Warbirdsim Little Friends II Update Uploaded

[Bomber_12th]

I have just uploaded to the library here at SOH an update package for the Warbirdsim P-51D "Little Friends II" product. It includes all new external textures (including new normal maps saved in 32-bit quality, ambient occlusion layers and other improvements) as well as some model updates. Some of the textures also feature updates in the markings and other details to be more historically accurate based on latest research/findings.

A similar update for "Little Friends (I)" has also been in the works but is still a ways off yet.

I hope you enjoy!

[Greenhouse357]

Thank you, John!

[Bradburger]

Many thanks John.

Look forward to downloading and installing it!

Cheers

Paul

[Odie]

Thanks, John! Appreciate your ever-greening of a great a/c!

[Sundog]

Thanks John!

[AussieMan]

​They look great John.

[Duckie]

Thank you John...

[stovall]

Oh man, thanks John. A fantastic model made even better.

[MustangL2W]

Thank you John... Love your Mustangs!!!!! Each and Every one of them!

[ZsoltB]

Hi,

Here the problem

I copied it, but the screen is black, I don't see a new model

[noddy]

I have the same problem.

[WarHorse47]

Well, I've tried a different approach and noted several issues.

I created a whole new aircraft folder using the download and renamed it to P-51D_5-NA_Little Friends_II_v2. Then I copied over the panel, sound, air file and texture folders from my original install making sure I did not overwrite any of the texture folder contents provided by Bomber. Under this setup I got an error that the model would not load.

The main issue I noted was that the aircraft.cfg file for the update refers to *.air files that are not in my install for "filet" and "no_filet". I updated the entries for each texture to refer to "sim = P-51D" from the original install. After making this change I can load the aircraft, but the VC glass is black. I checked the texture.cfg files an original glass textures in the texture folder, but haven't solved that last issue.

Back to the drawing board.

[Bomber_12th]

Sorry about that folks. I'm off for a bit on my lunch break so I can help.

Please change the Aircraft.cfg file entries to look like those in the attached file.

[Bomber_12th]

And stick this texture file in the P-51D-5-NA_Little_Friends Texture folder.

[Bomber_12th]

Later today I'll re-upload a better version of the update.

[noddy]

Many thanks John.

[ZsoltB]

Thank you,

Here other problem, missing the pilot face:

[noddy]

[Bomber_12th]

I have just uploaded an updated version of the update to replace the existing one, which should hopefully resolve all issues completely. As is stated in the readme file, I now have the "Marie" variant properly separated for installation into the separate "fillet" folder, and so those who have already installed the previous update can also delete the Model.Marie v2 and Texture.Marie v2 folders from the P-51D-5-NA_Little_Friends folder.

If you cannot wait for it to become available in the SOH library, you can also download this updated version of the update here:

https://wetransfer.com/downloads/94b315ce28219542be573177ac5c89b220191125234017/3a7c16


Sorry for all the inconvenience!

[Bradburger]

Thanks John!

Cheers

Paul

[modelr]

Thanks John. And I just finished loading all the textures I could find! Haven't been able to load the sim yet. Looking forward to viewing the updates in sim.

[ZsoltB]

Thank you!





Zsolt

[ZsoltB]

[Bomber_12th]

This is perhaps the one I was most excited at having another go at. Originally, the markings had been drawn very accurately, but the colors were well off the mark. This time around I wanted to try and make it the closest depiction to the original than has possibly ever been done (including in scale model form).

In original photos of "Lou IV" the camo paint that was applied to cover the tops of the invasion stripes is a lighter shade than the other camo paint that had already been applied previously. Using color chips of '44 era USAAF Olive Drab and British/RAF Dark Green (as far as I know, the only two camo colors that USAAF ETO-based units used for field-applied topside camo) I was able to check them in grayscale/B&W and confirm that the RAF DG is quite a bit lighter in shade than the USAAF OD. It also makes sense based on information that I've heard/read that suggests the 8th AF Fighter Groups initially had access to USAAF OD, but once that stock dried-up they used British paint. I think this is the only color combination that makes any historical sense, and again it meshes well with the photographic evidence. Some have tried to argue for insignia blue having been used (due to poorly developed color photos that have a horrific blue cast over the entirety of the photos), at least in the section where the invasion stripes were painted over, but one can see in the original B&W photos that the values are quite different between the insignia blue of the stars & bars and the paint over the invasion stripes. Also, there was no precedent for ETO fighter pilots wanting blue top surfaces on their aircraft for camouflage purposes flying over Europe- it was always camouflage green (whatever green they could get their hands on, either USAAF or RAF). A number of 361st vets over the years confirmed that they never used blue on their aircraft.

I chose to use RAF Trainer/Insignia Yellow for the nose, figuring that was the likely source for that paint (the yellow bars surrounding the "Lou IV" name are a bit darker, as can be seen in original photos - that bit of nose art had already been in-place prior to the yellow nose markings being extended back to the firewall). I also re-drew the "Athelene" name/sign artwork on the starboard side to be more accurate in positions of the letters and design/shape of the sign. Although others have argued/debated it for years, I am 100% confident that the area around the gun ports on the original was just the silver paint of the wing, exposed where that section of the wing was masked prior to the application of any paint. In one of the several original photos, the bottom surfaces of the aircraft are clearly shown, and one can clearly see that the leading 50% or so of the silver paint of the wing was very dark on "Lou IV", hinting at the dark "Acme Grey Surfacer No.53N5" that was applied to the wing in that same region, below the paint, was effecting the hue/shade of the paint, and this would point to why the region of exposed silver paint around the gun barrels wasn't particularly bright - at least not as much as the silver rudder or back half of the painted wing.

[ZsoltB]

Thank you!