Gotha G.IV

Alpha release #1 for painters  February 15, 2003

Gentlemen;

The enclosed RB3D aircraft model is the Gotha G.IV.  This release is for aircraft scheme painters to work with only and is not for general distribution as it is markedly unfinished.

Enclosed are the BMPs I've been using during construction - and all files are set up for use in MMP slot 5 (Halberstadt D.II) with stock squadron designations.  They may not fit as well as they might.

The DTS/DML set will have to be renamed to 03098000.dts & 03099000.dml to work in the Gotha slot in SP.

Plans.gif: The scale drawings most pertinent to the constuction of this model should help you with ribs, details, and other structures of the plane of consideration when drawing it's coverings.

CP3.bmp: Is applied to a mesh that is separate from the fuselage; therefore the pure black areas are transparent and allow the colors that wrap the top of the fuselage to show through.  The fuselage itself does NOT allow for transparencies.  This bitmap is made generally from the plans, but I would welcome any improvements on it you might like to try.

Mesh.bmp: This bitmap is used on the prop-guard screens and the mud-guards behind each wheel.  Any improvement on this bitmap would be welcome as well.

Fuselage bitmap:  An 80x6 pixel portion in the lower right of the fuselage bitmap is used to paint all the struts, including wheel and eppenage struts and the tailskid.  This will therefore be squadron specific as you see fit

You should consider representing the external control lines on the fuselage bitmap.  I tried making them a part of the model but the effect wasn't worth the amount of space it took up in the model already hitting limits in MCU.

upper wing bitmap: The fuel tanks on the upper wing will be represented separately and will not need to be drawn on the bitmap at all.  It will use one or 2 of the "metal" bmps aready being used in the model.  The shadow of the tank can be drawn on the upper wing bottom bitmap if you wish.  NOTE: There will be 1 tank on the left wing on the completed model and none on the right wing.

The plans do show where wingstrut fittings appear on the wing top and udderside of the lower wing - you may wish to include these marks in your schemes.

All flight surfaces, ie wings, etc, are shaped.  The rudder is the only bmp that will require some drawn shaping, and that only to round some corners.

The engine nacells have a special bitmap that wraps all the way around the mesh.  The exhast pipes use a separate bitmap.  The enclosed plans show the details and you should feel free to improve this bitmap's look and fit as you see fit.  I have photos, and there's some on Rosebud that show the nacells if you could use them - let me know.

This is one area that I may change and remap.  I would like the engines to be squadron specific like the fuse/struts and may try to combine this bitmap in the rudder bitmap.  The problem there is that stock bitmaps will create some odd looking rudders and engines.

Please email me any questions or suggestions you have.

Uhlan@swwisa.net

Jerry Todd
Baltimore MD USA

Non-vol BMPs required and included:

barel2.bmp
breech2.bmp
bullets.bmp
cp3.bmp
fueltank.bmp
mesh.bmp
mtstrt2.bmp
mtstr3.bmp
nacell.bmp
pic.bmp
quad.bmp
wires.bmp