Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Vraciu on February 18, 2024, 09:18:09 PM
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This is a much-needed and long overdue update. Original here: https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,389547.0.html
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P-51B-10-NA s/n 42-106710
"Janie Girl" (D7*Y)
Lt. Earl E. Erickson
339th Fighter Group, 503rd Fighter Squadron
1944
This is Lt. Earl Erickson's well-worn P-51B-10-NA (42-106710) "Janie Girl" of the 339th FG, 503rd FS, ETO. The airplane is the first of three he named after his wife, Jane (two Bs and one D). It suffered a gear up landing after an engine failure while flown by another pilot, Capt. Donald McClish (MACR 8697).
Erickson flew 62 missions from 13 May to 17 Oct 1944, scoring one and a half aerial victories (both FW-190s) along with one on the ground, and was awarded a DFC. Remarkably, he had been married to Jane for 64 years at the time of his passing.
Based at Fowlmere, England, the 339th Fighter Group flew its first combat mission on 30 April 1944 and its last on 21 April 1945, one week short of a full calendar year. During this short time the 339th established the following records:
- Most enemy aircraft destroyed (air-ground) by a group in its first year of combat in the ETO - 692
- Most enemy aircraft destroyed (ground) by a group in its first year of combat - 453
- Most enemy aircraft destroyed (ground) by a group in one month (April 1945) -315
- Most enemy aircraft destroyed (ground) by a group in one week (April 10-16, 1945) - 223
- Most enemy aircraft destroyed (air-ground) in 3 successive assaults (April 10,16,17, 1945) - 291
- Most enemy aircraft destroyed (ground) in 3 successive strafing missions (April 10,16,17,1945) - 290
- First group to destroy 100+ enemy aircraft on single mission (April 10, 1945) - 105
- First group to destroy 100+ enemy aircraft in two missions (April 10 & 16, 1945) - 105/118
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37235)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37231)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37229)
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The Original:
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=389547.0;attach=28395)
First AH3 Version:
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=389547.0;attach=29740)
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Great job.
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:aok
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Beautiful update. Well done!
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Excellent update Vraciu.
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New metal looks great. I think the red is too bright. I am not an artist so I am not sure if "bright" is the correct term.
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Thanks all. I can desarurate the red a tad. It's one of the hardest things to get right but usually less winds up being better.
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Thanks all. I can desarurate the red a tad. It's one of the hardest things to get right but usually less winds up being better.
Try shifting the red both darker and duller.
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Thanks all. I can desarurate the red a tad. It's one of the hardest things to get right but usually less winds up being better.
I think in all 3 new screenshots, the red-white checkerboard are in the sunlight, so this is as bright as we'd ever see the red. In other lighting conditions it'll show up darker. Try looking at it from multiple sun angles & times of day, and trust your gut. Every one of us likely sees a slightly different shade based on our own monitors and settings.
Whatever you decide, I'll want to know the RGB values to make note of for when I do Punkie II:
(https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/media/media-12859.jpeg)
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You got it.
Here's what it looks like in the viewer. Maybe I went too light on the mask underneath.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37237)
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Honestly I don't see anything off there. The red in the shaded area is about as dark as I'd go, the red in the sunlight may be a bit light but that is the nature of the intense direct lighting in AH.
If you haven't done this already, in the Power and Spec maps you might want to shade the white painted squares and stripes as pure black x'000000'. Dunno if it'll help much, but its the most you can do.
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If you haven't done this already, in the Power and Spec maps you might want to shade the white painted squares and stripes as pure black x'000000'. Dunno if it'll help much, but its the most you can do.
If he makes the white markings black on the P and S maps, they will suffer from much flaring. By using a light shade on those maps for light colored paints, it will produce a semi-gloss finish that reduces the flaring effect by focusing it.
Edit: I use RGB 77,77,77 on the P and S maps for white markings. It's still darker than neutral gray, but it's the lightest color I use for painted surfaces on my spec maps.
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Is it the red or the white that's messed up?
Both?
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Is it the red or the white that's messed up?
Both?
The white looks fine to me. I think the red can be adjusted, though.
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I'll try that spec map thing, too. I've been making my painted areas slightly darker on the S map but lighter on the P.
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I did this as an academic exercise to see how it would go. I wasn't going for resolution as much as color in the screenshots. The rearm box is in the background for comparison.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37239)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37241)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37243)
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Before (1) vs After (2 and 3):
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37237) (https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37247) (https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37245)
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It's very hard to tell if there's any difference in the actual red color. Seems like you made the it a tiny bit darker, but I think you need to go further with it.
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If I go darker with it then it looks pretty............what's the word? In shadow it looks extremely opaque.
I darkened the red and also darkened the S map to reduce the reflection. Let me try some more.
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Darker red...
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37249)
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I like that. It seems pretty close to the photo Oboe posted.
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Okay thanks.
Oboe, any thoughts since you've done this scheme before?
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First thought is that is a fantastic screenshot composition. Everything so crisp, especially the shadows, and I love the prop blur. The pilot figure sitting in the cockpit looks dang real to me.
Second thought is I prefer the reds in all 3 of the closeups over the screenshot; I can hardly tell a difference between them, but the red squares in the screenshot do look darker to me. Yet I assume one of the closeups must match the screenshot? So go figure. A difference between in-game lighting and the skin viewer maybe?
To me they are all close enough; whichever you choose will look great on the final version.
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The pilot figure I think is one of yours. I can't remember if you did the dark brown leather jacket one but that's the one I'm using. Maybe I did it and forgot or borrowed it.
The very last image is a red not shown in any other screenshot. It is the darkest version.
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Here's the darker red in the viewer to compare like with like.
Seems okay in the viewer but I don't know.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=408978.0;attach=37251)
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Yeah seems lighter in the viewer. Strange.
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Should I back it part way off?
Maybe I'll let you guys fly it in the game after the update and tell me what you think.
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I say ship it as it is. :aok
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It's your baby, V.
I think the skin viewer shots look right on; to me, the red squares in the in-game shot seem a little too dark. Here are morer WWII color image of 339th P-51s:
(https://www.lonesentry.com/images/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/P51D-Mustang-Color.jpg)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/339th_Fighter_Group_-_P-51D_Mustang_44-73074.jpg)
I'm guessing the fact that the reds are different in these images has more to do with photo print aging and differences in the color film of the day.
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The plot thickens.
Look at that 51 way in the back... That one is darker but the rest are lighter.
I'll let it update as it is but we will have to re-attack this after.
I can email or post the diffuse for you guys to review this evening.
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There is something about "clean" mustangs that sing "escorts". :D
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:rofl
Thanks, man.