So, a friend of mine from SAS is fixing the window arrangements of B-25s and the B is looking so great that I decided to make new Doolittle Raid skins (The old ones had the wrong shade of OD and no longer fit). For that, I decided to draw fake exhausts to portray the B's bulky ones (Like Jarink did with the C ones):


Mine:


Mine looks terrible, I know. That is why I am asking for help with them. Any volunteers?

So I managed to find an actual schematic of the left exhaust stack. It was given by North American Aviation to a museum for instructions on replacing the Clayton S stacks of their original B-25D for the ones used on the B-25B. Can anyone help me add this puppy to a template?

Also this picture, that should be helpful:

Hi Maty, I'd suggest going about it this way:

1. Take the pic into Photoshop, create a path around the exhaust by using the pen tool and use that path to create a selection (at the bottom the Paths palette is a button which says 'Load path as a selection' when you mouse over it).

2. Now with that selection go Ctrl C to copy then Ctrl V to paste, it'll paste a copy of that selection into the same document as a new layer.

3. On that new layer use the Free Transform tool (Ctrl T) to drag the bottom left corner of the exhaust to the left a little as it looks a tad distorted. If you haven't used the Free Transform tool you may need to play around with it to learn how it works; what Ctrl, Alt and Shift do when using that tool etc.

4. I don't know what colour it should be, but for example if it's a kind of burnt copper colour I'd suggest finding a free image online of metal that's a similar colour (there're free texture sites you can use). Copy'n'paste said pic into your exhaust document on a layer above the exhaust then set that layer to Multiply (from a drop down menu in the Layers palette).

5. You'll need to mask the metal texture layer so it only effects the exhaust. With the metal layer highlighted, Ctrl left click the thumbnail of the exhaust layer (the one you used Free Transform on, this will create a selection the shape of the exhaust), then click on the 'Add layer mask' button at the bottom the Layers palette. This will mask the metal layer with the size/shape of the exhaust.

6. With only the exhaust and metal texture layers turned on/visible, merge these two together - Ctrl Shift E.

7. Drag the merged layer into your B-25 template. Position and resize as necessary.

How's this? Sorry, I made it in War Thunder first because then to transfer to Il-2 all I have to do is downsize it. And because the WT skin already has a burnt copper texture for the fuel vents at the back of the engine.

So sorry for my late reply mate. Yes, that's the idea

Sorry for the long lack of updates, I haven't quite been able to get the B-25B into 4.13. Did get the B-25A though. Took the opportunity to also add some fake windows and stuff. Thoughts?

Looking good mate. Faking windows is quite difficult I find and is one of those things that is subject to personal taste. Having said that I think the small ports just aft of the cockpit are good, however the those on the rear dorsal area and the sides of the fuselage tail section look a bit flat... I'm inclined to suggest making them darker/black but with the highlights narrower and brighter if that makes sense.

Uhm, the forward ones are real.

Doh! Lol, that'd explain it Still, they're an example of what I mean when I suggest using narrower but more intense highlights over a black background.