Sky Crawlers plane artwork - Rostock Sanka Mk. B

The Rostock side of my plane artwork section receives its third member with the Sanka Mk. B.

This artwork is quite possibly my best artwork of any Sky Crawlers plane. I struck gold when looking for sources and found a Sanka model displayed at just the angle I was looking for with great resolution added in for the mix. Maybe I´m just too hyped right now, but I think the usual perspective and size ratio problems are next to none on this post.

I´m glad it´s the Sanka that gets to be above-average in comparison to the other planes I´ve drawn so far because it is one of the most (if not THE most) iconic planes of "The Sky Crawlers" along with the Skyly J2. If I botched the Skyly, at least I nailed the Sanka quite decently if I may say so myself. And even if it wasn´t, come on, it´s the Sanka, this plane is so friggin´ cool.

Unlike the Suiga, the TULIP or the Shougu, the Sanka was a plane that grew on me overtime, not falling on my good grace from the get-go. So I´m glad I managed to "reward" it by making it look decent.

So, onward:

Name: Sanka Mark B

Operator: Rostock Air Force

Type: Fighter

Overview: The latest model of the Sanka line of planes, the Sanka Mk. B is Rostock´s current primary fighter. A very fast and highly agile swept wing pusher-prop plane, this top-of-the-liner is relatively easy to fly and decently stable, but boasts remarkable speed and maneuverability for an "average" fighter. Nicknamed "windmill" precisely due to its superior maneuverability and ability to perform extreme rolls, its "easy to learn, impossible to master" nature makes it a favourite among rookies and veterans alike in the RAF. Ever since the first Sanka prototype´s first flight, the constant removal of bugs by Rostock´s engineers culminated in the excellent blend of speed, maneuverability, and stability that is the Sanka Mk. B. The Sanka is not without its weaknesses though, as its armament is average at best (4 nose mounted cannons compared to the older Suiga´s 3 MGs + 4 cannons or the Skyly J2´5 cannons), its relatively light armor puts a serious dent in its survivability and its small operational radius restricts it to mostly local operations and reduces its loitering time greatly when compared to other contemporary fighters like the Someaka or the RAINBOW, though, for long range missions, the Sanka Mk. B is fully equiped and capable of mid-air refueling which greatly re-extends its operational radius. An overall highly advanced model for the role of "standard primary fighter", the Sanka Mk. B is the pride and joy of the Rostock Air Force and the best friend of its fighter pilots, from greenhorns to top Aces alike.

Notes:

- The Sanka Mk. B draws obvious inspiration from the Kyushu J7W1 Shinden.

- In "Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces", kildren pilot Maumi Orishina flies 3 models of the Sanka, all of which predecessors of the Sanka Mk. B: the Sanka M. II, the Sanka II-C and Orishina´ s own customized Sanka M. II.

- The Sanka line of planes has been at center of events in the Sky Crawlers setting ever since its introduction during the events of "Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces", being present in a number of relevant and casual occasions:

- It was during an unfinished mock battle during the first test flight of the first two Sanka M. II prototypes that Rostock Ace Maumi Orishina first became obsessed with fighting her flight lead, Cheetah.

- Later on, after Orishina´s defection to Lautern, she was shot down by Cheetah while at the stick of her Sanka II-C.

- Over the course of the events of "The Sky Crawlers", Rostock pilots Yuriyuki Shinota, Aizu Yudagawa and Yūichi Kannami met their fate while flying their Sanka Mk. B´s, the two latter ones at the hands of the Teacher.

- Base Commander Suito Kusanagi was non-fatally shot down after dogfighting the Teacher in Yūichi Kannami´s Sanka Mk. B.

- The Sanka Mk. B features the highest number of appearances and screen time in "The Sky Crawlers" out of every aircraft present in the movie.

- Both the first and the last dogfight of "The Sky Crawlers" features one or more Sanka Mk. B´s getting shot down by the Teacher.

- Every aerial scene in "The Sky Crawlers" always features one or more Sanka Mk. B´s, be they in combat or not.

That´s it for this one.

Stay awesome, DA ;D

Other Sky Crawlers plane artwork:

- Suiga - fav.me/d5mx5oy

- Skyly J2 - kenisi.deviantart.com/art/Sky-…

- Shougu - kenisi.deviantart.com/art/Sky-…

- VICE - kenisi.deviantart.com/art/Sky-…

- RAINBOW - kenisi.deviantart.com/art/Sky-…

- INCIDENT - fav.me/d5nftml

- FISSION - fav.me/d5o176m

- TULIP - fav.me/d5o3yfi

(more coming soon)