SSW F-104G RCAF Repaint

[odourboy]

Recently picked up the Sim Skunk Works F-104G for P3D during their summer sale (had the F-104S for several years now for FSX) and felt the need to do a Royal Canadian Air Force CF-104 repaint. I am pleased with the results so it'll be posted in the library shortly. Here's a few screen shots. Note that this model works great with the P3D 'Dynamic Reflections' feature.

https://s26.postimg.org/4ak0ds12h/Prepar3_D_2016_07_15_10_24_51_15.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/qz97dcig5/)

https://s26.postimg.org/tumak7mg9/Prepar3_D_2016_07_15_10_29_18_98.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/51cqjk3fp/)

https://s26.postimg.org/6ho91p6cp/Prepar3_D_2016_07_15_10_29_40_27.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/hh9gdawrp/)

[flaviossa]

Just beautiful!!! :applause::applause:

[scotth6]

Awesome! I just grabbed the G recently too; would love to have this paint on it.

Cheers,

[odourboy]

Thanks guys. It's in the library now. :encouragement:

[DaveQ]

A brilliant early natural metal paint. Will get as soon as it shows up in the library!!

DaveQ

[odourboy]

A brilliant early natural metal paint. Downloading now!!

DaveQ

It was your CAF repaint from four years ago that inspired my to try this one. So thanks!

[Mach3DS]

Nice job Brian!

[DaveQ]

It was your CAF repaint from four years ago that inspired my to try this one. So thanks!

Thank you for the compliment! I'm inspired to do a CS two-seater to match...! Will be done in a week or so.

DaveQ

[RobM]

That's a great paint Odourboy, and I added to my SSW F104G.

I had't flown the SSW F104G for awhile, I had made some hardware upgrades in the meantime, and so I had to get it a new Registration Key from SSW (kudos to the SSW Customer Service, they were really helpful and prompt).

But when I tried adding DaveQ's two CAF paints to the newer version 1.6.1, I couldn't get them work: all I got was completely black textures. I did have them working in the older version 1.2.0 from 2012. I made up and added the required "texture.texture" folders, and triple checked all entries, but no luck getting those two paints to work.

It's not that important for anyone to take time over, but I really liked those two paints. Has anyone gotten Dave's paints working in the newer 1.6.1 version? If so, then I'm doing something wrong.

By the way, in case anyone with the SSW F104G and Tacpack hasn't noticed, there is now a free Tacpack upgrade for this plane at SSW.

Thanks - Rob

.

[odourboy]

Thanks Rob. I was able to get Dave's 786 repaint working. The actual textures are fine AFAIK. The way SSW has set up the texturs is kind of non-standard though and there are many ways to mess up. Double check that the actual texture .dds file names are for the 'G' (as opposed to the 'S') and that the texture.cfg in the textures.texture livery folder references the right path SSW_F104G_TEXTURES folder.

[RobM]

Aha! Thank you Odourboy! What it was, I was using my PC's own Text Document to create the the Texture file in
the texture.texture folder, and then copying and pasting your fallback strings and changing the names. But I guess
the SSW F104G hates the text document my PC uses. So when I copied your texture notepad document and then
just changed the texture names at the end of the strings inside, all worked fine.

Thank you very much, both for the paint and the advice.

- Rob

[Stickshaker]

Hello Odourboy,

Thank you so much for this repaint. I really like those silver RCAF planes. They look good anywhere, above the snowy Arctic, above green Central Europe…

One question. I believe sometimes these planes had orange tip tanks. If that is true, would it be possible for you to make a version with orange tanks? Just for variation?

[odourboy]

Hi Stickshaker,

Red tip tanks are common, often seen on CF104s that were domesticly deployed (which also had red horizontal stabilizers), but I don't recall seeing orange on a CAF fighter (German, yes, but not Canadian). Got a photo you could attach? I'm no expert and happy to be educated.

[odourboy]

Like this:

https://s26.postimg.org/pog5cuovd/Prepar3_D_2016_07_20_13_24_45_15.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/vcmg3qt7p/)image sharing (https://postimage.org/)

[Stickshaker]

Hello Odourboy,
Just came home and saw your post. To be honest I have no photos; all my information was from a 1:48 scale model (by Hawk, if I remember correctly) that I got for my tenth birthday (Yes, that is 47 years ago). Until now I would have sworn that the tanks were orange but if you say they were red I immediately believe you. Your paint looks excellent and I hope that you will make it available!
Thanks and best regards,
Stickshaker

[DaveQ]

Here's 640 from No. 417 Operational Training Squadron, Cold Lake, Alberta in 1964 colours. Crashed in December 1982 following a mid-air collision.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq136/DaveQ-photos/CF-104D%20640%201_zpsaiwhefiu.jpg

The model is a native conversion kindly made for me by hschuit so not available at present, but this will work fine on the old FS9 version. Will publish soon as I can.

DaveQ

[DaveQ]

Here's 640 from No. 417 Operational Training Squadron, Cold Lake, Alberta in 1964 colours. Crashed in December 1982 following a mid-air collision.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq136/DaveQ-photos/CF-104D%20640%201_zpsaiwhefiu.jpg

The model is a native conversion kindly made for me by hschuit so not available at present, but this will work fine on the old FS9 version. Will publish soon as I can.

DaveQ

Done. There is a small error in the readme though. It refers to two folders; there is only one included. The other one was a common texture folder referred to in the 'texture' text file. Just amend that entry to point to whatever you call your common texture folder for the TF-104.

Dave

[Stickshaker]

Really nice, Dave, even though I cannot use it because I have the SSW single-seater, not the Captain Sim two-seater (I thought you were working in an SSW skin). I hope that there are others who will use this beautiful skin.<o:p></o:p>

[CF104]

Hi Odourboy,

I know it's a bit late to the game on this repaint but you've done a great job. The natural metal finish looks amazing in P3D.

Just wondering if you plan on revisiting this repaint? The only reason I ask is that there are a couple of places you can improve on this repaint. You have the bottom of the wings and the radome below the anti-glare panel painted white. These should in fact be gloss grey much like the panel on the vertical stabilizer. Hope you get the chance to update this already great repaint but I understand if you've moved on.

As for the red tip tanks. The actual paint specification was to have red tip tanks on the dual CF-104D only. The single seat CF-104 was rarely seen with red tip tanks. The exception was 12701 through 12705 which were at Cold Lake as part of the test/evaluation and had red on their tanks during this period.

Cheers,

John

[odourboy]

Hi John,

I'm having trouble locating the .PSD file where I had these paints (I changed PCs and have to go through some backups to see if they're there). I'll keep looking though. If I find them, I could update them. In the mean time, can you post a few good pics to illustrate the correct colours and shine as best you can? This would greatly facilitate accuracy. :-)

[CF104]

Hi John,

I'm having trouble locating the .PSD file where I had these paints (I changed PCs and have to go through some backups to see if they're there). I'll keep looking though. If I find them, I could update them. In the mean time, can you post a few good pics to illustrate the correct colours and shine as best you can? This would greatly facilitate accuracy. :-)

No problem. Let me go through my photos and I'll get you a few good references.

Cheers,

John

[StormILM]

Odourboy, nice job! My favorite Century Series Aircraft and F-104 schemes are the bare metal ones. Incidentally, my new GF is Canadian and I can't want to show her this repaint when she gets back in town this week.

Cheers!

[odourboy]

Odourboy, nice job! My favorite Century Series Aircraft and F-104 schemes are the bare metal ones. Incidentally, my new GF is Canadian and I can't want to show her this repaint when she gets back in town this week.

Cheers!
Thanks! But if your new GF is anything like my wife, she couldn't care less about RCAF repaints or anything else flight sim related. LOL!

[StormILM]

Thanks! But if your new GF is anything like my wife, she couldn't care less about RCAF repaints or anything else flight sim related. LOL!

I lucked out, she is keenly interested in my Flight Sim involvement, icing on the cake, she loves the fact that I'm a life long Rush & Triumph fan!

[CF104]

Hi John,

I'm having trouble locating the .PSD file where I had these paints (I changed PCs and have to go through some backups to see if they're there). I'll keep looking though. If I find them, I could update them. In the mean time, can you post a few good pics to illustrate the correct colours and shine as best you can? This would greatly facilitate accuracy. :-)

Okay, here are a few pics for reference. I've found a few good internet refs so here are the links.

http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wC762A.htm

http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wC900.htm

http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wC898.htm

http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wC850.htm

https://www.flickr.com/photos/edk7/8562375238

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Canada-Air-Force/Lockheed-Canadair-CF-104-Starfighter-CL-90/1233818/L


Don't know if this will help but the paint specification is 501-109 which is a Canadian spec (1-GP-12c). A close match under the Federal Standard Colors is FS 16473. Photos of the CF-104 show that this color can vary from a very bluish grey to almost white depending on the lighting and exposure.

Hope this helps and let me know if I can assist in any way.

Cheers,

John

[CF104]

Hey Odourboy,

I was so fixated on the gray that I missed one other issue. You have the Canadian flag on the tail whereas this should be the Canadian Red Ensign during this time period. The current flag was adopted in 1965 and when our CF-104's first received the flag the maple leaf in the roundels were also changed to the stylized maple leaf from the flag.

If you do decide to revisit this repaint I can offer assistance on the Red Ensign.

Cheers,

John

[odourboy]

Thanks John. I've found my paint files so i'll have a look at these and see if I can make the updates you've suggested.

[odourboy]

Hey Odourboy,

I was so fixated on the gray that I missed one other issue. You have the Canadian flag on the tail whereas this should be the Canadian Red Ensign during this time period. The current flag was adopted in 1965 and when our CF-104's first received the flag the maple leaf in the roundels were also changed to the stylized maple leaf from the flag.

If you do decide to revisit this repaint I can offer assistance on the Red Ensign.

Cheers,

John



I prefer the look of the post-1965 style maple leaf and flag, so I'll make the tail flag and roundels consistent with that.

[odourboy]

Updated and submitted to Warbirds library:

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?catid=183&linkid=23002

[srgalahad]

For those who are interested in Canadian CF-104's, here's a link to the Canadian Starfighter Museum which is hoping to open to the public in mid-2018
http://www.canadianstarfightermuseum.ca/

For some wonderful, and detailed, photos go to the "Museum News" tab. In particular, when you scroll down to the August 28, 2014 there is a good pic of 701-705 in formation out of CEPE at Cold Lake showing their unique schemes (not all the aircraft were painted the same). Click on the pics to enlarge.