Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: oboe on September 19, 2009, 05:05:33 PM

Title: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: oboe on September 19, 2009, 05:05:33 PM: This was Deputy CO Gerald Johnson's aircraft, flying out of Biak in 1944. Hope to replace the current in-game skin with this much more detailed work.

(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Flagtail-Profile-shot.jpg)

(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Flagtail-FRQ.jpg)

(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Flagtail-FLQ.jpg)

(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Flagtail-RRQ.jpg)
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: lyric1 on September 19, 2009, 05:07:48 PM: Sweet.
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: Banshee7 on September 19, 2009, 06:06:05 PM: Beautiful!
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: Plazus on September 19, 2009, 06:52:13 PM: Lookin pretty nice! :aok
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: Knite on September 19, 2009, 09:04:01 PM: I always love your 38 skins oboe, and any time I did one in the past, always hoped to live up to your work. :salute

I noticed you went with a darker metal shade this time. Any particular reason?
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: Fencer51 on September 19, 2009, 09:56:16 PM: Man they are all the same.. its an aluminum plane, with different colors here and there. The same as rest of the skins..

(whoa feeling woozy.. what happened I think I was possessed for a second there) Nice work Oboe. :aok
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: Guppy35 on September 19, 2009, 11:24:13 PM: Quote from: Fencer51 on September 19, 2009, 09:56:16 PM
Man they are all the same.. its an aluminum plane, with different colors here and there. The same as rest of the skins..

(whoa feeling woozy.. what happened I think I was possessed for a second there) Nice work Oboe. :aok

Getting kinda crusty in your old age? :)
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: oboe on September 20, 2009, 05:19:58 AM: Quote from: Fencer51 on September 19, 2009, 09:56:16 PM
Man they are all the same.. its an aluminum plane, with different colors here and there. The same as rest of the skins..

(whoa feeling woozy.. what happened I think I was possessed for a second there) Nice work Oboe. :aok

I know what you mean - once my eye settles on a look and balance that looks right to me, its difficult to stray from that, inspite of all the adjustments I make to the different stain and weathering layers. This is the first time I changed the metal in the gun bay and boom access panels - I cut away my color layer and let HTC's original metal show through in those areas. It seemed more noticeable to me I guess. By now I have so many layers in my .psd file that Chaos Theory seems to be operating as well - I'll make a change to something and it will affect something else in a way I hadn't anticipated. I may be pushing the Bright plugin toward its limit, too, not sure.

I do believe it's more authentic-looking than the original, and many panel errors have been fixed and small details added. In the end though, it's as you say, with bare metal P-38s - they're all aluminum, with different colors here and there.
Knite,

I went with a darker mid-level shade on these bare metal skins so the lighter highlights would have more contrast, which I think I learned from studying your fine bare metal '38 skins. :salute
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: oboe on September 20, 2009, 05:27:27 AM: Here's old vs new, side by side. Is the new metal color too dark?

(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Old-49FG-Flagtail-Profile-1.jpg) (http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Flagtail-Profile-shot-1.jpg)
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: texastc316 on September 20, 2009, 06:29:31 AM: very nice sir.
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: Fencer51 on September 20, 2009, 07:29:23 AM: NM
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: Knite on September 20, 2009, 07:36:32 AM: Quote from: oboe on September 20, 2009, 05:19:58 AM
Knite,
I went with a darker mid-level shade on these bare metal skins so the lighter highlights would have more contrast, which I think I learned from studying your fine bare metal '38 skins. :salute

Thanks :o I'm truly honored by that.

I think it looks good, and the reason you stated is exactly why I went with a darker metal when I started with the Florida Cracker. If you're not sure you could always change the "ambient" setting in the materials.txt for a "quick check" on different brightness/darkness of the metal. I think your new 38 has more "metal character" to it, like it's a used plane.
:aok
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: lyric1 on September 20, 2009, 07:39:52 AM: Quote from: oboe on September 20, 2009, 05:27:27 AM
Here's old vs new, side by side. Is the new metal color too dark?

(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Old-49FG-Flagtail-Profile-1.jpg) (http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Flagtail-Profile-shot-1.jpg)
I think the second shot looks more like a combat bird that has just not been cleaned in a while & the fist shot looks like it came right off the factory floor. Go with #2. :aok
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: oboe on September 20, 2009, 08:14:32 AM: Quote from: Fencer51 on September 20, 2009, 07:29:23 AM
NM

Always interested in your comments, Fencer. I don't consider myself above any constructive criticism, and you've got a good eye for detail.

I appreciate everybody's comments - I've been stuck on 38s for quite a while now, and I've had so much help and input over the years my skins could almost be considered a group effort.

:salute
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: Fencer51 on September 20, 2009, 08:43:13 AM: Quote from: oboe on September 20, 2009, 08:14:32 AM
Always interested in your comments, Fencer. I don't consider myself above any constructive criticism, and you've got a good eye for detail.

I appreciate everybody's comments - I've been stuck on 38s for quite a while now, and I've had so much help and input over the years my skins could almost be considered a group effort.

:salute

Well I was going to explain that I was not critiqing but that it was a joke not a critique but I don't want to get into it.. Guppy got it.
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: Hajo on September 20, 2009, 08:46:58 AM: Actually to me the first looks weathered, and the second looks like anodized aluminum. <shrugs>
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: oboe on September 20, 2009, 11:30:59 AM: Well, we're OK as long as the 38's skin is anodized then! (And don't tell me if it ain't) ;)
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: Shifty on November 20, 2009, 06:03:21 PM: Still my favorite P-38 skin. Great job Oboe.
Title: Re: P-38L 49th FG redux
Post by: oboe on November 20, 2009, 07:54:15 PM: Thanks, Shifty, I appreciate that!