HB's Plane Skins

[JV44HeinzBar]

S!,

I'm just getting started in skinning every Axis fighter in JV44 colors. These are the first fighters I've skinned, so they maybe off some. I normally skin tanks   Anyhow, after looking at each pics below, I'd like to get some opinions, or a vote, about the color of the prop cone? What do you favor, Black or Red?

 

HB

 

I'll be uploading these skins to Haluter's Skin Downloader once I've finished some other planes. I'll be working on the other 109s this week. I believe I'll start a thread similar to the one that I started in Tank crew,

I started to learn how to skin by painting tanks. The tank templates are much more complex (so far) than planes, so my earlier tank skins don't have nearly as much detail as later models. I expect the same to be true for the planes I paint.

Edited April 2, 2023 by JV44HeinzBar

[Cybermat47]

Black is more historically accurate, red is cooler.

 

Why not make both?

[JV44HeinzBar]

8 minutes ago, Cybermat47 said:

Black is more historically accurate, red is cooler.

 

Why not make both?

The simple fact is I'm lazy . I've got 6 more 109s to do, 4 Antons, 1 dora, etc. The question is really which of the two versions would you fly if you're limited to only 1 skin?

 

HB

[JG7_X-Man]

Long time no see old man! (...it takes one to know one LOL) Will since the Fw 190s had black and yellow noses - I'd go with that.

Don't forget to make blanks too and share, If you don't mind!

Edited March 22, 2023 by JG7_X-Man

[Cybermat47]

2 hours ago, JV44HeinzBar said:

The simple fact is I'm lazy.

 

Relatable ? 

 

2 hours ago, JV44HeinzBar said:

The question is really which of the two versions would you fly if you're limited to only 1 skin?

 

The red  

[JV44HeinzBar]

2 hours ago, JG7_X-Man said:

Long time no see old man! (...it takes one to know one LOL) Will since the Fw 190s had black and yellow noses - I'd go with that.

Don't forget to make blanks too and share, If you don't mind!

No doubt "old man". I thought I had seen you online in IL2GB. I've been tanking mostly for the past year, but I'm get my HOTAS set up again. Easy pick'ns for rookie pilots that want their first kill.

 

These are my first fighters. I would need to map the nose cone's cap for the yellow. For now, I'm either going w/ black or red. It really depends on what most people would want since these are going to be generic skins for the squad.

 

HB

2 hours ago, JG7_X-Man said:

Don't forget to make blanks too and share, If you don't mind!

Oh, I forgot to say that all the skins will be no number skins. I upload all my skins to HSD (Haluter's Skin Downloader). It's just easier and cheaper than upgrading my mediaserver

 

HB

[BOO]

Not totally certain but I wasn’t aware JV44 flew 109s so am assuming that you are not concerned with full historic accuracy by rather an adapted squad skin. 
 

either way, if you are a looking for a generic “feel alike” I’d go with a yellow prop tip and drop the DOTR  band as they were not seen on JV44 aircraft. 
 

The nose cap is an easy thing to produce on the 109 template. 
 

BTW given the quality of your tank skins I dont think aircraft are going to pose you any problems at all! 

Edited March 22, 2023 by BOO

[JV44HeinzBar]

9 hours ago, BOO said:

Not totally certain but I wasn’t aware JV44 flew 109s so am assuming that you are not concerned with full historic accuracy by rather an adapted squad skin. 
 

either way, if you are a looking for a generic “feel alike” I’d go with a yellow prop tip and drop the DOTR  band as they were not seen on JV44 aircraft. 
 

The nose cap is an easy thing to produce on the 109 template. 
 

BTW given the quality of your tank skins I dont think aircraft are going to pose you any problems at all! 

S!,

Yeah, the whole idea is to create skins for the squad. The priority was to re-create the red belly w/ white stripes making it easy for squad members to ID one another while in combat. The fuselage band is just another method of aiding ID.  On the whole, each of the skins will be works of fiction but using period correct colors. I guess it might be better to label them generic skins w/ a JV44 theme. I know it's sacrilege to some, but at least the skins aren't bright pink "Hello Kitty".

I'm also using these skins as a stepping stone to work on future skins to make them as accurate as possible. However, since there's so many more planes vs tanks, it may take me awhile to learn the UVmaps of each plane. Heck, the tank's UVmaps are so complicated compared to planes, it's feels good to work on aircraft skins. The next step will be to understand how light reacts with the plane alphas, which I'm still trying to learn for tanks.

 

Thanks for the compliment and suggestions Boo.

 

HB

Edited March 22, 2023 by JV44HeinzBar

[JG7_X-Man]

@JV44HeinzBar Awesome work! I think black - maybe! Those skins look good for this being your 1st time doing fighters! I might have to join you guys for some online fun in the sun!

[JV44HeinzBar]

47 minutes ago, JG7_X-Man said:

@JV44HeinzBar Awesome work! I think black - maybe! Those skins look good for this being your 1st time doing fighters! I might have to join you guys for some online fun in the sun!

S! X,

It would be great to see you in the air buddy. It's been since 46 since we've flown together ~ 10+years? You can catch me online around 10pm est. I'm usually on Discord flying in Finnish or Combat Box. I must say I haven't flown a whole lot on CB because I've been tanking so much, which CB doesn't offer. Anyhow, look me up if can. If you remember Stacko, he's online a good bit, too.

 

HB

[CUJO_1970]

Red.

[Hook_Echo]

I like the black. There's a lot of red already. The black adds nice contrast. The skin looks great otherwise.

[9./JG27golani79]

Black! as it adds more of a contrast which is good.

 

Red almost "vanishes" because of the underpaint in the same color

[JV44HeinzBar]

S!,

I appreciate all the comments. Between this post, PM's, and another post, it seems like I may have to add both Additionally, I've received a fair number of requests to add the yellow tip to the nose cone. I'm going to add some screenshots here w/ the yellow nose for critiques. Not much difference between the 2 109s (g4 vs g6L).

 

As a side note, I'm having a little trouble finding the ventral hinges that attach the flaps to the wing. Any idea where these are located?

 

G6late blk w/ yellow nose cap

G6late red w/ yellow nose cap

G4 blk w/ yellow nose cap

G4 red w/ yellow nose cap

 

Once I establish what most folks would fly, I'll apply the same pattern to all the 109s. I'll proceed to doing the Antons next. I know, they're not historic, but remember, this is a learning exercise for me, while adding unique patterns for the squad.

 

HB

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by JV44HeinzBar

[Cybermat47]

6 hours ago, JV44HeinzBar said:

Between this post, PM's, and another post, it seems like I may have to add both

 

[BOO]

I might throw another into the ring. Yellow tip with a black/white three segment design as seen in earlier F and Gs.  Not perhaps as pretty but a reflection of the chequered unit emblem in block form. 
 

@JV44HeinzBarDid you find the parts on the template? They are quite apparent when you know where they are! Not sure if I still have access to my old templates but I could take a look if you are struggling. 
 

BTW  fantasy skins or no those 109s look great! 
 

[JV44HeinzBar]

12 minutes ago, BOO said:

 

@JV44HeinzBarDid you find the parts on the template? They are quite apparent when you know where they are! Not sure if I still have access to my old templates but I could take a look if you are struggling. 
 

BTW  fantasy skins or no those 109s look great! 
 

@BOOThanks for the compliment. I'll take any help I can get while I learn each template.

 

HB

 

[BOO]

1 minute ago, JV44HeinzBar said:

@BOOThanks for the compliment. I'll take any help I can get while I learn each template.

 

HB

 

No worries. I’ll dig out what I can. I’ll also send you a link to download  if I find them as it might save you having to dig out fonts etc. they are all gimp files sadly but you can rip layers out of them for use in adobe. 
 

might be later today. I’ve been up all night and am kinda tied to hospital schedules and snap changes with my missus at present. 

[BOO]

Without viewing on the model viewer Im relying on my memory but I think the items circled in the top righ are the hinges (the couter weight is the item circled la the bottom). Just ask if you want a link to the templates. 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by BOO

[David_4555]

Personally i prefer the red & white spinner shown in the first post. Sure the black one constrasts more but it does make it look more generic. However, if the yellow cap is a must, then i think the black is better. Hopefully we're not driving you nuts by all having different opinions. Am really looking forward to getting to fly these!

[JV44HeinzBar]

@David_4555 I honestly like a lot of feed back. It provides me w/options & ideas. Of course, I skin mostly for myself, but I do like to share my work with others. So, by all means, drive me nuts

 

HB

[JV44HeinzBar]

S!,

I finished up the Bf109 series minus the E model. I'll get around to it, but I'll be going on holiday next week. So, with that said, here are the remaining Bf109s. Keep in mind, they're nearly identical in pattern w/ some added grime and understated blending. I'm also including the previous 109g posted above in this group. Hopefully, I didn't confuse the names while uploading the pics.

 

HB

 

PS. I'll be moving on the Antons next. After that, I'll try to tackle the twin engine planes. I did one w/ the Hs129 early on, but I'm going to revisit it and update it to a similar pattern seen here.

 

PSS. I knew I'd forget to add a skin...adding the G2. Available for download on HSD.

 

 

F2 black nose

F2 red nose

F4 black nose

F4 red nose

G4 black nose

G4 red nose

G6 black nose

G6 red nose

G6 late red nose

G6 late red nose

G14 black nose

G14 red nose

K4 red nose

K4 black nose

G2 black nose

G2 red nose

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by JV44HeinzBar
Ready for download at HSD now.

[JV44HeinzBar]

S!,

I started working on the Antons. I've come across an issue where I'm trying to line up the JV44 white stripes under the wings. Unfortunately, if I align the stripes while the plane has the landing gear down, the stripes don't align. If I fix the alignment when the gear is down, the stripes don't align under the wings w/ the gear retracted. I've fooled around w/ this for 2-3 hours. I haven't found a solution. Any suggestions are appreciated.  See pic below. Oh, pay no attention to the odd color. It's just the UVmap I use to help me align paint schemes.

 

For the moment, this is the general look of the A8 until I can figure out the alignment issue.

 

HB

[David_4555]

I'm not a skinner so I can't really help you, but if it's not possible to sort out, my idea would be to have the landing gear in bare metal/unpainted, as if it were replaced. I think it would look cool.

[JV44HeinzBar]

S!,

I got back from vacation and had some spare time, so I updated the FW190 series I've been slowly working on. While not 100% satisfied, I honestly don't want to spend the next 3-4 hours trying to get those **** stripes to align perfectly ?. Please leave any construct comments below. I always appreciate feedback, so if y'all see any glaring errors, please post about it(them).

 

If things look ok, I'll upload the skins to HSD soon.

 

HB

 

A3 blk nose

A3 red nose

A5 blk nose

A5 red nose

A6 blk nose

A6 red nose

A8 blk nose

A8 red nose

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by JV44HeinzBar
added pics

[JV44HeinzBar]

S!,

The first of the twins...Ju88a4. I got a little creative since I didn't add the complete red/white striped belly.

 

HB

[JV44HeinzBar]

S!,

I had some time to play around w/ the AS and decided to paint the plane in JV44 livery. I know it's not historic, but it's just another skin for the squad.

 

HB

 

PS. I just noticed the radiator cover. I'll fix it tomorrow, add some more weathering, and then upload it to HSD.

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by JV44HeinzBar

[JV44HeinzBar]

S!,

I've been really busy lately, but I managed to upload all the JV44 inspired FW190, Bf109, and Ju88 skins to HSD today. Hopefully, they will be available by tomorrow. Oh, I also uploaded the Su-122 I was playing around with recently. See this link: 

 

 

HB

 

 

Edited June 23, 2023 by JV44HeinzBar