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Old 12-28-2010, 11:23 AM
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Rubenandres77 Rubenandres77 is offline
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Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn

Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-01-01.jpg
Ford Tri-Motor, Scale 1:33 by Peter Zorn






First of All, proper credit where it’s due


This paper model was designed by Peter A. Zorn Jr.
Originally published in 1982 as a soft-cover book, it is a detailed model of Ford’s famous aircraft.

In July 2010, Deckape started a building thread of this airplane. His report can be found here:
Ford Tri- Motor 1/33 Scale
You will surely enjoy reading his experience building this model, and viewing the construction photographs that show how beautiful this model is and how his building skills are.

Deckape’s wonderful build was finished after 133 hours of work, as he states here:
Ford Tri- Motor 1/33 Scale

Right after Deckape finished, Mr. Peter Zorn (the original designer) shared his thoughts on Deckape’s build, as well as gave some insights on his design of the Ford Trimotor.
You can read Mr- Zorn’s short but wonderful words here:
Ford Tri- Motor 1/33 Scale

Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter A. Zorn View Post
Trimotor back story - I took on the design of this kit in 1981 with a few printing conditions. First, the publisher would not spring for a four color process run so I was limited to flat colors only and in this case black and flat silver ink. This made the colored graphic treatments, interior colors, etc, in the hands of the builder. My preferred method is to use colored magic markers, but, as we have seen here there are other methods that work as well.

The kit was designed before computers so each part had to be drawn and redrawn by hand with technical pens until the various pieces went together perfectly. Granted it is a simplified kit - many things I would do in a more complex and detailed manner today - but it had to be fool proof. My feeling is that if someone tries to build one of my creations and parts don't fit, they will become frustrated and never build another. I remember the first publisher I went to, who had done a number of famous buildings, and they would not allow the pages for the detailed instructions nor the pages for the history of the aircraft, They said they didn't care if anything fit - they were only interested in selling paper.

The second publisher allowed history and instructions but limited color.

While doing the research in the upper archives of the NSAM and copying hundreds of photographs I found the photograph on the top of page ten. Island Air Lines flew daily rounds from the Sandusky, Ohio mainland to the Lake Erie Islands. The book is dedicated to Ralph Dietrick the owner and pilot. The kid in the striped shirt is me. At that time, they sold every seat on the plane including the co-pilot's. I made sure to be the first in line and always got that seat. Flights were anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes per leg and at least once per flight Ralph would lean over and shout "What's the oil pressure on number three? I would look out the window onto the large panel behind the engine, read the large oil pressure gauge and report back.

Thanks for doing such a great build. I followed it with a perverted interest and decided to remain out of the loop until it was completed. Bravo.

I have no problem with anyone who wishes to scan the pages to preserve the book. Someone can scan and make the kit available to others if you wish.

As for reissuing the book it is not something I am financially prepared to do. I am considering a redesign in a larger scale, but with a larger scale comes greater responsibility. I'll start with the engines and envision hundreds of parts each. This group seems to relish challenges and I'll hope to please.

press on -

Peter A. Zorn
After his blessing on the scanning of the book for digital preservation, billy.leliveld embarked on the Project of scanning and cleaning the original printed kit, so it could be made available to other modelers that could not get it in any other way. This soon was supported by Ron40.

Billy made available the scans on December 20th, 2010:
Ford Tri- Motor 1/33 Scale

It was a wonderful gift from Billy, with the blessing of Mr. Zorn, to all the paper modeling community.

Soo…

If there’s someone to thank, please send your appreciation to all the people mentioned above:
Deckape for his building thread, that triggered it all.
Mr. Peter Zorn, the great designer of the model for allowing the scanning and digital distribution of his book.
Billy.leliveld, for the huge work that he made scanning the original book and uploading the pages.
And also Ron40 for the continuous support to Billy’s work and for the contributions he’s made.

Also important are the people who have encouraged and supported with their words all the time, and who provided important information and tips on this model.
(I hope I didn't miss someone. If I did, please let me know).


With those credits cleared, now we can move onto….
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Old 12-28-2010, 11:26 AM
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Rubenandres77 Rubenandres77 is offline
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This re-painting of Peter Zorn’s Ford Tri-motor.



1. Why?
I read Leif Ohlsson’s considerations on printing this model to achieve different scales ( Ford Tri- Motor 1/33 Scale )
I found them a bit complicated for me (even though he explained quite clearly).
So, in a rush of laziness, I decided to re-arrange the pages to be printed in a much bigger paper size. Several pages at a time, by sending them to plotter in A1 or A0 paper size.

My mind soon drifted to other realms:
Why not better re-tracing the lines using Corel? That way the model could be drawn with very clear lines….
Why not thinking on re-painting the model with other colours, closer to my own country’s aviation history?
Why not better making an all-clean-version of it, so that several liveries could be added?

That’s why.

I soon found myself tracing over the original scans, and realised it was possible.

Why keeping it for myself?
Why not sharing this with the community?

This forum has taught me a lot in the few months I’ve been a member here. Not only about model building, but also about sharing.

That’s why.


2. How?
Even though it is one of my favourite programs, I decided to avoid Photoshop for one reason: PS is a bitmap edition software. And a new-clean re-tracing of a wonderful model as this Trimotor is needed a proper rendition that can only be achieved with a vector program. Since I don’t know how to use Adobe illustrator, I went to another program I love. Corel Draw. Vectors also mean that the pattern can be scaled to whatever you wish without loosing definition. From the original 1:33 down to 1:200 or even to 1:16, 1:8 1:4… though I really doubt someone would attempt such a behemoth.



First, I exported Billy’s PDFs to high quality JPGs. Then I imported them to Corel.


Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-02-02scra.jpg


Then, I set the image transparency to 70%, and blocked the objet. This will allow me to work on the tracing without much visual interruption, and I will avoid selecting the image by accidentally clicking on it.

Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-03-03scrb.jpg


The next step is to really start tracing. I use the bezier tool, and define the nodes.
I use a very thin line at the beginning, and try to mark on the exact middle of the original lines.

Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-04-04scrc.jpg


After I’m happy with the shape, I set the line width to “2” points:

Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-05-05scrd.jpg


Correct small deviations and add details:

Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-08-06scre.jpg

I believe that’s a rather good approximation, with the proper line width and respect for the details.

This process also helps to get rid of those small drawing-printing mistakes, like the lines that go beyond their supposed limits.
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Old 12-28-2010, 11:31 AM
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Rubenandres77 Rubenandres77 is offline
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Correction of mistakes is also possible at this stage, like a small distortion/offset in the wheels drawing:

Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-07-07scrf.jpg

In real life, this distortion is barely noticeable (no more than 1mm), but we must remember that this was originally hand-drawn, and then sent to print. It is a testament to the designer’s skills. Not many of us can say we can do that with such approximation. I can’t.

To re-create the texture of the corrugated metal I decided to create a grill of lines spaced evenly at a distance that approaches the original pattern.

I decided to avoid tracing over each single corrugated metal line. It would make the vectorizing an endless task. Instead, I chose to use the grill as close as possible. Even though it saves a lot of time, it still is a delicate and time-consuming labour. But it is a labour of love indeed.

Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-06-08scrg.jpg



To save future time, I’m preparing at the same time another version.

On the left you see the clean tracing of the original pattern. On the right there’s the pattern without the marks. This will be useful if someone is willing to build a different version of the aircraft.

Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-09-09scrh.jpg

Please ignore the “moiré” effect. It’s an unavoidable optical illusion when the image was reduced and the lines are too close. When you print the page the “gradients” of the screen are not present.



And that’s how it is going to be made.











Now…


3. Me
I’m making this in my free time. I calculate that I can vector at least 3 pages each week. Fortunately, some pieces are duplicates, and others are just the same image but “mirrored”. So it will save some time.

But it is possible that if I find a job (I’m unemployed at the moment) things can be delayed a bit. But don’t worry, I will try to make as much as possible every week.

You can rest assured that I will finish this vectorization. This is my contribution to the forum in gratitude for the things I’ve learned, and that I hope to apply in my future models.



4. You
Every feedback you can give is highly appreciated.
Your comments and suggestions are very welcome.

Please, if you notice mistakes in my working, let me know. Your support is important to make this as accurately as possible.


As Ron40 noted in the other thread, there are a lot of possibilities for liveries. I will start with the original pattern by Peter Zorn. And I plan on making at least one or two for myself with colours used in my country.

If you have suggestions for a specific livery, let me know. Depending on my time, I will try to make it. If there’s enough photos and documentation, a proper colouring can be made. All I ask is a little patience

Or....

You can use the cleaned version I'm preparing and paint it by yourself according to your preferences



5. Out there…
Out there be monsters.
You know which kind.

I know vectorizing this model is like having a brand new master. Take into account that this is a 300dpi image from a vector. The real resolution of any given page is this:

Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-10-300dpisample.jpg

My first thought is to share this only with people of this forum that we know are active participants of the community, who are serious and respectful of the designer’s hard work. I fear that making it too public would be an open door to the model being ripped and mistreated without proper recognition to Mr. Zorn.

I would like to know your opinions on this particular issue.
This will lead us to decide the best option to upload and distribute this repaint.


By the time being, here’s a reconstruction of the original cover.
You’ll notice the colours of the title circle are inverted. I chose to do this to indicate that this is not the original, but a repaint.

Re-colouring the Ford Trimotor by Peter Zorn-11-cover-comparison.jpg



See you in the next installment!
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Last edited by Rubenandres77; 12-28-2010 at 12:02 PM.
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  #4  
Old 12-28-2010, 11:45 AM
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Leif Ohlsson Leif Ohlsson is offline
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I'll be watching over you, and your graciously undertaken labour of love, with the outmost interest. May you always feel that the best wishes of a lot of us are with you throughout!

Leif
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Old 12-28-2010, 12:00 PM
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Good luck with finding work first and the project second - in that order Sir. You are doing a fantastic job on this. You have the patience of a saint and that's for sure.

I wish you all the best on both fronts.

Very well done so far

Cheers
Jim
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Old 12-28-2010, 12:01 PM
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Thank you for your efforts, and thank you to Peter for letting you make it available to us!
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Respect the Paper, RESPECT IT!
GET OFF MY LAWN!
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Old 12-28-2010, 01:19 PM
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Ron40 Ron40 is offline
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Ruben,
The start of this endeavor is fantastic. I know you will
do the Tri-Motor justice. As far as the distribution of the
model might I suggest that you upload it to Billy Leliveld
who is now providing the main download for the model due
to size restrictions placed by the download area on the
forum and ecardmodels. I'm sure he will agree to this however
he is on a holiday without internet service until Jan 2nd.
Whatever you decide I'm sure we can abide by it. Thanks
again for your efforts. Peter Zorn is also to be commended
for his contribution of this model to the forum members.
From what I understand he is working on a larger more detailed
model featuring more detailed engines and I know any
model he produces will be a favorite.....Ron
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Old 12-28-2010, 01:52 PM
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Your the man Ruben. Thank you, thank you and once again thank you!
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Old 12-28-2010, 02:02 PM
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Ruben,
You mentioned about duplicated parts. Those parts that are white
colored are the parts that require the blue coloring for the American
Airways livery which Peter was restricted for adding color by his
publisher. The RGB for the blue is R=17 , G=98 & B=165.....Ron
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Old 12-28-2010, 02:45 PM
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Rubenandres77 Rubenandres77 is offline
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Thank you very much to all of you for your kind words!!

I will do my best at this project.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron40 View Post
Ruben,
You mentioned about duplicated parts. Those parts that are white
colored are the parts that require the blue coloring for the American
Airways livery which Peter was restricted for adding color by his
publisher. The RGB for the blue is R=17 , G=98 & B=165.....Ron
Actually I was talking about small pieces like the wheels, motor parts, and things like those that repeat several times. And seats too. That will be enjoyable! Just vectorize one seat, and copy it 13 times hehehehe. That's a whole day saved :D
What really worries me is the wings, tail, and cockpit. The metal texture is a bit tedious. But I'll find a way to work it out.
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