Ford 5-AT Trimotor

If you study Koike's work over the years, his greatest improvement has been backgrounds.  Simplistic clouds and waves have given way to fantastically-lit cloud formations and gorgeous, shining seas, and, as in this scene of a Ford 5-AT Trimotor flying high over a bustling metropolis, great cityscapes.  Koike also loves doing boxy airplanes with lots of detail to work in, such as the exposed cylinder heads of the engines, and the corrugations on the fuselage.  First taking wing in 1925, the Trimotor earned its fame as an incredibly sturdy and reliable aircraft. Nearly 10% of the 199 Trimotors built survive to this day (18 examples), and six of those are still flying!  During a Trimotor flight, the pilot told this author that "the Trimotor is an easy plane to fly.  She takes off at 85 mph, cruises at 85 mph and lands at 85 mph."