VMA(AW)-533 1986

[+Swordsman422 71]

I could have sworn I was never going to make skins for Strike Fighters anymore. I thought I had promised myself I was done...

VMA(AW)-533's A-6E TRAM Intruders as they appeared during a rare carrier deployment with CVW-3 aboard USS John F. Kennedy. The BuNos and modex numbers are specific to the 1986 deployment, but can work for the 1988 Med Cruise as well. Sized for the Thirdwire A-6E (79) TRAM Intruder, but will also work for the A-6E(90) from the SuperPack. 12 aircraft will be represented, all with slight variation in markings.

Still WIP, and in the years out of practice, my skills haven't gotten any better, but I might release these when they're done. Forgive the screen archery.

 

[+EricJ 4,411]

As much as I enjoyed the A-6, I never found the motivation to do a skin or two. Anyway doesn't look bad for shaking the rust off.

[+Swordsman422 71]

The last skin I made for SF2 was for the MF F-14D 8 years ago. I've been in DCS more or less since then, but wandered back in because SF2 is the only place I can fly the A-6 and F-8, plus the dynamic campaign engine is something DCS doesn't really offer yet. I'm not just rusty with skin creation. I'm corroded. And I never was particularly talented anyway.

[+yakarov79 11,598]

54 minutes ago, Swordsman422 said:

 

It is possible that we still have hi-res templates for drumsticks. 

Since we moved to the new A-6 model..(E in making) might be that those hi-res templates were lost...somewhere, but I can check.... 

[+EricJ 4,411]

45 minutes ago, Swordsman422 said:

The last skin I made for SF2 was for the MF F-14D 8 years ago. I've been in DCS more or less since then, but wandered back in because SF2 is the only place I can fly the A-6 and F-8, plus the dynamic campaign engine is something DCS doesn't really offer yet. I'm not just rusty with skin creation. I'm corroded. And I never was particularly talented anyway.

Yeah I've recently gotten back into DCS now that I have a laptop that has the space for it (4 TB total space), and I can also play my other games without worrying too much about space and the like. I've gotten back into skinning more than flying so I'm getting used to the system again, but understood. 

[+daddyairplanes 11,500]

1 hour ago, Swordsman422 said:

I could have sworn I was never going to make skins for Strike Fighters anymore. I thought I had promised myself I was done...

nope nope nope, come on back to us crackhead modders 

still, nice to see someone else adding their twist to this game 

[+Swordsman422 71]

Got some more work done on the base skin. The weathering is based on photos I have of BuNo 152641, which was with the Hawks as Modex 543 during the 1988 cruise. 152641 and several of the other squadron jets were rebuilt from early A-6As, and thus the perforated fuselage speedbrake. All of them were painted in the standard 3-tone TPS, but were heavily spot painted and corrosion controlled, looking every bit of their nearly 30 years old.

 

[Wrench 10,340]

they look pretty damn good to me!!

[+yakarov79 11,598]

3 hours ago, Swordsman422 said:

152641 and several of the other squadron jets were rebuilt from early A-6As, and thus the perforated fuselage speedbrake. 

Yes ...but there is always a but. Starting from 154170, fuselage speed brakes were totally deleted from production and replaced with blank panels. It is noticeable in those A to E rebuilds that airframes with lower BuNo have original perforated speed brake panels. On your screenshots, '159905'  was manufactured as E, thus it would never have perforated speedbrakes. In short, any rebuilt A-6A into E with  BuNo higher than 154170 would have blank panels.

Last A built is BuNo 157029 (later rebuilt into E). The original A-6E production line started with BuNo 158041.

In the 30th Anniversary Desert Storm mod, we made  A-6E with decal-perforated-speed-brakes. So those airframes that should have blank panels have blank panels, and those with old-style speedbrakes have a decal imitating a perforated surface.

edit:

Yes there were a few airframes that were modified during service and are exceptions from the rule.

In fact there are 3 types of speed brakes. Original perforated, with covered holes with metal patches, and blank metal panel (no hinge here)

3 hours ago, Swordsman422 said:

All of them were painted in the standard 3-tone TPS,

Official documentation for the tactical paint scheme indicates only two colors, FS 36375 (light ghost gray) and FS 36320 (dark ghost gray).

The third color FS36231 would only be on call-outs, the leading edge of engine intakes, intake panels, and panels where stabilizers were attached to the fuselage tail.

Edited July 25 by yakarov79

[+Swordsman422 71]

Yes, but I am using 152641 as my base aircraft, so the details are going to be more specific to that jet. I chose 152641 because I have clear photos from multiple angles of this specific airplane, and I do not want to repeat the effort I put into my VF-213 Last Tomcat Cruise skin, especially for my first skin after an 8 year absence. Perhaps in the future, I'll revisit this skin and render the perforated speedbrakes as decals for when they were present. As is, my reference airplane had them and I like the look.

152641 and most of the Hawks airplanes at this time were painted in a 3-tone TPS with that third standard color, FS35237 (Medium Grey or Blue Grey depending on the source) painted on the tip of the vertical stab, the top of the nose, and the canopy. As far as I'm aware, this version of the TPS wasn't long lived on the Intruder, but did have some prominence in the early and mid 1980s when the Navy was still trying to figure out what the standard should look like. Tomcats went through a similar teething period with the TPS. For 152641, photographic evidence suggests the canopy and nose was heavily spot painted with FS36320, 36375, and FS35237 from cans with inconsistent dye lots, sometimes more blue than the original color. This was a typical problem in the 1980s, with TPS colors not being consistent in tone depending on lot. There is also even some spot painting along the spine of what looks like FS36118. When the QM practically issues paint with an eyedropper and the jet needs corrosion control done, you reach for whatever paint color you have enough of to do the job.

Maybe, Yakarov, when your E comes out, I'll buckle down and do this livery even better, but I'll just get it to my own satisfaction for now.

[+daddyairplanes 11,500]

2 hours ago, Swordsman422 said:

Yes, but I am using 152641 as my base aircraft, 

interesting comment for me to read. one beauty for me of SF2 modding is how you can leverage decals. whether simply adding serial numbers for the whole squadron or adding variations to the camo.

same skin. yes, thats a seagull done in tan on the far tail.

perhaps i misread your comment, but i was understanding it as "one serial per skin" like DCS.  as the Black Panther said, we dont do that here 

[+Swordsman422 71]

Yes, I've done this before. In the VF-213 Last Cruise skin for the MF Tomcat, I used decals to replace the entire airframe base color on one of the jets. I just didn't feel like putting in that level of effort this time around, so I chose one airframe for inspiration and use decals for just modex, BuNo, and minor variations in tail art.

[+Swordsman422 71]

*Double post*

Edited Saturday at 09:28 PM by Swordsman422