Repaint for Piglet's A-12A Avenger II

Jafo said:
Here's an early go at the Prototype paint...insignia/text to do yet...;)



Edit....just about done...;)

View attachment 86527
Click to expand...

JAFO - you're an animal, mate!! Unbelievable productivity.

Looks awesome - my only minor comment would be the FA-18 - perhaps would better as "F/A-18" - as per both the paint scheme and the general USN/USMC fighter type nomenclature. Besides that ... just make some room at my fave hangar at Patuxent for some trials .... she'll be well loved!!


Cheers,

DL
 
Now for the other one....first problem is....is it actually 'blue' or a typical 'blued' photo print?

If I can find some more vers of the pic it'll help...;)


Edit....
An early ver....'metal' alpha yet to be added...and stripes rework...

View attachment 86545

Edit...
Maybe almost done...still needs the alpha....

View attachment 86548
 
Hello JAFO!

They all look awesome!!

Re: F/A-12 prototype (red/white) - I'd say it's there.

Re: YA-12 (NASA) - I think the blue looks good as you've rendered it. My only commentary would be around the NASA font - and position. You've used a serif'ed font, vs the non-serif font used in the mid 70s period in the ref photo. Here's a few other NASA aircraft using the same yellow flash/black lettering - all from the same period. Now granted, these are dedicated NASA test bed machines - but the point is they used the same flash font during this period ....

http://www.air-and-space.com/20060213 Palmdale/DSC_2988 Jetstar N814NA NASA left side l.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/NASA.F-104.Starfighter-Aft.JPG

http://aether.lbl.gov/www/projects/u2/U2Flying.jpg


Finally, the orientation of the NASA flash - I'll suggest it's upside down, since if you're flying abeam the plane, and looking the wing nearest you, you're seeing it upside down. The design is such that it's either the near one's right way up and the far one's upside down, or the reverse - the former seems more intutitive - but now, we're in a very subjective area - no biggie either way.

They look great, and tey'll be enjoyed thoroughly.

Regards,

DL
 
DL ....yes, I cheated with the font...came from an existing skin from a different era...that was already in my 'paintkit'...so I do need to change that.
The debate about text orientation has always been a good one....though when looking at the furthest wingtip from you [in this orientation] you do get the closest representation of a tail shape. If you do it the other way round it looks like the tail 'triangle' is upside-down....and in this specific skin....the need for the added text 'underneath' to match the FA/18 tail means you really have to have it the way I did it....or else the text will look like it is 'above' the 'NASA' instead of 'below'.

I'll redo the font...and while I'm at it I'll hide the NASA band under the blue/orange stripes...as per the photo of the 18 ...;)

Edit....took a bit to tidy the layers up....but looking at the right wingtip from this angle you see it 'follows' the style of the 18's graphics/layout...;)

View attachment 86569
 
Smokin', JAFO!!

No worries on the text orientation. You're right, the other text in relation to the NASA flash would have had to have been "over" the flash. Although that's the compromise I'd have made, the key word is "I'd" - the your repaint, your choice - so no worries - love it all the same. NASA font is all sorted - nothing left to say - oh, except that I saw you snuck in a Dryden logo - clever bugger!

All in all - it's just magnificent. 10/10, mate!

Cheers,

DL
 
delta_lima said:
Smokin', JAFO!!

No worries on the text orientation. You're right, the other text in relation to the NASA flash would have had to have been "over" the flash. Although that's the compromise I'd have made, the key word is "I'd" - the your repaint, your choice - so no worries - love it all the same. NASA font is all sorted - nothing left to say - oh, except that I saw you snuck in a Dryden logo - clever bugger!

All in all - it's just magnificent. 10/10, mate!

Cheers,

DL
Click to expand...

Glad you like it, DL ... I'll get to upping both these 'Prototypes' soonish.

.....But now I'll need some more inspiration/s or suggested paints.
While I have my 'layers' it wouldn't be all that difficult to flip the texts [plural] for you...[as long as I remember to flip the alpha too]....;)

Edit....I said it wouldn't take long....;)

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Jafo said:
Glad you like it, DL ... I'll get to upping both these 'Prototypes' soonish.

.....But now I'll need some more inspiration/s or suggested paints.
While I have my 'layers' it wouldn't be all that difficult to flip the texts [plural] for you...[as long as I remember to flip the alpha too]....;)
Click to expand...

Man - you're really a machine!!!

I'm almost all out of ideas - you've done every single one I could have hoped for. All I'm thinking (and maybe they already have it) - but your X-24B and X-15 inspired paints from pages 3-4 of this thread - could they benefit from your recent updates? That's really all for me - the couple USMCs, couple of Navy prototypes, and couple of NASAs - my cup runneth over!!

DL
 
Probably the main difference with those older NASA vers already uploaded is the 'plainer' metal finish.
I could rework them and add the extra text/details....and see how they look...;)
The first ones were done per-pixel...slow and painful to alter....since then the squillion layers I set up means things can be changed/improved far more easily.

These days they're all at 4096 res with a detail that sees linework as a single pixel width...and even the 'tiny text' is legible [though mostly made-up - which is fair as there's nothing real/authentic to 'follow' ].
I added cannon ports and gas exhaust vents...and even little external gauges for hydraulics etc just to 'justify' the high resolution - none of which is real or even likely [probably]....but adding cannon effects just makes things more 'fun'...;)

There's probably a few more Demo Teams I could hunt down....they tend to have sexy graphics [which is why my metal ver of the Thunderbirds is my personal fave]...;)

Currently it's all done with 2 PSDs ....the main is 363meg and the alphas are in their own at 246meg.
 
Jafo said:
Probably the main difference with those older NASA vers already uploaded is the 'plainer' metal finish.
I could rework them and add the extra text/details....and see how they look...;)
The first ones were done per-pixel...slow and painful to alter....since then the squillion layers I set up means things can be changed/improved far more easily.

These days they're all at 4096 res with a detail that sees linework as a single pixel width...and even the 'tiny text' is legible [though mostly made-up - which is fair as there's nothing real/authentic to 'follow' ].
I added cannon ports and gas exhaust vents...and even little external gauges for hydraulics etc just to 'justify' the high resolution - none of which is real or even likely [probably]....but adding cannon effects just makes things more 'fun'...;)

There's probably a few more Demo Teams I could hunt down....they tend to have sexy graphics [which is why my metal ver of the Thunderbirds is my personal fave]...;)

Currently it's all done with 2 PSDs ....the main is 363meg and the alphas are in their own at 246meg.
Click to expand...


Well, looking forward to whatever you come up with. Indeed, those "older" NASA paints you did were my favourite for this model until this recent batch. So if they benefit from any of your current panel line work great - no worries either way.

A further twist on the NASA models - for more peaceful purposes, could be a rendition to represent the earth science surveillance platform that was the U-2 and now the ER-2. One could easily argue the delta wing does not confer the greatest high-altitute performance - but, it's a sim, right?

A bit hard to find good photos ... I really like this older scheme with the blue meatball ...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v487/theplasticsurgeon/ModelPlanes/U2s/Airfix_U2_Nasa.jpg .

http://aether.lbl.gov/www/projects/u2/U2EXPGFS.JPG

http://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/large/000/404/404841.jpg

... versus the newer silly red swish .... but this was a far more persistent scheme, I'll grant - they still fly today...

http://www.jamesshuggins.com/i/u-2a...ry---photo/ER-2---Large/EC99-45225-2_full.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1309/634092820_493a6b037d.jpg

Finally, another "friendly" NASA high flier whose scheme may or may not lend itself to the A-12 - don't know ... is the WB-57 .... yes, with the silly red swish ... :)

http://www.boulder.swri.edu/swuis/wb57-5.jpg

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/9/1/3/0950319.jpg

How/if the black on the nose and engine intakes transfer could easily be argued against ... but they're just ideas.

When you mentioned cannon ports and effects, the thought that came to mind is various Star Wars fighters. Not my personal cup of tea, but I know lots of folks here have a "thing" for that. With the new space gauges, that might turn someone's crank - just a thought!

cheers,

Daniel
 
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