like to use the spiral as a modified "rope a dope". By turning and climbing, you reduce the risk of a helicopter snipe to near 0, your opponents stall faster and you can get guns on them almost immediately as they stall.

 

Good to hear it works for the Mustang too. I haven't fielded the P-51 outside of test flights but I'm getting close.

Edited July 6, 2014 by Yubided