Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Vraciu on February 27, 2021, 11:47:54 PM
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Another long overdue update. Thanks to Fester for the encouragement (sincerely) and Oboe for the usual cordial assistance via PM as well as his excellent pilot figure for the cockpit. As always, this is the culmination of a group effort spanning many skins. The usual suspects, Devil505, Greebo, FTJR, Lyric1, and many others not listed are also worthy of my gratitude. It's not where I want it to be yet, but it's another step. I may dial back the panel line shading next time. (I also forgot to adjust something on the fuselage insignia. Nothing major. I'll fix it.)
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P-51D-5-NA, s/n 44-13263
"JO-BABY" - WD*D
Lt. Robert McCampbell
52nd Fighter Group, 4th Fighter Squadron
Italy, 1944
This is P-51D-5-NA "Jo-Baby" of the 4th FS, 52nd FG, 15th AF based in Italy (Serial 44-13263), coded WD*D. It was flown by Lt. Robert McCampbell who was credited with three victories and two probables while flying Spitfires and Mustangs. This is the late-war version of his airplane with the all-yellow tail (1944). It was lost on 11 November 1944 while being flown by another pilot.
Lt. McCampbell earned two DFCs and his unit was twice awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. He wrote a book in 2006 entitled "An Ordinary Guy in Extraordinary Times" about his World War II experiences.
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This skin is my sentimental favorite as it was my very first skin, done out of love for my then-girlfriend--her nickname being "Jo" it was appropriate (some of you who flew with me heard on coms in the background from time to time). I really need to do a lot more to it but since Greebo is processing a batch on Monday I figured I better get it in. I'll do some more work down the road.
I tried a few things that Oboe is doing with his Spec Maps to see if it would help. I'll be darned if I can get a good screenshot in flight though. I don't know what the secret is to getting the photo plane to behave. When I try to move around the thing wallows like a drunken steer. It's a real head-banger. :bhead
In any event, it looks right from the cockpit which is my primary concern, and at dogfight distances it does as well. It sure looks better than it used to.
Relevant Older Threads (Listed as Note to Self):
2014 WIP - https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,357987.0.html
2014 Original Submission - https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,361253.0.html
2017 AH3 Update - https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,385118.msg5120916.html#msg5120916
2017 AH3 Update 2 - https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,386058.msg5132051.html#msg5132051
2018 AH3 Update 3 (Rev 4) - https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,393905.msg5226042.html#msg5226042
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(https://i.postimg.cc/mhxxxm89/MODahss181.png)
I couldn't figure out how to get a good closeup so I gave up for now.
(https://i.postimg.cc/FR7sNngC/MODahss206.png)
Offsite Gallery:
https://postimg.cc/gallery/G2W30VN
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Quite a change from the original and its subsequent iterations (current version shown first):
(https://i.postimg.cc/DzfwYzWT/MODahss190.png)
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=357987.0;attach=18962)
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=385118.0;attach=26689)
(http://i.imgur.com/afQSv9T.jpg)
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=386058.0;attach=27230)
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=393905.0;attach=30458)
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:aok
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Nice to see how its evolved over time Vraciu, so much better now.
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Excellent improvement
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“A work of art is never completed, only abandoned.”
I enjoyed the evolution pics too. Well Done.
Once you have the sight to see what you want to recreate it becomes a matter of tenacity to do it.
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SoooOOO much better
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Hard to understate the improvement. The grime in the yellow tail especially improved. And the screenshot composition is great- with the grass showing - its a subtle, peripheral detail but it adds so much to the screenshot, IMO.
Well done!
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Outstanding as always V. I appreciate your eye for detail and the history of the pilot and the aircraft. Those facts alone drive you to make it a wonderful skin.
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Thanks everyone for the kind words. I just try to keep up with Oboe! Lol!
There was more I wanted to do but had to stop where I was since I won’t be able to work on it again for a bit.
Thanks again. :cheers: :salute
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I agree with your dark detail shading observation and applaud the relentless quest for the holy grail results that are so elusive to us all.
You could try light detail shading to counter it in the form of flush head rivets and other little details using a lighter shade to hint at their near invisible presence.
Looking at the progression in detail a pattern of refinement emerges that can be continued to the nth degree of obsession if the artist so chooses.
Basically no pixel of the million pixels in use should be similar to the other pixels around it and the whole endeavors underlying objective is in essence to tell a story to the eye of the observer that they are not even aware of on a conscious level.
If you can make every tiny part of your work tell a visual nuanced realistic and subtle story it will be studied, viewed and enjoyed by the casual player and the harshest critic alike.
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That’s a good philosophy, Fester.
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I have been known to on occasion use my high powered perception for good instead of evil. But don’t tell anyone. Got to keep up appearances and all.
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I have been known to on occasion use my high powered perception for good instead of evil. But don’t tell anyone. Got to keep up appearances and all.
My friend, you have gone a long way to rehabilitating that misunderstood image. :)
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Really appreciate the good looking skins you guys do.
I was curious. Were there any camo type paint jobs on late war US planes? It seems to me all the late war stuff was mostly silver.
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Here's a quick tweak. It won't make the update, but at least I can sleep knowing I fixed a few things.
Insignia positioned properly. Panel line shading reduced. I used a negative image on the rivets and panel lines on the P map. The lines I like. The rivets, I'm not sure. They definitely blend in more this way. I don't know if that's desirable or not. If I keep that I'll have to clean up a few spots here and there otherwise I may only invert the panel lines and leave the rivets as they were before.
I'll attack it again in the future.
(https://i.postimg.cc/j27J0WCL/MODahss220a.png)
Compared to my last update (it's easier to do that on one screen) it's hard to believe this is the same game.
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=393905.0;attach=30458)
Here's another of the new version with different scenery.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ykSG0yN7/MODahss225.png) (https://postimg.cc/ykSG0yN7)
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Really appreciate the good looking skins you guys do.
I was curious. Were there any camo type paint jobs on late war US planes? It seems to me all the late war stuff was mostly silver.
Thanks a lot, sir. I think it is a labor of love for the lot of us.
As for the markings, the trend for American planes was the exact opposite of Luftwaffe aircraft. US planes started out dull and drab, while Luftwaffe aircraft were much more vivid and bright. By the end of the war the Luftwaffe were dull and drab while the US schemes became vivid and bright. For obvious reasons the Luftwaffe was much more concerned about being hard to see than the USAAF was as the war ground to its conclusion.
There are exceptions. I think a number of olive drab airplanes stayed that way after D-Day, but it was not the general rule. Paint also added weight, expense, and drag, so dispensing with it had advantages.
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Really appreciate the good looking skins you guys do.
I was curious. Were there any camo type paint jobs on late war US planes? It seems to me all the late war stuff was mostly silver.
Once air superiority was reached, they left off the paint. Time and money.
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I don't know if it matters, but this was my inspiration for the current version...
Jo-Baby is third from left.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=402495.0;attach=33748)
MISS ROGERS also had that bluish hue to it.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=402495.0;attach=33750)
The problem with panel line shading remains that this was a pretty clean aircraft. I am shading it up as a concession to the game for depth, but I am not sure it is really needed. It was a clean airplane. Jo-Baby has the D on the tail, third from camera.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=402495.0;attach=33752)
I've sometimes considered doing the version with tail stripes instead as WEE WILLIE (which I skinned later) has the solid yellow tail.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=402495.0;attach=33754)
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I’ve been using this skin. It’s a beauty, V!
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Thanks, bro. Glad you like it. A few tweaks for the next update but it won't change too much.
:salute
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Here's a quick tweak. It won't make the update, but at least I can sleep knowing I fixed a few things.
Insignia positioned properly. Panel line shading reduced. I used a negative image on the rivets and panel lines on the P map. The lines I like. The rivets, I'm not sure. They definitely blend in more this way. I don't know if that's desirable or not. If I keep that I'll have to clean up a few spots here and there otherwise I may only invert the panel lines and leave the rivets as they were before.
I'll attack it again in the future.
(https://i.postimg.cc/j27J0WCL/MODahss220a.png)
Compared to my last update (it's easier to do that on one screen) it's hard to believe this is the same game.
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=393905.0;attach=30458)
Here's another of the new version with different scenery.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ykSG0yN7/MODahss225.png) (https://postimg.cc/ykSG0yN7)
Good work! Love your stuff. I continue to be impressed by the way things have changed over the years for the better!