There were indeed many variations in the appearance of Stearmans, even within the same marks - mine is modelled to bear a generalised resemblance to the aircraft type and not be too specific in terms of absolute detail, so it bears features from both vintage World War Two aircraft and also more modern examples.
I have already had a few folks mention some minor details such as windscreens and the shape of the engine crank case which I think deserve further attention, but for the most part I think that things look just fine for the target audience.
Yes I agree on that. Thatās why the strange windshield stands out even more. The rest of the aircraft is looking pretty good. But I guess I canāt complain for the price.
Itāll get updated over time most likely, just like the F-15s have been, and if lots of people make the same suggestions, Iāll follow their lead and change things as required
Who is the target audience? Iām a huge fan of 1920s and 1930s aviation and while I donāt expect 100% exact to every detail realism, I do vastly prefer my simulated aircraft to represent real life models instead of mashups of different eras and variants.
With GAS going back to FSX/P3D I was (and still am) quite looking forward to your Stearman and whilst Iāll almost certainly still buy and have a lot of fun with it It I have a feeling that I might be a tad disappointed with what it could have been.
Anyway as said, Iām still looking forward to this and canāt wait to get some barnstorming action on.
My target audience is the 70% or so that arenāt bothered by such things, the casual user. I do like detail myself, but as a business owner I have to build for the market not my ego if I want to succeed. That said, Iām getting more settled in now with the new sim, and my tools, so Iām looking to increase the detail for each and every model that I build. There are lots of fine details Iād like to add to the Stearman in the future that are not there yet ( cockpit fasteners detail, weathering, trim-tab linkages etc etc ) because theyāre not 100% required for fun, but would be nice to add. I launch when an aircraft is ready for the target market, and then listen to the feedback to refine the product to keep as large a proportion of owners happy as I can. This approach caused a bit of consternation when the F-15 Eagles launched as folks didnāt know that was the plan, but itās worked out well in the end. The Stearmans will follow the same plan, but of course are already taking advantage of what Iāve learned since the Eagles with texturing, modelling etc. Each product should be better than the last at launch, if Iām doing things right.
I think that most cowled versions are for Wasp Junior engined variants, so I didnāt have any plans for them, but again, if enough folks would like it then itās not a huge drama to add that as an option / extra model version in terms of visuals. I would not likely add the Wasp custom sounds though as it wouldnāt be viable for the product at this time.
Thanks for taking the time to explain your development decisions. Iāve not really followed development on your F-15s as modern military planes donāt really interest me much (at least for msfs) but itās good to hear you provide a lot of support and updates for it. I guess Iāll just have to lower my expectations a bit for the Stearman and enjoy it for what it is. And for the price I canāt moan too much!
Cheers.
It is true that today, looking closely at any Stearman of this type, you would see some variations in the cockpits. Especially if you were looking at a restored duster vs a bone stock original survivor.
That said there wasnāt any major difference between the various original marks other than the engines.the original airframes were built strongly enough to go from the 220hp Lycoming all the way up to the weight, power, and torque of the Wasp 450hp motor without any structural changes to the airframe at all.
I donāt entirely disagree with the other squawks if we can call them that. The windscreen framing is heavy on this model, the wing and cabane struts have no airfoil shape to them as they should,
But in general you have captured the overall look of the Stearman trainer.
I hope you will consider making some minor corrections to your model in the interest of fidelity to the original design. This airplane while relatively simple and unremarkable to the uninformed observer is THE most familiar aircraft to the legions of WWII aviation enthusiasts here in the US. And due to its popularity and availability, it is one of the few planes most people have seen close up at air shows and museums the world over.
Letās not forget that Continental and Lycoming usually derate their engines for reliability and safety. They could provide more power if properly fed and controlled.
Got it and happy. Look forward to the small bug (i.e. windshield) corrections and the odd refinement. Great sounding engine could be a little louder at startup and idle, but already produces a nice bit of vibration from my sub-woofer through the controls.
For me, seems to roll a bit too well for an early Stearman with only one set of ailerons, also seems to have a touch more elevator authority at slow speeds then you would expect as well as the typical MSFS lack of prop drag. Though I have never flown a real Stearman so what would I know
Overall though a fun little thing if you want something to just jump in and toss about.
in 2000 the computer capability wouldnāt allow them to render anything better than what you have posted aboveā¦your argument is specious at best.
Today for 20$ you can have a model like this
ā¦there is no need to defend overmuch, either the developer who takes too many shortcuts - or deride overmuch, the aviation enthusiast who points them out as I did. P O L I T E L Y.
Weāre lucky to have this capability with our current PCās - why shouldnāt we expect better?