helo it me again for comments on entries
Ok, so let me preface by saying my knowledge on planes is relatively limited. My assessment will be entirely vibes-based, so take my comments with a grain of salt. I think this challenge produced a number of excellent entries and I'm no longer as confident in my potential ranking as I was.
SanSilv: Got there first. I think this is as good of a time as any to state that I rated entries not based on real aircraft, and especially not based on real aircraft already filling an AEW or similar role, higher on the design side. Given that this is based on the P-3, that was something I took into consideration. With that in mind, however, I think the paneling work on the side view especially is excellent, and the aircraft feels feature complete. The coat of arms on the radome is a nice touch. The livery is attractive and the colors used are pleasant. I do think the choice of not outlining the propeller blades in black is odd, however.
Zieg: Now I wonder where you got the idea for the black sun on the radome from... Curious... Anyways, big fan of this entry. I think the Amerikabomber into AEW aircraft is interesting and the Ju 390 is an attractive aircraft, so I can't complain. I also think the shading on this entry is much better than previous entries. I feel that some more thought could have gone into paneling, but as someone who was also using a Junkers aircraft from a similar time period as the basis for my entry, I also struggled with panel lines. Some of the canopy framing could use some black lines as it feels a little jarring without it, but it's nothing too serious.
Corp: This is the kind of innovation I like to see. It's an interesting entry for an interesting AU, and I think putting the phrase "alternate universe" to work. I really don't have much I feel I need to say that wouldn't be praise for this entry. The markings are all done very well, and having three views really puts this a cut above other entries. But was the anime girl really necessary?
(/s)
rbz88: Three views, with one of them being an internal view to show the actual equipment inside the aircraft. Really good work on this one. While it does feel a little "conventional," I think it's executed well and that's the more important part. That said, some of the lines indicating flaps on the top view feel a little harsh, I think some of the black lines could have been eliminated. And while I like the markings, I think a livery, even a simple one, could have gone a long way.
Schlemmer: The only helicopter in the bunch! Another real aircraft, and another aircraft that fits in the basically historically plausible category for me, but it's well executed nonetheless. I don't really have much to say as I don't feel like there is much to say necessarily, it's a very well done aircraft but very box standard, in my eyes. I would have really liked to see some form of creativity in a livery or details, because the skill is definitely there, but it felt like it could have had more to it.
grandprix: A small aircraft! As someone who enjoys worldbuilding within limitations, it's nice to see a small entry clearly intended as a "best solution on a price point" rather than simply a "best solution." From the credit line, do I understand correctly the base aircraft was done by BillKerman/Sapphire? I assume the modifications were primarily the radome. With that in mind, I think the shading on the radome doesn't clearly indicate a spherical shape, the hard angle in the shading suggests a more cubical shape. Given that the aircraft is also effectively a kitbash, I would have liked to see more done to make it your own, livery, details, etc.
Karle94: I'm going to be honest, I thought this was just the actual Warning Star at first. Knowing it's based on the XB-30 and not just the Constellation helps, and I think it's nice to have what is effectively another "never-were" drawn. I took hints from the Warning Star in my own entry, and I think the shape of especially the nose is very pleasant. I have no complaints about your skill level and I think the dark livery is very pretty, so much so I changed my own livery to a similar color on my almost finished WIP when I saw it. With that in mind, it also falls into the historically plausible category for me.
maser: Another one of the unique entries. At risk of sounding uninformed, this is similar to an Ace Combat plane, am I correct? Regardless, the shape is iconic, and the use of the cone as an AEW suite was a good idea. The detailed shading and attention to shape through the amount of rivets is extremely impressive. I wonder whether every rivet would be visible like depicted, but I'm not an expert on aircraft or on the style itself, so I don't consider my opinion to be authoritative. With that said, my first impressions told me that the wing is not sticking out, but is a depression into the aircraft, and I can't shake that image. I'm not entirely sure why.
Aiseus: My own entry. As is likely clear, I tried to go with something a little off the wall. Beyond the set dressing it is a fairly standard aircraft, though, so perhaps I'm hypocritical in my assessment of real aircraft as being boring. My aircraft is fundamentally a Ju 90 with a modified nose more along the lines of a Constellation. This meant I had readily available plans, which was important to me as this is my first and only three-view for an aircraft. I tried to stick very strictly to 5 tones, which I think may have been to my detriment. With that in mind, I think my entry is within the Alright(tm) category. I had trouble with the paneling, as previously mentioned, and there's definitely things I could have done better. With that said, I think that doing three views was a big step up for me and I'm proud of it. I wasn't sure how to approach the shading on the top view, so I think that could have come out better. The patch was probably the most fun part of this whole thing. Eagle eyed bucketeers probably saw I replaced the patch partway through, and I think the new one is much better, though the old one is still canon within my AU. I hope I didn't go overboard with the supernatural elements, but I had fun with it. I also, uhh, accidentally stole a name from dalamace's entry without realizing. I saw it, archived it in my brain, and then reused it later thinking it was my own idea. Just have a look when you get to his. I'm sure you'll see it.
Hood: One of my favorite entries of the bunch. It's unique, has three views, and is just really cool. I think your approach to shading the top view was definitely better than mine, where I had the light just coming from directly above the drawing, effectively from where the viewer is. There's a wealth of detail that you only see when looking in close, and despite its unique shape it come across as an aircraft that feels very real and very lived in. I really like the font used for the "42" decal. Really nothing bad to say about this one.
Maxwell John: I really wish you'd been able to finish this one. I think you had a good line going with this aircraft, despite some initial frustrations, and I think the aircraft has a nice overall shape that feels correct to me. With that in mind, I think I can't really say much more as the aircraft is distinctly not complete. Without shading and missing a multitude of details, there simply isn't a lot to critique. (Also as a tip-- the wheel, or at least what will be the wheel, of the landing gear is not circular. If you're using anything that isn't MS Paint, you can make a perfect circle by making a brush of the width that you want your circle to be, clicking once to paint a dot, then making an eraser brush 2 pixels smaller and erasing the exact center of the dot you just made. You may need to clean up some hard edges, but it's a guaranteed perfect circle every time.)
Violet Dragon: I believe this is the first challenge you've submitted to? Great first entry. I like the concept, more of a maritime patrol aircraft almost? The shapes are well translated, and I think the shading on the side view is excellent. With that said, I think some of panel lines could be toned down to make them less harsh against the aircraft, and I think some areas (particularly the engines) need some extra paneling or details more generally. It also seems like the paneling disappears into the lighter underside color? The top view I am unable to make out any shading, which I think is necessary in some form. Admittedly, I struggled to figure out how to shade a top view as well, and I commend the effort of going for more than one view on your first entry (it's something even long time members struggle with, myself included).
Kiwi Imperialist: I think this might be my favorite of your drawings yet. It's another converted bomber, but it's not a real aircraft, which adds points for me. It isn't clearly intended to be an AU copy of an existing aircraft either, as mine was, which I also like. I really adore the lines on this one and I think the camo livery and small details like riveting add a lot to it. Really fantastic work, huge fan of this one.
Kattsun: Probably my favorite entry out of the bunch. It's most definitely the most unique of the bunch while not seeming like it's intended to be a rule breaker or intention skirt the rules as some people (myself included) have tried to do in the past. A tri-engine unmanned stealth flying wing. Not what I expected going in. While I will admit I did not read all the text (I'm a busy person, I'm sorry) the commitment to completeness is commendable and this doesn't feel like an aircraft designed simply for rule of cool or to be unique. The shading is excellent and the shapes are well represented, though as a shipbucketeer I can't help but wish that some areas had more distinct "hard" lines to indicate shape, but that's definitely a personal preference. It's interesting that a side view was the only view you didn't attempt, but I can understand that decision given that shape of the aircraft, as most flying wings look like slugs from the side. Genuinely my favorite entry.
USS Dogwater: Another aircraft in the basically historically plausible bucket, but well executed. I think you advanced a lot from the early WIPs I saw on the discord, indicative that you were actively working on improving the aircraft, which is commendable. I think the wing and the engine pylons are very well done, though I wish the aircraft itself had been as detailed, with the simplistic panel lines being the main culprit. The shading on the bulge around the nose and the black line around it suggests it protrudes from the aircraft but the lack of shading on the hull below it indicates it doesn't, which I wish was more clear. From what I understand, you ran low on time (I've been there), but I think a livery or at least details would have elevated this entry significantly.
Dalamace: I stole the name of your aircraft I'm sorry I didn't mean it
(((. Anyways I love this guy. The dark upper color and white belly are a good combination, and sleek aircraft with shoulder-mounted wings is definitely a good look. I wish there was some more detailing with the panel lines, as it feels kinda empty in some places, but I think the shape is well captured by the shading. For me, it's just missing like one little thing for it to be a fantastic entry and I'm not entirely sure what. I like it a lot, but something does feel missing.
Sapphire262: Upon first glance, this one seemed boring to me, but looking at it for a while I'm realizing I couldn't be farther from the truth. Nuclear planes are very cool and details like the absolute UNIT of a radome and the wide vertical stabilizers on the tail fins make it stand out. The shading is excellent as I've come to expect from you and small details like the landing gear and the stairs being down add a lot of character. I also very much like the livery, it's very classy. Honestly, it seems pretty complete to me.
KoleonGray (missing credits, might wanna correct that): I like this one a lot, like a lot, and I'm surprised I do. I generally hate AEW planes with the radome attached to the tail, but this one manages to defeat that hatred of mine. The detailing and shading is superb, there's detail where there needs to be but it's not overdone, and the colors used are very pleasant. The top view is fantastic, like I think the best alternate view of any entry in the challenge. I do wonder how necessary some of the black line on the underside are, and if some of them could have been substituted for 45 degree angle tone lines, but that's very minor in my eyes. Really really adore this one.
Anyways that's that. Feel free to yell at me how you disagree with any of this in the comments or on the discord. Really great work over all on this one. I'm not sure where I'm going to end up in the rankings, and there isn't a clear frontrunner in my mind. Great work everyone!
Edit: why the hell did I put a question mark on the last sentence. had to fix that.
