Shana Carpool's F/A-18 C and D Hornets Explained

THIS IS A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE BOEING F/A-18 C / D HORNET BY SHANA AIRCRAFT IN REFERENCE TO DETAILS AND FEATURES RELATED TO THE CUSTOMIZATION OF BOTH AIRCRAFT TYPES - USE THIS INFO AS A GUIDE TO UNDERSTAND THE PAINT KIT COMPONENTS AND HOW THEY WORK.

UPDATES WILL REFLECT CHANGES TO THE CURRENT VERSIONS AND WILL BE POSTED AS NEEDED! 

LAST UPDATE APRIL 24, 2018

USN Boeing test XF/A-18C and XF/A-18D Hornet. CLICK HERE TO SEE!

Just as the new Hornet was released we were made aware that unfortunately it was not enough to name the paint kits correctly - some people would still use a model C paint kit on the F/A-18D and the model D paint kit on the F/A-18C. In some cases minor differences would be not so obvious but in most liveries the problems would be very serious. Then you would have people complaining about the paint kits, about the aircraft and who knows what else. So we decided to release a version 1.2 immediately with independent paint boxes for the two aircraft.

Following that update an issue concerning the application of textures along the canopy and dorsal areas came up and was dealt with immediately, along with the addition of the rudders command (a feature used since January in the Blue Angels Hornets) and a few other structural improvements, which prompted a v1.3 release. This will not affect the paint systems, which will still work as in v1.2.

As in real life, the single seat and the two seat are more different than they seem at first glance, the main concern being the area behind the pilot - closed on the C and extended to the copilot seat on the D. The ECM fairings and the dorsal antennas are also positioned slightly differently on each version, not to mention the canopy itself that has a different build. This creates differences on the structure of the aircraft that have direct consequences on how the liveries are created and applied to each.

Again, these are two DIFFERENT aircraft in a fat pack, do not treat them as the same!

What you get to play with:

VERSION v1.3 UPDATE

The F/A-18C and F/A-18D have separate paint systems, meaning they have transmitters and receivers on different channels. A model C paint kit will not work on a model D aircraft and a model D paint kit will not work on a model C aircraft. This prevents accidental placement of the wrong livery on each frame.

With the !SC : F/A-18C and F/A-18D Hornet - Box  v. 1.3 you get a gift third party ready to apply C model paint kit made by me and an original paint kit for each model. Refer to the instructions in the F/A-18C Hornet VFA-25 v1.2 Paint kit (Eight Shades of Blue) on how to use it. Click here to see the model.

Original paint kits:

Paint Kit Box : F/A-18C  v. 1.3
Paint Kit Box : F/A-18D  v. 1.3

Each paint kit has these elements:

Paint Kit Box : F/A-18C  v. 1.3

1 - Default textures F/A-18
Set of Shana Carpool generic textures (developer tool) - needs unpacking
2 - Templates layers F/A-18
Set of templates from Shana Carpool (developer tool) - needs unpacking
01 - Paint kit - instructions
Note card with Shana Carpool instructions on how to use the paint kit
02 - UUID of Local Textures
Note card on how to use textures stored in your computer in world without uploading them (developer tool)
Paint F/A-18  names + logos
Note card you can change to create your own paints for the C model using it with the respective "name + logos" drop box
Paint F/A-18  textures
Note card you can change to create your own paints for the C model using it with the respective "textures" drop box
Paint helper - F/A-18C  v. 1.3
A texture applier for testing different textures during development (developer tool)
Paint Kit - Drop Box ( F/A-18C  v. 1.2 ) textures
Note card driven drop box for the C model that will work as a paint box when loaded with the respective "Paint F/A-18  textures" note card with the UUIDs of each texture to apply to the aircraft
(works with v1.3)
Paint Kit - Drop Box ( F/A-18C  v. 1.2) names + logos
Note card driven drop box for the C model that will work as a paint box when loaded with the respective "Paint F/A-18  name + logos" note card with the UUIDs of pilot name to apply to the aircraft (see notes below on how to use it)
(works with v1.3) 
Third-party Paint Box  - F/A-18C  v. 1.2
Elements needed to build your own paint box you may sell or give away with textures made by you and also useful for keeping and applying personal liveries you create in a fast and durable way to your C model Hornet - (needs unpacking)
(works with v1.3) 

Paint Kit Box : F/A-18D  v. 1.3

1 - Default textures F/A-18
Set of Shana Carpool generic textures (developer tool) - needs unpacking
2 - Templates layers F/A-18
Set of templates from Shana Carpool (developer tool) - needs unpacking
01 - Paint kit - instructions
Note card with Shana Carpool instructions on how to use the paint kit
02 - UUID of Local Textures
Note card on how to use textures stored in your computer in world without uploading them (developer tool)
Paint F/A-18  names + logos
Note card you can change to create your own paints for the D model using it with the respective "name + logos" drop box
Paint F/A-18  textures
Note card you can change to create your own paints for the D model using it with the respective "textures" drop box
Paint helper - F/A-18D  v. 1.3
A texture applier for testing different textures during development (developer tool)
Paint Kit - Drop Box ( F/A-18D  v. 1.2 ) textures
Note card driven drop box that will work as a paint box when loaded with the respective "Paint F/A-18  textures" note card with the UUIDs of each texture to apply to the aircraft
(works with v1.3) 
Paint Kit - Drop Box ( F/A-18D  v. 1.2) names + logos
Note card driven drop box that will work as a paint box when loaded with the respective "Paint F/A-18  name + logos" note card with the UUIDs of pilot name to apply to the aircraft (see notes below on how to use it)
(works with v1.3) 
Third-party Paint Box  - F/A-18D  v. 1.2
Elements needed to build your own paint box you may sell or give away with textures made by you and also useful for keeping and applying personal liveries you create in a fast and durable way to your D model Hornet - (needs unpacking)
(works with v1.3) 

Key elements explained

Paint Kit - Drop Box ( F/A-18C  v. 1.2 ) textures
Paint Kit - Drop Box ( F/A-18D  v. 1.2 ) textures
These are note card driven paint boxes that only work when a livery UUID note card is loaded in its contents. After loading the UUID note card you touch the plane and choose "textures" and "paint" from the drop down blue menu on your viewer.
The UUID note card is deleted from the drop box after each application, so you need to reload it with the same or another UUID note card to use again as a paint box. This is useful for testing or just applying different liveries using the same paint box, but remember to always save the textures UUID note cards as they are deleted from the box when the painting is done.

Paint Kit - Drop Box ( F/A-18D  v. 1.2) names + logos
Paint Kit - Drop Box ( F/A-18D  v. 1.2) names + logos
Paint boxes used to apply the names and other details to the aircraft. When you buy a livery, it is the designer/maker responsibility to provide you with a Paint F/A-18  names + logos note card for it (C and D model cards are different) that has the correct extra elements besides the names. You replace the UUID of the pilot name (and co-pilot on the D model card) by your own and load the card in the drop box.

These are note card driven paint boxes that only work when a UUID note card is loaded in its contents. After loading the UUID note card you touch the plane and choose "textures" and "paint" from the drop down blue menu on your viewer.
The UUID note card is deleted from the drop box after each application, so you need to reload it with the same or another UUID note card to use again as a paint box. You can test or apply different names using the same paint box, but remember to always save the names + logos UUID note cards as they are deleted from the box when the painting is done.

Third-party Paint Box  - F/A-18C  v. 1.2
Third-party Paint Box  - F/A-18D  v. 1.2 
These are boxes containing the components needed to create your own paint box. Unlike the drop boxes, these are SCRIPT driven and will not delete the UUID script after use, so you can keep it forever and even use it to transfer the paint box to someone else.
Basic knowledge of how to use and make scripts is needed to use these elements. Although you are not required to script (all is provided for you, you just need to replace texture UUIDs) you do need to be knowledgeable enough to know what you are doing so the scripts work.

Contents:

Third-party Paint Box  - F/A-18C  v. 1.2

paint transmitter : F/A-18C  v. 1.2
The C model transmitter that will send the information on the respective UUID script to the aircraft
Third party Drop-box  manual
Shana Carpool's manual on how to use the third party paint box
uuid set for F/A-18C  v. 1.2
A note card with the script text you can use to create your own paint script using all the texture UUIDs

Third-party Paint Box  - F/A-18D  v. 1.2

paint transmitter : F/A-18D  v. 1.2
The C model transmitter that will send the information on the respective UUID script to the aircraft
Third party Drop-box  manual
Shana Carpool's manual on how to use the third party paint box
uuid set for F/A-18D  v. 1.2
A note card with the script text you can use to create your own paint script using all the texture UUIDs

Refer to the enclosed manuals for operation, but in a nutshell, you copy your texture UUIDs to the respective "uuid set for F/A-18C" or "uuid set for F/A-18D" note card, create a new script, preferably named after the livery you made, copy paste the text from the uuid set card to the new script and then place it together with the respective paint transmitter inside a prim you will use as paint box.

IAF Bat Squadron F/A-18D. Click Image to see detail.

And that about sums it up - reading the manuals is required!
If it sounds complicated it's because it is. These Hornets are amazing aircraft and complex pieces, they are not a slam-bam-done type of plane. They are extremely versatile and the combination of elements and designs are virtually endless. So if you feel you need help, don't hesitate to contact an experience designer to make your dream paint. Yours truly at EIGHT SHADES OF BLUE is one of them and I will be very happy to help you with a custom job. So give me a call in world anytime via note card.

You can also try my ready made commercial liveries from the market place store (CLICK HERE!).
Enjoy your new Hornets and blue skies.

Asra Kron
Eight Shades of Blue

ASRA KRON © EIGHT SHADES OF BLUE 2018