swambast

I'm with KJakker especially about Selfridge Air National Guard Base. It is a critical piece of aviation history, here's some remarkable things that stand out. I'm currently working on a hodge podge of various overdue updates for this Sim, including the Gulf of Tonkin project which Gepard has already so generously contributed to. But time permitting, I'd be happy to help out on a re-creation of Selfridge especially. The screenshot just FYI though is from May 2016. Historic Aviation Pioneer: Selfridge is among the oldest continuously operating military airfields in the nation, with its first flight occurring on July 8, 1917. The base is named after Lieutenant Thomas Etholen Selfridge, who holds a tragic distinction as the first person killed in a crash of a powered aircraft - he died in 1908 while flying with Orville Wright. First Major Active Base to Go Guard: On July 1, 1971, Selfridge became the first major active Air Force base to come under control of the Air National Guard. This was a groundbreaking transition in military aviation history. Unique Joint-Service Installation: Selfridge is the only U.S. installation housing Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Customs and Border Protection. In 1971, it became the largest and most complex joint Reserve Forces base in the United States, holding that position until the late 1990s. Rich Pursuit Squadron History: After World War I, the legendary First Pursuit Group - with several WWI aerial aces among its members - made Selfridge its headquarters in 1922, bringing prestige and thrilling aerial demonstrations to the base for two decades.

Hi all, since my post in the Modder's forum didn't yield any help I decided to post here in case there's any better luck. Thanks! =============================================================================================== Hi all, does anyone already have 3d models of these radars? I'm looking for models made of mesh geometry and not using .TGA texture transparency effects. Thanks for any supporting files and help you might be able to provide.

Man I just love those slow movers over 'Nam - some of my favorite flying...

Good reminder - thanks. Here is an old one when I was on the BOB kick for a while re-creating the London Tower Bridge, the historic port/river cranes, cargo ships, dock warehouses, barrage balloons, etc.

Great news GKABS indeed! We are all excited to hear the update and so nice to be back home; may your strength and recovery continue to be swift, strong and enduring!

Great news GKABS, made my day and may you continue to be blessed with strength, healing and greater health!

Dawn breaks, the sun glistens off an inbound F-105 streaking across North Vietnam....

@Soulfreak Super cool you acknowledged the source, and that is an AWESOME choice you made! Among the best I've seen, super nice low poly model with respective textures and even .PSD, what a great purchase. Hell if you guys need any .MAX updates or other help perhaps I could lend a hand, love working on well-balanced models like that. Cheers

Totally disagree. SAM Sites during the Vietnam War rarely ever used concrete roads; they were designed to be semi-mobile and temporary to begin with and they leveraged existing infrastructure including dirt roads, bamboo materials, natural objects such as trees/bushes, etc. The only known places where they were more permanent was outside major urban centers such as Hanoi, etc. where there was additional AAA protection, greater raw material access, etc. A majority of the sites were not this way, and the NVA strategy was based on mobility, deception, and concealment, not static hardened construction sites.

In other news, working up the 5 inch guns for the Maddox. Here is current WIP. Please note that NONE of the textures are final, these are all just placeholders for now until mesh is finalized and UV Maps updated, etc - see below. I don't want to model/mesh the target circle, be more practical to use a simple .TGA - does anyone have one available they could share with me, thanks.

Gep, we have alternatives to those - here's from WTR for example. I would say don't worry about those for now. I'm happy to share some of the WTR models if needed, spent like a year perfecting the SAM Sites and making custom models but give honor to Old Diego as he was the pioneer in this and I simply expanded and improved upon the foundation.

LOL, no it won't. This game engine has a polycount export limit as well...along with vertex limitations, animation limitations, texture map type restrictions, etc. Not sure what you are talking about unless you mean something else?

Hi @guuruu - thanks for jumping in here, really appreciate it. I know some of our most talented modders including you are absolutely swamped with real life priorities right now...! For the Sumner, I think I might have a similar reference model you're showing, but the mesh was a absolute mess with double-sided faces, needed to re-do the texture maps, etc. But anyway, I've started a scratch build and think will push forward with it, but maybe you might have a different version from what I'm thinking of. I'll PM you my contact details, and appreciate the offer very much. For the USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) Essex-class Aircraft Carrier I took it out for bid but the pricing was too high for me to personally cover, >$400 on average. However, I've worked with one of these particular artists and their work/optimized models are absolutely among the best I've ever seen, so it does bum me out. Even though I have access to many of the YAP carriers, etc. with all due respect I'm not a fan of those as the polycount/texture is sky high and it's like a slide show performance wise - so any other options/considerations are always welcomed. Thanks, all the best for now!

Gepard, wow this is a wonderful surprise indeed, thanks so much!

Thanks for your message, I'll just answer here so all are in the loop....yes, as mentioned I plan to include a completely new USS Maddox. I'm not really a ship builder, but will try my best! Here is just first rough cut of mesh, hull, etc. - still long way to go.