Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Vraciu on November 14, 2021, 12:07:07 AM
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Thanks to Lyric1 for digging up some more photos of this one that have helped nail down some marking errors that have been with this skin since it was first placed into the game.
Original Version is here: https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,393377.0.html
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This is a P-51B-15-NA Mustang (S/N 43-24877) of the 325th FG, 318th FS, 15th AF. Nicknamed "Penrod" and coded #69, it was flown by six-victory ace and Squadron Commander Captain Roy Burton Hogg out of Lesina, Italy in the Summer of 1944. Captain Hogg joined the 325th in March 1943 and scored his victories in three different aircraft types (two in P-40s, two in P-47s, and two in this Mustang), a rare achievement. The name appears to be a reference to a popular comic character dating to 1914.
This aircraft would later be flown by Lieutenat Harold Kick with the markings "Chinese Laundry" on the left cowling, and "It's a Dog" on the right. It was one of the last three P-51Bs in the group. Lieutenant Kick said of the airplane:
"The 325th began receiving the bubble canopy Mustangs in October 1944. Most pilots wanted to fly them. When I had enough missions to be able to choose a plane. I chose #69. If it was good enough for Capt Hogg our Squadron C.O., it must be a good plane. I flew over 40 missions in #69 and never had any problems. the plane was maintained beautifully. I still regret that such a beautiful and expensive plane was cut up for junk. Today it would be worth $1,000,000.00."
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=404136.0;attach=34501)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=404136.0;attach=34503)
Compare to the my original version:
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=393377.0;attach=29915)
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:aok
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Nice looking skin Vraciu.
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Great-looking metal, and your nose art text really pops. Nice difference in the sheen between the red nose stripe and the bare metal. The tail checkerboard is so crisp, I don't know how you do that, especially with the orientation of the squares.
Mine would end up with fuzzy edges, after I did the tilt.
Great compositions on the screenshots too - very realistic settings.
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Nice improvement.
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Thanks everyone.
Oboe, I think what I did was to draw diagonal lines until the squares were properly oriented, then filled them in, and finally used an anti-alias delete to make them smooth. On one plane I think I made a single square and just pasted it repeatedly above the alignment layer.
I have zero doubt you could do it better, but it worked out okay. The horizontal is harder.
The yellow looks bright here but I think that's a byproduct of the Power and Spec maps. I was trying to keep the black from looking too flat. I may revisit that and update.
:salute
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Excellent skin Vraciu...
Thank you, sir.
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Brilliant job V.. :aok
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Thank you, bro.
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Love the checker tail. :rock
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Thank you, bro. I tweaked the spec map just a hair to take a tiny bit of the edge off the yellow reflection. It made it look better but otherwise it's in and ready to go.
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WOW that's a good looking bird!
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WOW that's a good looking bird!
Thank you, sir. :salute