Martin Marauder Gold for FS9 has been released

[Milton Shupe]

So I had to paint a Navy JM-1. The changes on the textures were too simple not to. This one belobged to Utility Squadron Seven (VJ-7) at Pearl Harbor in late 1944 and early 1945.

Very interesting Mick; I had not seen these two before.

 

[Mick]

Very interesting Mick; I had not seen these two before.

Glad you like 'em!

I have a profile of a JM in the post-war utility scheme adopted in 1946, with overall dark sea blue fuselage, nacelles and cowlings, yellow wings and tail and red rudder and wing bands. I doubt its authenticity as it has a few fairly major errors in relation the the Navy's marking standards, and I don't even know if the JM was still around in 1946. I suspect that the profile is fictional, drawn for fun, like many fictional model paint jobs. Today's project is to research it further and see if it might be authentic, at least generally. That scheme is so attractive, and would look so good on a Marauder, that I might just paint it even if I can't establish authenticity. Maybe even if I establish a lack of authenticity...

Edit: It's authentic! I found a photo! It shows that the livery and markings are authentic, and confirms my my expectation that the red cowlings, ailerons and elevators shown on the profile are errors. So the JM was still around in mid-1946 and really wore the new utility squadron livery! Woo-HOO!!!

 

[Mick]

Post-WW2 JM Target Tug

OK, it's finished and uploaded!

A JM-2 of VJ-4 as it appeared in late 1946, after the new utility squadron livery had been adopted in mid-1946 and before the utility squadron designation changed from VJ to VU near the end of that year. It must have been one of the last JM's in service, as the type was quickly replaced by the Douglas JD-1 Invader. The JM-2 was based on the B-26G. Without any guns, gun positions or other combat equipment, the lightweight JM was the fastest of all Marauder variants.

And no, I didn't paint it all since my previous post! I did most of it yesterday, while I was debating whether to trust my reference drawing and pondering whether to finish the paint job while I was suspicious of its authenticity. So all I had to do today was finish a few minor items and package it up.

 

[Milton Shupe]

OK, it's finished and uploaded!

A JM-2 of VJ-4 as it appeared in late 1946, after the new utility squadron livery had been adopted in mid-1946 and before the utility squadron designation changed from VJ to VU near the end of that year. It must have been one of the last JM's in service, as the type was quickly replaced by the Douglas JD-1 Invader. The JM-2 was based on the B-26G. Without any guns, gun positions or other combat equipment, the lightweight JM was the fastest of all Marauder variants.

And no, I didn't paint it all since my previous post! I did most of it yesterday, while I was debating whether to trust my reference drawing and pondering whether to finish the paint job while I was suspicious of its authenticity. So all I had to do today was finish a few minor items and package it up.

Thank you Mick for another unique and needed aircraft variant. Did this one have a turret mounted?

 

[Mick]

Thank you Mick for another unique and needed aircraft variant. Did this one have a turret mounted?

You're very welcome!

No, none of the JM's had the turret, nor the tail gun or any other combat equipment or armor. They were by far the lightest Marauders and therefore the fastest, though I suppose pulling a target must have slowed them down some.

 

[Mick]

One last (?) "Sea Marauder"

Well, I don't like to paint camo schemes, and the U.S. Navy's mid-war 3-color camo scheme is a contender for my least favorite scheme of all time, but I painted every other JM livery I found, so I couldn't resist having "the complete set."

The photo I copied from had no accompanying information, so the plane could've belonged to any Navy utility squadron in the summer of 1943. In the ReadMe, already gone up the pipe, I wrote "... any Navy or Marine utility squadron..." It just dawned on the that the title NAVY on the tail narrows it down to that service. I guess now I can imagine how so many people kept referring to that yellow JM-1 as a Navy plane despite it having MARINES on the fin.

 

[Milton Shupe]

You're very welcome!

No, none of the JM's had the turret, nor the tail gun or any other combat equipment or armor. They were by far the lightest Marauders and therefore the fastest, though I suppose pulling a target must have slowed them down some.

Mick,

I really appreciate all the paints you have done for the A-20 and Marauder and so I have invested several hours to create a gunless version for the JM. Removing the turret and hole and filling that in was a real pain. But, I think you deserve this attached new model folder. Feel free to distribute it with your paints.

 

[PRB]

Nice! Executive VIP plane! Or "low profile" cargo carrier. Into various hiding places. Here and there. Something to out run the local authorities. Merc Air type stuff...

 

[Milton Shupe]

Nice! Executive VIP plane! Or "low profile" cargo carrier. Into various hiding places. Here and there. Something to out run the local authorities. Merc Air type stuff...

Yes, well, the flight model needs to be adjusted for that. Maybe just lower the empty weight and raise the power scalar by 10%?

Should be done properly though.

 

[Milton Shupe]

Mick,

Just tried your latest texture on the new model. Looks great!

I did replace your oleo and misc textures as they were causing issues.

 

[Hurricane91]

Mick,

I really appreciate all the paints you have done for the A-20 and Marauder and so I have invested several hours to create a gunless version for the JM. Removing the turret and hole and filling that in was a real pain. But, I think you deserve this attached new model folder. Feel free to distribute it with your paints.

Your new JM model made my day Milton. Many thanks for these fine Martins for FS9. The Martin B-26 is a beautiful design, and Mick's paints really make them shine.
Thanks again to both of you.

Best Regards,
John

 

[Milton Shupe]

Your new JM model made my day Milton. Many thanks for these fine Martins for FS9. The Martin B-26 is a beautiful design, and Mick's paints really make them shine.

Best Regards,
John

You are welcome John; happy to do this for Mick and everyone.

I am working on a flight model for this JM. Can't find specs for it, but I dropped all the obvious weights and use just the main fuel tanks. She is sitting at 26000 pounds right now.
Now to tune up the speeds; was shooting for 315 mph at 12000'. Not sure of the real specs though. If someone can find them, I will tune to the realistic ones.

 

[Hurricane91]

Mix up a few of Mick's textures on the JM model and you are pretty close to an early production B-26.

 

[Mick]

Mick,

I really appreciate all the paints you have done for the A-20 and Marauder and so I have invested several hours to create a gunless version for the JM. Removing the turret and hole and filling that in was a real pain. But, I think you deserve this attached new model folder. Feel free to distribute it with your paints.

Wow! Thank you!

I guess the first step will be to release it for those who have downloaded the JM skins but haven't been following this forum thread to grab it from your link.

That's excellent, because I've come up with a few very minor upgrades to some of my paints , too tiny to re-release the skins, and I doubt that anyone would notice them, but now I think I'll wrap them all up along with the JM model as an upgrade package.

I still have a couple more skins on my paint list, but now that I know what to watch out for, there shouldn't be any post-re;lease upgrades.

As Paul pointed out, the JM model also has other possibilities, like executive conversions. I don't know for sure, but it seems that here must have been some, especially since the Marauder was one of the first big, high performance twins to be dropped from Army inventory.

Thanks again for the effort it took to disarm the JM!

 

[Mick]

Mick,
I did replace your oleo and misc textures as they were causing issues.

What issues? I made that oleo texture to make the inner sliding part look highly reflective/shiny and included it with all my skins. I haven't actually flown the plane, but I've loaded it into the sim to make the screenshots, and for that matter, I loaded it and checked it out on the ground, up real close, to see how that oleo looked on the model. I had no trouble with it.

I haven't done anything with the Misc texture at all. The oleo strut is one of only two textures I did anything with besides the external ones included in the paint kit. Very curious! (The other one I modified is the tire tread texture, where on some of the early planes I covered over the nose wheel detail to approximate the smooth hubcap seen on the nose wheels of early Marauders.)

I could easily include another oleo texture, from your original upload, in the update pack. But the only Misc texture I have is the original.

I won't release the update kit until I hear about the oleo issue, in case I should include a replacement for it. Likewise the Misc texture, though if I need a new one of those you'll have to provide it, since I just have the one in with my skins.

 

[Milton Shupe]

What issues? I made that oleo texture to make the inner sliding part look highly reflective/shiny and included it with all my skins. I haven't actually flown the plane, but I've loaded it into the sim to make the screenshots, and for that matter, I loaded it and checked it out on the ground, up real close, to see how that oleo looked on the model. I had no trouble with it.

I haven't done anything with the Misc texture at all. The oleo strut is one of only two textures I did anything with besides the external ones included in the paint kit. Very curious! (The other one I modified is the tire tread texture, where on some of the early planes I covered over the nose wheel detail to approximate the smooth hubcap seen on the nose wheels of early Marauders.)

I could easily include another oleo texture, from your original upload, in the update pack. But the only Misc texture I have is the original.

I won't release the update kit until I hear about the oleo issue, in case I should include a replacement for it. Likewise the Misc texture, though if I need a new one of those you'll have to provide it, since I just have the one in with my skins.

Mick,

1) With the oleo change, the oleos on my system were white;

2) The misc.bmp alpha made the elevator trim wheel semi-transparent.

I am attaching both I am using with your paint and they appear properly on my system.

Hope this helps.

Milton

 

[Milton Shupe]

Wow! Thank you!

I guess the first step will be to release it for those who have downloaded the JM skins but haven't been following this forum thread to grab it from your link.

That's excellent, because I've come up with a few very minor upgrades to some of my paints , too tiny to re-release the skins, and I doubt that anyone would notice them, but now I think I'll wrap them all up along with the JM model as an upgrade package.

I still have a couple more skins on my paint list, but now that I know what to watch out for, there shouldn't be any post-re;lease upgrades.

As Paul pointed out, the JM model also has other possibilities, like executive conversions. I don't know for sure, but it seems that here must have been some, especially since the Marauder was one of the first big, high performance twins to be dropped from Army inventory.

Thanks again for the effort it took to disarm the JM!

Mick, et al,

Attached are some pics of civil B-26's and article about same.

 

[this4dave2]

Martin Marauder on the Burner

Milton and Mick


this is some information that might help with your endeavors on the JM-1 such as flight model and different skins at least i hope so.


Martin B-26 Marauder From Wikipedia




AT-23A or TB-26B—208 B-26Bs converted into target tugs and gunnery trainers designated JM-1 by the US Navy.


TB-26G—B-26G converted for crew training. Most, possibly all, were delivered to the United States Navy as the JM-2. (57 converted)


JM-1P—A small number of JM-1s were converted into photo-reconnaissance aircraft for the US Navy.


David

 

[Milton Shupe]

Thanks David,

Yes, I saw that at WIKI, and some info in various other places but none had performance specs. That's what I really need for the flight model redo.

 

[Mick]

Mick,
1) With the oleo change, the oleos on my system were white;
2) The misc.bmp alpha made the elevator trim wheel semi-transparent.
Milton

Very odd! I just checked again and on my rig the oleos look shiny silver, like I saw when I first checked, and as I intended, but they caused no issues that I could see. Very curious indeed! The original looks OK on my rig but the sliders aren't as shiny as I thought oleo sliders should be. But I might be wrong about that. Anyway, if my file can cause trouble I will certainly put the original in my update package.

The Misc texture is even odder, since I have no recollection of changing it and I can think of no reason why I would have wanted to. But mine is indeed different, and now that I've peeked inside the VC I see that it makes the trim wheel translucent. While I can't recall making a change there (and it would have only been last week!) it seems that I must have.

Anyway, I will include both textures in the update pack.