Of all the Japanese aircraft (thus far) in World of Warplanes, there is a very close tie between tier VI Kawasaki Ki-88 and tier VII Mitsubishi J4M Senden as my favorite planes.
Both aircraft share some of the same characteristics, like being armed with two smaller caliber machine guns and a big "bye bye" cannon. Although they are excellent climbers, both also suffer from weakly powered engines, the J4M Senden does get the edge with a longer boost duration going up, the Kawasaki Ki-88 feels better in a power dive.
I could come up with more comparisons and differences and there wouldn't really be any point to it. These are two totally different aircraft, they perform unique roles based on their strengths and weaknesses. One is a fighter, the other is designated as a Multirole.
However, the Senden does bring a flexibility factor to the battle that the Ki-88 seems to lack....
When folks talk about Boom and Zoom fighters in World of Warplanes, the North American Mustang and/or
Messerschmitt Bf 109 are the usual planes that tops most people's lists.
These two deadly aerial rivals overshadow an unlikely contender from a
nation not know to produce aircraft in the same vein.
However, when
flown by players who are far better than yours truly, their performance
and results can be downright staggering....
It has been quite some time since I last flew the Kyushu J7W1 Shinden
and was somewhat surprised to see a rather large amount of banked
experience when I took to the skies in it today. I had two choices, go
for the mid-grade engine or the next set of weapons, over stock. After a
few minutes of seriously considering the options, such as a slightly
better damage output potential, at the expense of a greatly reduced
firerate, I opted for the engine and hopped it was the better decision.
Up until a certain part of the following battle, things were looking
pretty good and I felt assured the new engine had worked out just fine.
Then, I touched wings with a teammate and what happened after that was
more of a pleasant surprise than I expected....
Although the Western World has been awake for a few hours now (those
on the East Coast can add a few more to that), the quiet news of this
being the 72nd Anniversary of the second and final nuclear bomb drop on
Japan, namely Nagasaki, isn't making the rounds on the major media outlets (although the bombing happened on August the 9th,
some new agencies reported a day later, much like I am doing here). In fact, I almost forgot about it myself, if it
weren't for one of my "This Day in History" notifications I get.
I suppose this is as good as inspiration
as any to return to Japanese aircraft, restart flying the Navy line and
perhaps, take a look at the offerings from the Army branch.
With Operation Dynamo in World of Warplanes over, at least for me, I am kinda at an impasse on what to do next.
Despite playing just about all my British aircraft to complete the latest
mission, I find myself either wanting to start on something new or
revisit some old lines that have....stalled. Until I make up my mind on
the next step forward, or receive a suggestion on the something that
might pique my interest, I'll just pick aircraft randomly and post
awesome or interesting battle videos with a few comments.
For this time around, I picked the tier IX Yak-19 Soviet Fighter and
discovered I am more than just a little rusty when it comes to flying
single engine jets....
Despite just writing up an article about the tier IV LaGG-3-4 a few days ago, I decided to see if I could at least top that first battle with something producing better results. I believe I pulled it off....
Aesthetically,
the Dunkirk Spitfire in World of Warplanes mirrors the real/movie version, albeit with a few
emblem additions. The camouflage pattern and coloring are a near perfect
match, but the game pilot is lacking the mask the live action actors
wore.
Left, Stock Spitfire I. Center, Spitfire Ia. Right, fully upgraded Spitfire I.
As
you can see by the numbers above, the Dunkirk Spitfire is a lot closer
to it's kited out tech tree version in many areas, over the plain
offering. However, numbers don't complete the true picture of how the
plane would actually perform in battle conditions, that is up to the player to decide and control....
The Dunkirk Spitfire's main strengths lie in it's spectacular
maneuverability and unique pilot. I have never flown a plane like this
ingame before and saying I was just impressed would be a serious
understatement. With proper situational awareness and familiarity with
the environment on a given map, this aircraft should be able to get
itself out of most hazardous situations, if the player recognizes the danger and acts accordingly.
There is a downside to the Dunkirk Spitfire, the firepower. I am very familiar
with the hitting power and heat cycle of the .303 machine guns from
other British aircraft and the Ia brings a bit of disappointment to the
battle with below average damage output potential. British guns are very
much like paper shredders, picking apart whatever they are aimed at.
But this, felt like I was shooting rubber bullets and just getting lucky
by hitting the thin spots on enemy aircraft. This is my first
impression and subject to change with further, future use.
Overall,
is it worth it? The mission, by all means yes. Broken into three parts,
Operation Dynamo could by accomplished by playing a few hours a day. Mind
you that would have to be every day at a decent pace (I don't recommend
sitting down and binge gaming until each part was completed. Take
breaks, go for short walks, visit real people, etc).
Is it worth buying? Yes and no. If
you are a serious collector or you won't have the time to complete the
missions (because real life happens), then sure, go for it. For me, the
price point (despite all the extras you get with it) seems a bit high
for just this one aircraft (the better value is to buy the combo package
and putting the Dunkirk 109 in the hangar too).
Although I have only taken to the air once in the Dunkirk Spitfire, I think I might have just found a new regular favorite.
For the final part of Operation Dynamo, I wanted to it to end with a big bang.
I have been rather reluctant to fly my top tiered British aircraft, the tier IX Gloster P.228 in the past, for a few reasons. Despite having a very strong resemblance to the Gloster Meteor (in fact, the P.228 is a two seater Meteor for all intents and purposes, just a little more grown up and put on a few extra pounds), it doesn't fly like it.
While having a fantastic climb and dive rate, strong boost characteristics and decent firepower, the maneuverability of this aircraft falls very short, as compared to say, the Germans. Evasive turns haven't been a successful option in the past and when I need to spool up the engines for a fast get away, more often than not, I discover I have already overheated them.
Then, there's the price one pays to fly in the top tiers. Granted, if I produce average or better battle results and stay alive, the rewards can be quite lucrative. A defeat and death hurts not only the pride but the bank takes a serious hit as well.
Nevertheless, I was willing to take a chance on myself and this plane in combat for a grand finale....
I bet nobody saw that coming.
Claiming
my results from that performance was achieved solely through skill
would be nothing more than a self-delusional, patronizing statement, at
best. I know I got lucky, no denying that, but I will accept whatever
help, be it from ingame Allies, oblivious enemies or some unexplainable,
outside force that many refuse to acknowledge exists.
After one more battle for the final victory required....
....I could claim my prize.
Despite the fact I was able to make the time to start, participate and complete the Dunkirk Spitfire Ia, I am glad I didn't try to push too hard and attempt the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 as well. With the surprise and short window of
opportunity LaGG-3-4 event, I would have been greatly disappointed to
have to abandon one task to complete another, or push myself beyond my
leisure limits and time available for all three aircraft. Besides, I have never been a big fan of marathons and avoiding any
chance of putting a certain sour taste in my mouth, the better.
If there was ever a video I wanted to make using World of Warplanes, this is it.
This
presentation is a culmination of my current skill level of editing,
timing and free camera directing. Despite being self taught and enduring
a learning curve equal to some of the aircraft within the game, this
short movie is as close to the final production that I had originally
envisioned. The music is from the World of Warplanes Soundtrack and
since YouTube has gone a little bit copyright infringement happy, the
score comes close enough to enhance the situation audibly, as it was
visually directed, without the fear of negative repercussions.
Thank you to Claudio67 for supplying his skill, permission and replay, without them, this wouldn't have been possible.
As of right now, there are only eight days
available to collect 30,000 combat experience and one victory to seal
the deal on the Dunkirk Spitfire Ia in World of Warplanes.
Thus far, I have stuck to my own, self-imposed restriction on using
nothing but British aircraft to complete the task as a whole (minus one
battle test flight in the recently earned Soviet LaGG-3-4, but the
results of that performance didn't count towards anything, since it was
during the intermission between the Operation Dynamo events) and I have
been having a blast doing this (no pun intended).
In fact, this battle is one of those very moments that make the game
so enjoyable for me. It's not that I came out on the top of the list for
damage, kills or even assists (which I didn't, only second overall),
nor any medals or achievements of any kind. Plus, being at only 10%
complete for Part 3 isn't much to cheer about either.
So what made this such a memorable sortie? Watch the video and come
to your own conclusions (those who have read my interactions on the
NA forums will spot it almost immediately)....
Collecting the nineteen victories for the LaGG-3-4 is more of a time consuming venture than a test of skill or patience.
Granted, if a player is blessed with decent teams and MatchMaker is
working in their favor, all the better and things can progress along
very quickly. However, if the opposite happens, prepare for a much
longer time to be spent in front of the monitor and controls.
While some in the World of Warplanes community may scoff at a lower tiered, premium aircraft as a reward,
at least it's a tangible, attainable goal. For me, it will come in
handy, since I don't have a whole lot of premium Soviet aircraft that
aren't GA's (I haven't flown one of those in....over a year?) and
earning one through a mission is a great way to save some real world
money for a....more worthwhile purchase later on.
At any rate, after a loadout tweak or two,
installing some equipment and putting my best pilot in, here's the
first victory in my LaGG-3-4....
The old saying goes, "It never rains, but it pours."
As of right now, there is a very brief intermission between the
conclusion of Part 2 of Operation Dynamo and Part 3 in World of Warplanes. However, there is
barely time to breathe, since WarGaming just launched their 19th Anniversary Special. Three intense days to complete the tasks to earn the premium Soviet LaGG-3-4, if you can. No doubt, there are some out there who already have it....
One good thing came about from all of this activity, I finally got
one of my "dream matches." Although I have encountered the odd Chinese
premium tier VIII Shenyang JL-1A-37, it was never on what I would
consider to be equal footing. More often then not, it was flown by
somebody who has studied the plane, inside and out, had the lightning
quick ability to reaction and redirect the flow of a battle and was all
around a superior player that I was. In other words, an unarmed and
unarmored squire taking on a battle tested and hardened knight of the
sky. Not difficult to guess that outcome.
Having said that, there is no disrespect generated and directed
towards my opponent, the pilot/player of the Shenyang that I encountered
during this particular battle. I pushed my Meteor F.I hard and way
outside the envelope, but the Shenyang was beyond it's limits too,
making this one of those sorties I live for.
Here is the captured action of the first premium jet versus what many consider to be the best premium jet....
Just in case you wanted to know, here is what the WarGaming 19th Anniversary decal looks like....
