Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Vraciu on June 18, 2020, 11:55:00 PM
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Thanks to Devil505, Perdue3, Greebo, and all the rest of you who helped me kick around the OD issue over on the thread with Janie in it. https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,400351.0.html
I also have to thank Lyric1 for his photo research and interpretation help some three-plus years ago. (Wow.) https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,385906.0.html We skinners would be sunk without you, sir.
Finally, additional thanks to Devil505 for his step-by-step flap texture guide.
Maj. Howard "Deacon" Hively, Lt. William Bradford Hoelscher
P-51D-15-NA (QP*J)
S/N 44-15347
4th FG, 334th FS
Debden, UK 1944-45
This P-51D-15-NA coded QP*J was the mount of Maj. Howard "Deacon" Hively while he was the CO of the 334FS, 4FG from June-Aug 1944. It is the only 4FG P-51D to have been painted in olive drab (the underside was natural metal). Deacon, an RAF Eagle Squadron member, served continuously from 1 September 1941 until the end of the war in 1945 flying Spitfires, Thunderbolts, and Mustangs. An ace with 12 aerial victories and 2.5 aircraft destroyed on the ground, his adventures (including the first shuttle mission to Russia) are too numerous to list here. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross with six Oak Leaf Clusters, the air Medal with seven Oak Leaf clusters, and the Purple Heart.
He later retired to West Virginia and spent most of his time traveling throughout the States visiting his old friends from the 4th Fighter Group. While visiting one in Florida in 1982, he accidentally fell out of the boat they were using to see the sights and died of a heart attack before he could be rescued.
This Mustang was later flown by Hively's successor Louis “Red Dog” Norley before being passed to Lt. William Bradford Hoelscher. Hoelscher scored the 4th FG's last victory--and was himself the last man of the group to have been shot down.
While Hoelscher was pursuing an Me-262 jet fighter, shrapnel from flak bursts damaged his wing root, tore part of his tail away, and punctured his coolant system. Fully aware that he was seriously damaged and in jeopardy, he kept after the Me 262 and continued firing short bursts. He saw the German go out of control and begin to burn and smoke. "The jet rolled over on its back,” he wrote.
Second Lieutenant Gordon A. Denson, who was behind Hoelscher in his P-51D (“Priscilla”), wrote, “I saw a large explosion near the edge of the aerodrome under us, where the Me 262 went down out of control on his back.”
With the cooling system of his airplane damaged, Hoelscher was forced to bail out but evaded capture. He was not officially credited with this kill, unfortunately, leaving him with 2.5 aerial victories in WWII (and multiple aircraft destroyed on the ground). He later flew F-86s in Korea scoring 1.5 victories and then A-1s in Vietnam.
He retired from the Air Force in 1970 and died in 1984.
Some of these images don't have quite the resolution I wanted, but they're enough to give you the general idea so I've included them as well.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Px6Lhv4b/MODahss87.png)
(https://i.postimg.cc/W3pDQwMb/MODahss93.png)
(https://i.postimg.cc/wM71BxfC/MODahss76.png)
(https://i.postimg.cc/QNyBy5Vh/MODahss75.png)
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(https://i.postimg.cc/s2s1h4H9/MODahss74.png)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400418.0;attach=32587)
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:aok
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Very cool.
How did you make the photos clickable for a larger version? I was just looking at the War Thunder Live site for skin camouflages and they do that too. I've been mulling over how to do that here, and you've done it already.
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Very cool.
How did you make the photos clickable for a larger version? I was just looking at the War Thunder Live site for skin camouflages and they do that too. I've been mulling over how to do that here, and you've done it already.
Thanks.
It's a width command inside the image tag.
[img width=800
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Good job, V.
I still think the red nose and rudder are too bold. Try a shade that is 10-15% darker and duller.
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Good job, V.
I still think the red nose and rudder are too bold. Try a shade that is 10-15% darker and duller.
You’re killing me, Smalls. I finally get a decent screenshot by accident and now this? :bhead :neener:
Thankfully I’ve not submitted it, so I can tweak it.
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Looksgooda me. Nice.
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I agree with Devil. The OD has improved, but the red is still too bright and pronounced. I understand that OD is different on every airplane, basically, but it seems to be too dark to me.
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I agree with Devil. The OD has improved, but the red is still too bright and pronounced. I understand that OD is different on every airplane, basically, but it seems to be too dark to me.
Thanks.
I'm leaving this OD alone. I may try creating a new shade from scratch, though.
The screenshots come out darker than the plane actually is. It looks great when I fly it with a 1.2 Gamma (see the wing screenshot). Any lighter and it looks like garbage. The source photos of the Mustang itself show a pretty dark airplane any way. You'll just have to fly it when it's released and see what you think.
I've given up trying to solve the issue with the screenshots being dark. I can only operate based on what I see when flying the plane. It looks perfect on my system. When I fly around I take screenshots thinking they look fantastic but then when I open them they're too dark. :bhead
I will tweak the red, but again, I think it's being skewed dark.
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Looksgooda me. Nice.
Thank you.
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I am not so sure that it is your screenshot or settings. This is from my normal graphic settings. Notice the differences in color between various skins of other skinners and yours:
31FG by Fester
(https://i.imgur.com/8VaWltM.jpg)
361 FG by Fester
(https://i.imgur.com/HRBRgBa.jpg)
364 FG by cactus
(https://i.imgur.com/Fd9kGTy.jpg)
BBD by Fester
(https://i.imgur.com/ikbXTvL.jpg)
353FG by Fencer
(https://i.imgur.com/sf7XTqm.jpg)
354 FG by Oboe
(https://i.imgur.com/gwyhYGL.jpg)
405FG by Greebo (The perfect Olive Drab, in my opinion)
(https://i.imgur.com/ldQmlbo.jpg)
49 FG by Devil
(https://i.imgur.com/tH5nPBt.jpg)
Now a few of yours in game:
(https://i.imgur.com/UifSofY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6lmXmln.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/z41nRgS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6cHyEcQ.jpg)
This is your best Olive Drab in game, I think.
(https://i.imgur.com/gylJQ0Q.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/haUo0I4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/EiYYU4J.jpg)
The darkest OD on the 51B. This is with Post Lighting Off.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZnIvARn.jpg)
Post Lighting On. You can see just how incredibly dark that color is.
All of these colors become bolder and darker with Post Lighting on. My point here is to show you that it is not your pictures or settings, they are too dark with my settings and screenshots, too. When you look at other olive drabs, perhaps you can see what I mean about it being really dark. I don't mean to be critical, I just aim to help. I wish I could give you artistic advice, but I am no artist; just an admirer.
:cheers:
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I am not so sure that it is your screenshot or settings. This is from my normal graphic settings. Notice the differences in color between various skins of other skinners and yours:
[Miss Velma]
This is your best Olive Drab in game, I think.
[Ding Hao!]
The darkest OD on the 51B. This is with Post Lighting Off.
Post Lighting On. You can see just how incredibly dark that color is.
All of these colors become bolder and darker with Post Lighting on. My point here is to show you that it is not your pictures or settings, they are too dark with my settings and screenshots, too. When you look at other olive drabs, perhaps you can see what I mean about it being really dark. I don't mean to be critical, I just aim to help. I wish I could give you artistic advice, but I am no artist; just an admirer.
:cheers:
You're not being critical. You're trying to help and it's greatly appreciated.
None of those skins have the same OD as this one. This one is definitely lighter than the Bs. I'll have to look at MISS VELMA and figure out what shade that is compared to this one.
I've noticed the Bs behave differently than the Ds with colors. I am wondering if the diffuse is stretching a little bit.
I'm drawing the skins to look good on my FE when I'm flying them--and on my end they do. I may try to photograph my screen with my phone or something.
Is monitor brightness a factor somehow? Can it be something as stupid as that? :headscratch:
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You're not being critical. You're trying to help and it's greatly appreciated.
None of those skins have the same OD as this one. This one is definitely lighter than the Bs. I'll have to look at MISS VELMA and figure out what shade that is compared to this one.
I've noticed the Bs behave differently than the Ds with colors. I am wondering if the diffuse is stretching a little bit.
I'm drawing the skins to look good on my FE when I'm flying them--and on my end they do. I may try to photograph my screen with my phone or something.
Is monitor brightness a factor somehow? Can it be something as stupid as that? :headscratch:
I doubt it. Most of your images look like the last one I posted. Which is simply with Post Lighting on.
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Great work V! This is my favourite skin of the P-51D that I use all the time. :salute
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I doubt it. Most of your images look like the last one I posted. Which is simply with Post Lighting on.
I grabbed the OD that I liked the most of the ones you posted and took a viewer screenshot of it.
Here is it next to my skin in the viewer. I'll try flying it offline and doing the same thing. It almost looks tan vs OD.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400418.0;attach=32593)
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Great work V! This is my favourite skin of the P-51D that I use all the time. :salute
Thanks, MF. :cheers:
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I grabbed the OD that I liked the most of the ones you posted and took a viewer screenshot of it.
Here is it next to my skin in the viewer. I'll try flying it offline and doing the same thing. It almost looks tan vs OD.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=400418.0;attach=32593)
Okay. I simply disagree. Whatever you like :aok
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Okay. I simply disagree. Whatever you like :aok
I can’t go with a color that looks ridiculous on my screen. I’m operating on blind faith there. I did tweak the contrast two percent to lighten it slightly.
I need to find out why my colors look different on my end vs yours. Those screenshots give me something to work with so I’ll start there.
Many thanks.
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I can’t go with a color that looks ridiculous on my screen. I’m operating on blind faith there. I did tweak the contrast two percent to lighten it slightly.
I need to find out why my colors look different on my end vs yours. Those screenshots give me something to work with so I’ll start there.
Many thanks.
:aok
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I am thinking the color issue on your screen and snapshots is a NBTK issue. Most likely irreversible.
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I am thinking the color issue on your screen and snapshots is a NBTK issue. Most likely irreversible.
*Glares at Shuffler*
:rofl
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*Glares at Shuffler*
:rofl
:D
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Lookin good Vraciu! :aok
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Great looking skin Vraciu, the olive drab colour looks fine to me.
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Thanks guys. :salute
The red is desaturated further in the image above per Devil and Perdue.
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Looks better, now.
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Looks better, now.
Roger that. Thanks for all the help, bro. :cheers:
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Posted in wrong thread.
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Posted in wrong thread.
Good info regardless. Thanks for posting.
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I posted in the wrong thread. This version is even better. I wonder why this plane wound up as the only D in olive drab for the group. Interesting.
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I posted in the wrong thread. This version is even better. I wonder why this plane wound up as the only D in olive drab for the group. Interesting.
I don't have an answer for that. Maybe someone else can weigh in.
Another issue I had was in trying to figure out if the olive drab stopped or wrapped under the fuselage behind the radiator scoop.
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=385906.0;attach=27018)
The tailwheel doors are definitely olive drab so it wraps under. Just behind the wing on the lower fuselage I see something silver or white. Slush? Mud? Paint abrasion?
I see the same thing on the lower fuselage ahead of the rudder.
The exit door for the radiator has some overspray on it but is not fully painted. The silver area there looks brighter than the other spots I mentioned above.
:headscratch:
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For some reason people keep replying to my original version. I need to ask Hitech to lock that thread down.