Virtavia Neptune for FSX

[J0hn]

Does anyone have this, for FSX and if so can you tell me what you think of it?

I like the Neptune - always have (and have a model sat in my stash awaiting attention, too ) but I have read some pretty negative things about the Virtavia model. The fact that it is only 30MB is abit off-putting, too, which doesn't mean it is automatically rubbish, but does seem a bit on the light side.

I've watched the two videos I could find on YouTube, but though they look okay, there is very little VC coverage and that is what is important to me. I probably should have grabbed it in the 50% sale - and might wait for the next one, in fact.

Anyway, any opinions from owners gratefully taken into consideration

[J0hn]

Seems no-one has it, but that's okay, because I bought the Caribou and they are similar models - both FS9 ones updated to fit FSX.

In the very short time that I used FS9 (after already flying FSX for some time, I might add ) I tried a number of alphasim freeware aircraft. The models were mostly quite nice externally, but the VCs weren't. They were simply 2D panels in a 3D environment - and this is how most of the DHC-4 is, and from the few pics I've seen, the Neptune, too.

So I won't be shelling out £17 or whatever for it - but might get it if they do another sale (think it was just £7 or so in the sale from one site).

As for the Caribou externals - one of the paints is truly awful, the rest are reasonable. I'll post a quick pic or 3 later

Oh - and the STOL capability is hilarious - the pics will be the proof in the pudding

[J0hn]

Alrighty then, here are the pic's - brace yourselves!

This is the awful RAAF paint (awful for payware, I mean ):



and here is that mostly 2D and almost completely unclickable vc



Look at the join overlap:



the blurred instruments - not all, but some stand out:



Also blurred titles and text:




So, onto the flight dynamics. Here is another pic of the RAAF skin - but notice where we are...



Yes, that's right - this thing could operate from a carrier! A small one, at that. This is the starting position:



and this is where we get airborne:



The sound starts off great - but it has that terrible effect - "conical" sound, I think they call it. A lot of the PAD releases suffered the same thing. It's where you are flying along just fine, with excellent sound, then you go into a turn and it goes all pear shaped. It sounds like an aircraft is flying past you. Yuk! Never sounded like that to me in any real aircraft.

To be fair, the other paints are better - such as the UN RCAF one...



...and my other new purchase - the Sea King from the same stable - is much more of a pleasure to look at, as well as to fly



I was mystified as to why it started zooming backwards after landing gently on the Solent, though

Maybe I accidentally selected reverse?

[Airspeed]

Hi John
About those flight dynamics:
I watched a Caribou land at Avalon Airshow 15 or so years back. The way it remained airborne at extremely low airspeed, and the degree of yaw that the pilot demonstrated at that speed was almost unbelievable. STOL indeed, it was almost VL!

[511Flyer]

Hi JOhn. I've only just seen your post. I have the Virtavia Neptune, and quite like it. I purchased it because when I was on 511 Sqdn with the Hastings, we were renumbered to 36. They had previously been a Coastal Command squadron flying Neptunes, and their badge was a sea eagle carrying a torpedo in its talons.

Our Hastings were repainted in 36 markings, which meant we had this badge on the fin of a transport aircraft. Very strange, but the RAF works in mysterious ways.

I'll wheel her out and take some shots of her for you.

Dennis.

[511Flyer]

Here we go then! I departed from Wick, which had a long history as a Coastal Command station. I then headed up over Scapa flow, and the super GenX Orkneys.

The Virtavia model is a P2V-7, which is why it's in RAAF markings. The RAF a/c was designated M.R.1, derived from the USN P2V-5. 36 Sqdn were based at Topcliffe 1953-57, and were then disbanded.

The model is a little bit "light" compared to some newer payware models, but at the price, I think it's well worth having.













Thanks to Image Shack for hosting.

D.

[grumpyoldb]

Dennis, could I ask what those ground textures are that you are using, please?

[TSR2]

I'm pretty sure they are GenX Orkney and Shetland...

http://earthsimulations.com/vfr_orkneyshetlands.html

[511Flyer]

That's the one Ben! Plus, all the airfields that were remodelled by Norman Dean and a few others, including George Davison. I think they are still available as a free download from the UK2000 site.

[J0hn]

Thanks for the pic's for comparison, and your opinion, Dennis.

The exterior definitely looks a better job than the Caribou. I think I'm probably a bit more disappointed than usual because at the time of their service, these were two 'favourites' for me, in their relevant class of aircraft. In fact it was the Caribou (and then Dash-7) that made me into a big prop STOL fan. I've done some 'tours' around various short field strips in FSX (UK Farmstrips, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti etc) using such aircraft - just to see where I could fit them in and it is great fun.

I used to wait until someone would say a particular airstrip was difficult to get into in a Cessna and then go and do it in a Buffalo or the like and post some cheeky shots of it in the same thread

Anyway - I'm sure I will get the Neptune at some stage - but I will probably wait for the next sale. Just a shame it isn't a little more detailed in the VC and avionics - I would then be happy to pay more than the current price, in fact.

Thanks also for letting me know the RAF flew the Neptune - I had no idea. I will build my model as one in RAF colours if I can find decals and photo's on the 'net (my model is a P2 V-7, but that doesn't worry me as regards which variant the RAF used) - I was going to build it a Netherlands job.

Chars

PS - found lots of info and pic's - not least aon the pprune forum - how did I miss this?

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/ ... ptune.html