not yet confirmed, Markeplace also has another backlog so expect delays after 3rd party outlet release
You lost me at GTA players. DC Designsâ products are hardly low quality and Dean is one of THE most responsive developers in flight sims, if not software development at large. He goes above and beyond with support, and is easily the gold standard for quality of life improvements IMHO. Iâm not even sure what youâre complaining about at this point. Is it the price, which I find quite reasonable for all that we get? Or the lack of virtually unnoticeable wing thickening?
To be fair, the nose shape has been pointed out faulty on one (or more?) of the models, but again I have no reason to believe that wonât be fixed - hopefully before launch with the slight delay for the sound kit. One thing that I have been concerned with is some of the livery details - most notably the Blue Angels - but Dean thoughtfully responded and Iâm good with that. For my other livery concerns, I am waiting to see the final release before making further comment.
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You wonât get through to folks like that. They say that kind of stuff, even though DC Designs products have sold in immense numbers, have high ratings and sell more with each and every product released. Even when the obvious is right before them, they will deny it.
Blue Angels livery turned out to be correct in colour, was only that one year according to the artist, 1969. Paint kit will allow for anybody to create the more widely used lighter blue scheme though.
Reâ the nose shapes, I set Blender to orthographic mode and side-view, and took screenshots of the jet, then overlaid high-quality orthographic drawings over the top to check the nose shapes Iâd built. As you can see, if theyâre out, itâs by tiny fractions. The confusion comes from images taken in MSFS where the focal length ( zoom in / out ) in drone camera was not perfectly set. The Royal Navy marking Phantoms are my models for F4E ( top ) and F4J ( bottom ) - my project in Blender just happens to have those markings on it at the time of the screenshots, theyâre obviously not E or J Phantom specific markings.
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Old boss imparted this nugget of wisdom long ago, and I find it very useful in online discourse: âYou donât have to show up to every fight youâre invited to.â
I also find that the ignore feature of these forums does wonders to feed my schadenfreude.
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Sure looks good to me! Letâs goo!! 
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Iâm ready! I love your work and will be buying this day 1.
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I certainly understand the devs position and can somewhat respect it. As mentioned though, for the money and guys like me, the expectation is a little higher. If a product delivers on those expectation great, Iâm in. There are only two things about DC designs aircraft that have kept me away from all of them, the polygonal cockpit frame, which you have to look at 99 percent of the time when flying and the middle of the road texturing compared to something like Carenado aircraft and a few others.
As far as not being able to find what I speak to, hereâs a shot that shows it where you can see it relatively well. Look near the wing anti-slip walk, just below it and youâll see the buldge in the wing. And because this isnât modelled, it appears to me the main gear wheels are too thin on this model as well. They should be slightly thicker. Couldnât be modelled that way I suspect because then they wouldnât fit in the wing when retracted.
Weâre not necessarily rivet counters, but many of us have been around these aircraft for much of our lives and know what they should look like. I donât believe for a second this is a marketing strategy more than a shortcut or an honest oversight. In either case. 35 bucks begins to demand these details for me. If others are happy with it, more power to them. They are probably more like the developer though, unaware of what to look for. Thatâs okay too.
Thanks for the image. Yes, I can see the bulge there on the wing. I can recall now what it was that made me reply to your original observation - a Hasegawa Phantom model kit I built when I was a teenager. I can see myself in my mindâs eye running my hand over the inside of the wing and feeling the slight bulge modeled there.
As stated though, itâs the sheer subtlety of such features that mean I donât worry about them. And it is indeed a deliberate marketing strategy I have used since 2018 when I released my first products for FSX and Prepar3D, long before MSFS arrived, which other devs have now begun emulating somewhat ( devs far more established than I am ) due to its obvious success. Likewise, itâs not that âthe devs are unawareâ - I have two former Phantom crews helping out, and neither of them mentioned a missing bulge either. See what I mean? Itâs simply not significant for 99% of users. I leave those details to other Phantoms that will no doubt be released in the future. My focus, on all products, is to give the user as many variants of these kinds of airplanes as possible - especially Phantoms, which appeared in so many different ways over the decades.
For pricing, I do indeed charge about $35 or so. However, customers are not getting one jet for that, theyâre often getting two, three or even four in the case of the F-15 Eagles. There are shared assets for sure to achieve this, but none the less, itâs a complete package as opposed to one, super-detailed version. Phantoms have three variants, so about $12 each - not bad in my opinion, all with custom sounds for both J-79 and RR Spey engines, multi-mode radar that works in multiplayer, full effects, highly realistic flight model mapped to actual aircraft performance charts, the whole show that I put into all my aircraft products.
They may not be right for you, but as I said, theyâre very much right for the majority, and the sales performance of these products is the proof of that, above anything I could say here.
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There is one thingâŠi have to complain about pre releaseâŠ
Are you sure the smoktrails are already fat enough�
Because they can never be fat enough for a Phantom
Lol.
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Some posts removed.
A reminder to keep this thread on track, and focussed only on discussing the F-4, not arguing over each otherâs views/opinions
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To get back to some Phantom-love⊠I"m SO waiting on tenterhooks for this one (no pressure, Dean⊠
) One of my fondest childhood memories is going to a Bicentennial-related (Iâm old) air show at the Willow Grove NAS (which has been completely obliterated and replaced with a mixed-use development, I think - RIP), where I saw a Phantom fly. It was THE loudest thing Iâd ever heard in my life, and I still think itâs the loudest aircraft engine Iâve heard. I much preferred the nice and quiet Snowbirds with their Tutors, and even the Thunderbirds (who had recently switched to the T-38, I believe, at that point).
What I donât actually remember is what team was flying the Phantom. My memory says it was a Blue Angels F-4J - I can see the markings clearly in my head â but I also very, very distinctly remember the Angels flying A-4 Skyhawks, which they had switched to a few years prior. I dunno â maybe they flew the F-4 as a bonus demonstration? (I donât think they did the JATO takeoff with the KC-130⊠but maybe they did. I was six; cut me some slack!) The Thunderbirds had switched only a couple of years prior too, so maybe they flew it? If anyone can solve this mystery for me, Iâll be eternally gratefulâŠ
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Not sure if this helps, but hereâs the aircraft list for both teams:
-
USN Blue Angels
F6F Hellcat 1946
F8F Bearcat 1946 - 1949
F9F-2 Panther 1949 - 1950
F9F-5 Panther 1951 - 1955
F9F-8 Cougar 1955 - 1957
F11F-1 Tiger 1957 - 1968
F-4J Phantom II 1969 - 1974
A-4F Skyhawk II 1974 - 1986
F/A-18 Hornet A/B 1986 - 2010
F/A-18 Hornet C/D 2010 - 2020
F/A-18 Super Hornet E/F 2020 - Present -
Blue Angels Support Aircraft
R4D Sky Train 1949 - 1955
R5C Commando 1953
R5D Skymaster 1956 - 1968
C-121 Super Constellation 1969 - 1970
C-130 Hercules 1970 - 2020
C-130J Super Hercules 2020 - Present -
USAF Thunderbirds
F-84G Thunderjet 1953 - 1954
F-84F Thunderstreak 1955
F-100 Super Sabre 1956 - 1963
F-105 Thunderchief 1964
F-100 Super Sabre 1964 - 1968
F-4E Phantom II 1969 - 1973
T-38 Talon 1974 - 1982
F-16A Fighting Falcon 1983 - 1991
F-16C Fighting Falcon 1992 - Present
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Itâs Phabulous Phantom Phriday time! Not a lot of news this week, as there appears to be a bit of a holding pattern for the sound pack to be delivered. Otherwise, itâs looking like a July release, maybe even July 4th? Thatâs my own speculation of course, but either way sheâs getting close!! 
Courtesy Dean on FB:
PHRIDAY NEWS UPDATE ( ALL IMAGES ARE WIP )
Hi folks!
A slightly mixed-bag this week for todayâs update, which is often the case when nearing the end of a project where there is much less to report than usual. The Phantoms are mostly just awaiting their custom sound packs now, which I am promised will be with us by the end of the month ready for launch with Just Flight. The Marketplace submission will be made at about the same time â as ever, how long that takes to process is down to the MS team.
âŠ
Iâll post here of course as soon as the Phantom sound packs arrive, and will be putting together a video to show them off ready for the launch, as well as sending copies to a small number of You Tube previewers so you can see them in action.
Thatâs about it for this week. Happy Friday!
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Time for another Phabulous Phantom Phriday update! The good news is Dean is down to writing the manual. The âbadâ news is the sound package is still pending delivery. It shouldnât be too much longer now! 
Courtesy Dean on FB:
PHRIDAY NEWS UPDATE ( ALL IMAGES ARE WIP )
Hi folks!
A few development shots this week of the Phantom, showing off the Computational Flight Dynamics system in de-bug mode. This part of the MSFS SDK Aircraft Editor system allows us to examine airflow across the airframe in different flight configurations. Other available windows provide a continuously updated data-stream for pitch rate, roll rate, AoA, yaw rate, thrust and drag curves, and so on.
These helpful editors allow us to refine our aircraft aerodynamic models ever closer to the performance of the real aircraft. CodenameJack creates most of this work now, and has always obtained his data from the actual NATOPS manuals of the various aircraft we create, carefully matching the data in the sim to the many and complex performance charts of the real airplanes to ensure that they are as close as possible in performance to the real deal. In the same manner, engines are matched in their performance, to ensure power is delivered in the correct way at various altitudes and airspeeds ( turbofan engine performance is dependent upon Mach and thus altitude ).
There are, however, some things that we do leave out on purpose. Few folks who are not real pilots will be aware of it, but at low airspeeds, many aircraft require the pilot to use rudder to roll the airplane, and ailerons to yaw it â the opposite of normal operations. This applies to aircraft as diverse as a little PA-28 Warrior to the Phantom to the F-16 Viper. Itâs all to do with airflow and aerodynamics, and is vital for pilots to learn â using the incorrect input when below 200 knots or so could cause the F4 Phantom to depart controlled flight and enter a spin. Likewise, the Harrier, if hovered at a certain altitude and certain power setting, would instantaneously flip onto its back, killing the pilot. Pilots are trained to avoid these traps in various aircraft, quirks that the average simmer does not know about.
So, for now, we donât include these things in our flight models â mostly because folks are not aware of them, and would thus assume such quirks to be âbugs that need fixingâ. However, as these airplanes in MSFS become ever more complex, we might start including them as we go along with updates, as they represent a further challenge to pilots, and many do seem to like them ( a lot of sim pilots seem to love the F-14A compressor stalls and resulting flat spins, for instance ).
Not much else to report this week, Phantom bug-fixing and refinements continue and the manual is almost written ( although the Interactive Checklist takes care of most operational requirements in MSFS these days ). As soon as custom sound arrives, I will record a video for my You Tube channel so you can all see and hear the Phantoms properly for the first time.
Thatâs about it for this week. Happy Friday!
F-4E Phantom showing Computational Flight Dynamics airflow across the fuselage.
F-4E again, this time from the side with spoilers deployed.
Directional airflow display.
Air flow visualisation. Lift and vortex airflow over the wings can clearly be seen in this image.
F-4J with a full weapons load pulling into the vertical in full afterburner. âSpeed is lifeâ was the Phantom pilotâs motto in the Vietnam conflict, and speed meant 500 knots +. At this velocity, the Phantom could make it into the vertical without afterburner, giving the pilot the chance to engage or âbug-outâ if things didnât look promising in a dogfight.
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Itâs that time again - Phabulous Phantom Phriday update time! TLDR: should be just a week or 2 to go!
Courtesy Dean on FB:
PHRIDAY NEWS UPDATE ( ALL IMAGES ARE WIP )
Hi folks!
Iâve been working on final tasks in the Phantoms prior to their launch, which should happen within a week or two at the most. Sim Acoustics are putting the final touches to the sound today, and Iâm busy with small but significant things like engine smoke effects for the J-79 engines ( and the Speys ) which are a hard effect to get right, and other bug-hunting tasks and general polishing of the product.
One of the major things about the Phantoms that may catch some users out ( and which is also quite hard to code correctly ) is the airspeed indicator. This is a multi-display unit that registers Knots Indicated in two different ways, along with Mach, which is a dynamic part of the instrument based on pressure altitude. The same instrument was present in the real F-14A and B Tomcats, but I kept it out of those aircraft as I felt it would be hard for many users to understand, as a lot donât understand the relationship between knots indicated and Mach number. The Phantoms will have the correct unit at launch, and this will also be added to the Tomcats in their forthcoming update later this year, to further bring the F-14s up to a higher realism standard.
Iâve been working on the Phantomâs cockpit night-lighting today, which is tied to potentiometers for brightness as per most of my aircraft. A few final things to add there both in the front and rear seats, and that should be it for the cockpits.
As I mentioned last week, the Phantoms have been much delayed, for which I apologise as I know how many people are eager to get their hands on them. These are complex aircraft and becoming more so with each and every release, so they just take a lot of time to get ârightâ, and even then I suspect there will be at least a few little bugs and errors on my part when theyâre released. If so, I will be able to quickly update to correct those as weâre launching with Just Flight first, who are lightning quick with such things. That should set things up perfectly for the Marketplace launch.
Thatâs about it for this week. Happy Friday!
Dense smoke trails from the Phantomâs J-79 turbojets.
This is what they look like from outside - hard to believe it, but this is slightly toned down from the real thing. They really were that smoky!
Another view of the smoke trail. With more experimentation I might be able to cause it to expand outward and âbillowâ out a bit more like the real trails did.
Night lighting code underway.
Rio seat with night lighting - about half-way done so far.
Max-altitude flight testing - the real F4 made it to 98,000ft, just a shade higher than I managed here after a supersonic climb from 40,000ft. Pretty accurate I think
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Small Phantom Phriday update today, but a big one nonetheless⊠the sound packs are in and now itâs just final testing!
Courtesy Dean on FB:
Note: I will be away for several days next week, so there will be no Friday Update. For those waiting for news on the Phantoms, the custom sounds packs were delivered early this week so they are basically now finished and will be sent for final flight model testing by former RAF Phantom pilots and Weapons Systems Officers early next week. They will also be sent to YouTube previewers so youâll be able to see and hear them properly for the first time. The Phantoms will probably be sent for ingestion into the Marketplace some time next week.
Happy Friday!
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A teaser from the One and Only BORESIGHT
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