Firepower B-29 Skins in the Works

***Threedp*** · April 17th, 2019, 19:18

A WW2 night scheme for the Firepower B-29 in the works . . .

**sixstrings5859** · April 18th, 2019, 04:24

Awesome work ! Thank you Sir !

**Led Zeppelin** · April 18th, 2019, 10:38

Nice screen shot!

***Cuttles*** · April 19th, 2019, 05:53

Awesome!....

***Threedp*** · April 19th, 2019, 06:44

Using MajorMagee's excellent blank template as a starting point, I've shifted some panels to better line up with one-another, replaced the national markings, improved a couple of details, made the non-reflective turrets better match the reflective body, and removed "USAF" from inside the flight deck. Fiddling with the reflectivity, dealing with the mapping limitations, and getting the specifics of the night scheme right have taken up a lot of time. I'm now moving on to a day scheme and maybe and olive drab one. The plan is for a modest pack like I did for the freeware B-29.

All set for PTO: Setting Sun (just kidding!)

I must admit to cheating a bit for the screenshot. I had to fly in at 2500 ft to get that incendiary reflection effect. It did show up as well from the proper B-29 incendiary bombing height of 5000 ft+.

**LAN** · May 24th, 2019, 22:32

Just curious, what B-29's are these liveries based on? Also while I'm at it how's progress going? Looking forward to these when they're done.

***Threedp*** · May 28th, 2019, 04:46

The one in the screenshot is one I stumbled across doing some research. It's the third aircraft I've found named after my favorite ghost story movie, 'The Uninvited' (1944). Two were B-29s and one was a Typhoon (or a Tempest). The B-29 I've done has the best nose art and has the claim to fame as the last B-29 to bomb the Japanese Empire, but I have left what was painted on the plane about that off as I'm depicting it during hostilities.

I want to do a set of three: one night, one day, and one olive drab. I completed the night but then got bogged down in the olive drab one, then real life intervened. I hope to complete them in June. Fingers crossed!

**LAN** · May 28th, 2019, 14:05

Originally Posted by Threedp

The one in the screenshot is one I stumbled across doing some research. It's the third aircraft I've found named after my favorite ghost story movie, 'The Uninvited' (1944). Two were B-29s and one was a Typhoon (or a Tempest). The B-29 I've done has the best nose art and has the claim to fame as the last B-29 to bomb the Japanese Empire, but I have left what was painted on the plane about that off as I'm depicting it during hostilities.

I want to do a set of three: one night, one day, and one olive drab. I completed the night but then got bogged down in the olive drab one, then real life intervened. I hope to complete them in June. Fingers crossed!

Interesting info on the night scheme, also just to clarify since you didn't mention what the other two are based on I take it that you haven't fully decided on them yet, correct?

Thanks for the update, LAN.

***Threedp*** · May 29th, 2019, 04:18

Correct.

For the OD one, I'd like to avoid 'Lady Boomerang' as that's the one everyone does, but it is the most visually interesting one I can find, so that will probably be it.

For the day one, the default one is pretty interesting so it's a challenge finding another. B-29s weren't overly interesting markings-wise and the less-than-perfect texture mapping on the Firepower B-29 makes things challenging to say the least. I have it narrowed down though!

***Threedp*** · July 23rd, 2019, 04:24

The arrival of summer and some real life held me up, but I have once again picked this up!

I must admit that frustration due to mapping issues is a major progress killer! Surprising for a commercial product. That said, the olive drab one, Lady Boomerang, is almost done.

That leaves only a day scheme, which will be relatively easy by comparison.

***Threedp*** · July 27th, 2019, 20:22

As good as my sanity would allow me to achieve! Day scheme next then release.

boy names cute unique

**sixstrings5859** · July 28th, 2019, 05:05

Outstanding ! Nice work ! Regards,Scott

***Threedp*** · August 5th, 2019, 10:58

Trivia Question: We're all used to seeing Bockscar, the B-29 that dropped the second atomic bomb, with its nose art. Said nose art specifically cites Nagasaki. Obviously, that's not what she looked like during and before the mission. Does anyone know whether she carried any nose art, the same nose art but without the name Nagasaki on it, or something else during her combat career?

***MajorMagee*** · August 5th, 2019, 12:41

I've seen images with the crew in front of the plane and it has no nose art on it at all. Some are taken in Salt Lake, and some were taken on Tinian.

Following the mission, there was confusion over the identification of the plane. The first eyewitness account by war correspondent William L. Laurence of The New York Times, who accompanied the mission aboard the aircraft piloted by Bock, reported that Sweeney was leading the mission in The Great Artiste. However, he also noted its "Victor" number as 77, which was that of Bockscar, writing that several personnel commented that 77 was also the jersey number of the football player Red Grange.^[25] Laurence had interviewed Sweeney and his crew in depth and was aware that they referred to their airplane as The Great Artiste. Except for Enola Gay, none of the 393d's B-29s had yet had names painted on the noses, a fact which Laurence himself noted in his account, and unaware of the switch in aircraft, Laurence assumed Victor 77 was The Great Artiste.^[4] In fact, The Great Artiste was Victor 89.^[26]Bockscar - Wikipedia