Hey guys, just a progress report on my AA paint.  Actually, its a group of talented testers beta testing the paint (I know crazy right?  But I want this one to be verified to be accurate by folks who really know this plane)....and I also added a painter to the project. You guys may have seen some of his work that I've showcased in the past ...here for example:

@thibodba57 (Brian) is handling some of the dirt and detail layers on this paint, and I've very glad (and relieved) to have him on board!

Before I get to the glam shots, here is another small detail I added to the paint.

Some may know that the American Airlines MD80's used to have "Super 80" on the sides.  Wanting to accuratley recreate an oddity of that logo that is still "haunting" birds today is a ghost outline of that logo.  An AA ramp agent has told me its leftover glue from the logo that just wont seem to come off.  Anyway, here is what I did to add it:

First, I created the actual Super 80 logo, which I'll include as a version to this paint for anyone who wants to fly her when she wore them. (this is how it appears when painting in the paintkit...the metal look is quite dull and lifeless....it comes alive in the sim when the crucial Alpha layer does it magic) 

Next I added the "glue" layer which looks like dirt over top (Done so I can align the old "glue" layer correctly.

And now with the logo layer off and how it will display in the sim:

Here is the main nose section texture map and that custom alpha layer in front of it (You can see I white'd out the super 80 so it would not reflect)...with a metal paint you're basically doing 2 paints in one (if you're doing it right)...you paint almost as much on the alpha layer as you do on the master texture).

Here is the finished product in the sim:

I still have some adjusting to do to make it look exactly how it does on the real plane..but I think it's worth the extra effort.

Here is another little detail I'm adding...straight off photos provided to me by one of my beta team members:  The nose cone latch

It needs some serious work as the yellow arrows show where the latch is on the fuse and the hinge point is on the cone.  They should meet...and be way further down on the fuse...like I said...so much to do but these little details will just make you go wow if you happen to pan around the aircraft.

Finally, the glam shots I promised you at the beginning of this post.  I just wanted to show you the level of detail me and my team are putting into this paint...I already know the effort will be worth it.

And this one guys is probably becoming my desktop background...I can't remember when a shot moved me as much as this one did when I snapped it.....

I'm going to be just like our payware dev friends and answer the "when will she be ready?" question....When she's done guys...let me and the team bring you the best AA MD80 we can, ok?

I'm still taken aback by how some thrown together colors can come out looking like a reflective surface.  So much better than the one that came with the package my friend.  Its always a pleasure chatting and working with you. I'll keep adding more to atleast try to keep up with a fraction of your contribution!

Work it work it!  You're a gazelle!  You're a gazelle being chased by a lion!  Grrrr!

Very cool.

T45

Amazing!!!  Can't wait to see the final product up close and personal.

Rembrandt of the a/c painters guild, you are.

Thanks guys!  Hey Glenn.....if I'm to be compared to a real life painter...I'd prefer Normal Rockwell....master with a brush to say the least.  His Triple Portrait is a masterpiece of both precision and irony!

Love the classic American Airlines bare metal look....great job....very interesting graphics work tools!

HLJAMES

6 hours ago, Steve Dra said:

Thanks guys!  Hey Glenn.....if I'm to be compared to a real life painter...I'd prefer Normal Rockwell....master with a brush to say the least.  His Triple Portrait is a masterpiece of both precision and irony!

Rockwell, sure.  If you ever do the Braniff Calder paintjob - then we could call you the Dali of the aircraft painting world..  

 

-Scott Brandenburg.

9 minutes ago, psbrandenburg said:

If you ever do the Braniff Calder paintjob

That one is easy Scott....I just throw-up on my paintkit and I'm done!

I forgot to look and see if there are any smashed bugs on the radome.

Oh Yea....That's What I'm Talking About!!!

y

Steve, you're tempting me into not only buying another add-on I'll rarely have time to use, but also to have a dabble with painting something again....hmmmm....maybe the inside of something not yet released?

Oh (like it needs saying), very nice looking re-paint mate

Great work Steve! For my own personal taste the rivets are too samey and I would like more dirt. A bit like this shot your door comes from.  ..... also whats with the rivet angle on the nose?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/datguybrent/25238907635/in/photolist-EsgZVV-e7diAa-2kTbMg-A5dFE-56XJ9Z-9wiP2S-dQmseM-nxnrm5-B2xVs2-UAHhqp-DVgD4U-prD3CG-qSU3Ts-aw7zHB-56XJ46-5AWnMM-cB3k75-dJMnVF-8yNDu2-mQ9X7K-7Mu4W1-nC66E4-9sUfzS-nqFmq1-VzL8uj-iWTYb9-owYxDe-ctpQi1-LHz5J-cyPQ3-cQjmj-ULcXbp-qoy9fG-kkj4Cz-ctpMAb-bqaEsJ-g2UkuW-aJWcBv-ctpQVU-oHpjfo-6qftNo-LXBgr-4dpyS4-qskcgN-oQqaAq-pwmksp-pf8JdA-nUT2Go-cQjnS-nuFo8y

 

 

On 3/12/2018 at 6:34 AM, Paul Golding said:

Steve, you're tempting me into not only buying another add-on I'll rarely have time to use, but also to have a dabble with painting something again....hmmmm....maybe the inside of something not yet released?

Oh (like it needs saying), very nice looking re-paint mate

I'm with ya on that.  Sadly I don't even have an hour's worth of cockpit time in any of my last 3 purchases, but hundreds of hours behind the paintbrush on them. 

I hope you dabble into painting "whatever" you're referring to...and if you happen to need any help with that...just let me know.  

On 3/12/2018 at 7:00 AM, edetroit said:

Great work Steve! For my own personal taste the rivets are too samey and I would like more dirt. A bit like this shot your door comes from.  ..... also whats with the rivet angle on the nose?

 

Hey Ed,

The rivets came in the paintkit like that...I have not adjusted them with the exception of tweaking them to fit the paint version (they were solid black in the kit). 

I'll add some more dirt before she's released, but not overdue it in any way (if you want dirt, just look at the version that came with it...yikes).  I'm trying to paint her exactly how the this particular airframe looks that I'm getting detailed pics for, and she's a pretty clean bird.

 

Hey Mike, no smashed bugs on the nose....AA flys with those nylon bug screens you see on cars in Florida during LoveBug season!  LOL

LOL Patrick...I don't know where you dug up that video of me gettin' down and boogie'ing.