Another F-105 Thud? WTR Version Considerations…

[swambast]

Hello everyone, like most I’ve been swamped with real life demands so hobby time and posting here is quite limited (besides I’m prioritizing a different thrilling ‘Nam project).  We can all agree that modder time, talent, attention and output is tough these days.  I wanted to explore whether there might be potential interest in collaboration efforts regarding yet another F-105 Thunderchief asset.  However, this one is quite different from all the rest – here’s a history and why…

Research Efforts and Guidance 

This version of the Thud was modeled exclusively for the When Thunder Rolled Project.  The F-105D base was modeled from scratch undergoing countless iterations based on real-world feedback from Thud pilots, Korat Maintenance officers/mechanics, museum aviation advisors and more.  It even included a private photo shoot courtesy of the US Air Force Museum in Ohio where a few team members attended in-person for a truly special day.       

But perhaps what we’re most proud of, is that Ed Rasimus himself (the legendary fighter pilot and author of “When Thunder Rolled”) was the primary advisor providing constant personal feedback right up until the time of his passing.  At one point, we literally had to scrap the entire external model and start over due to a dorsal spine / hydraulic system “shape” concern (which was only evident to the experts).  Our version also features a high-fidelity full featured cockpit model built from scratch and based exclusively on reference materials including the flight manuals, cockpit instrument diagrams, etc.  So, as you can guess, the mode of operation is to focus the best we can on maintaining historical accuracy and stellar quality.  Ed was extremely detailed and his expectations were very high, which caused a lot of back and forth loops – e.g., update model progress, Ed and Advisors check, integrate feedback, update progress...months and years go by, etc.  I will never forget the day and the drinks we had celebrating once we got his reply back which simply (and finally!) said “Approved." 

Textures

In addition, the textures were outsourced to one of the most premier aircraft texture artists in the industry – a man with talent that encompasses not just aircraft “game” model texturing, but does actual authentic museum work, aviation magazines, history channel simulations/documentaries and more.  The attention to detail was startling – we took guidance directly from the men that flew the machine even about “wear and tear” down to which rivets and staining patterns were impacted by fallout from weathering, panel marker identification, stressed areas, etc. 

Flight Dynamics

As far as the flight dynamics:  the F-105 flight model was created using a licensed NASA aerodynamics application and other complex physic modeling tools and took literally 6+ months to perfect.  The flight dynamics engineer attested it’s as realistic as he can possibly make it.  He used all the flight reference tables from the actual F-105 manual we purchased including of course plots of the J-75 engine performance tables.  And then countless scenario testing was conducted to validate the results.  The Thud now truly flies like a supersonic fighter-bomber (unlike the stock and incorrect “fighter” profile).  You will notice the difference immediately!  Flying it now is an incredibly different and more rewarding experience.  

So, all that being said, one may ask the obvious question:  “If you think it’s so great, then what else is needed?” 

Well, the model was created years ago and optimized for performance based on computer tech at that time.  And the truth is, after finally soliciting the approvals we all were mentally ready to shift gears to something else for a while.  And that turned into a very long while…LOL.  Not to mention the impact of the overall time and cost which was shockingly exorbitant; by far the most ever invested in a "gaming hobby.”   But what remained was a “wish list” of desired enhancements. 

These desired enhancements included things:  detailed pylons/drop tanks, landing gear, greater selection of skin textures/liveries, revisiting historical accuracy (we learned even Pilots can have rusty memories, as their maintenance officers quickly noted and corrected), etc.  We would consider these all enhancements that could be tackled as smaller projects vs. efforts related to full mesh rebuilds, creating new scratch Photoshop templates.  Really, any enhancements or suggestions to increase the historical accuracy, player-immersion and improve the tribute and honor to these legendary pilots AND their support crew always welcomed and encouraged.  We feel the foundation is already strong and set - but opening it up for public collaboration could take it to another level.    

Well there you have it and thanks for reading!  If you have any potential interest in helping, especially any of you veteran modders, please feel free to drop me a Private Message.