Here’s a piece of aviation art I completed earlier this year:
In-between family expansions (the second one less than a fortnight ago!) and non-aviation-related work, I managed to get some aviation art done. Here is the first of over a dozen of images, both 3D scenes and 2D profile art, which I created for Ian Allan’s upcoming book about Japanese x-planes in the popular Midland Publishing Secret Projects series. I was lucky enough to be commissioned the front cover illustration, which is the image shown here.
I’ve dubbed the image “Slice & Dice”. The scene is entirely speculative and shows a what-if “1946” scenario high over Japan. Having slashed their way through the ramjet-equipped P-51D Mustang escorts, a pair of Japanese Manshu Ki-98 fighters is diving on a formation of B-35 flying wing bombers. At the time of Japanese surrender in August 1945, all three aircraft were very much in prototype status and none would ever become operational. The Ki-98 was never finished and, though extensively test-flown, neither the B-35 nor the ramjet-equipped Mustang were found suitable for operational service.
Here is what the image looks like on the book cover:
More information about the book can be found here: http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/product.php?productid=67375&cat=1057&page=1
Once the book is released (planned for October this year), prints and t-shirts will become available on my new webshop (link in sig) and I will post more of the other artwork I created for the book.
Some close-up details:
The Army Type 3 gunsight (based on the Revi 12C), the big Ho-204 37mm cannon and the Ho-5 12.7mm machine gun (based on the famous Browning M2 .50cal):
And finally a size comparison profile of the Ki-98 with the P-51D Mustang. I couldn’t quite fit the B-35 in there at the same scale! 🙂
Thanks for looking!
– Ronnie
By: Skyraider3D - 24th December 2010 at 02:04
My latest work is online: the TSR2
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=105691
By: spitfireman - 27th July 2009 at 11:32
Stunning, absolutely stunning!:)
By: Wyvernfan - 27th July 2009 at 10:05
Thanks MM!
Cheers Rob! Hopefully I’ll get a chance at this one day. But unless I’m commissioned, it won’t be anytime soon as I still have quite a to-do list to catch up on! 😮
PM sent :).
By: Skyraider3D - 27th July 2009 at 00:41
Thanks MM!
Cheers Rob! Hopefully I’ll get a chance at this one day. But unless I’m commissioned, it won’t be anytime soon as I still have quite a to-do list to catch up on! 😮
By: Wyvernfan - 22nd July 2009 at 11:28
I wasn’t sure if you’d be too interested in that because the Wyvern’s on the wrong end of the MiG’s guns…! 🙂
The MiG-17 is an extremely versatile subject, with tons of colourschemes and air combat scenario available for artwork. It’s also not the most complex aircraft in the world to model in 3D, luckily.
The fact that the Wyvern is the ‘victim’ does not concern me at all… its just such a unique event that personally i think it deserves recording in the way that the actual event unfolded.. i.e two Egyptian marked MiG-17’s and the lone Suez striped 830 sqdn Wyvern S.4. Hardly a fair contest i know but it does remind me somewhat of the US Tigercat versus the Korean Po-2 combat.!
You obviously have a tremendous talent 😀 and if you do decide to have a go i can supply markings and different angle shots of the ‘vern’ if it would help.?!
Rob.
By: Merlin Madness - 22nd July 2009 at 11:06
Now thats what i call art.
By: Skyraider3D - 22nd July 2009 at 09:00
Yes, I read that story too (in Brian Cull’s excellent book about the Suez air war) and it would make a highly interesting artwork. However I wasn’t sure if you’d be too interested in that because the Wyvern’s on the wrong end of the MiG’s guns…! 🙂
The MiG-17 is an extremely versatile subject, with tons of colourschemes and air combat scenario available for artwork. It’s also not the most complex aircraft in the world to model in 3D, luckily.
By: Wyvernfan - 21st July 2009 at 07:55
[QUOTE=Skyraider3D;1437167]
Wyvernfan, thanks! You are talking about the Wyvern I assume? I’d love to do artwork of that, in action somewhere over the Egyptian desert. It’s a fantastic bird – highly interesting!
Love the quote in your signature! 😀
Ahh you know me too well :D. Yes i was referring to the thread i started regarding the ‘possible’ shoot down of a RN Wyvern by a Russian flown Egyptian MiG.17 over Suez… hence the “possibly factual” statement. I realise neither type are not everybodys cup of tea but nevertheless its an interesting, different and possibly unique scenario.;)
Rob.
By: Skyraider3D - 21st July 2009 at 01:30
Thanks for the replies! Very much appreciated!
DCK, I use 3DSMax for this, but there are many other 3D applications that can do a similar job.
J Boyle, couldn’t agree more with you, but that’s all part of the “what if”. What if the ramjet was considered, what if production&development was quicker, etc. Personally I don’t think 1946 would’ve been all that radically different than 1945. Just look around… where are those flying wing airliners 60 years later? It’s a miracle the B-2 came as far as it did.
Wyvernfan, thanks! You are talking about the Wyvern I assume? I’d love to do artwork of that, in action somewhere over the Egyptian desert. It’s a fantastic bird – highly interesting!
Love the quote in your signature! 😀
Mark V (Steve) – thanks for your PM. I tried to reply but your inbox is full! 😮
By: Wyvernfan - 20th July 2009 at 17:34
Thats some fantastic artwork of a very fictional scenario.. although i have my own (possibly factual) subject that i would like to see come to life.!
By: J Boyle - 20th July 2009 at 17:02
Great artwork…
I have two volumes of German secret projects books and enjoyed them.
Looks like this book will be on my Christmas wish list.
Was the Ram-jet P-51 seriously considered for combat use?
I always thought it was just a postwar testbed.
On the topic of post 1945 jet combat over Japan…
In real post-45 Pacific combat I would have thought the P-80 would be the USAAF jet fighter….if it had the range, and that would be a big IF.
And knowing what we know about the performance of early jet fighters, there is a real chance that USN Bearcats, Tigercats and Corsairs would have had a good chance against them.
And of course Japan faced the same difficulties as Germany…lack of trained pilots, fuel and the ability to produce the neat stuff that came off their drawing boards.
And remember, just because somthing is on a drawing board didn’t mean it would be ready as a soon as a prototype flew. Aerodynamic, engine and system bugs would have to be worked out.
Look at the trouble the U.S had with the B-29 (or the time it took to field the B-47 a few years later)…and Seattle and Wichita weren’t under daily enemy attack. So I tend to look at the claims “..if the war would have lasted another six months…” that a radical game changing plane would have saved the Axis…with a jaundiced eye.
By: DCK - 20th July 2009 at 04:15
Amazing. What kind of software do you use for this?
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July 20, 2009 at 3:57 am