Century Series (American Heavy Metal)

[DeltaDart]

Thank you very much Mike!!!

You keep us busy if we want to install every aircraft you release! It's a shame it's impossible to have the 104 noise in FS2004!!!

Have a nice sunday

[DaleRFU]

Nice work Mike

How on earth do you manage to make 100's of repaints so quickly??

Regards
Dale

[bismarck]

Hey Mike, is it correct that these 104 has not the steerable nose gear?
I'm talking about USAF part of the package.

Giorgio

[mikeblaze]

The Starfighter did indeed have steerable nose gear, all versions from what I have dug up. I actually have the part named correctly in the model, but forgot to animate the part. At any rate, all future aircraft will have steerable nose gear, and I will probably go back and do a little update to the original models. Of course, I will throw in some more paints to sweeten it up.....

[bismarck]

thanks

Giorgio

[mikeblaze]

The other limiting thing is the animation engine for FS9. The actual gear steers 25 degrees off center in either direction, but with aircraft movement on the ground, the 25 degrees is too much to match the relatively more gentle turns when taxiing in the sim. So, I changed it to 12.5 degrees (half), and it works out much better to match the aircraft ground motion. I did this for the Crusader and the Mirage. So, it is not quite real, but you can at least see the nose gear articulate, and it doesn't 'over-turn' for the direction of travel in the sim.

[mikeblaze]

Here is the next chapter of the Starfighters, the C/D package, and these have some improvements from feedback on F-104G beta-testing. The changes are diverse, from a nose gear that actually steers (was intended to do that from the start, lol), to some intake cone and nose work. These changes will be rolled back into an A/B update/expansion to be released later. Have fun with this one......

[zsoltfireman]

It is very beautiful!
Can someone make a flight plan?

Thank you!
Zsolt

[mikeblaze]

I have three very dedicated guys from Europe putting my F-104G and S models through their paces, and generating a laundry list of stuff to be fixed before release. I have started serious painting the Luftwaffe/Marineflieger and AMI packages, and I have 32 paints for the Lw/MFG TF-104G alone, it's gonna be a big one...... It will be a F-104G/TF-104G/RF-104G combined package; in fact, all country packages will include all variants from that country. Paint kits will come after, for whatever is left.

Due to this, some needed changes will roll back to the A/B and C/D model sets, it always seems to work out that way.......

Any rumors about me modeling a companion aircraft, like the Fiat GR.91 Gina, are neither confirmed nor denied at this point in time....

[Bora]

Looking good so far but those G and S versions is really what I am looking forward to !

A Fiat ? Too bad it's just a rumor...

[ruggerfan]

Any JASDF F-104J "Eiko" possibilities?

[zsoltfireman]

Here is a liittle Italian Christmas present for Bismark........ Happy holidays everybody.....

I look forward to!

[mikeblaze]

Just so the Ruggerfan doesn't fall over from anxiety...... I am waiting to finish up the G/S models, and the J is just the same with with no ground-attack capability........ I haven't done too much painting yet for these, but this is the start......

[Firebird]

I know that the metal finish is considered the norm for the J/DJ but those blue cammo ones look sweet. Nice job, Mike.

[mikeblaze]

Actually, from picture-hunting of the F-104J/DJ, it's about two-thirds metal, and a third in the later overall grey (kind of a variation of the ADC grey scheme). The blue ones were experimental (I think), and kind of the predecessor of the blue-on-blue of the F-4 (late) and the Mitsubishi F-2 aircraft.

On other Century Series news..... The F-102A is in for final FDE work, and the TF-102 is in production as we speak. I'll post pictures when it's more presentable.

[ruggerfan]

OK....I fell over.......

[ruggerfan]

Mike,

I sent you a site with all deuces list, and their disposition. It seems there was 3 F-102 units at Truax, 61st, 323rd and 325th, along with the 176th (Wis ANG)

BR

[zsoltfireman]

Hi Mike,

The ITAF Zipper package when will be available?

Zsolt

[mikeblaze]

And, I present.... El Tubbo...... it's skipping alpha, since it has about 80% F-102A parts, and going right to full-LOD FDE work across the country. You can't see it from this angle, but trust that it does have the little air intakes below the cockpit.....

[akrite]

Hi Mike,
I'm sure you know, that the F-102 does not have a bubble-like canopy, basic-shape is a triangle. The nose looks strange also, pull it slightly down and then it fits. Nevertheless a remarkable work.

regards
Andreas