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Looking for ceratin Tomcat picture... help!


Aries

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It's this one...

 

0267bn.jpg

 

Found it only in this shabby resolution...

 

This poster hung above my bed my entire childhood...

 

Now I have a printshop at my hands but no good resolution picture to reproduce it... :cry:

 

The main photo archivist at a facebook group (F-14 Tomcat Association Members) told me he remembers the photo and that it was used by Grumman in the early days of the Tomcat campaign...

And that it was available for a long time on Grumman's web site, which at one point was overhauled and the pics were gone...

 

The aircraft flew in this configuration (six Phoenix missiles) only about 5 times in it's entire lifespan...

 

If someone has a big resolution pic or the actual poster (for scanning) please send me a PM...

 

Thanks!

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

...the few, the proud, the remaining...

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I know this isn't exactly what you asked for, but I have a fall back position for you. Last year, I took a screen shot of both the F-14 and F/A 18, then used an online service to have it blown up to full poster size, 36" x 24". It came out fantastic.

 

So what you could do is try to set up a mission with some clouds and load out like the original picture. Turn every graphic in DCS up to max. It's best to do this on a hi res monitor, I did mine on a 1440p.

 

After the mission watch the track. You can manipulate the views exactly like when you fly. Use pause, take a screen shot.

 

Make sure the lighting is right, fly around so that the sun is more or less on the bottom side as you turn.

 

It cost me under $20 to use the online service shipping and all, and the frames were like $12 each. So for just over $30 each I got compelling poster size images. Stand back more than a foot and I dare anyone to spot they are not real. I really love how they turned out.

 

Message me if you have any questions.

 

I can't speak for you, but it may turn out that having the modern, DCS version in poster size can almost say even more than the original. It's a bit of then and a bit of now.

 

See ya in the skies.

 

office.jpg


Edited by flameoutme
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Hi Aries,

I know this is not the same photo, but I like it and it may work for you as well. It also shows the full Phoenix load out while going ballistic... It isn't the greatest resolution, but perhaps it might work for a smaller print if you like it.

 

Salute

1131042971_VF-32SwordsmenGrummanF-14ATomcatAC2001044.thumb.jpg.8fe84f89f11d8cdc29c3d4f22030e1ae.jpg

Punk

 

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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I don't know if you managed to find what you're after,but there's a website called "Fineartamerica" if you simply type F14 in the search box it'll take you to several pages of Tomcat posters,there's one called "Brief Encounter" that might interest you.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, digging around on seaforces.org I found the same pic in B&W, and on the site it says courtesy of the National Naval Aviation Museum. Specific notes were VF-32 off the Kennedy in 1981.

 

My bet is if you contact the NNAM in Pensacola, they can help you with a print request or digital copy if they have it in color that can be blown up to poster size.

 

http://www.seaforces.org/usnair/VF/Fighter-Squadron-32.htm

Heatblur Rivet Counting Squad™

 

VF-11 and VF-31 1988 [WIP]

VF-201 & VF-202 [WIP]

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So, digging around on seaforces.org I found the same pic in B&W, and on the site it says courtesy of the National Naval Aviation Museum. Specific notes were VF-32 off the Kennedy in 1981.

 

My bet is if you contact the NNAM in Pensacola, they can help you with a print request or digital copy if they have it in color that can be blown up to poster size.

 

http://www.seaforces.org/usnair/VF/Fighter-Squadron-32.htm

 

:thumbup:

 

Thanks! Contacted the NNAM... let's see what they say...

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

...the few, the proud, the remaining...

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  • 1 year later...

My crusade... has an actual epilogue...
Although I was unable to source the original photo scan...
The photo has direct Grumman origins... as in, taken by their internal photographer for promotional purposes at the time...
I managed to contact two legendary people from the F-14 Tomcat Association Members...
David "Hey Joe" Parsons (author of the book "Grumman F-14 Tomcat: Bye - Bye Baby...!" & Dorian Dogaru, a photo sourcing expert)...
The kind men pointed me at the Natonal Naval Aviation Museum (Pensacola, Florida, US), where my inquiry was directed to an archivist.
I actually got back some really nice scanned Tomcat originals... even one black & white photo of the bird I was looking for... the VF-32 160919.
In the meantime I managed to find a pretty decent internet lowres version of the sought for photo... of course not good enough for a poster re-creation... and also with some text on it...
I cleaned the text, and... this is pretty incredible... FOUND A NEURAL ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE NETWORK for image upscaling:

https://deep-image.ai/

The results are amazing!!!

Here is my google drive folder with the NNAM images and a folder in it with the AI enhanced photo...
There is multiple variants cause the upscaling service has certain options (quality enhancement, artifact removal).

Tomcat VF-32 160919 & NNAM Scans

That's it from me... next post will be a photo of the huge poster, hanging again on my wall...

Aries out! 😎


Edited by Aries
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[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

...the few, the proud, the remaining...

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My crusade... has an actual epilogue...
Although I was unable to source the original photo scan...
The photo has direct Grumman origins... as in, taken by their internal photographer for promotional purposes at the time...
I managed to contact two legendary people from the F-14 Tomcat Association Members...
David "Hey Joe" Parsons (author of the book "Grumman F-14 Tomcat: Bye - Bye Baby...!" & Dorian Dogaru, a photo sourcing expert)...
The kind men pointed me at the Natonal Naval Aviation Museum (Pensacola, Florida, US), where my inquiry was directed to an archivist.
I actually got back some really nice scanned Tomcat originals... even one black & white photo of the bird I was looking for... the VF-32 160919.
In the meantime I managed to find a pretty decent internet lowres version of the sought for photo... of course not good enough for a poster re-creation... and also with some text on it...
I cleaned the text, and... this is pretty incredible... FOUND A NEURAL ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE NETWORK for image upscaling:

https://deep-image.ai/

The results are amazing!!!

Here is my google drive folder with the NNAM images and a folder in it with the AI enhanced photo...
There is multiple variants cause the upscaling service has certain options (quality enhancement, artifact removal).

Tomcat VF-32 160919 & NNAM Scans

That's it from me... next post will be a photo of the huge poster, hanging again on my wall...

Aries out! 

Thank you very much for posting all of these.
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