The A2A Simulations Community

Because of all the paints I did for P-51 Mustangs in all shapes, sizes and models, I have developed a pretty good eye for what a Mustang should look like. There was a model by one developer that I did not like at all, because to my mind, they did not have the shape right.
Now, the new A2A P-51 looks great, but to be honest, there are a few very minor details that left me wondering.
One is the rail of the cockpit, the metal part below the plastic bubble canopy I mean.
Here is a detail shot of my last paint:





notice how the top and bottom of the railing are not parallel?
now look at a pic of a real P-51 I pulled off the internet:





here, in the front of the rail, the top and bottom seem to be parallel to me, while the rear tapers a bit.
Am I mistaken, is it the angle, or is the shape not quite right? To me, it seems as if the rail is a bit too high in the front of the canopy.
Or am I seeing ghosts?

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Yep, well spotted. It is wrong on ours and I will ask ROB fix this for the next update.

Thanks for pointing this out.

P.S. It is great to see you painting again. Your work is top notch.

I was away for a while, and will be next week, but don't worry, there will be more time to paint...

eeehrrmm, when you talk to Rob, could you ask him to look at the shape of the nose too?
I have a feeling yours is just a bit too...bumpy?

a few examples:





notice the smooth line from the tip of the spinner all the way to the cockpit? Just one single, smooth curve.

Now look at my latest paint:





There is a 'bump' coming from the spinner to the engine covers. I know you strive for perfection, which is why I bring it up...sorry

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I agree with JanKees on the nose problem. It seems to me to be only the spinner which does not continue the line from the fuselage, but starts a new curve of its own.
I feel guilty criticizing such a beautiful piece of work, but I think because of its beauty and perfection, little imperfections are going to be more obvious.

Good eye JCblom. I agree with feeling guilty about criticizing this wonderful work, but the one thing that really shouted at me was the size of the wing fuel caps. They are almost 150% oversized. I placed a photo of Lil Margaret's wing at 50% opacity on top of A2A's texture to show the difference. You can see the opening in the wing as a dark circle. I wanted to bring this up since there was mention of updates to the model.

The cap also sits proud of the wing surface, and I've never seen one that is not recessed. This pic shows the model with white textures, along with a "Stang Evil" fuel cap.


Does the pilot seem a bit big-headed to anyone? Maybe it's just his ego I'm workin on some pilot faces and will post about them soon.

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i7 2600, 8GB, Nvidia 420, 1.5TB, W7, TrackIR-5

Also, look at JC's photos above around the exhaust fairing - the dimensions on the exhaust panel above and below the manifold. These panels are part of the model on the left side, which is pretty cool, but it's a bit tall above the exhaust. Okay, I'm shutting up now.

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i7 2600, 8GB, Nvidia 420, 1.5TB, W7, TrackIR-5

sorry to bring this up again, but indeed, those panels seem wrong to me too.
Are there any plans for an update in the near (of far) future?

If so, could I ask for the option of removing the exhaust shrouds?
and perhaps optional removing of the tail fillet, recreating the D-5 look?

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friendly bump?

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Tbh. The cockpit rail and panel inaccuracies seem rather minor to me and I wouldn't mind if it is left alone.

The spinner to hood transition on the other hand would be nice if it could be improved.
At first I didn't notice it but now that I know (damn you!) it kinda bugs me a little since it “disturbes the flow of the shape”.

In case A2A picks this up I wonder if people need to rework their paints as well...

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Hello..just read the post on the canopy rail and I just thought I'd offer an opinion...it is my understanding there were at least 3 types of "bubble" canopies on the P51D..known as Inglewood (early), Inglewood (late) and the distinctive humped Dallas hood. Maybe we should find out which, if any is the one modeled in the sim so we can compare apples to apples. Also on the present day Mustangs, who knows which ones they are installed with...just my 2 cents worth. All in all this is my favorite sim to fly and I love how all of the members here exchange ideas and suggestions.

thanks for listening.
John (stiffstarch)