Following the inputs to the "next project" thread, I decided to press ahead with the C-130J specials. I'm not planning to make and paint every single example, but the two base models (short and stretched) I have just built (not yet textured and LODs to come after that) should enable a wide range of visual options for FS9, FSX and P3Dv4:







The specific aircraft I'm planning to make are:

C-130J-30 - stretched fuselage

374th AW 36th AS, Yokata (13 aircraft) and 815th AS, Keesler (10 aircraft).

C-130J – short fuselage

AC-130J Ghostrider 1st SOG, Hulbert Field (6 aircraft).
EC-130J Commando Solo III 193 SOW, Harrisburg: (7 aircraft)
HC-130J USCG, Elizabeth City (9 aircraft)
HC-130J Combat King 79th RQS, Davis Monthan (6 aircraft)
KC-130J Harvest Hawk VMGR-152, Iwakuni (13 aircraft)
MC-130J Commando II 353rd SOG 17th SOS, Kadena (6 aircraft) and 352nd SOW 67th SOS, Mildenhall (9 aircraft)
WC-130J Weatherbird- 53rd WRS “Hurricane Hunters”, Keesler (10 aircraft).

My thanks to Brent for helping me scope the package.

Next job is to create a master texture sheet for each of the base models and to get them mapped. Once that's done I can create the specific model variations with the different external equipment differences.

John

I was expecting it today somehow. Great details and open cockpit.

Cheers

Very nice.

John,
Looking good, just one question

When do you find time to eat and sleep?

Gavin

I never realized there was a short and stretched version of the C-130J.

gavinc wrote: ↑26 Mar 2019, 23:18 John,
Looking good, just one question

When do you find time to eat and sleep?

Gavin

John doesn't sleep....he's not human....he's a machine...constantly plugged into the mains...

looking awesome John...the nose looks just right and really pleased the see the mildenhall birds are to be included.

Trev

It's finally here to come.

I thank John and Brent for their Dream team. ^ ^b

Looks very nice John. I’m sure the finished models will be (as always) stunning. Bravo

Hi John, really a good start.
I read that you're not going to paint all the planes for every nation. I Agree.

BTW, do you want the serials for the Italian examples?

Joking!

Giorgio

You're so funny Giorgio! Maybe for a later tranche.

Just wanted to thank airplanedoktor who works on the real thing. He's given me some really useful feedback on the shape of a few parts that I have now tweaked. I'm glad I posted when I did. Changing them after mapping, or through the LODs, would have entailed a lot more work.

Thanks for your kind comments everyone.

John

It's amazing.
It's a great start. I'm looking forward to it.

Always a pleasure to see how you bring those aircraft to life, Master John 4.0

Was not tracking the next project thread, but outside of a few iconic helicopters, these would be at the top of my request. The HTAI model has proudly served the AI world for years.

Excellent! I spent 18 years flying the C130K and never got to fly the J (I left the RAF in 1998), but I've been looking forward to an up-to-date model for P3D.

I think it was time to retire the HTAI C-130s. It may not be all of them but the the J models look fantastic. Can't wait to see the Spooky model. Lived in Pensacola, Fl for 5 years and when traveling to to Destin would catch a rare glimpse of the Spooky landing at Hurlbert Field. That is a scary aircraft.

Just a quick update. I've made and painted the AC-130J Ghostrider gunship and I agree, I wouldn't want to meet one on a dark night. I've also finished the MC-130J that will be the basis of the Mildenhall and Kadena examples. All tested fine in FS9, FSX and P3Dv4.

I've stretched the fuselage for the C-130J-30 and I'm remapping it to a reworked texture sheet. That will give me the 13 aircraft for Yokota and the 10 for Keesler. The other J versions are much more straight forward and shouldn't take long after that.

I'll post some screen shots later this week.

John

Thank you for the update John.

John, Thank you for the C-130s. I am looking forward to all the specialties. I will save all my questions in anticipation of any additional previews you might post.

Please ask the questions now. It becomes more difficult to make changes as time goes on because they might be needed through all the LODs or reworks and that might also involve re-maps of texture sheets. It's better for me to anticipate rather than having to incur a lot of re-work later.

Just be aware of the huge task modelling and painting the potential world-wide population of C-130's. I need to keep things manageable.

John

This looks like it'll be a great package, with so many in use around the world the number of paints and packages seems endless. Nice one John.

For the KC-130J do you intend to have the drogue extended when the aircraft meets a certain condition?