Skins by Aelius

[aelius]

[CENTER][CENTER]

James, I remember your remark from several years ago that there was a newsreel clip of another snake Stuka, and I replied that I was working on the plane. It is the T6+AN, which I've revised as well. It, too, now has the properly marked dive brakes and stationary propeller hub. More importantly, I've added the plane's identification and unit code to the wheel spats. Its template can be found here.

Another shot of T6+AN, this time imagined over Malta in September 1941.

And Keith, you've commented on RLM colors and the impossibility of truly knowing how they would have appeared originally. I actually wrote an essay on this rather vexing topic, which can be read here.

Finally, in working on T6+AN, it occurred to me that the template for T6+DP could be improved a bit more, if only by a few pixels. With apologies, then, for yet another revision. Here is the final incarnation of that plane--unless I eventually can get the colored portion of the propeller hub to stop wobbling in flight!

And that's it for snakes on a plane.

[aelius]

It seems that the ghost of a deleted message remains behind to remind readers that it once existed, no doubt prompting some curiosity as to what might have been said. It simply was this--

To ensure that IL-2 templates are 2048 x 2048 pixels at 72 ppi, they are posted to my site on Roman history. (By comparison, an image uploaded to Photobucket is half that size.)

That site, in turn, is associated with another, larger one on Roman history hosted by the University of Chicago. Regrettably, it is subject to infrequent but periodic denial-of-service attacks (typically on a weekend).

Earlier today, when images on this thread were not displayed, I assumed that such an attack again had occurred. But when they reappeared, my explanation no longer seemed necessary--and so was deleted.

[aelius]

Having revised the "Snake" Stukas, it seems appropriate to revisit the Bf 110 Totenhand and finally correct its stationary propeller hubs. The bony fingers that extended to the top of the engine cowlings, which I originally omitted, are being added as well.

Until I can finish, I thought this Ju 88A-4 could serve in the interim. Both planes belonged to Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 (12./St.G 77), the emblem of which (aside from the Totenhand) was a profile of Oberst Günther Schwartzkopf, a former Kommodore, silhouetted on a heraldic shield. In early 1943, the Staffel was reorganized and the Bf 110 transferred to southern Russia. The unit itself was disbanded in May of that year.

This Ju 88 is coded S2+LA, the "A" signifying that it belonged to the Geschwader Stab. It is therefore likely that the "L," the plane's identifying letter, and the propeller hubs were colored blue.

The original photograph can be found at FalkeEins, a blog on the Luftwaffe and World War II aviation. The template derives from the exquisite construction by CheckMySix, (my having added only the airplane coding and emblems), and can be found here.

[BrainMan]

Hi,Auelius! Can You creat a new skins for Bf-109E4 and E4 of Hans-Joachim Marseille and Manfred von Richthofen plains? Thx You!

[aelius]

I've not returned to this board in some time and was surprised to discover that photobucket, in order "to reduce our brand marketing expenses," now watermarks the pictures that they host. Of course, the overlay ruins the image and reduces it to nothing more than an advertisement for the company. Unfortunately, I had placed almost a hundred pictures on that lamentable site, all of which now have been branded with their advertisement.

Beginning with Post 74 on the Ju87 "Snake" Stuka, I've begun to upload those screenshots and photographs to my own website. As there is time, I'll continue to replace the more important graphics and correct any broken links to the templates. And then I will close my account with photobucket--and may I never mention that name again!

In the meantime, I've revised many of this thread's text and pictures in a more coherent fashion and posted them at http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/...luftwaffe.html.

[FurphyForum]

Aelius, thank you for this, please don't be shy to continue with your skills as there is always a need for more skins.

[aelius]

Thanks for the kind remark, especially since the board (perhaps understandably) is somewhat moribund after so many years--as indeed, I am. But there is a bit more to be done--as soon as I can rebuild the water cooler on my computer so I can fly again.