Having Some Fun, After...

[Bomber_12th]

...a long day's work.

Having the paint just beginning to dry, I thought I would go for a bit of a photo-flight. For anyone who hasn't read up into the life and times of Captain Jack M. Ilfrey, I highly recommend that you do so - he was quite an amazing person and a very distinguished pilot, to say the least. It's rather unfortunate that he wasn't able to live long enough to see 'Doc' Winter's Mustang restored in his colors. (BTW, for those who may still be wondering - this is the reason why I asked about the P-38 mirror a while back - seen along with the higher profile Spitfire mirror).

Details about the full scope of the product will be announced down the road. If you have any questions about the details that you see in these screenshots, please ask away, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/happyjacks_5-1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/happyjacks_1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/happyjacks_3.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/happyjacks_4.jpg

[huub vink]

Beautiful John. I really love the diffences in the look of the Dural depending the finish of the surface :applause: :applause: :applause:.

Huub

[Milton Shupe]

Whoa! Excellent work John :applause:

[lifejogger]

Nice:ernae::ernae:
The details are fantastic.

[jankees]

very nice indeed, bring it on I say!
(and preferably with a paintkit..)

[Bomber_12th]

Beautiful John. I really love the diffences in the look of the Dural depending the finish of the surface :applause: :applause: :applause:.

Huub

Thanks Huub for noticing, and I appreciate it! I have actually gotten a hold of diagrams that layout the various differences in the thickness and types of the alu used across the aircraft, which made for the various differences in shades/tints. Thank you as well, Milton, LifeJogger, and Jan Kees! I've been trying to include every detail there is, and in doing so I've been learning new things just about every day. Speaking of which, can anyone guess what the tube/bump is at the extreme rear/bottom of the fuselage? I had never noticed it on a real-life example up until this past summer when looking through the design drawings.

[Bomber_12th]

Perhaps no one cares, but the answer is that the bump at the end of the airplane is a fairing over the relief tube exit point. The entrance point is modeled in the 'stock' cockpit as well - though it is a rather difficult task to make use of the system, virtually. ;)

[SpaceWeevil]

I was going to say pilot's p*** tube, honest - right at the back is certainly where you'd want it. Presumably it was heated, like the guns, to stop it freezing?

[Bomber_12th]

SpaceWeevil, there was no direct heater for the tube itself as far as I have seen, though a good portion of it - since it ran from the cockpit all the way to the tail - sat right next to the heating/ventalation system feed. Yet more needless information stored in my brain from researching this aircraft inch by inch. :d

[jankees]

SpaceWeevil, there was no direct heater for the tube itself as far as I have seen, though a good portion of it - since it ran from the cockpit all the way to the tail - sat right next to the heating/ventalation system feed. Yet more needless information stored in my brain from researching this aircraft inch by inch. :d

aaah, pointless information, my kind of info!

say John, in the second shot in the thread, the nose looks to be a different color from the wings, or is that my imagination?

[Bomber_12th]

JanKees, both are the same color. The lighting/specular in the shot changes quite a bit over the contours of the nose, compared to the direct-lighting conditions presented by the leading edge of the wing, and on the flat side of the fuselage.

[Spilot69]

I have a question for you John,
Your D model looks amazing and look forward to it. I have held off on getting your b and c model just as the cost is quite high for me, but does your b/c model have a working automatic radiator, does it open and close like the real one automatically adjusting for temperature of coolant? I think I remember your fs9 model but wasnt sure if you could include this in the fsx model. Also can you be a little more specific on what improvements you plan on making to the B/C model incorporating from the D, This may push me over the edge and convince me to buy it. You do incredible work as always! Thank you for your contributions to the community!

[Bomber_12th]

Spilot, thank you very much for your post!

Adding an automatically adjusting coolant door and oil door is something that I have wanted to do ever since building the FS9 B/C's, but couldn't figure out how to do it. Well, having gained more experience in working with code, I believe I have it worked out so that the coolant and oil doors will opperate automatically, so long as the switches in the cockpit are selected to automatic. When they are not, you will be able to freely adjust the doors, just as in real life. I will hopefully get around to testing this off next week, and will be able to confirm for sure if it works.

The updates for the B/C models, are almost completely visual, with a few exceptions in the addtion of animations/functionality. I can't be too specific when it comes to what updates I will be incorporating off of the D model into the B/C updates, as it would take far too long, and likely wouldn't incorporate nearly as much stuff as there really is. In general terms, I have taken all of the common items created for the D model, and added them back into the B/C model, replacing the old units - most all of which have been built directly to original design drawings. Most of the rest of the B/C items have/are being updated to receive the same level of care and attention to detail. The exterior will be re-mapped, in the same manner as the higher resolution D model textures.

[Bomber_12th]

Here is just a quick sampling of how I have gone about making the D model. With design drawings in hand, I have been able ensure a new level of accuracy in this aircraft, from as simple of an item as a trim wheel or gear handle, to the layout and design of the entire canopy assembly, gear wells, and instrument panel. It has been like trying to reproduce one for real - just it would be nicer if it was real.

Shown here is just the emergency canopy release handle, and gunsight mounting bracket - used on all D models, whether they had the earlier N-9 or K-14 sights.

[Rezabrya]

John, do you think you could hint on when the B/C Models update will be out? The D model is looking great by the way! Do you think there might possibly be a discount if you buy both the B/C and D model at the same time? A package deal would be really really cool!

[DaveQ]

This looks outstanding John!!:applause:

Tell me, is this meant to represent the original or the Millennium Classics rebuild? If the latter will it appear with a 'modern' cockpit? And I'm with Jankees - paint kit please!!!

Whatever, it's mine as soon as it appears!

DaveQ

[Spilot69]

Last question for you John,

Will any of the gauges be updated or will they still be like WOP p-51 and flat, and will your D model be released with Warbirdsim or is it just through you or another vendor?

[Bomber_12th]

Yes, this most certainly is a Warbirdsim product. Without the company, I wouldn't be able to go to these lengths with it. This includes research trips to gather 100's of in-cockpit/exterior photos from a numerous amount of UK-based P-51's, in-flight and on-the-ground sound recordings, and flight dynamics based on what a real-world Mustang pilot has described with us/and more/less, has offered in criticism of other offerings.

Ryan, as much as I'd like to say yep, sure thing, I really can't at this time, but it does sound like a novel idea. The D model release is still a rather long-term project, and the B/C updates will have to come after the release of the D, as I can't figure a way to do it any other way.

DaveQ, I believe what you mean is Midwest Aero, and yes that is the example I am recreating, owned by 'Doc' Winter, with a lot of thanks going to Mike Vadeboncouer - everything him and his crew have touched, turns to award winning aircraft. 'Modern' cockpit is hard to describe it as, as it features one of the most stock cockpits ever created in an airworthy P-51D - to date - due in large part to the fact that it went unrestored since WWII - and the owner wanted it to be a combat-ready example, just like it would have been in WWII. Of course you can't fly today without modern coms/navs/transponders however, and what you see in the real thing, is what is there in FSX - I don't want to delve into too many details however. This is just one version in a long line of variants as well, which make this Mustang experience completely new.

Spilot, the gauges are being updated as with the rest of the visuals, and are no longer 'flat'. They should make for a much more immersive experience.

To see some video of the real "Happy Jack's Go Buggy", it doesn't get much better than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZdv4n8asVo

[Quicksand]

John, thanks for your post, and all the info... Outstanding vid! I waited until I was forty years old before I actually got to see a REAL Mustang "eye-to-eye", and in the air, and I almost cried that day because the Mustang I saw was "Sweetie Face" in the markings of my favorite FG, the 352d. Do you think you could include a paint of Preddy's "Cripes", or another Bluenoser in your D package? I am patiently awaiting this release. I continue to be awed by your talent, and your love of the Mustang... Thanks for all you've done to bring the Pony to life in FS, buddy........ I am considering a purchase of the FSX version of the B and C models, John. Will your updates to them result in a re-purchase, or will they be free for those who already own the B/C models?

[Bomber_12th]

Quicksand, thank you very much for your post, it means a lot to me! There is always more than enough room to include a bluenoser, and based on my past experience, it should be easy to guess who my favorite 352nd FG member was as well - even better yet, the two aircraft painted in his markings are amongst the most superb restorations around, but now just to pick one. The best thing, is that I now can paint any markings I want, and not have to compromise for mapping errors - since if I find any, I can just correct them myself, lol.

The updates, as much as they are creating a brand new aircraft in the B/C's, will not come at any additional charge. Unfortunately because of this, and because of how it is feeding off my developments on the D, there isn't any way that the updates will be available until after the D is finished. I feel that then, hopefully, anyone who may remain unhappy about their purchase, will have a change of heart.

I have received a message from a devoted fan of another payware outfit, who doesn't seem to see how I have the right to do what I am doing. If this is a shared feeling amongst more, I really hope it doesn't appear like I am actually trying to step on anyone's feathers by posting here or continuing with this project, it is not my intentions at all. For some reason, I don't know what, I have an affection for this airplane, that reaches much farther than just its popularity. Above all, I am having a lot of fun, as the thread implies, with what I have always wanted in a sim representation of this aircraft.

[jankees]

I have received a message from a devoted fan of another payware outfit, who doesn't seem to see how I have the right to do what I am doing. If this is a shared feeling amongst more, I really hope it doesn't appear like I am actually trying to step on anyone's feathers by posting here or continuing with this project, it is not my intentions at all. For some reason, I don't know what, I have an affection for this airplane, that reaches much farther than just its popularity. Above all, I am having a lot of fun, as the thread implies, with what I have always wanted in a sim representation of this aircraft.

Good news about the updates! All I can say, bring on the D! it certainly looks great, and my paintbrushes are itching..

as for this last bit, I don't really understand it, but as far as I'm concerned, you have every right to produce a Mustang model. Anybody else has too, and the good part is that I have the right to decide which one I like, and which one I don't, and consequently, to decide where I spend my money.
As for that nonsense about 'too many D models', I love the Mustang too, and as long I still haven't the 'perfect' model, please bring them on! The more choice, the merrier.
So far we have:
a D from wozza, free, but for FS9..
a D from A2A, which I like, but is getting old
a D in acceleration, which I hate
a B from WBS, which I like, though it is way overpriced
a D from flight1, which I don't like

and in the future:
a D from WBS, which is looking veryvery promising (but what about the price??)
a B update, which will be free (!!)
a D with accusim from A2A, (which is the one I'm really waiting for..) but which is probably still waaaywaaaay in the future..

Don't you just love the choices we have?
and all of this for my favorite aircraft!

[Spilot69]

Agree with everything Jankees says! I really love your work John, and love all your paints. I haven't bought your p-51 because its a little pricey to me, I am holding off hoping for a sale or reduced price and then I will buy it. I am looking forward to your D model as it looks stunning, and again hopefully the price won't be outragious.