Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Vraciu on June 28, 2020, 09:06:38 PM
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Capt. Laurence Elroy Blumer
P-38J-25-LO “Scrap Iron IV" (8L*C)
S/N 44-23590
367th FG, 393rd FS
A-44, Le Peray, France - c. October 1944
This P-38J-25-LO (S/N 44-23590) was flown by Capt. Laurence E. "Scrappy" Blumer of the 367th FG, 393rd FS in 1944. Named "SCRAPIRON IV" it was in this aircraft that Blumer downed five FW-190s in the span of 15 minutes.
Early on during his assignment to the 367th while it was based in Marysville, California, Blumer attended a party and ended up in a brawl with seven Marines. One of the people who witnessed the fight--in which Blumer gave as good as he got despite being outnumbered--was his commanding officer. When he was ordered to report to his C.O. the next morning he was given the nickname "Scrappy" rather than the disciplinary action he was expecting.
In May 1944 the group was declared combat ready. Blumer named his first Lightning "SCRAPIRON" which turned out to be somewhat prophetic. On a mission over France his airplane was damaged by ground fire and he was forced to belly land upon returning to base. The airplane was written off. "SCRAPIRON II" was lost while being flown by another pilot. On 17 July 1944 Blumer was forced to bail out of "SCRAPIRON III" after being hit by anti-aircraft fire. He evaded capture and rejoined his unit where he named his next airplane "SCRAPIRON IV".
On 25 August 1944 he achieved "Ace in a Day" status by downing five FW-190s in the span of fifteen minutes. After being appointed the Commanding Officer the 393rd Squadron on 10 November 1944, he shot down his sixth enemy aircraft on November 19th. He ended his tour in mid-January 1945 after 120 missions (some sources say 156).
His decorations and awards included the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, Air Medal with 22 Oak Leaf Clusters, Belgium Croix de Guerre, Presidential Unit Citation, WWII Victory Medal, European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon w/Air Offensive, Europe Star, Normandy Star, Northern France Star, Germany Star, 45 Cal Pistol Expert, 30 Cal Rifle Expert, 30 Cal M1 Carbine Expert, Thomson Sub Machine Expert, Order of the Winged Boot and a member of the Caterpillar Club.
After the war, Blumer started a home construction business in Spokane, Washington. In the late 1960s he bought an ex-Honduran Air Force P-38, repainted it in the wartime colors of "Scrap Iron IV" and flew it at airshows for twelve years.
He died 23 October 1997 at the age of 80.
Originally skinned by Kev367th, it has been updated for Aces High III.
https://postimg.cc/gallery/HXkv35y
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400510.0;attach=32664)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400510.0;attach=32670)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400510.0;attach=32666)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400510.0;attach=32668)
I will tweak the spec map for the wing invasion stripes as they look flatter here than those on the booms.
Some photos of the airplane deployed to a forward base in France shortly after the D-Day Invasion show unpainted spinners. I considered that option but decided against it.
(https://i.postimg.cc/FkdGgSZ8/MODahss34.png) (https://postimg.cc/FkdGgSZ8)
The original by Kev367th:
(https://i.postimg.cc/217pZp3v/Scrap-Iron-IV-Original-00.png) (https://postimg.cc/217pZp3v)
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Looks great.
I do wonder however, why the undersides of the booms are darker than the underside of the nose, and why the front of the booms have a brown tinge to them?
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Looks great.
I do wonder however, why the undersides of the booms are darker than the underside of the nose, and why the front of the booms have a brown tinge to them?
Thanks.
The brown is just weathering you see on a number of these airplanes. Oil. Grime. Painted with primer. You name it. On one photo of SCRAPIRON IV the whole thing is practically covered in mud but I didn't want to go to that extreme.
This photo of it in France shows some of that darker metal, not just a shadow, IMHO.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400510.0;attach=32672)
This picture of Virginia Marie is probably one of the better examples. Little Redhead II also has a photo showing it, as does St. Louis Blues, among others.
(https://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/images/503/03.jpg)
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/82/ed/a6/82eda6a7eb88d5e1eed9ce55b3180719.jpg)
(https://thechive.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/facts-about-the-iconic-ww2-p-38-lightning-2537.jpg?quality=85&strip=info&w=950)
I left the underside darker primarily with the gear doors in an attempt to hide seams and give some diversity in the metal. I may lighten it some since the invasion stripes already hide most of the boom any way. Not a bad idea. It is also possible I accidentally darkened a layer or altered the transparency of something on top of it by mistake, too.
The other day I deleted an entire layer with a bad mouse drag. I had already saved over all my backups so I wound up having to redo the entire layer from scratch. :bhead :bhead :bhead :bhead :bhead :bhead
The metal looks lighter from other angles so I obviously missed it. I'll say that was a good catch on your part.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400510.0;attach=32676)
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Interesting. The weathering on the bottom seems like it is the wrong color and may be over done. It certainly does not seem like a color that would occur naturally on a metal panel. I may be wrong, however. The blue is a bit too bright and saturated, in my opinion. The metal work is excellent as always and your olive drab looks much better than on your recent skins. Nice job.
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Interesting. The weathering on the bottom seems like it is the wrong color and may be over done. It certainly does not seem like a color that would occur naturally on a metal panel. I may be wrong, however. The blue is a bit too bright and saturated, in my opinion. The metal work is excellent as always and your olive drab looks much better than on your recent skins. Nice job.
Thank you.
Usually it's in shadow any way so I haven't paid much attention to the weathering on the underside of the cowl. It was originally done for VM [Edit in: P-38 Virginia Marie], which has a pretty severe case of it, and I just left it. It’s not natural weathering. It’s grime, primer, mud, and all sort of other stuff. It is definitely not spontaneous. One source says it is zinc chromate applied in the field.
I can tweak it to make it a bit lighter, but it IS common on P-38s.
Funny you mention the OD. I hate it. :rofl Looks awful on my end. :bhead I basically just lightened it some, otherwise it's the same as my other 38s. I can't stand the way the nose stretches it. When you lighten it you see every single stretched pixel. Not much can be done about that, I guess, since it's inherent within the 3D shape. The nose on this object is one of the most frustrating things I've run into with skinning.
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What is VM? I am not up on the acronyms apparently.
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What is VM? I am not up on the acronyms apparently.
Virginia Marie, a P-38. See photos in my second post.
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Virginia Marie, a P-38. See photos in my second post.
Oh. Regarding the olive drab, the pixel problem is definitely a problem, I agree. There are about 5 distinct different colors in there. I think it is much better than your recent attempts though, which were way too dark in my opinion. But, I am no artist, just an admirer.
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Oh. The pixel problem is definitely a problem, I agree. There are about 5 distinct different colors in there.
Yeah, it drives me batty. You wind up trading one bad outcome for another much of the time.
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Oh. Regarding the olive drab, the pixel problem is definitely a problem, I agree. There are about 5 distinct different colors in there. I think it is much better than your recent attempts though, which were way too dark in my opinion. But, I am no artist, just an admirer.
Cross post.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll take a look at the other stuff later in the week. Carpal Tunnel surgery tomorrow so I'll be on the sidelines for a few days...
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:aok
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Thanks.
The brown is just weathering you see on a number of these airplanes. Oil. Grime. Painted with primer. You name it. On one photo of SCRAPIRON IV the whole thing is practically covered in mud but I didn't want to go to that extreme.
This photo of it in France shows some of that darker metal, not just a shadow, IMHO.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400510.0;attach=32672)
This picture of Virginia Marie is probably one of the better examples. Little Redhead II also has a photo showing it, as does St. Louis Blues, among others.
(https://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/images/503/03.jpg)
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/82/ed/a6/82eda6a7eb88d5e1eed9ce55b3180719.jpg)
(https://thechive.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/facts-about-the-iconic-ww2-p-38-lightning-2537.jpg?quality=85&strip=info&w=950)
I left the underside darker primarily with the gear doors in an attempt to hide seams and give some diversity in the metal. I may lighten it some since the invasion stripes already hide most of the boom any way. Not a bad idea. It is also possible I accidentally darkened a layer or altered the transparency of something on top of it by mistake, too.
The other day I deleted an entire layer with a bad mouse drag. I had already saved over all my backups so I wound up having to redo the entire layer from scratch. :bhead :bhead :bhead :bhead :bhead :bhead
It looks lighter from other angles so I obviously missed it.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400510.0;attach=32676)
Yeah, I figured the brown was weathering, but it looked odd to me just having it stop abruptly at the gear door.
Maybe try streaking those stains back along the tail booms.
(https://www.1999.co.jp/itbig58/10588257b3.jpg)
(https://www.ausairpower.net/HISTORICAL/P-38-Radiator-Flap-1.jpg)
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Yeah, I figured the brown was weathering, but it looked odd to me just having it stop abruptly at the gear door.
Maybe try streaking those stains back along the tail booms.
(https://www.1999.co.jp/itbig58/10588257b3.jpg)
(https://www.ausairpower.net/HISTORICAL/P-38-Radiator-Flap-1.jpg)
It stops because it is apparently primer, paint, or stripped paint. You’ll see how it generally does not extend to the gear doors on the planes that have it. It’s a P-38 thing apparently. I guess they’re painting that section of the boom while it’s parked, and thus the gear doors are open (out of the way). :headscratch: It also confines itself to the limits of the lower access panel. The photos I posted show this pretty well. It’s almost like they’re applying it with a rag.
This is distinct and separate from the brown streaks you’re talking about, which I presume are due to oil.
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Glad you went with the blue spinners and not bare metal. Just looks nicer.
I see a new detail on the cowl behind the oil cooler intake - looks like painted red flames?
Oh those old AH1 skins are just horrible in AH3. They didn't look that bad back then - now they are just white. I have a 20th FG '38J that has the same problem.
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Glad you went with the blue spinners and not bare metal. Just looks nicer.
I see a new detail on the cowl behind the oil cooler intake - looks like painted red flames?
Oh those old AH1 skins are just horrible in AH3. They didn't look that bad back then - now they are just white. I have a 20th FG '38J that has the same problem.
Thank you. I wasn’t sure if it was the right call, so I feel better about it now that you’ve said that.
Good eye, man. Yeah, I don’t know if they are flames or lace. Lol. The propeller blade in one photo is covering up something on the nacelle that likely explains what it is. :bhead
(http://www.americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/media/media-24711.jpeg)
It’s too bad the AH1 skins can’t be salvaged. Lots of good detail went into them. The game just passed them by. I post the images not to cast the old stuff in a bad light, but rather to say thanks to the people who made them. They did good work. :salute
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It stops because it is apparently primer, paint, or stripped paint. You’ll see how it generally does not extend to the gear doors on the planes that have it. It’s a P-38 thing apparently. I guess they’re painting that section of the boom while it’s parked, and thus the gear doors are open (out of the way). :headscratch:
This is distinct and separate from the brown streaks you’re talking about, which I presume are due to oil.
What I see in your reference pictures does not look like paint to me. It looks like oil that has seeped through the panel lines as it ran down the inside of the oil cooler duct and then was spread rearward by propwash and airflow once on the outside. Not sure why it's not as apparent on the gear doors, though.
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What I see in your reference pictures does not look like paint to me. It looks like oil that has seeped through the panel lines as it ran down the inside of the oil cooler duct and then was spread rearward by propwash and airflow once on the outside. Not sure why it's not as apparent on the gear doors, though.
It’s paint in most cases. One source says it is zinc chromate (anti-corrosion treatment). Oil is not going to respect 90 degree joints in panel lines, it’s going to flow past them.
Look at ST. LOUIS BLUES and you can see paint streaks or rag wipes. It’s not the natural flow of oil. Same with Virginia Marie. This is field-applied in some form. There are literally dozens of photos showing this on P-38s. I’m as curious as anyone as to the exact purpose and cause.
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The second note mentions ZC. I saw one other reference to this somewhere but I can’t find it now.
(https://web.ipmsusa3.org/sites/default/files/reviews/p-38-lightning-wicked-women/001.jpg)
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Nice update Vraciu, sure to be a popular skin in the MA.
My interpretation of the darker areas on NMF P-38s such as below the chin radiators is that they are actually silver paint. I did find references to things like the radiator pods being finished this way but not a complete list of all the silver-painted areas on the aircraft. So I just examined photos of NMF P-38s carefully (particularly factory-fresh examples) and worked it out from that. The screenshot below illustrates my silver paint layer by colouring it yellow. Normally this layer is black but set to a low opacity so it just slightly darkens these areas.
The silver-painted areas are as far as I can tell the gun access hatches and canopy area on the pod, on the booms the area below the engines, ahead of the turbos and around the pods and on the wings the leading edge fuel tanks and the wingtips. My guess is these areas were chosen because filling and sanding them smooth would give a significant drag reduction.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400510.0;attach=32678)
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Thanks for the compliment.
Good diagram. Thanks for sharing that.
It still doesn't explain fully why they're so dark. The one source says it's a touch up using zinc chromate. It's definitely not just silver paint. It's also not universal. :headscratch:
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Nice update Vraciu, sure to be a popular skin in the MA.
My interpretation of the darker areas on NMF P-38s such as below the chin radiators is that they are actually silver paint. I did find references to things like the radiator pods being finished this way but not a complete list of all the silver-painted areas on the aircraft. So I just examined photos of NMF P-38s carefully (particularly factory-fresh examples) and worked it out from that. The screenshot below illustrates my silver paint layer by colouring it yellow. Normally this layer is black but set to a low opacity so it just slightly darkens these areas.
The silver-painted areas are as far as I can tell the gun access hatches and canopy area on the pod, on the booms the area below the engines, ahead of the turbos and around the pods and on the wings the leading edge fuel tanks and the wingtips. My guess is these areas were chosen because filling and sanding them smooth would give a significant drag reduction.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400510.0;attach=32678)
Great info, Greebo. Thanks.
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This is silver paint or a different metal tone. Sometimes it is LIGHTER not darker:
https://aviationhumor.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Experimental-air-ambulance-version-of-the-P-38.jpg
(https://i1.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/F-5-casevac-3.jpg?resize=678%2C381&ssl=1)
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/74/98/c9/7498c9402549dd147117ae1aece65955.jpg)
This is not:
(https://www.militaryimages.net/media/aircraft-drop-tank-car.113614/full)
(https://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/images/503/03.jpg)
Different phenomena.
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It may just be a question of different levels of reflectivity between the NMF and the paint. Whether the more reflective material is reflecting a dark or light background to the camera.
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It may just be a question of different levels of reflectivity between the NMF and the paint. Whether the more reflective material is reflecting a dark or light background to the camera.
No, it's more than that. There are images of metal with different reflectivity that are darker *AND* lighter (some are also identical), but they look nothing like this. Some of the darkest ones are with airplanes parked on white sand/coral so one might expect them to be lighter.
This is an applied or manipulated material. On St. Louis Blues you can actually see brush streaks. On Virginia Marie multiple sources say it is an applied treatment of zinc chromate that is also present on the nose. There are dozens of P-38s that show this same thing and it is distinct from metal differences, paint, reflectivity, or tarnish.
(https://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/images/503/03.jpg)
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/82/ed/a6/82eda6a7eb88d5e1eed9ce55b3180719.jpg)
Those are paint or rag marks (brush/rag application or maybe an attempt at cleaning), not reflection.
So I think we have multiple possibilities for the variations we see.
1) Differences in material.
2) Factory paint.
3) Reflectivity.
4) Tarnish.
5) Touch-up paint, primer, or zinc chromate.
6) Wear, grime, grease, oil, dirt, etc.
7) Some combination of the above.
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Should the grime or whatever extend, more or less, the length of the boom? Seems odd that it abruptly stops.
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Should the grime or whatever extend, more or less, the length of the boom? Seems odd that it abruptly stops.
Grime would to a point but this is PAINT.
Where this is concerned it's primer or zinc chromate depending on the airplane.
I've mentioned this half a dozen times.
There are various reasons for the different coloration seen on the lower cowl panel. Dark and blotchy versions of this that don't affect the gear doors are clearly applied by hand while in maintenance.
Also, anything kicked up by the tires won't hit the outside of the gear doors. They're out of the way.
(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6c/55/d3/6c55d378f276852ccc61ebe8ae67be32.jpg)
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Yeah, there's a bunch of stuff happening in that area and none of it makes sense on it's own.
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Yeah, there's a bunch of stuff happening in that area and none of it makes sense on it's own.
Agreed. And it even differs from one side to the other sometimes. (And in this case, front to back on each respective panel, too.)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/KIytWe9OSjw408TDONdsLgq7EcM3mfvs8wQK-P-clRcdcey7p4Hi_GIOftjTB_zFj8Y3_0uPq3O71Sc96KrfaNU)
On T-Rigor Mortis the gear doors are the same as the lower cowling (and darker than the boom), but this is the only example of this I've seen. Perhaps the silver paint is being eroded and we are seeing what is under it. Or maybe this is a clear coat that is turning dark with age.
(https://www.worldwarphotos.info/wp-content/gallery/usa/aircrafts/p-38-lightning/P-38_Lightning_anmed_T_Rigor_Mortis_II__134_475th_FG_Pacific.jpg)
On St. Louis Blues, however, the gear door is unaffected, which points us back to the brush streaks or rag marks.
(https://i.imgur.com/MJyQHUo.jpg)
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/82/ed/a6/82eda6a7eb88d5e1eed9ce55b3180719.jpg)
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Just a footnote I worked at place years ago that made exterior and interior lighting on commercial and military aircraft. We also pressed Aluminium wing tips that later had the holes machined out for the light lens. Once the raw material was pressed it did usually change colours in particular along the radius of a leading edge. All these parts were then treated with zinc chromate and they were always different in appearance even with the same heat lot of metal and same plating tank of chromate. I think what your chasing is virtually impossible to achieve unless you have colour photos for every plane you plan to do.
My
(https://i.imgur.com/HDFrvEch.jpg)
worth.
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Good stuff.
Yeah, I'm really simply justifying my decision on the skin. Anything I do is a best guess, but I prefer it to simply leaving it plain metal.
I may lighten it some on this one or make it more gray as this particular effect is a carryover from Virginia Marie for which I at least had some textual description to work with.
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More peeturdyates to part out.
I am going to be busy in my parts distribution business in AH.
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(https://i.imgur.com/3Gsw8rCh.jpg)
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Nice work Vraciu.
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Thank you guys.
Also thanks for the picture, Lyric.
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Great picture Lyric. I've spent lots of time studying photos of '38s and had never noticed the 3 signal lights under the rear of the fuselage before.
Thanks for posting that.
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Great picture Lyric. I've spent lots of time studying photos of '38s and had never noticed the 3 signal lights under the rear of the fuselage before.
Thanks for posting that.
I had the EXACT same thought. This begs the question were they also on the J or just the L?
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IIRC the ID lights were fitted to all P-38s, for AH skinners its academic though as that area is stretched horizontally.
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IIRC the ID lights were fitted to all P-38s, for AH skinners its academic though as that area is stretched horizontally.
Not surprised to hear that. It's a minor detail though so not a big issue.
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IIRC the ID lights were fitted to all P-38s, for AH skinners its academic though as that area is stretched horizontally.
That was my next question. :bhead