an open question

[norab]

I want to pose this open question after removing the yellow tips from a WWII German propellor for the umpteenth time.
First let me explain a little bit of my background. I used to be a plastic modeller and I always strove to make my models as accurately as I could produce them.
First, let me state that, this is not an attack on any particular person or company, or freeware vs payware, because I have seen examples in all these areas. What confuses me, and is my question, is why do the immensely talented people (far more so then I am) who take untold hours of labor to create these beautiful models, and the people who repanit them, fail to research the proper markings or colors or fonts used on the real aircraft when they create their works?

one area where I notice this is the practice of repainting one model of an aircraft as another while disregarding the physical differences between them. I have seen repaints, for example, of P-40E being repainted as P-40Ks and M and N's. There are significent differences between the airframes



The other area is when incorrect fonts or incomplete marking are applied when it is not made necessary by mapping issues.

OK I just put on my armor, open fire

 

[OBIO]

I have painted schemes from later model planes onto an earlier model of that plane where the early model is the only one I have. Case in point, the FSD T-38 Talon. I think the original package (the freeware one) is a B model...but I threw some paint schemes used on the C model onto it. There are differences between the B and C, notably the shape of the engine intake openings...but those differences were small enough that it did not bother me to slap some great looking C models schemes onto the B model.

P-47....I am working on some tweaks and paints for the freeware Alphasim P-47. The package is broken down into Razor Back and Bubble Top. Now, if I recall correctly, the bubble top was introduced on the P-47D-25. There were a number or other changes to the Bubble Top from that point on....notably the fin fillet to increase yaw stability. A few of the paints that I will be doing were, in real life, on the P-47D-27, D-30, P-47M and P-47N. I don't have all the later era models (-27,-30, M, N) so I am slapping them all of the Bubble Top Jug...and could care less that the model does not have the added dorsal fillet. A Bubble Top Jug is a Bubble Top Jug to me.

Now, would I not slap a B-24J paint scheme onto a B-24D (which are the only two models of the Liberator that I have, thanks to the freeware Alphasim B-24 Package). But I would slap a B-24H scheme onto the J model since they both have the nose turret...and would not give a second thought to the other differences between the models.

As far as fonts go....I try to use the correct font, but if I don't know what the correct font is or don't have it, then I try to get as close as can using the fonts I do have in my collection. I have 428 fonts.....not a huge collection by any means, but it seems to have enough for me to get reasonably close to the correct font.

OBIO

 

[AndyG43]

To a large extent I agree with you, as much as is possible the right paint should be on the right model; but, as Tim has pointed out, sometimes this is not always doable - and the major difference between this type of modelling and the old days where I used to work the plastic, I can no longer add a little plasticard and/or putty to make the alterations I want, so sometimes compromise is needed.

Fonts are a trickier issue. Again, like Tim, I have a lot of fonts and try to use the correct one wherever possible; but not all fonts are free, so if I don't have the font I don't even consider the repaint. A classic example is for the US Navy, I have a very nice Phantom scheme I would love to do for the Alphasim model (although it has not been done for the FMAI model) of an F-4J which had it's tail repainted in 892 Sqn markings; but the 'correct' font is USN Longbeach, which I'd have to buy to use - can't justify that expense, so won't do the repaint. But I can understand that some people may be prepared to make a compromise and, to be honest, back in the day I saw some incredibly inaccurate colour schemes published in magazines and displayed at shows.