Remarkably no report on this Wimpy model yet ( or did i miss it ? If the Wimpy isn't British and Classic i dunno what is...
). I had my eyes on it after the first screenies were revealed but i didn't understand FCS' policy of a boxed version only. So now they have finally seen the light i just bought it and thought you guys might like a quick evaluation. In a nutshell : i love it !
Excellent modeling outside and in. In my amateur eyes, yes, that's a Wellington there, standing on the tarmac, and yes, after boarding it i am deffinately sitting in a Wellington cockpit alright. I have only seen a real Wimpy at a museum once and made an Airfix model of it way back when Verlinden was just a boy too or maybe not even was born..The model has always been very dear to me hence my soft spot for the Wimpy.
The textures are very well done too, however, as was already mentioned in an earlier thread about this model, there is indeed a funny 'wood grain' touch added to the external textures . It does a very good job of simulating that the Wimpy's skin was made out of wood, just a bummer for the texture artist that this was not case... ( and IF it was i wonder if one could still see the grain after a few coats of paint were applied )
The flightmodel seems to be quite convincing ( certainly no signs of wood grain here ) atleast it convinced me of flying a lite, mid winged, two engined bomber and not, say, a DC-3. I was a bit surprised about the rather long take-off run but that could easily be me for not setting correct trim and i was probabely waaay too heavy ( of course i did not read the flight handbook which, as i found out later, seems not to be there although there is a very good check list and ref.htm )
Last but not least the sound, very important : here's where it all becomes a bit critical alas... What is great about the Wimpy soundsuite is that it certainly does not resemble two P&W's or Cyclones at work, this just *might* resemble the sound of a pair of Pegasus engines being put to their paces but what spoils the fun to great extent is the dreaded 'phase shifting' effect ( remember Itchycoo Park by the Small Faces ? ) which can always be heared when identical wavs are being used for multiple engine models. Also transition into the various rpm's is not exactly what you could call smooth. For a 25GBP model i would've expected a better soundsuite but nontheless, together with the excellent VC ( true 3D gauges with superb needle update ) it still does the job of Wimpy pilot make believe quite well.
Overall performance is excellent ( talking FSX here.... you'll get both genuine FSX and FS9 models ) although the VC textures take a sec or two to settle down.
One model snatch i noticed so far : the fuel dump tubes run right thru the flaps when extended, where ( i believe ) the aft part should fold down with the flaps.
It would also have been nice if the VC Yoke could have been moved out of sight. It partly blocks the view on the altimeter, compass and turn coordinator. The Yoke is very well modeled though. What contraption !
Final words : after just a few circuits i'm loving my Wimpy no matter what ! :dance:
Cheers,
Jan
