Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Greebo on January 13, 2021, 03:36:55 AM

Title: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Greebo on January 13, 2021, 03:36:55 AM
Thanks to Lyric1 for finding me the info for this skin.

This Ki-84 was part of the 183rd Shinbu Tai, one of many Kamikaze units created to attack the US carrier groups attacking Japan in 1945.

(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=402134.0;attach=33596)

(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=402134.0;attach=33598)
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Vraciu on January 13, 2021, 08:18:23 AM
Beautiful.
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Nefarious on January 13, 2021, 08:43:48 AM
Absolutely amazing work. 

Your attention to detail is incredible, love the weathering and the Japanese characters. Glad you are creating positive contributions to the game and I sincerely appreciate your hard work!
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Devil 505 on January 13, 2021, 09:27:29 AM
Looks great Greebo, but I think the lightning bolt should be yellow and not red. I've seen profiles with both, but I remember seeing an actual photo of this plane and the bolt was a light color. I'll try to find it.

FYI, this scheme was the one I completed the day before losing my hard drive. I remember making the bolt yellow in my version.
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Greebo on January 13, 2021, 10:05:18 AM
I gave some consideration to making the lightning bolt yellow but in the B&W photo of this plane it is about the same shade of grey as the red Hinomaru circles. I interpreted this as both of these being an old faded red, i.e. an old aircraft transferred in and then given a new tail squadron marking in a darker un-faded red. The photo also shows the yellow on the leading edge of the wing as a lighter shade of grey than the bolt although to be fair this could be down to lighting angles.
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Devil 505 on January 13, 2021, 10:11:20 AM
(http://www.aresgames.eu/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/600x_ki-84_182shimbutai.jpg)

So the difference is not so cut-and-dry, as I originally thought.

The bolt looks similar to the red in the Hinomaru but that may because of highlights caused by curvature of the fuselage. But if you compare the tail marking to the bolt, the tail marking is darker than the camouflage color and the bolt is lighter. This is best illustrated by looking at the forward tip of the bolt on the cowl, where there are no highlights to shift the color. This led me to believe that the bolt is yellow.

The new paint theory for the tail marking is certainly plausible.
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: lyric1 on January 13, 2021, 11:21:48 AM
 :aok
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Vraciu on January 16, 2021, 11:57:41 AM
How did you draw the openings aft of the cowling?  They look like removed access panels.    How common was removal?  I have seen photos with them covered, too.   Just curious.   The effect is really good.
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Greebo on January 17, 2021, 02:17:17 AM
The openings behind the cowl were most likely cooling holes designed to reduce temperatures behind the engine and every wartime photo of a Ki-84 I have shows them on both sides of the fuselage. The only aircraft that I have seen that has the holes covered is in a museum, my guess is the covers were added by museum staff who assumed they had been previously looted off the aircraft.

I painted the holes in black on the diffuse map and on the topmost layer, above all the weathering etc. They are black on the specular, power and environment maps too, so the holes reflect no light at all. On the normal map they are a darker grey than the surrounding metal to get a sunken effect, so for instance with sunlight shining from above subtle highlights are generated on the lower lips of the holes.
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Vraciu on January 17, 2021, 09:19:16 AM
Ah, very good.   Thanks for the info.  I will have to go look at some photos again to figure out what I saw.   Maybe a prototype?  The effect is excellent.
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Vraciu on January 17, 2021, 11:51:49 AM
So here's why I may have been confused.    The surviving example appears to have had covers at some point (it also appears to NOT have had them at one point as well).  Why or when they were installed is anyone's guess.   When the Planes of Fame restored it to flying condition the covers were retained and remain to this day.

https://captured-wings.wikia.org/wiki/C/n_1446


(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=402134.0;attach=33608)
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: SIK1 on February 03, 2021, 02:35:16 PM
Greebo, I really like the work you do on the Japanese planes. They are an often overlooked subject.

 :salute
Sik
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Citabria on February 09, 2021, 05:17:16 PM
The parasitic drag of having those access panels open might be why the ki84 falls apart at such low speeds :)
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Shuffler on February 09, 2021, 07:15:32 PM
The parasitic drag of having those access panels open might be why the ki84 falls apart at such low speeds :)

Who let you out   :D
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Citabria on February 10, 2021, 08:12:15 AM
I just wandered by to check the skin forum and saw a gorgeous new set of p38 3d models and was perusing the fantastic artwork being shared by the indefatigable master Greebo and the up and coming talented Oboe.

Well done all.

I was going to say something cocky like how flattered you should be that I a random passerby finds your efforts worth viewing all these years after I was tarred and feathered and run out of AH but I am an ancient fossil that’s too old to stir the pot for sheets n giggles anymore.

However I thought it was worth mentioning that the thought occurred to me just to assuage any doubts about my continued persistence in being a self righteous “mercurial as a compass needle” egotistical pompous arse.

Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Shuffler on February 10, 2021, 09:38:08 AM
I just wandered by to check the skin forum and saw a gorgeous new set of p38 3d models and was perusing the fantastic artwork being shared by the indefatigable master Greebo and the up and coming talented Oboe.

Well done all.

I was going to say something cocky like how flattered you should be that I a random passerby finds your efforts worth viewing all these years after I was tarred and feathered and run out of AH but I am an ancient fossil that’s too old to stir the pot for sheets n giggles anymore.

However I thought it was worth mentioning that the thought occurred to me just to assuage any doubts about my continued persistence in being a self righteous “mercurial as a compass needle” egotistical pompous arse.

 :rofl

Well life must go on when GAME folks go bonkers. In the big picture it means little. Hope you and yours are doing well.  :aok
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Vraciu on February 11, 2021, 12:38:12 PM
I just wandered by to check the skin forum and saw a gorgeous new set of p38 3d models and was perusing the fantastic artwork being shared by the indefatigable master Greebo and the up and coming talented Oboe.

Up and coming?   I would say he has arrived   Devil505 is also a master   Along with Greebo I consider all of them outstanding and have found them very helpful in my evolution as a skinner.


Quote

Well done all.


I’ll seize upon this and say thank you    I have to mention that while updating American Beauty I had the chance to appreciate your talent.   The details in your skins were well-advanced for their time.   It would be nice to see what you could do now with the new engine    I have no doubt they would be excellent.

 :salute


Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Citabria on February 12, 2021, 11:53:08 AM
See rule #4
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Spikes on February 12, 2021, 12:27:38 PM
 :confused:
Title: Re: 183rd Shinbu Tai Ki-84
Post by: Devil 505 on February 12, 2021, 01:20:05 PM
See rule #4