|
Author
|
Topic: Lancaster MkIII cockpit project
|
Sv
Pilot
|
posted 02-20- 07:56 PM
   
I have been chatting for some time with Dean about doing an upgrade to the Lanc cockpit - he was arranging special access to a Lanc to do a photo shoot! Here are some of his words: quote:
travelled 1200 miles & spent 3 days climbing around the inside of a Mk III Lanc, the group who are restoring this aircraft are all ex Lanc. aircrew & are interested in our flight simulator & without their ok I wouldn't have been able to access the interior at all.
I have scanned some of my photos, it is a very difficult interior to move about in , let alone photograph !!! the interior is also painted black !! so presenting quite a challenge.
Here are some samples, I'm sure these could be knitted together ok, I have also been given several layout diagrams , one of which I've included.
I have also got some video and am waiting for more photos .....I was unable to get clear shots from inside the gun turrets but the manager of the restoration group is going to remove the manikin gunner and get some shots for me....we couldn't get the turret to rotate, which they need to do to get the gunner out :-)
It is a big bird, very impressive .....there's no co- pilot in a Lancaster, the flight engineer sits in a small fold down seat beside the pilot, I tried to photograph the flight engineer's controls .......it would be nice to include them.
I have got some generic interior structure shots, windshield layout & closeups, and the wireless operator's station & navigator's station.
RAF Duxford have said that this is probably the most authentic Lancaster in the world, more so than their own, as theirs is in flying order & has had to have some small modifications to meet modern aviation requirements, whereas this one is in perfect WWII condition.
The rear turret (tailgun) is fitted with twin .50 cal brownings...hooray!! an improvement on the .303 !!! this is authentic. would be better in SDOE too !
Anyway, let me know your feelings on the samples attached hereto :-)
Here are some samples:   Now the question: Who wants to be part of this project? We want to take advantage of this rare opportunity! We have GREAT photos and diagrams here! Who wants to help? I think we want to do a nice job without getting too carried away or hurting frame rates. I would love for some of you guys who are so talented with the cockpits to join us... and you know who you are  Dean all ready had done a huge amount of work photographing, etc. I plan on getting these images organized and stitching some together to form larger "panorama" type images - all which could be used for textures and to air in modeling. Anyone interested?  ------------------
-Sv
Wings with Wires IP: Logged |
Jerry
Pilot
|
posted 02-20- 08:31 PM
Sv, several month's ago Flypast Magazine had a removable insert of a Lanc cockpit...like Dean's first photo but a full panorama of the entire panel. It is 3X2 (6 total) magazine pages in size. I have it on my computer room wall along with a B-17 cockpit they did a few months earlier. When I get home tonight I'll check to see if I tell which month, but it was within the last year.I think it was from a static display restored to original configuration, so it wouldn't have the modern instruments/radios needed for the Battle of Britain Memorial Lanc which is the only flying Lanc in England. You may want to check some libraries to see if they carry it, or some friends who save back issues. IP: Logged |
Jerry
Pilot
|
posted 02-20- 10:00 PM
OK. I checked and the month isn't indicated, sorry.....and it's 2 pages X 2 pages. Measures about 2' X 1.5' and I see no modern instruments. Says it's a Lancaster X KB889 from Duxford. If that X means model 10 then it may not be the same instrument panel as the III you're looking for. But Dean's L/R gage is right there in the middle of the wind screen and the other picture looks the same too.Hope you can find the picture and that it helps. If you can't and would like to see it, send me your address and I'll mail it to you (as long as you return it intact ) IP: Logged |
Yardstick
Pilot
|
posted 02-21- 05:15 AM
When I was updating many of the cockpits in the original aircraft I had a look at the Lanc and discovered that the panel texture is not loading correctly. The texture should give a level of detail at least on a par with the B-17 (admittedly not great - but certainly passable). However for some reason it never seems to load beyond that heavily out of focus effect you get with all textures before they load into video ram.A couple of the other default cockpit also have the same problem: the Ju88A-4 and the Me262. I can't imagine it is a major problem - perhaps someone could shed some light on it for me. ------------------
Yardstick painted this
 IP: Logged |
Whirlwind
Pilot
|
posted 02-21- 09:46 AM
Makes you kind of wonder if the texture view distance could be altered to fix that ...IP: Logged |
Yardstick
Pilot
|
posted 02-21- 12:08 PM
I'll have a look it's a plausable explanation If so it's an easy fix and then it would be worthwhile adding these planes to my cockpit update pack.IP: Logged |
Spoonman
Pilot
|
posted 02-21- 02:27 PM
I've got about 3 or 4 closeup shots I took of the Lancaster cockpit at the air museum in Calgary. Who do I send them to?Spoon IP: Logged |
Whirlwind
Pilot
|
posted 02-21- 04:02 PM
Examining the new DM'd Lanc the only panel tif file I could find was the Ju88panel.tif file, a 32x32 image. If that is the case, then what you see is what it is. I wonder if they didn't have the art done for the lanc, used the Ju88, then forgot to change the ref when the art was done for the lanc...IP: Logged |
Yardstick
Pilot
|
posted 02-21- 04:49 PM
I have just checked and you're correct, there is a panel ref to the Ju88. However the panel textures that are also referenced and the game is actually trying to display are: mpleft (128x128)
mpright (128x128) These are the textures the game is trying to display but they are out of focus (I am looking at the textures in IrfranView now). If we could get these dislpaying correctly, I could easily up the texture size to 256 and do some pretty nice work. 2x 256 textures is what I used on the Bf109s, so you get some idea of the sort of thing that is possible. ------------------
Yardstick painted this
[This message has been edited by Yardstick (edited 02-21-2001).] IP: Logged |
Sv
Pilot
|
posted 02-21- 04:55 PM
Does that mean you want to help Yardstick? Dean's got the stuff... and I can help where you need it as well. I want to see glass in the windows too Would you put the dials on the main texture, or create seperate objects for the major instruments? What about the floor and sidewalls? ------------------
-Sv
Wings with Wires IP: Logged |
Yardstick
Pilot
|
posted 02-21- 05:08 PM
I'll do the main panel textures but as I also have another cockpit project on at the moment. I don't want to commit and then burn myself out. After the Stuka I didn't touch my paint software for 4 months because it was so draining. I will definitely do the panel, and possibly some other bits but I sure you will understand that I don't want to give you an unconditional yes and then find myself obligated to do something if my enthusiasm is then waning.
IP: Logged |
Whirlwind
Pilot
|
posted 02-21- 05:50 PM
Oh yeah, now I see, or sort of don't see as they are all fuzzy in game. I think it might have to do with the fact that in a fighter, the pilot is about 1-2" from the panel, while in a bomber, your are more often 2-3 from the panel (in regards to pilot position in SDOE). I'll try changing distance to 1.IP: Logged |
Tailslide
Pilot
|
posted 02-24- 03:41 AM
[This message has been edited by Tailslide (edited 02-26-2001).] IP: Logged |
Sv
Pilot
|
posted 02-24- 09:56 AM
Yardstick,I will keep you posted... I think we should aim for bang-for-buck. We will have allot of great images and cockpit diagrams... but if we don't lose our head I think we can make a real nice cockpit without working our brains out... maybe ------------------
-Sv
Wings with Wires IP: Logged |
wakeup tailgunner
Pilot
|
posted 02-27- 04:53 AM
while we are at it, how about improving the rest of the plane too!I have been thinking about building new engines and nacelles, and even about a new fuselage. The old one is boxy and really a little nasty in places! Perhaps now is the time to really spruce it up! IP: Logged |
Pachy
Pilot
|
posted 02-27- 04:20 PM
Dunno if this helps, this is a postwar B.VII I think.
 ------------------
Pachy
perso.club-internet.fr/gledimet IP: Logged |
FSIC Messageboard
UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone! 
