Not A Zero Part 3 Table and war ready

So having got them painted I really need to get the rest sorted out to play them. I'm in the rather privileged position of having access to some of the beta stats for some Blood Red Skies planes, including the Shoki. At some point we hope they will all be published btw but that's not a decision I have any influence over. It's not actually Rocket Science however and players can pretty easily work their own stats out until then.

Here is my rendering of the Shoki data card - basically I copied the layout of the current cards but I lack the technical know how to make them look any good, but it will do for now.

The Ki44 entered service late in 1941. The initial versions would be rated as Speed 7 (365mph) but from the Ki44 -II onward they improved to Speed 8. Similarly the armament was steadily upgraded from a pair of HMGS and a pair of LMGs in the wings to quad HMGS. Some of the Ki 44 II Otsu versions were fitted with a pair of 40mm cannons in place of the wing guns firing a caseless round which had very low velocity, but these were not that popular and were often replaced with another pair of HMGs. The last production version, the Hei reverted to the 4 HMG layout. My card is based on an Otsu without the 40mms or Hei, but for completeness here are all the versions (or my interpretation at least). 

Type	Date	Speed	Ag	FP	Traits	Points
Ki 44-I	1941	7 (363mph)	2	1	Great Climb, Great Dive	24
Ki 44 -II Ko	1942	8 (378mph)	2	1	Great Climb, Great Dive	28
Ki 44 -II Otsu	1943	8 (376mph)	2	1	Great Dive, Heavy Hitter	31
Ki 44 -III Hei	1944	8 (376mph)	2	1	Great Climb, Great Dive	28

So there you have it - a nice, versatile "Not a Zero" for Japanese players who feel like mixing things up and moving away from Tight Turn based Squadrons. Nothing turns like a Zero, but the Shoki can give US opponents quite a shock due to its speed and climb, and a Japanese fighter available in the early war period that lacks the dreaded "Vulnerable" Trait too.

Cheers