Proper WWII Fighter Themed Parts

[MightyDarkStar]

I love my Firespitter, I love my Retro-Future, but making WWII aircraft in KSP is just too hard. The end result is rarely good and you can never get the fuselage shape right. I know the likes of NathanKell are skilled enough to make good replicas and make them look faithful, but think about the newbies, who could be WWII fighter enthusiasts, and don't know how to make their replicas look good.

If you look at planes like the fan-favourites Spitfire and Mustang, to name a couple, don't have perfectly circular fuselages, or rectangular, or oblong, they are ovular. Look at this three-way diagram of a Spit' -

Here you can notice many things, such as that the empennage doesn't taper to a point at the tip but retains its depth which then extends into the tail fin on which the rudder is placed. The aforementioned ovular fuselage is also shown here. And one final thing, and this goes for most aircraft, be it WWI, WWII, Cold War, Modern, Civillian, etc. The wing, in-game wings have no curve and it can be very hard to make a, say, Spitfire-style elliptical wing (as shown above) or a general rounded wing.

Also, cockpit canopies can be incredibly varied from the sleek Concorde canopy/windscreen -

To the clunky Messerschmitt Bf-109 style (there is actually a mod with two 109 cockpits -http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/94142-Stryker-s-Aerospace-Restored-Cockpits-Corporation) -

To the heavily framed B-58 Hustler's cockpit -

To the clean, sleek allied bubble canopy (spitfire, mustang, p-47, typhoon, tempest)

Very few mods have cockpits that look like the ones found on real planes, Retro-Future or Firespitter or Stryker's Restored Cockpits to name a few that do.

Back To My Little Request

Anyways, what my request is, is a mod which focuses on making WWII plane-replicas easily and simply. Perhaps making matching part sets for particular planes or maybe just a general set of parts that can be chucked together in various different ways, etc.

I myself try to make decent WWII planes in-game but just trying and trying over and over gets boring after a while and anyone who shares my problem would agree that is is a mod we need to see at some point.

Thanks for reading.

Regards,

MDS

-=UPDATE=-

WINGS! In-game wings are completely flat, IRL wings have round cross sections which allows the air to flow over more smoothly.

Edited October 19, 2014 by MightyDarkStar

[Axelord FTW]

What we need is more fuselage (R-F + B9 gets you like 90% of what you could want) and more wing shapes.

An uplifted and working KerbPaint mod so stuff match.

Low altitude flight is sort of a chore even with FAR/NEAR. So far, I am content with R+F and FinePrint (for a reason to make those planes).

[NathanKell]

IMO we need:

1. Ovoid fuselage system (Firespitter oblong is ok for some things, not others) with adapters to the other fuselage systems

2. Pear fuselage system (Me 262, F-86, etc) with adapters to the other fuselage systems

3. Radially-attachable canopies of various styles (bubbletop, razorback, squared razorback, FW 190, birdcage)

[nli2work]

can procedural wing's manipulator be extended to modify cross-section shape and length? two vertical nodes modify the height, top and bottom width of fuselage cross section; two length wise nodes modify fuselage section length and the stack attachment node positions.

[MightyDarkStar]

No, but in PWings 0.9 there is a wing that has a laminar flow cross section

[nli2work]

right now far as I know pWing works with only two nodes that you can position for wing length; and scale for root/tip width and thickness. the apparent cross section is cosmetic. the flat board pWing2 flies just as well as the pWing4

I mean adding two more nodes, arranged up and down. these two manipulates to and bottom width of the fuselage. Then the two positioned front/back would manipulate the length of the fuselage section; as well as the size of end cap at each end.

[jfx]

If re-building and flying ww II hardware is the only thing you want to do ... why not just boot up war thunder or cliffs of dover? You'll never get even close to these results of those within KSP (working cockpit internals, weather, flight model, armamant, meaningful missions, weather, sound, actual graphics for the ground) even with hundreds of hours put into specifically created mods and parts.

[mythbusters844]

What I really really would like is a B-29-style cockpit. Not only would it be good for planes, it would also provide an amazing view in spaceplanes, space stations, etc.

[NathanKell]

jfx, you're...actually wrong on most counts. The only thing that modded KSP lacks, of all those, is meaningful missions.

Besides, let me know when you can build planes in War Thunder or anything else (excepting X-Plane).

Examples:

[SpannerMonkey(smce)]

HI , I should really start parting those one parters I've made so many of , but in the meantime and while you wait for someone to make this mod I've sent you something new to play with( slightly off topic I know ) the new lifting body module is awesome for one parters.

This is without doubt the best flyer so far and feature packed.

PS not forgotten about spiteful, having a real mare with the gear and of all things the tail vert stab

Edited October 19, 2014 by SpannerMonkey(smce)

[MightyDarkStar]

Woah, what did I say in the OP eh?

- - - Updated - - -

jfx, you're...actually wrong on most counts. The only thing that modded KSP lacks, of all those, is meaningful missions.

Besides, let me know when you can build planes in War Thunder or anything else (excepting X-Plane).

Examples:

http://i.imgur.com/DR0mKJjl.png

http://i.imgur.com/kv9VQ8Vl.png

http://i.imgur.com/1Z8V1itl.png

Those are amazing NathanKell!

[NathanKell]

D'aww. :]

Procedural Parts and Procedural Wings and TweakScale make many, many things possible.

[MightyDarkStar]

I know, I use them to no avail tho.

[MightyDarkStar]

*bump*

I feel that since many of us would like such a mod it would be awesome if somebody, anybody, could attempt such a thing for us. :] It would be such an awesome thing to do.

[nimaroth]

Some like inventing new craft, others like reproducing existing ones ...

Even though KSP is more axed around rocket, with the actual mods, you can have a lot of fun with airplanes too ...

And most of all, being able to reproduce your favorite plane and make it fly is quite the feast !

I would also like something like this but since I'm already flooded by all the mods I have, it would probably be best if it could be procedural part (and even more if you could change / adapt the shape at will).

Like this, you could even been able to make adaptor and so ... but since I'm not that fond about modeling, I don't know where are the limit to that (still think that it is highly doable).

There is also another thing that I miss a lot, it's landing gears ... there ain't any that look like what I want (and none for WW2 aircraft ...).

Sure, I didn't try all the existing mods and I may have miss one but ... well

[MightyDarkStar]

SXT has a Spitfire engine, He-111 cockpit and engines, Stuka cockpit and engine...and a Concorde cockpit. I am reasonably satisfied