Holy crap those B-17s are nice. Amazing work man.
@Spitfire38:
One effect that I really like but haven’t figured out how to replicate is the powder burns where the cannons would be on the fighter jets. For example, the P-50 Mustang or the Spitfire have a few .50 cals that look very snappy if you put some powder burns on the wings. It really brings a sense of realism if you do it right, but it’s difficult to pull off without overdoing it.
Spitfire…
Yeah, I agree. Here are a couple that I did a while back for Tall Paul. He wanted his Marine Corps fighters to have a more used/worn look.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=26127.msg1158351#msg1158351
He requested the powder stains on the top of the wings, though I believe they would be more pronounced on the bottoms. Literal downside is that you can’t see them on the bottom though. I even did a little bit on the engine cowling (from oil leaks/wear), which I think added a nice touch. It is hard to notice on these planes though, so in the future I may darken it up a bit.
It is difficult to do in a subtle manner. Upon re-evaluation of my technique here, I would tone it down a bit or diffuse the effect for the guns. I used a watered down black ink, but even then you have to be extremely conservative on how much you apply. It is perhaps easier with fighters because you can pinpoint their guns more easily than you can a bomber. You want it to be noticeable, but not stark. It is a fine line to be sure.
