B17G " Out House Mouse", 91st BG, 323rd BS, Bassingbourn, 1944 (UPDATED 16/09/23)
42-31636 “Out House Mouse”, 323BS/91BG [OR-N] Bassingbourn, Cambridgshire, UK, 1944.
VERSION 2 – Better Spec Map, Corrected Field Mods, Corrected Codes and Corrected Markings.
UPDATED 16/09/23 - few error corrections, added steel coloured dampers to rear turret MGs, added Generic Skin
42-31636 “Out House Mouse”, 323BS/91BG [OR-N] Bassingbourn, Cambridgshire, UK, 1944.
VERSION 2 – Better Spec Map, Corrected Field Mods, Corrected Codes and Corrected Markings.
Delivered on 30/11/43 she was transferred to 323BS/91BG on 12/3/44. One of the famous high scorers of the 91st with 139 mission, Out House Mouse returned to the US on 26/5/45 and sold for scrap on 30/11/45 though this didn’t happen for nearly 20 more years. She has the distinction of being the first heavy bomber attacked by an Me163.
As Depicted
Lets be honest here. For such a famous aircraft there is precious little to go on in the interweb and I didn’t have time to go lookin elsewhere. In the end I took a single high quality image taken after her 44th mission and based the rest on a Monogram 1/48 reissue. EDIT – I found a few more reference photos later.
Wear and Tear
Where I have been able to use clear pictures of the real thing I’ve tried to match the wear and tear accordingly. Since doing the first version Ive also worked out the ED templates “painted surfaces” layers to produce more comprehensively worn Tail and Stabiliser surfaces.
Template alterations and corrections
Not a full list but this includes:
Editing the bright highlights intended for bare metal finishes present on the engine cowls, cheek turrets and saddle joints.
Editing the baked part layers to suit the painted scheme and correcting rogue shading (on the starboard lower aileron for instance)
Editing many of the general and weathering texture layers to reduce rogue elements near skin joints.
Correcting the Seam layer on the wings that is combined with a general texture treatment in the stock template. This eliminates the effect that makes the starboard wing look darker in game.
Created the missing identification lights under the fuselage using edited lighting elements from the template.
Editing some of the pant layers (black mainly) into components to better control representation.
Editing the rivet and seam layers and Normal map to both add repair patches and represent features evident on the earlier B17s this skin is based on.
WARLORD64’s JSON mod.
The skin is a compromise between what is standard and this mod. Spec maps are adjusted to tame the effect of the mod if used but not so much the aircraft appears completely flat in the standard game. Much of the chipping has been given a matte treatment in the Spec as I don’t like the in-game darkening effect in certain lights and am not convinced those areas would be so reflective in any case. So it really only affects larger, factory present, bare metal areas.
I do recommend the mod however as it does a lot more than just make metal shiny.
THANKS
To everyone for the help and advice.
Special thanks to Helles Belle for sharing his Hex code for the Olive Drab and to Warlord64 (Keefy) for years of supporting us skinners!
