"Horse's Itch" - 357th FG, 363 FS - P-51D

[Vraciu]

Okay, we played a bit with the power and specular.  Put these in your folder and take a look at it in the game.

You brightened the Power map considerably and gave a slight bump in lightness to the Spec map.    It looks good to me.  Will this get it over the finish line?  The change is not particularly dramatic--barely noticeable really--but it works.   The surface shape shows a little more in the sunlight than before I think...   No complaints on it from me.

Thank you for tweaking it. 

[oboe]

Hey I found a screenshot of the old "Horse Itch" skin.  You can see how much better and detailed your new version is:



Came from a thread back in 2011 where I proposed swapping it out to get Cactus' "Dizzy Rebel" in the game:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,312216.0.html

Back then the limit was 16 skins per plane.  We're up to 32 now but are still running into the same problem, with the P-51D at least.   I'd still think it'd be great to see the earlier P-51D without the tail fillet added, so that skins can be created for their historically accurate airframe.  Same goes for having the birdcage P-51B re-introduced as an additional P-51B model.   The Malcolm canopy was fitted only on a portion of ETO '51Bs - so all the CBI and MTO P-51B skin are incorrectly shown with a bubble canopy. 

[Vraciu]

Hey I found a screenshot of the old "Horse Itch" skin.  You can see how much better and detailed your new version is:

(Image removed from quote.)

Came from a thread back in 2011 where I proposed swapping it out to get Cactus' "Dizzy Rebel" in the game:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,312216.0.html

Back then the limit was 16 skins per plane.  We're up to 32 now but are still running into the same problem, with the P-51D at least.   I'd still think it'd be great to see the earlier P-51D without the tail fillet added, so that skins can be created for their historically accurate airframe.  Same goes for having the birdcage P-51B re-introduced as an additional P-51B model.   The Malcolm canopy was fitted only on a portion of ETO '51Bs - so all the CBI and MTO P-51B skin are incorrectly shown with a bubble canopy.

Wow, Oboe!  What a find!

Skinning sure has evolved in a few short years, huh?   

[oboe]

To be sure, mate.   

HTC has given skinners more control over how the material looks, and I think increased the maximum texture size allowing more detail a couple of times.  Also, skins get into the game much faster now.   Skuzzy has made real improvements in the amount of time it takes to get skins in or out of the game.   

[Vraciu]

To be sure, mate.   

HTC has given skinners more control over how the material looks, and I think increased the maximum texture size allowing more detail a couple of times.  Also, skins get into the game much faster now.   Skuzzy has made real improvements in the amount of time it takes to get skins in or out of the game.

Well said.  They've really done a good job on the skinning system overall.   The changes have really allowed skin quality to improve exponentially.

[Vraciu]

Oh, and I agree on the idea of some additional versions of the 51. It would open up lots of slots.   

[Vraciu]

Thanks for the compliment.  Forgot to say that.   

[oboe]

You're welcome.   

[Owlblink]

I'm super excited to fly this skin, Vraciu! I'm so glad you've kept up the hard work and open mind and glad for all the rest here helping out! I wish more folks did their best to keep the community here strong like this, we need to hold onto numbers and blossom even if we have our differences, but I digress!
 

[Vraciu]

I'm super excited to fly this skin, Vraciu! I'm so glad you've kept up the hard work and open mind and glad for all the rest here helping out! I wish more folks did their best to keep the community here strong like this, we need to hold onto numbers and blossom even if we have our differences, but I digress!
 

Thanks man.  It's submitted.  Skuzzy and Hitech helped me out on the spec maps.  Hopefully you will see it next tour. 

[fyvsix]

Vraciu,

Thanks for your hard work and thanks for the messages and replies. The white nose did not sit well with me at such a late date. The 357th only had those on very early P-51B/Cs. I did some digging and found a reference to this machine in Merle Olmsted's "To War With the Yoxford Boys" This is the definitive work on the unit. Mr Olmsted was an enlisted ground crew in the group and later became the unit historian.

Here is what he has to say about this white nose:





I think it would be a mistake to add a 357th Mustang without the iconic checkering. Can you please reconsider adding the checkering?

S!
Fyvsix

[Vraciu]

You're welcome.   Any time. 

Part of the allure for this skin is the white nose.  Without any definitive evidence it was a judgment call on my part. 

I am always open to revisiting this, of course, but the evidence is inconclusive in my mind so I went with the white.   

[fyvsix]

I'm sorry to hear that, If I did and find some pics of the other planes in the photo showing the checkering would that be proof enough?

[Vraciu]

I'm sorry to hear that, If I did and find some pics of the other planes in the photo showing the checkering would that be proof enough?

It sure would help.    What I really need are more pics of the subject aircraft.  It's frustrating to have only two up close, both cropped.  The others I have are at a distance. 

[Mister Fork]

Not sure if this helps Vraciu - you might have already seen this...



Here's Hurry Home Honey from Bud Anderson's P-51. Weren't Ed and Bud in the same 357th right? It would then be easy to assume that the noses were actual red-yellow checkered from the fall of 1944...I'm not sure if Ed's P-51 might of been from June's scheme... (they changed up their paint camo's regularly...)  However, in B&W photos, Red/yellow turns up dark, not white.