Official KC Flight Shop F4F Wildcat development thread.

G

Gibbage

Charter Member
Thank you to those who played the "guess that aircraft" game! Though it was rather short lived, it did allow me to announce the F4F Wildcat product that's currently in development at KC Flight Shop! This will be the official development thread were I will post progress, give information about the product, and hopefully get some community feedback!

First, let me tell you a little bit about the F4F project. This project started in 2003 as a true "museum" quality model, accurate to a very fine detail. Even down to modeling individual links in the landing gear chain and rivets on the aircraft's skin. The original model is over 10 MILLION polygons! To give you some perspective, many FSX models are around 50,000-150,000 for jumbo jets, or 250,000 for a super detailed model!!! The type of model that even rivet counters would be impressed by ;)

Here is a render of the high detail model showing off the engine and landing gear bay.

f4f-17.jpg

That model was never fully finished and the project it was for was canceled, but I kept plugging away at it every now and then in hopes to one day finish it. Some people may have seen bits and peace's of it on the forums, but its been on the backburner for some time. Until recently.

Recently, I gave myself the ask of turning this model into something that is useable in FSX, but still try and retain much of the detail and accuracy of the original! The model is completely re-done to a more acceptable FSX standard (under 200K polygons) but still retaining the detail using normal maps derived from the high detail model!

With that said, I would like to present to you early concept screenshots of the KCFS F4F Wildcat!

Please note that these are early screenshots within 3D Studio's Max, NOT RENDERS. Textures are a work in progress and this is still a ways away from flying in FSX/P3D.

f4f-27.jpg

f4f-28.jpg

f4f-29.jpg

f4f-30.jpg

f4f-31.jpg

Please note that the engine texture is very dark, since its mostly shrouded in the cowl. I may have a "lit" version and allow the pilot to take off the cowl for screenshots to show off the detail. It all depends on what the community wants!

Currently there is NO ship date, and at best are months away from that. I currently have a full time job, and its not modeling aircraft. Im a very small developer, so progress will be slower then normal, but it WONT take me another 10 years =) Im in final and there are no go-arounds on this one!!!

I would love to get some feedback and comments from the community. Also if you spot something is wrong, feel free to let me know! I cant promise it will get fixed, but I will do my best to make this aircraft as accurate as possible. If you want to get a good idea of the quality KCFS is capable, feel free to take a look at the Republic Seabee! Fun little aircraft that's very versatile and unique! http://www.kcflightshop.com/?page_id=245 http://www.aerosoft.com/cgi-local/us/iboshop.cgi?showd,6647689100,D12766

Hopefully I will be able to post some screenshots of the cockpit Friday.
 
Well, it's pretty amazing detail and it is hard for me to keep it in perspective. It was not too long ago when folks would have been more than happy just to see a single tube connect to the tire, but now look at this. I never dreamed I would see virtual designers replicate mathematically correct sag on a chain link connection to a gear sprocket!

You've actually got me studying the linkages to the gear mechanism to learn how it functions! My only curiosity is whether you somehow snagged a video that shows the actual gear operation cycle in detail?

We're reaching a point now where the stuff being put out by folks like yourself could be quite useful as training devices for service crews!

Ken
 
I don't have any video showing the linkages in action. I had to figure out how they worked mechanically. The direction of the gear crank, how it relates to the transfer box, and out to the struts. The struts are broken in half, and fold inward, drawing the landing gear up. It took me weeks to get it animated correctly so that it didn't clip and worked out well. Its one of the more complex landing gear animations I have done yet! It ranks right on up there with the Handly Page Victor main wheels, and that's a MASSIVE bomber!

What I may do this weekend is make a video of the landing gear retraction so people can understand how it works.
 
Well, now you're really impressed me! Heck, far as I'm concerned, how well it flies is secondary to seeing just how you modeled that landing gear cycling!

Ken
 
BTW: I just thought of something you might be able to pull off. If you can communicate directly with the restoration team, or any other group that operates an actual airworthy F4F or derivative, it is a common part of an annual inspection on a complex aircraft to put it on jacks and perform a landing gear cycle test. You might be able to either secure a video of one they previously did, or at least coordinate some way for them to videotape their next one.

Then, you would have that tape and see how close your insights came to the true situation!

If you already knew all that, then please ignore!

Ken
 
Back in the late 90's I worked at Eidos Interactive on their flight sim development team. One of the hardest models I ever worked on was the Wildcat for their massive multi-player game (never published) Confirmed Kill. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for anyone who makes a good working model of the Wildcat's landing gear.:applause:
 
I tell you flat out that I would love to see this model done right.

My old fleet squadron was VMA-211 Wake Island Avengers.

KoikeShigeoItBeganAtWakeIsland3.jpgwake_island_wildcat_stretched_canvas_print-re62725a9c70b4c14ae0bf6c1eeab50eb_2vdfd_8byvr_512.jpg


Deacon
 
Where are you based? I know that there is a flying example at Duxford. It flew at Legends this year in summer...

A


Andrew Entwistle
 
Im based near Seattle. They are restoring an FM2 for the Boeing museum of Flight that I have access to. I would love to find an F4F-3 local.
 
TFC's Wildcat at Duxford is also an FM2, but the Fleet Air Arm's museum at RNAS Yeovilton has an F4F-4 which is a recent restoration to original spec. I'm sure they would be happy to supply details of the restoration on request, they're very proud of her! http://www.fleetairarm.com/ I know there's an F4F-3 on display at Pearl Harbour...
 
Here is some cockpit screenshots. Please note that it came out dark and I will be re-baking the shadows this weekend.

f4f-32.jpg

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Gibbage said:
Any request's anyone wants to see? Like specific area's or details?
Click to expand...

Hi Kevin,

Perhaps a working simulation of the 2 speed supercharger (Ie, moving the lever from Low blower to High Blower changes the manifold pressure), payloads, such as underwing bombs and tanks, and firing weapons, and maybe switch/knob noises (When you click/move a switch, knob, or lever, it makes a noise)?

I like what I'm seeing here!! It does look very nice indeed! :)

Craig.
 
Working guns would be awesome, even if they just flash and make noise. Beyond that, all realism I think would be generally appreciated like a nice gunsight and perhaps a little "wear" on the textures...Navy/Marine planes were never clean! ;)

Deacon
 
Love the F4F. If you have read Saburo Sakai's book Samurai, you might remember his telling of his first encounter with the stubby naval fighter, on August 7, 1942, the day the US invaded Guadalcanal. Up to this point in his career, Sakai had shot down many dozens of allied planes, few of which he considered challenging opponents. On the morning of August 7, he and his squadron took off from Rabaul, escorting G4Ms down “The Slot” to attack the US and Australian forces gathered around Guadalcanal. He had heard that US Navy pilots were professional and well trained, and was looking forward to the “meeting”. As his formation approached what would become known as “Iron Bottom Sound”, he saw a “Betty” explode in front of him, followed a second later by two blue Wildcats diving vertically through the bomber formation. Every time I read that story I ask the book in front of me “any more questions...??”

This F4F is looking really nice. Can't wait!
 
Sakai has a very fortunate early career, which even in his own book he acknowledged. In China, he never faced the P-40's flown by the AVG. Instead, he faced the overweight Brewster Buffaloes flown by the RAF and some truly derelict aircraft flown by Chinese pilots who's training was worse than their aircraft's performance.

By the time he met up with the US Army in the PTO, he found himself on the beneficial end of a combination of bad luck and bad leadership in the Philippines, where the US fleet was forced to turn back from a line of thunderstorms enroute to attack the known Japanese airfield in Taiwan. Then, the Japanese launched a very fortuitously timed attack following that line of storms as they passed from between their base and toward Clark Field. The Japanese attack arrived as the US aircraft were being refueled from their sortie launched earlier that day. The Japanese enjoyed a field day to destroy the bulk of US fighter aircraft.

From that point forward, Sakai enjoyed the luxury of attacking the earliest model of B-17 that lacked a tail gun! As it was, it took several attacks by Japanese fighters to shoot down a B-17. Among the many encounters was the one of Colin Kelly's attack on Japanese shipping which was made by just one B-17 against the entire might of the assembled IJNAF aircraft in the air. It struck Sakai as a suicide mission and that speaks all one needs to know about the overall situation.

Sakai's missions against the RAF and US Army in Lae and New Guinea were flown against mostly Buffaloes and P-39 Airacobras. The P-39 was a hideous aircraft, grossly underpowered and lacking an effective supercharger so the Japanese always had the altitude advantage and when you are already flying a fighter that's faster and more maneuverable, always having altitude advantage just skews it to an impossible challenge.

He rarely encountered any P-40's and the few times he spoke of them he talked about how they dived down (the P-40 had an effective supercharger and therefore could get higher than the Zeros) and conducted lethal slashing attacks. Sakai documented a couple of cases where he was totally helpless to assist those who were caught in the crosshairs of attacking P-40's. Sakai was fortunate enough never to find himself the victim of such an attack. By the time the P-38 Lightnings had gotten to that theater, he was transferred to Rabaul and was, as you wrote, engaging the Navy and Marine units on Guadalcanal. It was at this time that the P-38 units at Port Moresby were slaughtering Japanese fighters and bombers.

The bulk of Sakai's victories were scored in the early months of the war. His serious wound that he survived helped him survive the war as he was pulled home to train. When he was finally put back into the air to support Iwo Jima, he found himself fighting Hellcats and thought he shot one down, blind in one eye, he realized he was overmatched. Sakai, in his book, freely admitted he was an elite ace, flying with an elite squadron filled with other aces, enjoying a record of achievement not enjoyed by other squadrons in his theaters of operation. He also, again due to his blindness, was not selected to be part of the defense of the Marianas, which of course turned into the famous Marianas Turkey Shoot.

Further, he stayed in Taiwan flying against the Chinese during the time of Midway and Coral Sea. As he wrote in his book, Sakai was very lucky. He knew it.

As it was, the P-40 and Wildcats were a match for the Zero when flown using good tactics, which they were flown by for most of the war. The P-39 was a hopeless aircraft and the Buffalo was terribly overloaded when self-sealing fuel tanks, armour plating, and long range radios were added. This is why the Buffaloes flown by the Finnish Air Force against the Russians were successful as they were flown without this and therefore were light enough to remain very maneuverable. Hence the glowing report Greg Boyington wrote in his book about a Buffalo flown by a hot pilot. These pre-war Buffaloes were not weighed down.

The Japanese enjoyed a feast against poorly equipped early war air forces. The US Navy prior to the war enjoyed a level of logistical support that the US Army did not enjoy. In the inter-war years, the Navy was relatively lavishly funded as to be America's prime quick response unit. When the war shockingly happened, one had to fight with what they had, not what they wanted to have. The question that should scare many people is that the Buffalo won the initial development contest against the Grumman Wildcat! Imagine what would have happened had wise people in the Navy not seen the potential in the Wildcat and ensured sufficient numbers were available when the war started!

Ken
 
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