FW 190D9 "Black 1" 14./JG 26

[Fencer51]

This is a very unique aircraft for a couple reasons.  It was the first FW 190D9 issued to the Luftwaffe.  W.Nr. 210003 was sent to III/JG 54 and taken in possession on September 20, 1944.  The pilot was Oblt. Hans Dortenmann Staffelkapitan of 12./JG 54.  It was his personal aircraft in which he would earn 18 victories and he personally light the fuse to blow it up on May 5, 1945.  Depicted here as it would have appeared on February 19, 1945, in it's iteration as Black 1 for 14./JG 26, after III/JG 54 transferred in it's entirety.  It has just had a new canopy added and the original RLM75 paint replaced with RLM81.

[BuckShot]

Awesome, especially the belly.

[oboe]

Nicely done, Fencer!   

You've found a way to control the tendency of yellows to washout - was in the power map?

[Vraciu]

I'll leave it to others to confirm but I think the yellow needs to be toned down just a tad.  I have the same issue as you know. 

I solved it (as best I could anyway) with Greebo and Devil beating it into me.  You might consider an experiment: desaturate the yellow and maybe further darken the spec maps in that area to see what you think.   

I can't comment on anything else because I don't know the colors well enough other than to concur--the underside looks pretty nice.  Love the fuselage markings.  Looks like you figured out the spinner.   

[Greebo]

Very nice job on the D9 Fencer. 

[Vraciu]

Wouldn't feathering the exhaust stain a little bit help?   Gaussian blur?


Like the mottling.   In the lighter areas it's subtle but visible.  I love that effect.

[Devil 505]

Looks very good overall, Fencer. I think the yellow looks fine and the adjustment in the green tones is spot on. The cowl flaps look fantastic.

There are a few issues I see keeping the skin from being truly excellent.

1. Your 12mm barrels are green.

2. The fuel triangle should be smaller and on the door itself.

3. The wings and horizontal stabs ton't mesh with the fuselage well. Add some overspray to the fuselage where the wings meet and paint the stab fairing fully green.

4. I think your exhaust stain should follow the wing curvature more - also adding smoke staining to the wing near the root will also tie it together.

5. Unlike Vraciu, I don't think the mottling is subtle at all. It is too slab like. You need more overspray, but it needs to build up gradually. Use the airbrush tool with the 9 or 11 pixel radius fuzzy circle at about 40% opacity and work in small circles and scribbles to build up the color.  Also do this for the border of your top colors where they meet the underside color. If you are using a mouse, try varying the frequency of clicks while making the strokes to increase the randomness - sometimes just clicking rapidly in the same general area works wonders. I think you'll find the result much closer to the real aircraft.



Start by mimicking the area in the photo and work out to ensure a consistent look for the entire fuselage.

Here's an example from one of my 109's to illustrate what my mottling looks like up close.


Keep plugging away at this one. It is close to being superb.

 

[Vraciu]

I'm referring to the light gray areas (like under the stab). The same-color mottle looks pretty good to me. 

The demarcation on the exhaust stain is too solid.

The yellow is too bright and too white.  You guys roasted me for yellow that was not as stark.   This yellow does not look right.   Your confirmation bias is clouding your judgment here a tiny bit.   It needs toning down.    I don't know the best way to achieve said effect but it needs adjusting.  In light it's too bright.  If this is the fault of the graphics engine then we live with it.   If not,  maybe only a tweak will do it. 

If my yellow was too stark despite my photo evidence then this is more so.   But what do I know?   I've only been around these airplanes regularly, flying, static, warbirds, authentic museum restorations, etc. for over forty years.   

Why do I bother?  I can do no right around here to be sure. 

Whatever Vraciu says just take the opposite position, I suppose.  Was only trying to help.   

[Zoney]

I'm referring to the light gray areas (like under the stab). Looks pretty good to me. 


The yellow is too bright and too white.  You guys roasted me for yellow that was not as stark.   This yellow does not look right.   Your confirmation bias is clouding your judgment here.   It needs toning down.    I don't know the best way to achieve said effect but it needs adjusting. 

If my yellow was too stark despite my photo evidence then this is more so.   But what do I know?  I've only been around these airplanes regularly, flying, static, warbirds, authentic museum restorations, etc. for over forty years.   

Why do I bother?  I can do no right around here to be sure.

Sir, thank you for your opinion.  Please, the statements I have highlighted in red serve no useful purpose.  You can be better than that.

[Vraciu]

Sir, thank you for your opinion.  Please, the statements I have highlighted in red serve no useful purpose.  You can be better than that.

I didn't mean them as a personal attack.  Just saying that people are seeing what they want to see. 

Take a step back and look at my comments objectively.     They're valid. 

But it's clear that anything I say is dismissed out of hand instead of being used to help. 

I will keep my thoughts to myself from now on.  Was just trying to assist but I'm not one of those "who gets it" I guess.  I must not be looking for the same things or effects as everyone else.   

 

[horble]

See Rule #4

[Nefarious]

Very nice! Fine looking skin.

[Devil 505]

Vraciu, to be fair the criticisms of your yellow-tailed P-51 were first because the color itself was incorrect and second because we all thought the color washout in AH3 could be corrected - it can't. Darkening white can make it tolerable, but darkening yellow to the same level looks awful. We helped you find a tone that looked like the reference photo in most lighting - the washout can't be helped. That is what I see here. Look at the second screenshot where the vert stab is off angle to the sun, it looks fine. Once you found the correct tone for your skin, it looked fine off angle too.

As for the "mottle," yes the weathering on the underside looks good. I thought you meant the camouflage mottle.

I agree with the exhaust stain edge needing more feathering. But like I mentioned in my critique, the direction is off anyway so hopefully Fencer can correct both issues with another attempt at the staining.

[hgtonyvi]

Do you get some kind of reward for making skins for hitech creation. Or is this just a hobby?

[Vraciu]

Do you get some kind of reward for making skins for hitech creation. Or is this just a hobby?

The only reward you get is the occasional attaboy on 200 or via PM.     Purely a hobby.   Like building a model--only virtually instead of physically.