Hi there, first just want to say thanks for all the work skin artists have put into this game.
I lurked around the old site from time-to-time, finally registered just the other day only to find it all changed a few hours later! Anyway, registered again and here I am.

Been playing IL-2 since 2002 (still got my disc, but unfortunately the box is now missing), but had somewhat drifted away over the past few years.
I've been playing flight sims since Psion's 'Flight Simulation' on the ZX81, but I can certainly say without hesitation that IL-2 is king of them all (just my humble opinion, although I do have fond memories of Sierra's original 'Red Baron').

The appearance of DBW, along with the updated navigational realism in the 4.10 patches have re-invigorated me, and now I can enjoy a truly fine blend of flight sim and combat sim. Being able to create a tranquil free-flight in a biplane trainer around the wonderful Slovakia map, populated with other trainers and civilian Ju-52's, is something that just can't really be equaled in other combat flight sims. Again, the work of the talented skinners increase the immersion factor considerably.

I've 'dabbled' in skins and the FMB in the past, but I look forward to one day producing something worthy of sharing, and even possibly the 'Holy Grail' of a completely new aircraft template from scratch.

Wish you all the best with the new site!

HxJ

Welcome to the new site Hex. Firstly let me apologise for the inconvenience of having to re register, we just thought it would be more suitable to have everything on the same site with no duplications etc...

If you have any questions about skinning, We'll be happy to answer them

Welcome, Hex! It's amazing how much staying power IL2 has shown over the years. Mods have had a lot to do with that, but even unmodded IL2 looks and flies great.

Like Rock said, f you have any skinning questions, don't hesitate to ask. It's not really as difficult as it seems, even making templates. It does have this habit of taking all of your free time, however!

I agree that Il2 is still the king and have always loved the balance between hardcore and playability on this sim. I like the idea of the trainer in Slovakia, gets my mission builder antenna twitching...

Welcome aboard Hex, as said above skinning does become addictive.