Douglas A20 Havoc

[Hurricane91]

Verrrry nice...

I'll say! Dapper Boston threads.

[tankerguy72]

Wellis as you know has been super busy with excellent paint details in the kits on the 4 models. Here are some progress shots on a few liveries that will be available for the A-20 G model. Looking great Wellis

Wow thats some amazing work!

[alain0568]

Hello,


Some news about the progress of the project?
Thank you!


Alain

-

[Milton Shupe]

Hello,


Some news about the progress of the project?
Thank you!


Alain

-

Hello Alain :-)

The paint kits for the four models are now being finalized as of yesterday. We plan to upload a painter's release as soon as the paint kits and models can be packaged.

Thank you all for your patience and interest.

[Blackbird686]

Those two planes look menacing enough, I always liked the all black or dark grey scheme.

BB686

[alain0568]

Hello
- Thank you Milton for these details!
Very nice decoration!
And great plane !!
Good, so I patient !!!!!



Alain

-

[nigel richards]

Hello Alain :-)

The paint kits for the four models are now being finalized as of yesterday. We plan to upload a painter's release as soon as the paint kits and models can be packaged.

Thank you all for your patience and interest.

Ahhhh! The paints look sumptuous

[ferondoe]

Ahhhh! The paints look sumptuous

Merci Milton je suis impatient!
Thanks Milton I'm looking forward!

[Navtech]

Underwater !!!!

http://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9604845

[tailspin45]

Like others here, I can hardly wait! Heartfelt thanks to all who are part of this project.

My Dad flew A-20s with the 417th BG, the "Sky Lancers." He joined them in July of 1945, as part of "E" flight in the 672nd Squadron, the "Tomahawks." A red slash on the vertical stabilizer identified the squadron (yes, that's a hint repainters!).

There's a wonderful book about the group that is now available as a PDF at http://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/cgi/vie...ext=ww_reg_his. The best parts (after the pictures, of course) are toward the back, some personal accounts.

The stories Dad told, I'm sure, led me to a life focused--sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly--on aviation. But it's a wonder I ever heard those stories given that he and his buddies were fearless 20-somethings with thousands of horsepower to play with in a "there ain't no tomorrow" world.

One of my favorite recollections concerns the "tower" at Nadzab, in New Guinea, that had a board with a bunch of stopwatches fastened to it. When a flight came into the break, balls to the wall*, at low-level (50 feet or less), the tower would time each aircraft from the time the wing dipped until the tires touched. Which meant that they would pitch up, pull so hard the aircraft would start to shutter on the edge of a high-speed stall, and rack it around in the shortest, tightest pattern possible. Note I said pitch up not out. The climb (and high G drag) helped slow them down to gear and then flap speed, but that meant that he often extended the wheels by putting them up, since the aircraft's belly was to the sky.

And then there's the story about playing tailchase and getting into a Luffbury Circle trying to get on the tail of the guy ahead. A common enough maneuver, except they did it right on the deck with their wing tips in the tropical sawgrass, about the height of sugarcane. He said after they bugged out and pulled up they could see where they went round and round, the grass flattened by the tip vortex.

I've been flying the MAAM B-25 with the Solomons terrain and the Weapons4 package so all twelve .50s fire and I can actually drop bombs. But soon, I hope, I'll have orders to an A-20 outfit in the Philippines.

Did I mention I can't wait?


*For those who may not know, the mixture, prop, and throttle levers in WW2 vintage aircraft all had phenolic balls on the top. When they were all pushed forward to the firewall you were balls to the wall.

[Milton Shupe]

Tailspin, thanks for sharing that story and your comments.

The paint kits (one for each four the four models with shared elements) are about ready for prime time and the associated docs are about done. Unfortunately, I will be away until next Friday or Saturday but maybe we can release them and a painter's kit of the aircraft models next weekend or soon thereafter.

Wellis will be including some base paints as starting points, one of which is attached. Maybe he can post his intentions here as I am about ready to "lift off".

The interior of the aircraft is now being painted so that will take a bit.

Once we get all of this out and I am comfortable with the model and interior texture mapping, I will be producing an FSX native version as well.
Texture mapping will be the same for both.

[AussieMan]

Fantastic. A Native FSX version. Can't wait. Excuse while I wipe the keyboard .......

[Blackbird686]

That's GREAT NEWS, Milton!! As Gen.George Patton would say:



"Just look at that nasty faced buggar... born and bred for combat!"

BB686

[tailspin45]

Dad also recounted his last flight in an A-20, a repositioning flight to Clark AFB in the Philippines, where the 417th dumped their Havocs and picked up new A-26 Invaders.

On the way to Clark, as his flight crossed Manila Bay, (boys will be boys) they buzzed anchored U.S. ships. Approaching one, the flight leader pulled up too late and his wing clipped the top of a mast. Dad said he had a clear image of the pole and a piece of antenna-wire tumbling end over end past his aircraft.

When they arrived at Clark they were directed to taxi their aircraft as far as they could into the jungle before shutting them down. He said it was heartbreaking to abuse the plane, engines roaring, bumping over the uneven ground, plowing through the undergrowth, until they just wouldn't move any further.

I don't know if this is Clark, but suspect it is. You'll see dozens of A-20s here that came to the same sad end. If you look closely at this scene, one that is indeed heartbreaking, you'll also see some Lightnings, Mitchells, and a couple Black Widows among the Havocs and Gooney Birds. Anybody see anything else?

[Josh Patterson]

The A-20 just landed in Oshkosh today! Had a nice flyby past my Mom's house along 36 with a left hand break then circled back just north of her house for a landing on 36! When it was making its first run north I heard it then thought it was the A-26 that has been residing here since its mishap at EAA. Only on the slow past over the house did I realize it was the Havoc! It is scheduled to be at the show in July so the only reason I can think of why it would be here is the gathering of warbirds show in Waukesha on the 27th. Still, a neat and unexpected treat! Good thing I was on time getting to my Mom's house for a change! Can't wait to see yours Milton!

[wellis]

[QUOTE=Milton Shupe;1082521]Tailspin, thanks for sharing that story and your comments.

Wellis will be including some base paints as starting points, one of which is attached. Maybe he can post his intentions here as I am about ready to "lift off".

I am finalizing the paint kits I have made for Milton's A20/P70 models. I have been testing for compatibility with PSP as I know many use that software. They have been tried in PSP 8.1 and 9X. 9X appears to be able to open them but we noticed some inconsistencies in rivet opacity/visibility, which is a problem I introduced and am fixing. However, 8.1 could only get a flattened image with the psd and a .pspimage (created with the trial copy of 9X) would not open at all with the message that it was not a "valid pspimage". So I am scratching my head (or banging it against the wall as the case may be). I have been using a trial copy of PSP9X on my desktop and a trial copy of 8.1 on a small laptop I have. On the desktop I am still running Win7 Deluxe 64 bit and Win 10 with all the latest updates on the laptop. When I tried both the pspimage and the psd on the laptop with PSP 8.1 I got the same results we did in PSP 8.1, so I am wondering if it is Win 10 thing? I have not been able to bring myself to make the jump to Win10 on my desktop and I know very little about it.

Otherwise, the .psd files will be ready to go when Milton returns. The have been tested at 1024, 2048, 4096 and DDS DXT5 and all worked fine. They have been tested in FS9, FSX acceleration, and P3D (although that is not my primary sim). In the case of the C and G, I have included white, grey and olive drab base textures for the beta painter's release and Milton's original night fighter texture, white and OD for the P-70's. As Milton noted, there will be four complete kits, one for each model, although there is some interchangeability between them which is described in the documentation included in the kits. Here are some thumbnails of the base colors and the liveries I have done. The latter will not be in the kits.

[SPman]

Looking good.

[PhantomTweak]

Where ever those abandoned birds are, it's indeed heart breaking!
I didn't see anything like that when I was on det to Clark, but then, other than finding a decent 3 mile running course, I didn't have time to spend wandering forgotten corners of the base. I wish I had, but with a 12 on/24 off schedule, and 2 AF girlfriends, I didn't hardly have time to enjoy the phenominal food! And enjoy the food I sure did, which is why I had to find a running course
Thank goodness we left before Pinatubo went off and buried the place. It was a beautiful base. I was very glad we got to take the det there, and sorry to hear, and see, what happened to it.

Those A-20 paints look great too, btw Sorry to have gotten a little sidetracked.
Pat☺

[Milton Shupe]

You can expect the 4 paint kits and the A-20 Painter's releases this weekend. Paint kits are ready and will be uploaded by Wellis.

I am assembling the four aircraft container release packages now.

This should get the painters going as we finish up the interior textures and try to get the packages finalized for testing.

Do you see the light?!

EDIT: As an aside, FSX painters should know that there will be an FSX native version and the paint kits will be the same for that side. Bump and spec maps will be included in the FSX native version.

[wellis]

You can expect the 4 paint kits and the A-20 Painter's releases this weekend. Paint kits are ready and will be uploaded by Wellis.

I am assembling the four aircraft container release packages now.

This should get the painters going as we finish up the interior textures and try to get the packages finalized for testing.

Do you see the light?!

EDIT: As an aside, FSX painters should know that there will be an FSX native version and the paint kits will be the same for that side. Bump and spec maps will be included in the FSX native version.

The paint kits for the four models have been uploaded this morning and presumably available before too long. Thanks to Milton for his original model and mapping templates, as well as Nigel Richards, Pat Cox and Ed Wells for their help with testing and review.

[Milton Shupe]

The paint kits for the four models have been uploaded this morning and presumably available before too long. Thanks to Milton for his original model and mapping templates, as well as Nigel Richards, Pat Cox and Ed Wells for their help with testing and review.

Thank you Wellis for an absolutely astounding job on these paint kits. The hours you have in them are certainly a labor of love. I am indebted to you Sir.

With the paint kits out, I am working to get the "Painters' Release" available. Give me a couple days and you should be able to get down to the fun of texturing these babies.

[Milton Shupe]

Okay Sim-Outhouse texture artists, the A-20 Painters' WIP packages have been uploaded.

You can get the aircraft here and this link also has a link to the Paint Kits:

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...s-Release-v1-0

[Blackbird686]

There's been 117 hits on the A-20 "WIP,Painters Base" kit so far... See, there is still life in an old sim like FS9 whenever a new "Shupe Industries" aircraft comes along.

BB686

[jamminjames]

Thanks Milton Shupe and team for this one. I've been waiting for a new A-20 for a long time. Can't wait to see what paints are done for these babies. I have and fly both FSX and FS2004 but I find myself in FS2004 most of the time mainly because of all the outstanding freeware. Some of which is not available in FSX. Again THANKS!!!

[Milton Shupe]

There's been 117 hits on the A-20 "WIP,Painters Base" kit so far... See, there is still life in an old sim like FS9 whenever a new "Shupe Industries" aircraft comes along.

BB686

Thanks Tom; oh yes, lots to be said for FS9 and all that is available.

Thanks Milton Shupe and team for this one. I've been waiting for a new A-20 for a long time. Can't wait to see what paints are done for these babies. I have and fly both FSX and FS2004 but I find myself in FS2004 most of the time mainly because of all the outstanding freeware. Some of which is not available in FSX. Again THANKS!!!

You're welcome JJ. Certainly a lot to choose from.

Ultimately, I hope to also convert these to FSX native but that's going to take awhile.

Wellis and I both fly this in FSX and the custom xml is also available for FSX. The painters' version I release is the FS9 side however. Not sure if it runs okay in FSX or not.