Author Topic: P-38L 1st FG 94thFS (Read 567 times)

oboe · « **on:** December 12, 2007, 01:47:54 PM »

Wanted to get you guys' opinions before I go any further on this one. There are some stretching issues with the checkerboard on the nose - I went heavy on the gun exhaust layer to cover up on top, but below the nose the stretching is easily noticeable. But its not a place people will notice unless they are inspecting the skin closeup.

Also, not crazy about the specularity issues with the painted area on the booms - the yellow comes out a bit like gold or brass, but any further reducing of the specularity makes the skin really lose its metal luster.

Just not sure if I should continue with this one. Whaddayall think?

Based on this image, courtesy Guppy35:

rogerdee · « **Reply #1 on:** December 12, 2007, 02:22:55 PM »

well i cant make my metal look metal but i think it looks good

It looks like its been flown in all the crappy weather from a dirts strip with all everything thrown at it .

i think it looks fine

if you look at the photo even with the sun on the aircraft it doesnt look that shiny.

thake a cople of screen shots of it on the grond or against different back grounds then compare them all and see what you think.

the over water shot does not really define the plane from the hazey blue.
well thats my tupence worth

Jappa52 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 12, 2007, 02:32:03 PM »

I like it oboe. I think it looks great and I would fly this skin.
Question though... the white color surrounding the "8"s in the eight balls look to be the same color as the checker pattern on the nose. I know it is a black and white picture but they seem to be the same color. Are you sure the checker pattern is supposed to be yellow and black?

The Fugitive · « **Reply #3 on:** December 12, 2007, 02:33:40 PM »

I think it looks fine too. If you rolled the plane to the right 15% the booms would have a better yellow, and the wing tips would turn goldish, I don't think you'll be able to do much with that.

The stretching of the checkerboard (whole nose should be yellow according to the picture) might be adjustable by narrowing the "square" in one side by a pixel or two and count on the stretch to bring it back to a square. Time consuming, but I think its doable.

oboe · « **Reply #4 on:** December 12, 2007, 02:42:58 PM »

Thanks Rogerdee, Jappa52 and Fugitive.

Jappa, the evidence is not definitive. We've got an artist's depiction showing the yellow/black checkerboard, and we've got this photo.

If you look really closely at the very tip of the nose, you'll see it's a shade darker than the solid band just behind that. And the light checkerboards are slightly darker than that band. (I used photoshop's color selector tool to get average numeric values for the shades in the areas).

The light checkerboards seem to be the same shade as the colored bands on the booms, which for the 94th were yellow apparently.

I assumed that the band was white, and the slightly darker shades were yellow. But what I did didn't take into account the lightening effect of sunlight depending on the surface angle. So no, not sure at all - just best guess.

Spent the morning working on the stretching issue - its harder than I thought it would be. I'll try to get an underside pic to show you what I mean

Guppy35 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 12, 2007, 02:49:07 PM »

94's ID color in the 1st FG was yellow, so the bands were yellow, wing tips etc. outlined in black.

Best guess on the nose would be the same color for the checkerboard. MTO spinner ID colors were red.

A late in the game 94th P38L. Spinners not painted yet, but the yellow ID bands are clearly there.

oboe · « **Reply #6 on:** December 12, 2007, 04:56:26 PM »

Here are a couple more shots. I made the nose entirely yellow forward of the checkboard, and darkened the metal shading.

Here's one against a land backdrop, as Rogerdee suggested:

And here's one that shows the stretching issue:

Comments?

Mus51 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 12, 2007, 05:18:50 PM »

,Oboe - Great looking skin! Except for the stretching issue and the spinners
i wont change a bit.

As for the stretching issue, i have no idea to solve this except trying to get it right time after time.

For the spinners, i noticed a darker spinning line the germans used on their late war planes on the spinners to protect it from birds flying into it in Guppy's picture.

Further than that its a great looking plane and i am also wondering on flying 38's and if i do this could be a nice secundary ride for me on the MA. Especially when i see that yellow/black checkerboard on the nose. It goes well with that 353rd pony skin wich im still re-working

.

Long story short: WAY - 2 - GO Oboe

rogerdee · « **Reply #8 on:** December 14, 2007, 10:39:11 AM »

there isnt a lot you can do about the stretching but the rest of it is looking great.

try to make the nose as best you can but dont go nuts over what you can t fix,its the skin problem.

I think you should send it in when you are finished and it looks better with the ground as a backdrop .

oboe · « **Reply #9 on:** December 14, 2007, 04:50:06 PM »

The more I study it, the more I think the checkerboard might really be black and white.

I've outline the area that is slightly darker on the nose with a dotted red line- assuming that is yellow, and the lighter area on the nose tip is white, then it looks to me like the light checks might be white after all. Its hard to say for sure. What do you guys think?

Mus51 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 14, 2007, 05:28:16 PM »

I think i agree with you on that, IMO yellow-black on a desaturated picture looks darker then that bright chekerboard you see on your nose.

Check these photoshops i just did changing the saturation.

Also i found these,

2 photo's first is the 78th white-black checkerboard and the second is with the yellow-black from the 353rd

Now the yellow deffinatly is looking darker in desaturated pictures IMO. But still i got no real proof that the checkerboard is black n white.

Hope this helps!

Mus51