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Finally, the horrible task of getting good references for the A-10's overall geometry is over. If you want some highly accurate cross sections of the A-10's nose (for modelers), you let me know. I have carefully derived them by pinning them down using multiple lines of sight.

Currently, I just need to see a fanblade. Because it's shape is the result of over 2000 years of trial and error in designing windmills, props turbofans and anything related, I cannot image its shape is very simple.

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

I think I haven't gotten the basic idea of 3D modelling, the model is getting worse rather than better the more precise I try to be. My model looks more like a piece of booger than an A-10. (Anyone joking about the looks of the A-10 plz can it, my model REALLY looks like a piece of booger, due to software errors)

I'm going to try feature based modeling this time. That is, determine simple approximations of all important featues of a surface, than model those regardless of their exact geometry yet perfectly smooth. I think only Fairchild Republic knows how they pressed the partucular shapes into the fuselage plates.

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

Link to the latest try?

Ehm I deleted it. But because I needed some distraction I modelled a piece of green booger.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51243738/

The recent troubles really aren't your or the Warthog's fault. Any modern car has the same kind of difficulties in its platework and lack of actual blueprints yet those get modeled by the hundreds by 3D artists. To the keen eye they actually are full of errors, but the art is mkaing them inconspicuous. This even goes for multi million $ studios.

That fact that I can point out errors in the fuselage of the most highly rated A-10 models and 3-views is in fact a disturbing sign that something is wrong with my method.

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

I've stopped nitpicking and finalized the nose. I stuffed in the gun for good measure to show how its proportions have changed. If you look at the previous image of the gun you see it was further below the tip of the nose and not protruding far enough forward. The effect is the same as seen in a human jawline: less aggressive appearance. By putting the gun in place and making the nose more accurate, the appearance of the wole has become more aggressive looking I noticed. I spent such an amount of time on this because I see the nose, front window and gun as the face of the Warthog. Image:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/512 ... ort%3Atime

I've dug up an old 3D environment too and put my tank in it, this one is just for show.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51257409/

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

My focus is on the cockpit now. I have sufficient photos to model the canopy. I'm only wondering if I should see a thick edge when I reveal the edge of the metal part of the hinged section containing the cockpit canopy and the edge of the fuselage bordering on the hinging section.

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

Huh? I don't understand. The page I referenced earlier, http://s96920072.onlinehome.us/walk-jet.htm, should help you plenty. I can't explain how it looks and I don't understand your question.

I initially thought the A-10 walkarounds were useless for my purposes, but I find myself using the (totally disalligned and perspective distorted) close-ups much more often to indirectly figure out shapes. Thanks for reminding me I had forgotten about the place too soon. The intersection of the cockpit form with the fuselage and the shape of the metal window frame and then close ups of the canopy here and there appear to be sufficient information. The canopy is taking shape now, expect it'll be done in 3 days if I take my time with the insane perfection. (Including the rivets, I'm planning a small experimental drawing trick to get them done by 'painting' 3D objects with other miniscule 3D objects)

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

Finally, the cockpit canopy's shape has been endlessly polished into shape and is done. There are no details on it whatsoever (like windowframes, rivets etc), but that's always the fun and easy part anyway.

http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs13/i/2007/ ... kildor.jpg

**link 2 removed** I think my A-10 doorart is an offence to all people flying it. I'm not posting it here, ever. I'll ask a friend to draw a unique piece for my digital hog.

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

Looks good

Window frames added. Did I say it was the fun and easy part? I take that back!

I have 2 questions.

In WIP 6.2: Are the bug eyes facing the right way? (I noticed thay are not alligned with the surface but facing forward/downward a little)

In WIP 6.4: For some reason, the back end of the rear window looks a bit wonky to me. There is no picture that will tell me what the shape of the windowframe is near the end of the cockpit canopy. What I see here is consistent with the side view, but inconsistent with the tiny bit of top view I have. Can you take a picture of this piece of the cockpit?

WIP 6.2:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51615988/

WIP 6.3:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51616694/
for looks

WIP 6.4:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51616451/

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

6.2 - looks right.

6.3 - the aft end of the canopy looks like it is squished too far foward.

6.3 - I'll get a pic for you.

@WIP6-3: It does look a bit squached, which brings up a subtle issue.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51655391/

This is a cross-section of the canopy and fuselage down the centter of the A-10 at the aft part of the canopy. The blue line represents canopy glass, the grey line fuselage. The top line is my own guess, the bottom line the result of your suggestion, which made me think the canopy maybe strictly single-curved rather than double curved.

The double-curve in the side cross-section of the canopy is also responsible for the double-curved window frame observed in WIP6-4.

In the meantime, my attention goes to the tailboom, it was never visible in other drawings becuse I was hiding the fact that it was messed up. I gotta fix this since in movies rear views of attacking aircraft are common. I just obtained a detail shot of it from the A-10 AWA site.

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

Neither of those look right. I'll get a pic, its too hard to explain.

I have finished most of the fuselage, the tailboom should be in order now. I've added coarse horizontal and vertical tail fins, and horizontal tail flaps.

WIP 7.1: I've added a sketch of a name tag on the vertical tail fin, but I have no idea if there are any regulations for custom art on USAF planes. I'm thinking about things like allowed placement, size and visiblity. Once I know what my limitations are I can make a definitive vesion for later placement on the final model.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51694709/

WIP 7.2: I just found out I have no idea how the horizontal tail flaps merge into the fin. Is the trailing edge of the horizontal tail fin open? Or is there a gap between flap and fin and is the hinge point outside of the fin? The predicted tail fin problems are finally here. If you want to take pictures of the tailfins/tailflaps up close I'm moving on to the engine case and pylons and will leave the fins for now.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51694818/

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The project has been running for a month, this is the first model based on a real life object I ever made, so I hope I can work faster as more details are added to the A-10. There's still a whole movie to be made, yikes! Humans are too hard to animate. I need to learn how to use a bluescreen, get a motorsport helmet, old uniform and get some cheesy acting performance out of my friends.

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

Small question: When I look into the engine from the rear past the small muzzle in the center (jet engine exhaust?) in the middle, am I just going to see the back of the (compressor?) fanblades or a lot of complicated stuff?

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

The thing sticking out the back of the nacelle is the engine tailpipe. The space between them is where 85% of the air that goes into the motor goes, actually creating thrust. You can see the fan blade from there. In the tailpipe all you see is the LPT blades. All the \"complicated\" stuff is enclosed by the shrouds.

ROFL, jackb I think you may get a questions or two from your responce.... LPT....shrouds....

Crap, I didn't even notice that. And I was tryign to keep my response as simple as I could. At least I didn't mention the coke-bottle mount, right?

Mayham and dispair! Just a moment while I clear this madness, I hope nobody read it.

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

See what below?

A short version: I basically found out that the engine is 1) not symmetric 2) not all cross sections are circular. The process leading up to that discovery was extremely messy. The engine appears to be bulging inward a bit in the central part, and the cross sections have some bulges in it. I think it would be wise, concidering my personaly sanity, to not try and work out the non-circular profiles.

I do know what I need now: A vertical measurement of some part of the A-10 that is longer than 1 metre at least. That way I can at last determine the quality of my side view, the photo may be streched.

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

A track to perfectly fit the progress of this project: \"Schreeuw het uit! - Brainpower\", which is dutch for \"Scream as loud as ya can!\"

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

The base form of the nacelle itself has been hammered out. I have taken into account as many pictures as possible to get the asymmetric non-cylindrical shape right.

WIP 8.1:

Is the edge of the intake too sharp/blunt? Do the fanblades look right?

link: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51920692/

WIP 8.2:

Top view of the nacelle's form. Every curve and fold should be in order to within 2 inches. I'll do some microtweaks before attaching them to the pylons.

link: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51920821/

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Guns don't kill people, -I- do! - Dwarven Rifleman, Warcraft III

The nacelles look good. Fan blades look very good, I even counted 28- you get a cookie. The inlet lip looks a touch to blunt, but barely. The blades look like they are set a little bit too far back in your model.