re: Vader’s Model Desk: Kawasaki KI-61 Hien “Tony”

quote:

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I’ve read in several places that Japanese planes were not very robust, especially since they sacrificed armor for maneuverability.

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This was true for most Japanese aircraft. Little to no armor and lack of self-sealing fuel tanks were the norm. These two thing meant that oftentimes, Japanese planes were easily brought down, or outright exploded, after only a few hits. The KI-61 was an exception to this though, at least when it came to self-sealing fuel tanks.