JohnGresham

Nice, but don't skimp on the PSU whatever you do!

interesting to watch, liked the format of it. I think you're too keen to surrender your altitude in a dogfight though.

Yes, that's exactly what I said wasn't it. Sigh. Why not re-read what I actually wrote, rather than trying to be so smugly sarcastic. Where did I say, or even imply, that they should have focussed more on combat scenes? I simply pointed out (in response to the original question) that they didn't have the production budget to do it and also said it was well written and well acted. I have no doubt if they'd had the production budget to use CGI, (such as that featured in the original post), or special effects to feature it, that they would have used it, but they were instead forced to use mainly material re-edited from 'The Battle of Britain' Now...What were you thinking of?

You're going to be disappointed if you think that extract is from 'A piece of cake'. It was well written with come good acting and characterization, but didn't really have the production values to recreate air to air combat. It focussed more on the lives of the men, rather than combat scenes. There were some dogfighting scenes, but they certainly didn't utilize CGI (like that clip)

If you're looking for an accurate account of the man's life or a complex psychological portrait of the man, I'd save your money. Some entertining CGI stuff, but a horribly cliched representation of MvR as a tortured romantic soul. The Roger Corman film is (in my opinion) much more interesting, in the way it depicts MvR and Roy Brown.

Who would really want to go back to relive any conflict, let alone one as vicious as WWI. Experiencing it as sim with all the limitations it imposes is fine, but to actually have to live it? Out of choice? No thanks. Jesus, you only have to look at the haunted, thousand yard stare of any pilot in all of those photographs we've all seen so often. Who would really want to endure circumstances that resulted in that? Who amongst us wopuld want to endure the constant mental and emotional strain? We're talking about a world without antibiotics, a world without penicillin! A conlfict where shell shock was often diagnosed as conwardice which was punishable by execution. A conflict where poision gas was commonplace! Err yeah, right, sign me up for that.

No great loss by the sounds of things.

Could it once have been used in rep for a theatrical production? Or maybe even part of a movie studio's wardrobe department? That could explain the odd cut for the date made.

One more thing, the problem with the lopsided length of the upper wing becomes obvious if you look at the positon of the cockpit struts in relation to the crosses. She's got way too much wing on the right side.

Ahh that brings back memories, although I do seem to recall that the ambition clearly outweighed the budget, which obviously impacted on the scope and scale of what was possible.

She underpowered and lacks real firepower, but she compensates for this by being incredibly nimble and agile, she's perfect for a turning dogfight, but just don't try to outrun anyone in her.

Looks good. I'd be tempted to extend the image and add more grass at the bottom, so you can include her shadow as she comes into land.

Probbaly yout best one yet, my only observation would be (as has already been pointed out) that the focus looks very odd, because the SE5a is rather soft, but the clouds, and the german aircraft are all much sharper, you could compensate by blurring the clouds in the midground and distance, but that won't really solve the problem, a sharper SE5a, (with the edsges softened, so it looks like it's part of the environment) is really the best solution. Still signs of more progress though.

I can sense your frusration, but at the risk of stating the obvious, the rear gun has two guns on the brisfit; they're absolutely deadly and they're hard to bring down. I give them a wide berth if I can. I can only suggest that you need to tweak your settings, alter your tactics (I did have some early success against them with a climbing attack from the front and below, or a short nears traight vertical dive, but would never engage them in a dogfight), or like me, just avoid them if you can.

I'd blur the Camel in the distnace to give illusion of depth, but don't be too heavy handed with it. Other than that, not bad; your Photoshop skills are coming along nicely.

I loved hte origainal Red Baron and Red Baron 3d; the full canvas jacket add on was a real work of art, however, advances in technology eventually defeated me; I struggled to get any sort of sahbility and the constant ctd in XP meant I eventually gave it up.

I wonder if he complained to the Huns that it was too accurate and too loud and could they tone it down, because it was making things far too difficult?

Damn! Wish I'd seen this earlier. Don't think anyone'es mentioned that the SE5a upper wing Lewis is on a foster mounting, which allowed the gun to be slung back for reloading, or be fixed in an upward firing psotion. McCudden often used this feature when tackling two seaters.

4 looks like a camel to me.

Hmmm, that's a point of view I'd take issue with. There's an elegance and a certain romanticism about the rudimentary nature of the aircraft and the idea of personal combat in the air as opposed to the mass slaughter in the filth of the trenches. However, the scale of slaughter on the ground, the poision gas, the relentless offensive tactics of the RFC in the face of appalling loses and no parachutes for pilots seems (to me) to contradict the idea that it was a more civilized age. Perhaps that's part of the fascination the era continues to have. It's a conflict that's caught between the old and the new, a moment of tremdous innovation and change that unfortunately produces a new bloody, uttlerly ruthless warfare and a scale of destruction never before witnessed or imagined.

Trying to run away from a pursuing DIII in a Pup is a futile exercise. Like I said, the once the Germans introduce the the DIII, success with a Pup is still possible, but it does get much trickier.

No question about that. She's a dream to fly and can turn on a sixpence. A competently piloted Pup can run rings around a DII. After that it gets much tricker, simply because it becomes difficult to catch or climb with anything. If you can engage a DIII in a turning fight and the numerical odds are not stacked against you, then the Pup can more than hold its own, but (if you can) you've got to choose your engagements with even more care than usual to stand any chance of lasting very long. Still, it's hard not to fall in love with any of the Sopwith aircraft in the sim. They've all got their drawbacks and quirks, but they're just so damn agile

Archibald Wellington. I thinkk the general consensus is the two strongest claims are Capt Brown and Sgt Popkin. Popkin's seems stronger given the angle of entry, but a jinking, weaving triplane followed by a jinking, weaving pursuing Camel mean that Brown's claim can't be discounted and it'll probably never been conclusively solved.

Nice work Stump, just don't make them loud or accurate, or there'll be hell to pay!