846 Sqn FAA Wildcat

[Greebo]

I've just uploaded this skin to AH Skins. It is a Wildcat Mk V (FM-1) of 846 Sqn FAA. This squadron operated from the escort carriers HMS Trumpeter and HMS Tracker while covering the D Day landing.

Any feedback would be most welcome.

[Replicant]

Fantastic Greebo!  Especially love the detail on the airlerons!  Guess those pics did come in handy!

[lucull]

Simply ..... WOW!!!

[Krusty]

I think the invason stripes would be cleaner. They were more vibrant. I.e. less weathering, less panel lines. They were often slopped on with mops or whatever was available, they'd probably be thicker and not show any detail from under it.

[SELECTOR]

all wing access pannels would show.. they were opened after every sortie..

[Krusty]

But not every bolt and lines every 2 inches, Is what I mean.

[Stratocaster]

the one with all the ships is my new backround! WTG

[rogerdee]

very  nice  greebo
 you  beat  me  to it  i been  doing  the  damn  same skin  as  i lost  my internet  conection  for  a  week.
yours  looks  brilliant  and  as  i  am just  learning  mine  looks  naff.
  keep  up  the  good  work

  oh well  back  to  the  drawing  board   lol:eek:


rogerdee
if its on  fire  and  going  down  its  proberly  me

[CurtissP-6EHawk]

Geebo that looks great. Can you post or email me the template?

[Waffle]

only suggestion I can think of would be to blur your "rivet dirt / darkening" layer a bit more. as of now theres a nice cris-cross pattern thats developing. also, after you blur it / lighten some areas and darken others. Blend with normal, no color burn, or darken.

 A nice gaussian blur would work

other than that - looks good!

[Greebo]

Thanks for the replies, I'll have a play around with the rivet effects, they do look a bit too regular.

I did consider doing the D Day stripes "painted yesterday" but HTC usually like the skins to look well used. Still, I should be able to move the stripe layers up over the weathering and try it fairly easily. I've just had a look at some close up photos of a D Day striped Avenger and could easily see the rivets etc. on that, so maybe the FAA sprayed their stripes on.

Thanks again for those pics you sent me Nexx, found all sorts of useful stuff on them.

I'll do a template, but not until after I've got all the F4F skins I want to do finished. I also intend to put all the different F4F engine/wing/cowling combinations in the template.

[Citabria]

awsoem skin greebo i like the weathered invasion stripes. nice depth and all.

agree with waffle only thing a bit heavy is the rivet effect.

[Replicant]

Greebo, just noticed that the outer most .50s don't have weathering on them.

[rogerdee]

this  was what  i was working  on  not  as  good  as  greebos  but  i  am  still  learning


ill get  better  i hope

[Greebo]

The Mk V Wildcat was basically an Eastern FM-1 which only had four guns. So I left off the outer gun bays and gun streaks. I'll put them back on my next skin, which will be a F4F-4.

I've been mucking around with different rivet effects, but not found anything I'm happy with yet. Its the flush rivets on the outer wing panels that are the problem, I may just leave them off, or fade them almost to invisibility.

Looks promising Rogerdee, why not change it to a different FAA variant, maybe without the stripes? HTC seem happy about mirrored camo schemes where it can't be helped.