Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Greebo on November 10, 2017, 05:37:06 AM

Title: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: Greebo on November 10, 2017, 05:37:06 AM
Following its victory over France in 1940 Germany did not dismantle the French Air Force but did require it to be based French North Africa. In 1942 this collection of by then outdated French and American aircraft briefly opposed Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of the area, before being overrun. The best bomber available to the Vichy French forces at the time was the Douglas DB-7 which was an earlier variant of the Boston/A20 and so the Allies took pains to destroy many of these as possible on the ground in their initial assault.

This DB-7 was part of GBII/32 in 1942 and was painted with distinctive theater ID markings of red and yellow stripes on the tail surfaces, which were needed to prevent friendly fire from Axis forces. It also had red and yellow striped cowls but this is not possible to represent on the AH1-era Boston shape, due to its very weird texture mapping of the nacelle area.

(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=390270.0;attach=28735)
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: Vraciu on November 10, 2017, 07:57:47 AM
Very cool. 
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: Devil 505 on November 10, 2017, 08:00:32 AM
most excellent
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: DubiousKB on November 10, 2017, 08:52:03 AM
Too bright.  :devil


(very cool reasoning on the tail colors)
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: Skuzzy on November 10, 2017, 09:15:01 AM
I am thinking that AH1 model has never looked better, on the outside.
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: oboe on November 10, 2017, 09:36:28 AM
Amazing work, Greebo.  You do wonders with the Boston III.



Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: Nefarious on November 10, 2017, 10:26:50 AM
Very cool!
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: Vraciu on November 10, 2017, 10:50:20 AM
I am thinking that AH1 model has never looked better, on the outside.

All the more impressive. 
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: lyric1 on November 10, 2017, 11:36:36 AM


This DB-7 was part of GBII/32 in 1942 and was painted with distinctive theater ID markings of red and yellow stripes on the tail surfaces, which were needed to prevent friendly fire from Axis forces. It also had red and yellow striped cowls but this is not possible to represent on the AH1-era Boston shape, due to its very weird texture mapping of the nacelle area.

(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=390270.0;attach=28735)

Will be nice on the update of these old skins though so we can get all of what it should be.

(http://i68.tinypic.com/dyat01.jpg)

(http://i63.tinypic.com/2gvlz7t.jpg)

Excellent work as usual Greebo.

 :aok
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: Greebo on November 10, 2017, 04:21:40 PM
In terms of its actual shape the Boston and A-20G were probably the most accurate of all the AH1 aircraft. That they are each spread over three 1024 res bmps helps their pixel density too. Unfortunately the way the textures are mapped onto the shape makes them an utter pig to skin. Each nacelle is mapped in eight sections, half of which are little patches taken from the upper and lower wings, some of which are distorted and others of which overlap each other. Getting a camo scheme to work on both the wings and nacelles is bad enough, but if I wanted to skin those yellow and red cowlings it would also create lots of little yellow and red patches all over the wings. Hopefully we should get a new Boston/A-20G shape within the next year or so.
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: Greebo on November 12, 2017, 06:15:46 AM
Too bright.  :devil

Lyric1 found me a colour photo of a similar DB-7 to this one which did look more muted so I had a look for a better source on Armee de l Air colours. I found the following colour chart and applied some of its colours to the skin. I think the skin looks more realistic now.

https://www.cybermodeler.com/color/faf_matrix.shtml

(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=390270.0;attach=28759)
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: Vraciu on November 12, 2017, 09:03:47 AM
Superb. 
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: FTJR on November 15, 2017, 01:06:07 AM
Beautiful
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: SirNuke on November 17, 2017, 09:01:39 AM
very nice, I was wondering how Boston's could've been in Vichy's air force, it looks like they weren't!
Title: Re: Vichy French DB-7
Post by: Vraciu on November 17, 2017, 03:23:11 PM
very nice, I was wondering how Boston's could've been in Vichy's air force, it looks like they weren't!

????   :headscratch: