F7F Tigercat SOH Project

Milton Shupe said:
Yes, the panel texture has probably been darkened. In doing so, the darker values likely went lower than 8,8,8. When the sim loads it, unless indexed, the panel converts to 8-bit and values get rounded down to the next 8 ... that being zero, and therefore transparency. It happens to me when I try to darken panel textures especially around gauge faces that are near pure black for the shadowing around bezels.

So, the moral is, if you darken panel textures, ensure you stay above 8,8,8 in all areas, or you must redraw those areas.

But, you can at least edit the upload, which means you can change you archive and re-upload it without totally redoing everything, or you can edit text, or change the image you are using.
Click to expand...

Thanks Milton,

I guess I have some fiddling to do. I'll get on it today or tomorrow. It might just involve the slightest lightening. We'll see...
 
Milton Shupe said:
Yes, the panel texture has probably been darkened. In doing so, the darker values likely went lower than 8,8,8. When the sim loads it, unless indexed, the panel converts to 8-bit and values get rounded down to the next 8 ... that being zero, and therefore transparency. It happens to me when I try to darken panel textures especially around gauge faces that are near pure black for the shadowing around bezels...
Click to expand...

Well, that was easy! Latest version being uploaded right now.

I think I got the fix done before anyone else even noticed the error.

Now I wonder if someone can answer my other question, if there's a way to make the VC come up at 75% zoom by default.
 
Panel Backdate Kit

OK, I just uploaded version 3 of the panel backdate kit. It fixes the problem illustrated a few messages before this one.

If you have the previous version of the kit installed, all you have to do is replace two files, VC01.bmp and VC02.bmp, with the ones from the new version. Nothing else is changed.
 
Mick said:
First, is there a way to make the VC appear at 75% zoom by default? That would make a seamless transition between the 2D and VC panels.
Click to expand...
The only option I know of is to set the zoom to 75% and then save the flight. You could do this with the default flight, or if you usually start the Tigercat from one particular airport, start a flight in cold/dark state (or whatever you prefer), switch to VC and set the zoom, then save the flight from there.
 
Black panelback.bmp for tigercat

Mick,

Many tks for your efforts to give us a Tigercat panel with authentic black colours. I find that I have to convert the file 'panelback.bmp' (one of the a/c texts), from the 24 bit file it currently is, to a 32 bit file, before it shows. Otherwise I get a blank cockpit panel when viewing the a/c from outside.

It may be just my system but that is what works for me. Tks again for a nice alternate panel colour to complement Milton and Papi's excellent works.

Rgds
Mal
 
Tom Clayton said:
The only option I know of is to set the zoom to 75% and then save the flight. You could do this with the default flight, or if you usually start the Tigercat from one particular airport, start a flight in cold/dark state (or whatever you prefer), switch to VC and set the zoom, then save the flight from there.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tom!

I wouldn't want that to be in the default flight, but I guess it would be easy enough to set up a Tigercat flight. The hard part would be remembering to use it, since I fly so seldom. I will do it and try to remember it. Maybe a note to self in the performance section of the UI section of the aircaft.cfg file. I wonder if I'd remember to look a the note when I select the aircraft. I'll have to find out.
 
vonernsk said:
... I have to convert the file 'panelback.bmp' from the 24 bit file it currently is, to a 32 bit file, before it shows...
Click to expand...

Now that's just downright weird! I never heard of a panel background that wasn't 24-bit, unless possibly 256 colors, but I don't even know about that.

FS just never runs out of surprises.
 
F7F 3P panel....

Mick said:
The -3P is the recce version, and I put up several skins for it. As shown by the models and the skins, there were single seat and two-seat -3P's, depending on what variant they were converted from, but they were all operated as single-seaters. Some two-seat conversions even had the rear canopy covered with sheet metal. Some early conversions had the small -1/12 tail, and later conversions had the big -3 tail. One of my skins has the small tail.
Click to expand...

Michael:
I did over the panel you sent me... here it is... as to the other two black and white pics... I am not sure what you want me to do with them...
Let me know... If this one is what you wanted... I have the bmp ready...

22573117080_c999e61445_o.jpg



Cheers,
G.
 
Deleting my Tigercat repaints Flightsim.com for correction

Hi there,

I just have requested FlightSim.com to delete all my current Tigercat repaints because of inaccuracies. They will be re-uploaded as soon as I have corrected them.

My apologies for the inconvenience caused to you all. I hope not to make this a regular "habit" of mine. Goes entirely against my nature.

Thanks for your understanding,

Maarten
 
Back in the works re-doing my homework on the Tigercat liveries after having redone research. One of the original liveries turned out to represent two aircraft. This time also the panel lines etc. are on the right place.

The aircraft concerned are the F7F-3N N379AK (Tigercat LLC), and the F7F-3P's N6178C "Bad Kitty" (Historic Flight Foundation), NX700F "Here Kitty, Kitty!" (Lewis Racing LLC) and NX909TC (Avstar Inc.).

Please delete my repaints you downloaded from Flightsim.com till yesterday. These new ones will be available soon, again at FlightSim.com (sorry, unfortunately not at the SOH library as apparently our computers don't like each other ;) )

Cheers,
Maarten
 
Very nice work, as always!

I'm so glad you posted! I was just about to start work on what I thought was a different livery worn by "Here Kitty Kitty" at another time.

Now it seems that the one with the code D3 on the tail is the only one, is that correct?

Are you going to add the race number to the tail and below the right wing, as shown in some photos?

(Maybe I'll have the answer to that by the time you read this...)
 
Mick said:
Very nice work, as always!

I'm so glad you posted! I was just about to start work on what I thought was a different livery worn by "Here Kitty Kitty" at another time.

Now it seems that the one with the code D3 on the tail is the only one, is that correct?

Are you going to add the race number to the tail and below the right wing, as shown in some photos?

(Maybe I'll have the answer to that by the time you read this...)
Click to expand...

Hi Mick,

Thank you for your kind words. :)

I was just as confused as you are. I clearly hadnt done my homework properly. I too thought that it was a matter of Here Kitty Kitty (HKK) having had two liveries, until I checked the FAA N register and found out that 'There is only one Here Kitty Kitty and that I combined the nose of the HKK with the wings, rear fuselage and empannage of what appeared to be the NX909TC of Avstar (till yesterday unknown by me) was stupid.
So yes, Here Kitty Kitty with the code D3 code on the tail is the only one.
No, I'm not going to add the race number to the tail and wings.
When I have released this repaint and you would like to add the number and other improvements which I cannot achieve with my FS Repaint and MW DXTBmp programmes,you (Mick) are welcome to do so and, if you like, upload at SOH.

Cheers,
Maarten
 
Maarten said:
Hi Mick,

... When I have released this repaint and you would like to add the number and other improvements which I cannot achieve with my FS Repaint and MW DXTBmp programmes,you (Mick) are welcome to do so and, if you like, upload at SOH.

Cheers,
Maarten
Click to expand...

OK, I can do that. I have countless fonts, so I'm sure I can find the proper style of the digit 5, and I know a fairly easy way to add the white border using PSP7.

I'll make a pair of alternate texture files for the nose and right wing and upload them here. That will add another touch of color to the plane.
 
Mick said:
OK, I can do that. I have countless fonts, so I'm sure I can find the proper style of the digit 5, and I know a fairly easy way to add the white border using PSP7.

I'll make a pair of alternate texture files for the nose and right wing and upload them here. That will add another touch of color to the plane.
Click to expand...

Brilliant! I'll let you know as soon as I have uploaded the textures. :)
 
Maarten said:
Brilliant! I'll let you know as soon as I have uploaded the textures. :)
Click to expand...


I've finished the race numbers, so if you'd like you are welcome to patch them into your textures.

Or not, if you prefer to have both versions of the skin, with and without, since the plane didn't always have the numbers painted on.

The image shows what I came up with, but as usual, the JPEG format has made the red look patchy.

The attached zip file has it in bitmap form, ready to patch in. I think I got the sizes just right. I took the background colors from the stock "2seat" textures, so with the background made transparent, they should look good pasted right onto the textures. I presume your painting kit can rotate the wing number 90* as required.


 
Hi Maarten,

Here's a thought. You could release the skin with alternate texture files for the rear fuselage and right wing, so each user can decide whether or not to have the race number on the plane.
 
Mick said:
Hi Maarten,

Here's a thought. You could release the skin with alternate texture files for the rear fuselage and right wing, so each user can decide whether or not to have the race number on the plane.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I was thinking of. :)

Thanks!
 
Missing Tigercat

Here's a minor mystery solved. There are five Tigercats flying today, and I thought we had skins for all of them. We have my skin of the plane the Duxford example is painted as, the three warbirds that Maarten painted and is reworking, and my skin of "La Patrona." That makes five, so I figured we had skins for all five of the Tigercats flying today. But no!

As it turns out, "La Patrona" is a repaint of "Here Kitty Kitty;" they're the same plane at different times, so, we have two skins for one plane and one skin for each of three others, for a total of four planes.

So - what about the fifth flyable Tigercat? I searched the web for images and found a couple of photos of a warbird named "King of the Cats, owned by the Palm Springs (CA) Air Museum until 2010 and now being flown by an unidentified owner.

Here's a picture of the plane and its nose art, which appears on both sides of the nose. This is what it looked like in the Museum in 2001; I don't know if the current owner kept that livery, so I can't be sure if this is just another paint jon on a plane we already have in different markings. Either way, it's attractive, and different with its red codes.

I don't know if I have the patience to cut that artwork out of the photo, pixel by pixel... [edit] I found a bigger, cleaner photo of the nose art than the one attached here, but still...

Anyone else?
 
Mick said:
Here's a minor mystery solved. There are five Tigercats flying today, and I thought we had skins for all of them. We have my skin of the plane the Duxford example is painted as, the three warbirds that Maarten painted and is reworking, and my skin of "La Patrona." That makes five, so I figured we had skins for all five of the Tigercats flying today. But no!

As it turns out, "La Patrona" is a repaint of "Here Kitty Kitty;" they're the same plane at different times, so, we have two skins for one plane and one skin for each of three others, for a total of four planes.

So - what about the fifth flyable Tigercat? I searched the web for images and found a couple of photos of a warbird named "King of the Cats, owned by the Palm Springs (CA) Air Museum until 2010 and now being flown by an unidentified owner.

Here's a picture of the plane and its nose art, which appears on both sides of the nose. This is what it looked like in the Museum in 2001; I don't know if the current owner kept that livery, so I can't be sure if this is just another paint jon on a plane we already have in different markings. Either way, it's attractive, and different with its red codes.

I don't know if I have the patience to cut that artwork out of the photo, pixel by pixel... [edit] I found a bigger, cleaner photo of the nose art than the one attached here, but still...

Anyone else?
Click to expand...

So few Tigercats built and yet so many mysteries. :)
 
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