B24D Project for IL2

[Monguse]

It's doing very well and absolutely not forgotten.

[FenbeiduO]

Thx for the update! Lookforward this

[JollySam]

Hey B-24D team, I just thought I'd give my encouragement to your project. I'm very glad that the B-24 will be flyable in IL2 1946, it is my favorite plane in the game. Thank you for your efforts, I look forward to flying it online!

[Buster_Dee]

Thanks JollySam.

[JollySam]

Originally Posted by Buster_Dee

Thanks JollySam.

You're welcome.

I also have a question; why did you guys decide on the B-24D in particular, when there is already a (non-flyable) B-24J in the game? Is it because the B-24D was the first mass-produced varient? Sorry, I don't know much about the different varients.

[Buster_Dee]

I had started with a B17 years ago, but before I could get it going, T4T (Targetware) asked me to switch to the B24. I was modeling every compartment for a J, but I was having a heck of a time capturing the dome on the MPC tail turret, and the Emerson was even more complex (nothing is hidden so needs to be modeled). I had only a bare start for the waist and bombardier. I dropped the project several years ago. Early war actually interests me more, so when Guse came along with a nice D nose project, I thew my hat back in. Everything I had done before had to be redone, but it's been worth it.

[SPITACE]

any new updated pics for the B24D?

[JollySam]

Originally Posted by Buster_Dee

I had started with a B17 years ago, but before I could get it going, T4T (Targetware) asked me to switch to the B24. I was modeling every compartment for a J, but I was having a heck of a time capturing the dome on the MPC tail turret, and the Emerson was even more complex (nothing is hidden so needs to be modeled). I had only a bare start for the waist and bombardier. I dropped the project several years ago. Early war actually interests me more, so when Guse came along with a nice D nose project, I thew my hat back in. Everything I had done before had to be redone, but it's been worth it.

I see. OK, thanks. I ask because most mods and patches focus on making the existing AI planes flyable, rather than making a whole new aircraft. You're all quite brave in starting a whole new plane from scratch! And it would be a pity to throw away that nose section.

Keep up the good work!

[Buster_Dee]

LoL. I don't think we'll be talking Guse out of that nose anytime soon. That said, the J is not out of the question--as was stated earlier. It does mean a new pit and nose. If we were to model the early J from Consolidated at San Diego, we could re-use the tail turret I did. I fear that most fans would argue that the J never looked like that, which is not true. The "preferred" MPC (or SAC-7 offshoot) and Emerson turrets were in short supply at first, and Consolidated, San Diego seems to have stayed with their home-brewed Consol turrets even after the other production facilities made the switch. If I recall correctly, the Emerson made it's debut in the H built by Ford. The Js actually lagged that, using MPCs in the nose (and San Diego the Consul as mentioned), not switching to Emersons until later. The in-game bird has the MPC tail (A6B) and Emerson nose (A15). I think they were more common, but they were not exclusive. Our turret is the A6A.

As a side note, the Emerson was electric; the others were hydraulic. When the hydraulic turrets were used in the nose, they had to "steal" hydraulic pressure from the aicraft's main system because there was not enough room in the nose to have a dedicated pump/system as had the tail. I wonder if that arrangment compromised any of the other systems that used hydraulic pressure.

[JollySam]

Hmm, all these different factories making different designs for the same parts must make research a hassle. I'm actually more interested in the 'D' too, but its useful that some of your work can be reused for any further B-24 versions.

Out of interest, did American planes have some kind of back-up system in case the hydraulic system for the turrets failed?