B-17 G Hires updated # 2 version for European Air War.

This skin represents "Dream Baby", a B-17 G-35-BO, S-N 4232025, from the 381st BG, 533rd BS, based at Ridgewell, 1944.

The skin uses an experimental "dithered" base layer to achieve the faded olive drab look.  This will cause some rippling or 'moire' effect at certain angles, but I think it's not a huge problem, and the 'new' colour makes it worth some hassles.  Thanks to all who helped with suggestions aiming to fix this problem.
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This is the latest update for the High Resolution B-17 G, which fixes the engine shutdown problems.  The last HR B-17G mod I made had non mirror patches, which always pissed me off because inevitably the NM patches never covered the area I wanted, which meant doing most authentic B-17 skins was impossible, and some of my B-17 skins were thus abandoned.  +mia enquired about the possiblity of some 3dz changes for on of his projects, and things got back on track again.  Changes to the model include :-
- Fully non mirrored fuselage
- "Illu" type radio wires
- Transparent shadow.
- Staggered waist guns.
- Chin turret at last!

As it is a mod of the HR B-17 F, it inherits some of it's RS problems, plus a few others I added while painfully getting the chin turret RS to work again!  In order to free up a 3dz to allow total non mirroring, I had to shift the Ball turret's textures from the B.3dz on the F.3dz.  This has worked out OK but there are still some minor rendering problems with the ball and chin turrets.  Hopefully you can put up with them.  

Instalation.
Extract all the .tpc and .3dz files to your EAW folder, or if using a skin/file manager, refer to it's instructions.  This zip has been optimized for OAW use - simply ensure winzip's "use folder path" is checked, then extract the files to your OAW folder, and the skin will be put in an "A-06 HR G 381st DB" folder.

Extras included but not needed for instalation -
I've included both the batchfiles for PCX to TPC, and TPC to PCX for any prospective skinners out there, and a screenie.  To use the Batchfiles, just place the files you want to convert, the Batchfiles, and the Picpac / gpmtpc2pcx.exe's all in the same folder, and double click the batchfile.  If you don't have Picpac.exe or gpmtpc2pcx.exe, they are available at my Ad-ons page at Sandbaggers.

Credits -
Thanks to Col. Gibbon for the original HR-B-17 3dz, and for some of it's textures.
+mia for the use of some textures, and the BUMP I needed to finish this.
Paulo Morais and Binni for the original work on the chin turret.
Mosi for another timely BUMP,
Illu for the radio wire idea,
Charles, Andy + Pobs for the transparent shadow idea.
Sandbagger (in advance!) for hosting the skin.
Migge and Redeyes for the MEX file which is mostly their work.
Mr. Johnson for discovering how to fix the engine shutdown problems.
3dz mods and skin done by myself.

References-
"B-17 Flying Fortress" by David C. Isby.

If you have any problems, questions, comments or hatemail don't hesitate to contact me, either at the SimHQ EAW message board, or by Email.
Enjoy!

John "Chompy" Masters,
3rd June 2004.
jdmasters@ozemail.com.au
http://www.sandbaggeruk.com/chompy.html
