[Aviation Art] Slice & Dice: air combat over Japan, 1946

Skyraider3D · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 6:43 am

Rather off-topic, but I hope some of you may like it and it's OK to post it here.

Here's a piece of aviation art I completed earlier this year:

Click for larger image.

In-between family expansions (the second one less than a fortnight ago!) and non-aviation-related work, I managed to get some aviation art done. Here is the first of over a dozen of images, both 3D scenes and 2D profile art, which I created for Ian Allan's upcoming book about Japanese x-planes in the popular Midland Publishing Secret Projects series. I was lucky enough to be commissioned the front cover illustration, which is the image shown here.

I've dubbed the image "Slice & Dice". The scene is entirely speculative and shows a what-if "1946" scenario high over Japan. Having slashed their way through the ramjet-equipped P-51D Mustang escorts, a pair of Japanese Manshu Ki-98 fighters is diving on a formation of B-35 flying wing bombers. At the time of Japanese surrender in August 1945, all three aircraft were very much in prototype status and none would ever become operational. The Ki-98 was never finished and, though extensively test-flown, neither the B-35 nor the ramjet-equipped Mustang were found suitable for operational service.

Here is what the image looks like on the book cover:

More information about the book can be found here: http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/product.php?productid=67375&cat=1057&page=1

Once the book is released (planned for October this year), prints and t-shirts will become available on my new webshop at http://www.digitalaviationart.com and I will post more of the other artwork I created for the book.

Some close-up details:

The Army Type 3 gunsight (based on the Revi 12C), the big Ho-204 37mm cannon and the Ho-5 12.7mm machine gun (based on the famous Browning M2 .50cal):

And finally a size comparison profile of the Ki-98 with the P-51D Mustang. I couldn't quite fit the B-35 in there at the same scale!

Click for larger image.

Thanks for looking!

- Ronnie

PS. If any of you warbird owners out there would like to have artwork of your plane done, please contact me off-board via e-mail or private message.

Holedigger · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:27 am

Ronnie
Very NICE work as usual! These "What if" scenarios often come out rather silly, but you have brought this one off rather well. Congrats on your family expansion AND getting work.

Chris, aka Holedigger

the330thbg · **Joined:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:06 pm **Posts:** 2713

Very WELLL done indeed!!!!!

Django · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 11:03 am

WOW! That looks fantastic!!

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11330

You have a great talent!

CWBuff · **Joined:** Tue Jul 19, 2005 1:14 am **Posts:** 854

Ronnie, you consistently make me wanna forget any and all aspirations I have ever had in the area of aviation art... but you inspire me at the same time.

Does that make sense? lmao

Super groovy stuff...

Fade to Black...

the330thbg · **Joined:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:06 pm **Posts:** 2713

weren't the Japanese developing a version of the ME-262 as well?

I know they had rocket powered 'Baka' bombs.., my father complained about those 'sucker's being dropped from Betty Bombers and making runs at individual B-29's.

Skyraider3D · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 11:10 pm

Thanks very much for your replies! I am very glad you like it.

There are persistent reports that MXY7 "Baka" bombs were used against B-29s but there are no Japanese documents to back this up. Also it seems highly unlikely that any success could've been gained from this technique, as the "Betty" was too sluggish to get enough altitude quickly (without being shot down by escort fighters) and the MXY7 was probably not agile enough and didn't have enough range to succesfully engage a target. I also doubt the very short wing would be suitable for properly controlled flight at high altitude. I gather the "Baka" sightings by B-29 crew were simply small single-engined conventional fighters used on head-on ramming attacks. Aerial bombs were also used by the Japanese.
However if you have more detailed info from your father or other 330th BG members, I'd love to hear it. There's still plenty to be discovered about WW2 aerial warfare.

LOL Steve

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Wed Jul 22, 2009 7:05 am

excellent work, & a very fresh & much needed topic. i look forward to the replies. i've always had keen interest in japanese ww 2 aircraft & experimental prototypes.

Pogmusic · **Posted:** Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:42 pm

What would be neat would be a squadron of B-32s instead of the B-35s and being escorted by P-80s... More plausible. Great work none-the-less.

JDK · **Posted:** Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:11 pm

Pogmusic wrote:

What would be neat would be a squadron of B-32s instead of the B-35s and being escorted by P-80s... More plausible. Great work none-the-less.

Yeah, Ronnie. Start over!

Seriously though, the ideas I'm sure are myriad, the time to complete them to this standard is the thing in short supply. I'm a big fan of Ronnie's work - it's all stunning. Have a look at his website if you haven't.

Regards,

Holedigger · **Posted:** Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:34 am

JDK wrote:

Pogmusic wrote:

I'm a big fan of Ronnie's work - it's all stunning. Have a look at his website if you haven't.

,,,and buy some prints. Regardless of what you've heard, most artists don't like being "Starving Artists!" :wink:

I KNOW the kind of hours that go into something like this!!!

lestweforget · **Posted:** Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:49 am

Wow, excellent work. Big similarities ti the Saab J21, which I beleive was operational (although non-combatant of course) by 1945, and was evertually fitted with a turbojet.

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:13 am

i've often pondered the premise of ww2 going into 1946 with both allied & axis new cutting edge technology back then, entering the fray. it boggles the mind. my dad's 31st infantry division would have been 1 of many to land in japan. japanese aviation experiments fascinate me. the luftwaffe's experiment's have been covered, while the japanese warbird experiments have been ignored in the mag / book / internet media.

RyanShort1 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:25 am

The one big issue facing the Japanese at the end of the war from what I've read was the fuel situation. One wonders how many fighters they could've actually afforded to put up to oppose anything within a few short months.

Ryan

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[Aviation Art] Slice & Dice: air combat over Japan, 1946

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