F-35 as a Thunderbird?

[Stonewall]

Check out the attached file.

Real or photoshopped?  If it's photoshop, it's one of the finer jobs I've seen.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[SarDragon]

Tedda could knock that out in less than an hour. 

[davidsinn]

Check out the attached file.

Real or photoshopped?  If it's photoshop, it's one of the finer jobs I've seen.

It has to be a shop job simply because I can't see the AF painting a pre-production bird in those colors, but dang if that's not a convincing job.

Edit: A little google-fu shows that's is a Lockheed viral marketing thing

[Eclipse]

Viral marketing by Lockheed.















If they are shopped, they did a pretty good job.

[davidsinn]

On f-16.net one of Lockheed's marketing weenies said it was their 3D model that they modified. I do some 3D modeling at work and that's some Sierra Hotel stuff right there. :clap:

[Smithsonia]

Every picture... of every car... for every advertisement... and in every brochure... in the last 50 years has been "enhanced."

Meaning -- there are warehouses full of marvelous graphic artists that
have perfected the automobile technique and which have been employed upon this bird.

[DC]

Well, they've got to upgrade at some point, they've been flying the F-16 for 27 years now..

And hey, the -35 would be one heck of an airshow crowd pleaser, it's supposed to be twice as loud as the F-15. I can see earplugs being mandatory for anyone within a fair distance...

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/10/airforce_f35_basing_102608/

[davidsinn]

Every picture... of every car... for every advertisement... and in every brochure... in the last 50 years has been "enhanced."

Meaning -- there are warehouses full of marvelous graphic artists that
have perfected the automobile technique and which have been employed upon this bird.

It's not just the airbrushing that I'm impressed with. It's the quality of the digital model combined with the near perfection in the lighting scheme they used combined with good background imagery. We have arrived at the point where a photograph is no longer evidence that something did or did not happen.

[Fifinella]

Except... the number 5 is upside down.  That should be a huge clue.

IMHO, the F-35 might replace the F-16 as the Thunderbirds' plane, but the pilots won't have the visibility that they used to have.  Look at how the canopy sits in relation to the rest of the fuselage, as opposed to the F-16's "bubble" canopy.  The F-35 has more restricted line-of-sight.  I'd be willing to bet it doesn't have the same maneuverability either.

[Eclipse]

Except... the number 5 is upside down.  That should be a huge clue.

Yeah...um...that's the way its supposed to be for inverted flight.

In mirror formations, one Thunderbird must be inverted, and it is always Thunderbird number 5. In fact, the "5" on this aircraft is painted on upside down, and thus appears right-side-up for much of the routine). At the end of the routine, all six aircraft join in formation, forming the Delta. There is also an extra amount of humor regarding the inverted performance of Thunderbird Five: the pilots all wear tailored flight suits with their name and jet number embroidered on the left breast. The 5 is sewn inverted.

[Fifinella]

Yeah, thanks.  I just fact checked that myself.  "Disregard previous transmission".

[PHall]

And I'm sure the graphics wizards over at Boeing have done the same for the F-22A.