Speaking of paint schemes...

[flion]

I used Model Airplane Color Design to model the paint scheme I will eventually get around to putting on my RV-6A. It was a great relief to take what I had plotted on a three-view and see that it worked on a 3D model. MACD is a great program for the price (under $15) and the color maps can be edited with just about anything; I use Paint because I'm cheap. The downside is that the map scale does not allow for fine detail and they don't reference absolutely with the model so you sometimes have to play with it a bit to get things where you want them.

Anyway, I got hold of the -10 model today because planning for a paint scheme in three-view has not been working well for me. I'm making it hard on myself, actually, because I definitely wanted to polish the tail and wings to show off the workmanship. But mixing paint and polish, especially where you have to avoid metal/composite junctures, has been a bit awkward. Add the desire to incorporate my Mom's favorite 'autumn' colors and it's led to some strong language.

With MACD in hand, though, I think I'm making some progress. This is a preliminary idea that doesn't leave me weeping:

I like the wing designs (continued on bottom) and slash for the tail cone. The fuselage isn't bad but I'm fishing for ideas. I'd like to leave the cowl red but maybe another transition to orange and yellow would look better. Oh, gray areas represent the polished portions; MACD doesn't do chrome. I figure with all this talent we have in the forums there's bound to be some designers who can pitch in with some ideas. All constructive criticism is appreciated but can we leave the paint/polish debate to the threads that already exist on the subject?

 

[plehrke]

I would make the color transitions a fade as apposed to the hard break (with black line) you show. The hard breaks make it look like the Partridge Family bus (don't take it personal). I like a red to orange to yellow fade making it look like the nose is hot. I tried to make it work but opted away from it.
Also, if you are not going to have the thin black lines between colors you should try and not have them on your layout. It will look a lot different without the black lines shown.

 

[Sheldon]

Simple is always best and more pleasing..

 

[John Clark]

Design

The vertical color changes/stripes visually shorten the fuselage, the same reason chubby people are advised against wearing horizontal stripes. The same is true on the wings, but here you have used it to your advantage by making the wing look a little narrower. As a polite critique, I would advise rethinking the fuselage design and going with more horizontal elements to make the look longer and slimmer.

The above is worth considerably less that Stein's usual $.02

John Clark ATP, CFI
FAA FAAST Team Member
EAA Flight Advisor
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

 

[flion]

Just so no one thinks I'm offended or ignoring them, there's some nuggets in there so far. I like the fade notion; I had the hard separations on the wings but it didn't really occur to me that I didn't have to carry that onto the fuselage (and, yes, the black is deliberate; it's part of the autumn colorset). Rather than the wavy scheme I have now, I might try a fade upward from the wings, yellow to red. That will also give a nice horizontal component that John mentioned. I'll have to use another program than Paint to do the colormaps but I can play around with it in the next few days.

John, I had thought, too, of splitting the fuselage horizontally but I keep running into that slash transition from polished tailcone to forward fuselage (which I rather like; a few warbirds have that design). I've also thought of a color stripe which carries past the slash (either over or under it) but nothing that I've come up with really tickles me. That just probably means I need to keep thinking about it.

Sheldon, I'm a believer in KISS but it can be carried too far, too. I'm not sure if you were commenting on my image or something else, but I agree I don't want too complicated a scheme (if only because it would be a nightmare to maintain) but I am willing to go some distance for something special.

Anyway, thanks guys. I've got some stuff to chew on but keep the thoughts coming.

 

[Kyle Boatright]

My comments would be to streamline the lines. For instance both the red and orange areas on the fuselage terminate up front with turn-downs that end up perpindicular to the direction of flight. I think the design would be sleeker if the red, yellow, and orange bands terminated with gentle sweeping turn-downs that mimic the airflow over the wing.

Also, at the rear of the airplane, I would terminate all of the stripes on the VS, again making them more dynamic, instead of finishing off in the more formal style. Look at Coca-Cola's "Dynamic Ribbon". That's a classic shape that flows. I think airplane paint schemes should flow as well, regardless of whether there is a lot or a little color on the airplane.

Similarly, on the wings, the straight yellow band on the LE needs to be more dynamic like the orange band. The way it is now, the yellow is blocky and the orange is somewhat streamlined. That doesn't work for me - the whole scheme should be "of a piece".

 

[gasman]

Slope the cowl vert. lines to match the tail cone line slope. No black lines. You live in a graat part of the country, use local colors...........