TigersharkBAS

Version 1.0 released. Link posted in first post of thread.

Where do you find the time Jack? :-)

I'll give it a try and see if I like it. :-) Thanks again for the feedback.

Beta Released. Download here. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KZ4dRH3R8DgVrRQaO9x1KGhjrR6PTMmo Leave comments in this thread please :-)

Thanks for the feedback desworks. You are right about the dirt layer on _2. I don't know when I moved it below the other layers. As for _1....perhaps you're right....perhaps the dirt does make it more in sync with the weathering on the rest of the bird. Regarding the placement of the NF CAG text. It is really close to the edge. However, consider the image below from the decal sheet and tell me if it accurately reflects the position. Can you help me understand why un sharpening the edges helps?

Link to PSD provided in first post. For ease I will post in this reply as well. https://drive.google.com/open?id=14x7MiIVvokf-jFTF4uNe3Lp94yr27z7D

Nice work Fries!

VFA-195 "Dambusters" Jul 2001 High Visibility and Apr 2002 Low Visibility Editions Strike Fighter Squadron 195 (VFA-195), also known as the "Dambusters", is a United States Navy F/A-18C Hornet fighter squadron (now F/A-18E Super Hornet) stationed at Naval Air Facility Atsugi. They are a part of Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) and their tail code is NF. Carrier Air Wing FIVE - the nation's only "911" air wing - is a critical combat strike element of Battle Force Seventh Fleet, the only forward-deployed carrier strike group in the U.S. Navy. Squadron insignia and nickname The squadron, originally known as the Tigers, had its first insignia approved by Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) on 4 March 1944, consisting of a lion cub riding a torpedo. Bob Burns gave the squadron a lion cub. On the patch the cub is holding the musical "bazooka" that Burns used in his act, while riding a torpedo. The lion went to the Los Angeles Zoo. A new design replaced the cub with a tiger and parrot on the torpedo, and was approved on 18 April 1949. Sometime in the 1950s, the squadron adopted a shield insignia that featured an eagle's head and a torpedo. On 1 May 1951, squadron aircraft disabled the heavily defended Hwacheon Dam in North Korea, earning them the nickname Dambusters,[1] echoing the original Dam Busters of No. 617 Squadron RAF. Destruction of the dam had been previously attempted by other units many times. In August 1985, the squadron adopted the stylized eagle on green background insignia in use today. The 2000's From 1998 to 2008 VFA-195 was assigned with CVW-5 to USS Kitty Hawk. VFA-195 flew in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, striking targets deep in Afghanistan. Called on for duty in the Persian Gulf in 2003, the squadron flew 278 combat sorties in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, delivered 179,000 pounds of precision guided munitions against military targets over the course of a single month. When USS Kitty Hawk was retired, CVW-5 and VFA-195 moved to USS George Washington in August 2008. About This Livery This livery represents a special version of the Chippy Ho High Visibility paint scheme for 2001 and a low viz CAG plane for 2002. It comes in both high viz and low viz CAG (BORT 400) versions. Every effort has been made to meticulously replicate the livery as accurately as possible using a variety of model kit instruction sheets as well as reference photos where possible. Releases Version 1.0 - 19 Jul 2018 Release version. See release graphic for features of this livery. Version 1.0.1 - 15 Oct 2018 FIXED: Cockpit BU Numbers did not match external BU Number. <<insert release graphic here.>>> Click here to download latest release Photoshop Source Files This PSD file makes use of Layer Comps that can be used to switch on/off various layers to show various unique liveries. It means multiple liveries can exist within a single PSD. Please learn about Layer Comps and select the various comps to see how each bird was created. Click here to download PSD file.(236 Mb) Reference Material ### Model Kit Reference Photo ### ### Decal Sheet from kit ### ### Decal Instruction Sheet ### Decal Marking Sheet Screen Shots ================================================================= Some things to note about TigersharkBAS releases: - Any artwork derived from decal sheets is redrawn by hand and turned into vector graphics which can be resized to practically any size and appear sharp on the in game model. - The release will include an image describing all the changes made to the aircraft to make it as historically accurate as possible. - All reference material used to make the bird will be posted in the thread. This includes the decal reference sheets where applicable. - Photoshop artwork and vector files will be posted so that other can reuse/learn/recycle techniques. Everyone contributes to this community where they can and as long people don't start taking these files and passing it off as their own work I don't why we need to be precious about sharing the source files that make up the livery.

Dude...I feel your pain....there are all kind of strange stretching and texture issues you discover after giving skinning a go.

Version 1.0 of 1998 "25 Years in Atsugi" CAG and CO Birds Enjoy!! Thanks for all the support....please report any peculiarities. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BtSEbQHl-DU82be7cBb8T1oqOZSb4zxP

Thanks for all the words of encouragement in this thread. They really help as this can be VERY time consuming. You wouldn't believe it....one small part of the eagle on the vertical stabiliser takes about 5 hours of trial and error. If you can void painting anything but a single colour on the box under the nav light you should....because it is an absolute bitch to line up all pieces of the design. But the words of encouragement here help. I don't like to release these skins until I feel they are as historically accurate and perfect as I can make them. So sorry for what seems like a long delay, Despite all efforts, there are still some strange behaviours in the model and textures. Some textures get stretched in places (the Dambusters text on the rudder gets strecthed where it meets the vert stab) which is a little annoying but I think this is the best I can do without spending too much time. Perfect is the enemy of good :-) A release is more important than the perfect plane sitting on my hard drive :-) In other news, VFlip is finding himself increasingly time poor and will be sending some of his stuff along to me to help finish. As mentioned before we are planning a VFA-195 CAG pack. See pic below for examples of the planes we plan for the pack.

Practically done.....just a few minor tweaks to the arrow symbols on the rear fuselage (which I believe mark the full extent of movement for flaps and elevators) and they will be done. 400 CAG Bird 401 CO Bird Preview of 2001 CAG Bird

Strut identified some significant errors on Friday and I have had to totally redo the positioning of the eagle on the vert. stab. Final release won't happen this weekend.But I do hope to release next weekend with another additional bird. The CAg bird from 2001. VFlip and I are discussing pooling our resources together to release a "definitive" Dambusters pack of liveries.

Latest Betas available here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FfAj-BOfs7BjuHP30XiLaVRSjSOaz91P Big thanks to : VFLIP: For letting me use his pilot helmet models and for support with dealing with the various peculiarities of the template. STRUT: For teaching me how to do BU numbers in the cockpit view and using the Alpha channel to allow the instrument light to shine through the text. Also big thanks to peeps in this thread for supporting my work through words of encouragement, testing and interest. LcSummers....have moved the Kitty Hawk text as suggested. It was way off....you're eye isn't as bad as you think ;-)

If all goes well I intend to release the CAG (BU 164968, BORT 400) and CO (BU 164970, BORT 401) variants of the bird over the weekend. Here is 401. Changes to the front gear door, pilot names, bort no and BU no. Next to 400...

Thanks to some reference material from Strut I am convinced that the type used in non BORT text, non unit id or squadron marking text (ie....all warnings text, NO STEPS and various warnings around the airframe) are Futura Bold and Futura Demi.

Thanks to Strut from these forums, the BU number of this aircraft also appears in the cockpit.

Thanks Summers. Let me take a look.

What font are people using to recreate the warning labels on the canopy and around the jet? Or alternatively, how are people making these warning labels a different colour?

It's on my list....have the proper accurate reference and decal sheets for it as well.

Been trying to get you on PM VFlip. Could you check your messages.

Wouldn't it be awesome if there was a forum of ex F-18C pilots we could ask questions like this of?

Chippy is apparently the call sign for the squadron.

Cheers. Any brutal feedback is welcome. Don't be shy. I even tracked down the CAG in Linked In to see if he wanted to check it out. No reply :sadpanda:

Hey strut. I’ll give you the proper font for that Bu num if you post more details how to do it :-)