An impressive build, especially for having the amount of detail on a mobile device. A couple of things I've noticed, the flaps seem to act weirdly for me, at least on desktop. I would also recommend adding either a nose wheel or some sort of tail wheel, dragging the rudders like it does seems a bit harmful. Other than those two small things, very impressive build!
Thanks for the spotlights everyone!
@Feanor
@KerlonceauxIndustries
@Thefrenchdude22
@UnguidedCylinder
@MintLynx
@TheFantasticTyphoon
@Noname918181
And thanks to everyone that upvoted! Means a lot to me.
I think that if you give credit to the original aircraft builder and are clear that this is a modification like you have, it’s ok. (Unless the original builder comes along and says otherwise.) The problem with copying IMO is when someone copies another plane and tries to pass it off as their own. In this case, since credit to the original builder is given, I don’t see much problem personally.
(But I don’t think I’ve ever had someone try to copy any of mine, so I don’t have any firsthand experience on what it “feels” like...)
@BurkeEnterprise Glad you approve of the update so much! Some of the changes I made definitely included some of your suggestions for the first one as well.
Ninety-nine red balloons
Floating in the summer sky
Panic bells, it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
Where ninety-nine red balloons go by
A fascinating design you’ve brought to life here! The multiple hull design reminds me a bit of the much later Typhoon class, but for its time this one is fascinatingly ambitious. Excellent work on recreating this one!
I use this on pretty much every plane I make, and it prevents any sort of wing flutter. Just add the wing under your subassembly folder and you can then place it on planes and have nice rigid wings that still have control surfaces added.
@MDDJB I'll look in to that. There will probably be an updated version in the not too distant future. Especially since there are some other details I've forgotten to add as well.
So many ways to do this that I want to give a try. Is there a limit to entries I can submit? I’ve got three possibilities buzzing around in my head, all with different methods...
How strict is the XML restriction for engines and the plane? For example, shrinking the prop diameter by 70% (but not touching engine power, just the standard 1000hp max stock power) or adjusting fuselage dimensions so a larger part looks smaller than it is.
Went ahead and posted it anyways. If you don't like the XML that I did, do whatever you see fit. I think I kept to the spirit of the rules however, and produced something with my own kind of crazy added to it.
Definitely the best Beetle I’ve found on this site! Gonna have to save a version repainted to Kansas Beige to match mine. (Though, she’s a ‘71 Super instead of a ‘63 like this one. Might be a project to tweak this to match...)
way too heavy at the back. You need to move the wings back or stretch the front out quite a bit. Check the section that shows your center of lift and center of gravity. The center of gravity should be ahead of the center of lift, while it is way behind the center of lift on this plane.
Got an updated version in the works. Bit better handling (including astern movement capability), some nicer geometry on the bow, and, most importantly, using the cannon part for the guns!
I remember taking one of these and seriously upgrading the power of the rubber band motor. Taped on another propeller so it was a 4 bladed one, and added two extra rubber bands for extra power. It was also the variety without wheels, so I made some crude skids from some paper clips. Had enough power to take off from the ground and fly for a few feet, even with the crude landing gear!
Whoa, slow down and breath. What’s the problem? You can’t get your planes to fly straight or they’re unstable? How bad a problem is it, do they just nose up or down gradually or do you lose control quickly? One thing you’ll want to look in to is to have the game show you the center of gravity and center of lift. You’ll want a wing close to the center of gravity, preferably a little behind it. Keep the center of lift behind the center of gravity, it’ll nose down a bit in flight, but will be much more stable. You can also use trim to help balance out the plane while flying.
@MintLynx Just took a look, looks interesting! Especially since some of the mods for tweaking parts appear to be getting integrated in the base game. Would you still be interested in tweaking my turret in the meantime? I'm not sure if I can get the 1.9 beta on my Mac, and I am close to finishing the battlecruiser, but would like to get the weapons sorted out first.
@MintLynx Sorry for the late reply. I have a turret with some guns at about the right RoF. If you are willing, I could upload the turret and you could rearm it with one of your custom weapons with the same RoF and AG#. If not, a possible RoF could be 2 or 3 shots per every shot of the current model of deck gun you use.
@MintLynx Well, I am quite impressed with your deck gun designs, with the recoil mechanisms, and importantly, that they won't damage the ship/aircraft they are on. Do you think you could make one that has a faster rate of fire, but not so fast as to be a machine gun? I'm trying to make a secondary gun for my battlecruiser and don't want to accidentally shoot off the bridge...
@MintLynx
No worries! The teardrop hull form is decidedly generic, so it’s easy to see how she’d be seen as derivative.
.
I suspected it was intentional to have them slow. I just felt that having them be capable of higher speeds than the launching boat made some sense. (If they could be outrun by my relatively slow design, they won’t do much good against potential enemies! Which was also a real problem when the Alfa class entered service if memory serves...) I’ll try and tweak the bow to reduce collisions when I get home. Giving the torpedo a quick yaw to the side seems to help them clear the bow as well. Glad you’re impressed with the kitbash!
.
I’ll take a look at those engines when I get home. They will probably work on my battlecruiser as well. (Which would allow me to ditch the jet engines under the quarterdeck...)
.
Speaking of which. One thing I noticed that helped with turning on the BC was that one of the rudders forward was set with a 180° range of motion. Fixing that helped, and I’ll take a closer look at fixing all that once everything is completed.
.
Thanks for the spotlight but the way! Means a lot to me!
.
This does seem to help with spacing, so good to know.
@MintLynx
The Delta’s engines having a speed limit would explain quite a bit on the performance side of things. Did the engines on the Surcouf have a similar limit? If so that would explain another issue (now resolved) on a surface ship design I’ve got in the works where the engines stopped turning above a certain speed. (I’m currently using a few jet engines on that to boost speed since it’s a surface ship...)
I am fairly satisfied with the buoyancy. I found that an effective means of fine tuning it was to simply adjust the fuselage dimensions for the desired effect. I’ll keep tweaking, but I’m fairly happy with it.
The hull was actually a scratch build, but I did borrow some of the methods used like the color change and using inlets for torpedo tubes. (That might be part of the collision issue as well, stock parts on those...) The back end is more or less the Skipjack’s since I used the diving planes and engines from her. So the planes more or less match and the hull width has to be the same to blend nicely with the propeller. Though I did start with the hull segment under the cockpit/sail and worked aft, so, convergent evolution maybe? If I was more adventurous and came up with my own diving plane designs I’d probably end up with a less derivative looking design. Basically, scratch built, but a bit derivative in design.
You can also see a bit of a mistake I made for matching sizes of the prop hub and hull width. I didn’t realize my mistake until after the rudders and diving planes were in place, and when I put the engine in found it was too large a diameter. So there’s a small extension at the very aft end to narrow the hull down more.
Interesting tidbit in the torpedoes, is they’re basically a kit bash of the two types on the Skipjack. (I use a lot of parts off of her...) I felt like the guided ones were too slow, so I added the back end of the unguided one and reattached the rear control surfaces.
I think I’ve got most of those subassemblies saved, so I think that’s good. Mainly just missing if the hull is for sure a no collision one...
Glad I still have your approval! I’ll keep in mind moving the buoyancy parts closer to the ends of the hull. I’ll be adjusting trim as I add weapons anyways.
Do you have any advice for boosting speed? I’m currently using the engine from the Skipjack since I like the look of that one, but it’s a bit slow in terms of speed. My current solution has been to add another engine from the Delta 1 inside for a speed boost, but was wondering if you have any recommendations on that. I’ll make sure to tag you when I get the sub posted so you can see what I’ve done.
Hello Mint, I have a question regarding submarine design. Do you use gyros to limit a sub’s possible pitch range? A design I’ve been working on has been pulling some rather crazy pitch angles in test dives. Though she can dive and surface without a ballast system installed, so I think I’ve got neutral buoyancy tuning figured out! The sub is gonna be something like 95% parts borrowed from something you’ve made though...
I’m also making a surface ship, which has parts borrowed from your submarines for propellers and main guns. (Specifically the Surcouf, a few tweaks in barrel shape and put in a different turret design, and they make for battleship caliber weapons that have recoil!)
(You still don’t mind that I’m borrowing parts, right? I’m kind of going all in at this point...)
Very nice build, but I think the CoM is too close to the CoL. If the CoM is shifted forward, she should fly a bit better, particularly with the weird thing she does if you try to roll and pitch up at the same time. (I've had similar issues building my own planes, and trial and error has found this to be the best solution. Mostly encountered on jets that I've never posted...)
@MintLynx Thanks for the info! Unfortunately I cannot mod since I made the mistake of using the app store version on my desktop. However I have had some success with adding parts off of this build and the Skipjack to my subassembly inventory, and have had some success in some test designs. If you don't mind, I may build some fictional designs using some of your parts. If they ever get uploaded, I will make sure to credit you for all the amazing parts and input.
So, would you be willing to explain your methodology to me? Because it seems like the ballast tank system you use is different from the normal really long piston with a float at the end I’ve seen on most subs. How did you do it? I want to give this a try for myself if I can...
Here is a suggestion to improve stability on landing. Enable trim on the front canards, so that they can produce a bit more lift and keep the nose up at low speeds. Interesting design, I like the tilting engines. (Might want to include instructions on the AG groups in future planes though...)
An impressive build, especially for having the amount of detail on a mobile device. A couple of things I've noticed, the flaps seem to act weirdly for me, at least on desktop. I would also recommend adding either a nose wheel or some sort of tail wheel, dragging the rudders like it does seems a bit harmful. Other than those two small things, very impressive build!
+3Thanks for the spotlights everyone!
+2@Feanor
@KerlonceauxIndustries
@Thefrenchdude22
@UnguidedCylinder
@MintLynx
@TheFantasticTyphoon
@Noname918181
And thanks to everyone that upvoted! Means a lot to me.
@MintLynx Here is a look at what I did with those guns you made for me:
+2Neat. You going to do a Blockade Runner soon?
+2I think that if you give credit to the original aircraft builder and are clear that this is a modification like you have, it’s ok. (Unless the original builder comes along and says otherwise.) The problem with copying IMO is when someone copies another plane and tries to pass it off as their own. In this case, since credit to the original builder is given, I don’t see much problem personally.
(But I don’t think I’ve ever had someone try to copy any of mine, so I don’t have any firsthand experience on what it “feels” like...)
+1@Mustang51 Glad you approve!
+1@BurkeEnterprise Glad you approve of the update so much! Some of the changes I made definitely included some of your suggestions for the first one as well.
+1Looking forward to seeing the "bread loaf" posted Friday!
(In the meantime, I don't suppose you could do a weapon request, could you?)
+1Ninety-nine red balloons
Floating in the summer sky
Panic bells, it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
Where ninety-nine red balloons go by
-Nena, “99 luftballons” (English version)
+1A fascinating design you’ve brought to life here! The multiple hull design reminds me a bit of the much later Typhoon class, but for its time this one is fascinatingly ambitious. Excellent work on recreating this one!
+1You might want to give this a try:
[https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/g3uDIy/structural-wing-with-control-surface-modded]
I use this on pretty much every plane I make, and it prevents any sort of wing flutter. Just add the wing under your subassembly folder and you can then place it on planes and have nice rigid wings that still have control surfaces added.
+1Quite like this one Tex! Looks amazing, flies nicely and the rocket boosters look amazing! Your canards definitely seem less finicky than mine are...
+1@MDDJB
I’m not quite sure I follow what you mean.
@Boeing777x I'll keep that idea in mind as a future project idea.
@MDDJB I'll look in to that. There will probably be an updated version in the not too distant future. Especially since there are some other details I've forgotten to add as well.
@Texasfam04 Oh man that’s funny! Glad you figured out how to fly it though!
So many ways to do this that I want to give a try. Is there a limit to entries I can submit? I’ve got three possibilities buzzing around in my head, all with different methods...
@Trainzo Thanks, glad you approve!
@MintLynx @BurkeEnterprise Since both of you have expressed an interest in other builds of mine, and I uploaded at a weird time.
How strict is the XML restriction for engines and the plane? For example, shrinking the prop diameter by 70% (but not touching engine power, just the standard 1000hp max stock power) or adjusting fuselage dimensions so a larger part looks smaller than it is.
Went ahead and posted it anyways. If you don't like the XML that I did, do whatever you see fit. I think I kept to the spirit of the rules however, and produced something with my own kind of crazy added to it.
I’ll probably join in on this then. Expect something capable of water takeoff! (Watercraft seem to be my specialty lately...)
Is there a limit to engine number? For example, if the plane was twin engined and had contra rotating props, which makes it have 4 engines.
Definitely the best Beetle I’ve found on this site! Gonna have to save a version repainted to Kansas Beige to match mine. (Though, she’s a ‘71 Super instead of a ‘63 like this one. Might be a project to tweak this to match...)
way too heavy at the back. You need to move the wings back or stretch the front out quite a bit. Check the section that shows your center of lift and center of gravity. The center of gravity should be ahead of the center of lift, while it is way behind the center of lift on this plane.
@MintLynx In case you are interested, I made an updated version with the new tank cannons. They're a lot of fun to use against surface targets!
Got an updated version in the works. Bit better handling (including astern movement capability), some nicer geometry on the bow, and, most importantly, using the cannon part for the guns!
I remember taking one of these and seriously upgrading the power of the rubber band motor. Taped on another propeller so it was a 4 bladed one, and added two extra rubber bands for extra power. It was also the variety without wheels, so I made some crude skids from some paper clips. Had enough power to take off from the ground and fly for a few feet, even with the crude landing gear!
Whoa, slow down and breath. What’s the problem? You can’t get your planes to fly straight or they’re unstable? How bad a problem is it, do they just nose up or down gradually or do you lose control quickly? One thing you’ll want to look in to is to have the game show you the center of gravity and center of lift. You’ll want a wing close to the center of gravity, preferably a little behind it. Keep the center of lift behind the center of gravity, it’ll nose down a bit in flight, but will be much more stable. You can also use trim to help balance out the plane while flying.
@MintLynx I look forward to hearing what you think of her! Thanks for the spotlight as well.
@MintLynx I'll definitely do a rework of things when I get the update. I'll go ahead and link you the turret: Here, currently have everything set for AG4
@MintLynx Just took a look, looks interesting! Especially since some of the mods for tweaking parts appear to be getting integrated in the base game. Would you still be interested in tweaking my turret in the meantime? I'm not sure if I can get the 1.9 beta on my Mac, and I am close to finishing the battlecruiser, but would like to get the weapons sorted out first.
Love the 90mm cannon!
@MintLynx Sorry for the late reply. I have a turret with some guns at about the right RoF. If you are willing, I could upload the turret and you could rearm it with one of your custom weapons with the same RoF and AG#. If not, a possible RoF could be 2 or 3 shots per every shot of the current model of deck gun you use.
@MintLynx Well, I am quite impressed with your deck gun designs, with the recoil mechanisms, and importantly, that they won't damage the ship/aircraft they are on. Do you think you could make one that has a faster rate of fire, but not so fast as to be a machine gun? I'm trying to make a secondary gun for my battlecruiser and don't want to accidentally shoot off the bridge...
does anyone else have a problem with these getting "wobbly" when attached to really large builds?
@MintLynx
No worries! The teardrop hull form is decidedly generic, so it’s easy to see how she’d be seen as derivative.
.
I suspected it was intentional to have them slow. I just felt that having them be capable of higher speeds than the launching boat made some sense. (If they could be outrun by my relatively slow design, they won’t do much good against potential enemies! Which was also a real problem when the Alfa class entered service if memory serves...) I’ll try and tweak the bow to reduce collisions when I get home. Giving the torpedo a quick yaw to the side seems to help them clear the bow as well. Glad you’re impressed with the kitbash!
.
I’ll take a look at those engines when I get home. They will probably work on my battlecruiser as well. (Which would allow me to ditch the jet engines under the quarterdeck...)
.
Speaking of which. One thing I noticed that helped with turning on the BC was that one of the rudders forward was set with a 180° range of motion. Fixing that helped, and I’ll take a closer look at fixing all that once everything is completed.
.
Thanks for the spotlight but the way! Means a lot to me!
.
This does seem to help with spacing, so good to know.
@MintLynx
The Delta’s engines having a speed limit would explain quite a bit on the performance side of things. Did the engines on the Surcouf have a similar limit? If so that would explain another issue (now resolved) on a surface ship design I’ve got in the works where the engines stopped turning above a certain speed. (I’m currently using a few jet engines on that to boost speed since it’s a surface ship...)
I am fairly satisfied with the buoyancy. I found that an effective means of fine tuning it was to simply adjust the fuselage dimensions for the desired effect. I’ll keep tweaking, but I’m fairly happy with it.
The hull was actually a scratch build, but I did borrow some of the methods used like the color change and using inlets for torpedo tubes. (That might be part of the collision issue as well, stock parts on those...) The back end is more or less the Skipjack’s since I used the diving planes and engines from her. So the planes more or less match and the hull width has to be the same to blend nicely with the propeller. Though I did start with the hull segment under the cockpit/sail and worked aft, so, convergent evolution maybe? If I was more adventurous and came up with my own diving plane designs I’d probably end up with a less derivative looking design. Basically, scratch built, but a bit derivative in design.
You can also see a bit of a mistake I made for matching sizes of the prop hub and hull width. I didn’t realize my mistake until after the rudders and diving planes were in place, and when I put the engine in found it was too large a diameter. So there’s a small extension at the very aft end to narrow the hull down more.
Interesting tidbit in the torpedoes, is they’re basically a kit bash of the two types on the Skipjack. (I use a lot of parts off of her...) I felt like the guided ones were too slow, so I added the back end of the unguided one and reattached the rear control surfaces.
I think I’ve got most of those subassemblies saved, so I think that’s good. Mainly just missing if the hull is for sure a no collision one...
While far from complete, and exhibiting some glitchy behavior with the props I have since managed to correct, this is the hull form of a surface ship I am attempting. Probably my best effort to date in terms of hull form.
@MintLynx
My attempt at a submarine is up. Feedback would be most welcome.
Glad I still have your approval! I’ll keep in mind moving the buoyancy parts closer to the ends of the hull. I’ll be adjusting trim as I add weapons anyways.
Do you have any advice for boosting speed? I’m currently using the engine from the Skipjack since I like the look of that one, but it’s a bit slow in terms of speed. My current solution has been to add another engine from the Delta 1 inside for a speed boost, but was wondering if you have any recommendations on that. I’ll make sure to tag you when I get the sub posted so you can see what I’ve done.
Hello Mint, I have a question regarding submarine design. Do you use gyros to limit a sub’s possible pitch range? A design I’ve been working on has been pulling some rather crazy pitch angles in test dives. Though she can dive and surface without a ballast system installed, so I think I’ve got neutral buoyancy tuning figured out! The sub is gonna be something like 95% parts borrowed from something you’ve made though...
I’m also making a surface ship, which has parts borrowed from your submarines for propellers and main guns. (Specifically the Surcouf, a few tweaks in barrel shape and put in a different turret design, and they make for battleship caliber weapons that have recoil!)
(You still don’t mind that I’m borrowing parts, right? I’m kind of going all in at this point...)
Very nice build, but I think the CoM is too close to the CoL. If the CoM is shifted forward, she should fly a bit better, particularly with the weird thing she does if you try to roll and pitch up at the same time. (I've had similar issues building my own planes, and trial and error has found this to be the best solution. Mostly encountered on jets that I've never posted...)
@MintLynx Thanks for the info! Unfortunately I cannot mod since I made the mistake of using the app store version on my desktop. However I have had some success with adding parts off of this build and the Skipjack to my subassembly inventory, and have had some success in some test designs. If you don't mind, I may build some fictional designs using some of your parts. If they ever get uploaded, I will make sure to credit you for all the amazing parts and input.
So, would you be willing to explain your methodology to me? Because it seems like the ballast tank system you use is different from the normal really long piston with a float at the end I’ve seen on most subs. How did you do it? I want to give this a try for myself if I can...
Holds up Jaffa staff “This, is a weapon of terror. It is designed to intimidate the enemy.” Holds up P90 “This is a weapon of war, it is designed to kill the enemy.”
Here is a suggestion to improve stability on landing. Enable trim on the front canards, so that they can produce a bit more lift and keep the nose up at low speeds. Interesting design, I like the tilting engines. (Might want to include instructions on the AG groups in future planes though...)
Wonderful little sloop, very realistic sailing qualities! She seems to sail best on a broad reach, but can tack pretty close to the wind too.
Best X-Wing I've ever seen. Bravo!
Very nice plane! The tiling engines are an interesting addition.
(I am also amused at how similar in size, configuration, and even paint scheme my own take at a flying boat is to this.)
Thanks for the upvotes and spotlights all!
Definitely the best rendition of the 747 I've seen on simple planes. Love the flaps especially!