Let's Fine-tune this Model 32

[mclaring]

Guys,

I'm back after a long time away. Who noticed? Embarking on a new long-term project for which I need to perfect my Model 32, Model 21, Model 22 and Model 52 Zeros. Lets start with the Model 32. Critique ?

Cheers,

MC

[Clint Mitchell]

Is the cowling meant to be purple?

Looks nice.

Horizontal stabiliser needs some work, It just doesn't look very realistic at the moment.

[BLOWHARD]

Uh...why do I feel like that's my prop and spinner...and...

What's going on with all those dissimilar looking parts? If you're going to piece things together from different sources you should make sure they all match.

So tell me, are those parts off of my profile? The spinner, prop, main gear, cowling??? I'll be checking tonight when I get home

Aside from that, the panel lines on the underside of the wing to follow the airfoil shape at the leading edge. The wing training edge and fillet should blend better

[mclaring]

Guys,

thanks for pointing out some pretty obvious things. Clint, I'm happy with the cowl color - this was not a matt black but a sort of compromise between egg plant purple and black. The tailplane has no trailing fillet and will need to be reworked. You can see from the enlargements that these sections are not as good as Blowhard's!

Blowhard is right about the wing trailing edge fillet. That will need reworking too.

Give me another fortnight or so, then I'll post the new re-worked bird,

MC

[BLOWHARD]

Hey Mac, I'll definitely concede that some of what I thought I was seeing as duplicates just simply aren't although they do look eerily similar. So similar I had to lay them mine and yours on top of each other. The prop and spinner aren't copies even though looking at yours above without mine side by side my eye is still fooled.
One thing that rams this belief home is they way your profile looks like it's been copy/pasted together from many parts that don't quite mach in color or style. More about that later.
I did find a few areas that are too similar to just be coincidence though. The cowling matches up perfectly in almost every area as do the wheel well and many parts of the tail wheel. Even the two dents lower center are on both cowlings.
I'll let you guys decide. Are they the same?


The prop/spinner and landing gear are side by side to show that they are not copies.
Bare in mind it doesn't bother me so much. I don't think it's a good work practice, and haven't liked seeing parts and pieces pasted from other art or photos with flight sim skins...even though it seems to be largely accepted.
Anyway, lets hear what other here think.

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Mac, getting back to your Zero, a few more suggestions. I couldn't find my notes on this but I'm 99% sure that Nakajima built Zeros had the green/blue protective coating on the gear doors and wheel wells while Mitsubishi planes had their doors and wells painted the same as the outer color. Mitsubishi was the sole manufacturer of the Model 32. Again, I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure your doors and wheel wells should be in the outer color instead of green.
Unless you've got photos showing otherwise, the wing hinomarus don't extend on to the ailerons. You should check that with your reference photos.

Getting back to the cut/paste look. No matter how you work, your profiles will look much batter if your parts, cowling, wings, gear doors, etc match in color and over all look. If all the parts appear to be a whole unit it will make the whole thing more harmonious and less cobbled looking.

Your main color and look on the fuselage are pretty nice I think

[GiantFlyingRobots]

. Are they the same?

I have no doubt that the cowl is absolutely the same. Just look at the highlights. Its so obvious.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I do it, no doubt we all do it.

Lifting other peoples work and misrepresenting it as yours on the very site that its been lifted from is just galling. As if publishing it in an obscure aviation mag wasn't bad enough.

[mclaring]

Blowhard,

Try the proper cowl - I used yours as a template. Wrong layer turned off when I flattened image! Attached is my cowl templated on yours.

According to Nick Millman the cowling colour is a blue-black, identical to the RAF paint colour ‘Night’, consisting of a mixture of Chi-43 ‘gunjyo’ (ultramarine) and Chi-40 (carbon black) pigments in the ratio 1 to 4. Variations between manufacturers could be expected from the use of natural versus synthetic ultramarine pigments and from the use of different forms of carbon black (not specified) which is manufactured in neutral, blue and brown hue forms. When the paint is new, the blue chroma is barely visible to the eye, but does not give the impression of pure black; instead it is something like the effect of an eggplant. The ultramarine was added to help make the cured paint surface harder and more durable.

Thanks for your comments on the colour of the wheel well. Yes, the Model 32 was only made by Mitsubishi but I will need to check with the experts. I'm pretty sure it was this metallic aqua-green of all Mitsubishi Zeros as the insides of G4M1 were same colour. I recall from the Zero wrecks I visited in the Pacific that they all had this metallic colour. Let me get back to you on this.

Give me a while to make all the other corrections,

MC

[BLOWHARD]

Proper cowl? I still see a good number of rivets, particularly toward the rear of the cowling and cooling flaps that match mine spot on. I think your creative use of smudge tool and clone stamp are showing are still.
But I'll let it go and not mention it any more.

One thing about the cowling rivets, you've opened the cooling flaps but they are still the same length. They would appear shorter because of the open angle. And if you've altered the shape of the cooling flaps to be angled, why leave the rivet lines straight as if they are in the closed position? You should probably fix that.
One more odd thing, why is the rear decking under the canopy appear so different from the cowling? They should be the same color.

And I really think your cowling is TOO purple and too saturated. A little desaturation would go along way.

Does Straggler have a color chip or chips worked out for blue-black? I'm not aware of one but I'd like to see it.

[inkworm]

I always find it a good idea when using other work for reference to start from scratch and apply my own effects, shading to panel lines, rivets etc. One danger when lifting directly is that there will be a conflict of light sources.

Can you post up your cowling instead of BH's as I can't see any difference at the moment with the weathering and other effects only the colour just so we know what it is we are supposed to be looking at and commenting on?

Cheers