Sovietwarplanes

Hi,
here is an interesting image sent by Oleg Korytov:

(http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/colorized/pinup11gviappvo.jpg)

The pinup painted on the side of the plane is particularly interesting, and after his suggestion I've colorized the image.  The colors of the pinup herself are a guess, of course. She looks to be on the ladder of a plane with her luggage, a bunch of flowers in one hand and perhaps a glass of wine in the other one.
(http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/colorized/pinup11gviappvo-col.jpg)

Regards
Massimo

Hi Massimo.
I like your colorizing very much. If it's not too complicated, can you explain how you do it? I pulled the b/w image into PhotoShop, but couldn't see any easy, global way to add the color.

Cheers,
Pip

p.s. Nice, dark AMT-12, no?

Hi Pip,
the basic thing is to create a new layer with 'color' (instead of 'normal') as its characteristic, overposed to the base layer containing the photo. You can paint on this upper layer without alterating the base one. The multilayer file is saved with .psd extension.  Then you can flatten all layers into one, and save a .jpg version for web use.
There are other tricks too, but this is the basic method I use.

About the color: the part under the pinup looks freshly painted, while the aircraft was old in 1945. Note the light shade of the frames. I think that the plane was a La-5F, the FN should have a further triangular metal plate on the fuselage sides behind the main one, that appears painted dark grey on this plane.
Regards
Massimo

Very good.

After ungluing this photo from the album a signature was found on the opposite side:

Leningrad Front, June 1944. N.S. Kotenko.

He was a pilot from 11GvIAP? fought on La-5. scored 8+2 during 1943-1945

Hi Oleg,
a wartime pin-up, then? Very interesting. Even unique, I think.
Regards
Massimo

Hi Massimo

I think in Red Stars 4 there are photos of P-39's with pin-up artwork, though possibly left in the planes by Americans.   book not to hand so will have to check later.

Hi Massimo,
really nice colorizing. And I especially like that blue outline on the board number.

Hi Troy,
pin-up on Soviet Cobra? Could you, please, post that photo?

Regards,
   66misos


PS:
Massimo, what do you think, would it be worth to make somewhere here in this forum the section with colorized photos, to have them in one place? They are really nice, color gives another "dimension" or life to old bw photos. And maybe also other members could post their effort.

I think that's a good idea, 66misos, about the colourised photographs. Since unfortunately the Soviets didn't take colour GPW photographs, it's the closest we can come, other than German photographs of captured examples, that are often not in the best condition (the aeroplanes, not the photographs). What do you think, Massimo?

Regards,

Jason

Hi all,
I've created a subforum in general discussions' for colorized photos. If you think that the position is good, I can move there the existing topics related to colorized photos.
Regards
Massimo

The photos are in Red Stars in the Sky 4, page 62.
At the moment scanning is a difficult to do, [only scanner connected to old PC, not easy to get too] , but can do in time.   There are other photos of P-39's with quite striking art work, another has a lightning flash and small pin up, of N.I. Proshenkov on page 71.

a couple more book pics are on here, not pin ups but perhaps of interest, I can't remember if these have been posted before?
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/297/1/2

eg (http://img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/297/pics/1_38_b1_a3.jpg)

and http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/297/1/4
(http://img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/297/pics/1_44_a1.jpg)

but these you may well have seen?

Do you have any of the Red Stars books?

Hi,

Massimo, may be two subfolders could be there - Galery and Work in Progress.
Galery for only final pictures with the brief description and respective link to WIP. WIP for sometime long discussions and endless iterations (like my winter Il-2 ;-)).

Troy. thanks for pics and link. I know them. Anyhow, I would keep this Lavochkin thread only about Lavochkin. Woud you be so kind, please and post that P-39 pin-up (if you find it) to GPW/L-L Planes/Airacobra in VVS section?

Seawinder, I would add one note to Massimo's reply about colorizing. You can do all that described by Massimo in another one layer. However, if you are not sure about the result of your actions (my case) you would probably prefer do every single step (every color, shadow, light) in separate layer. Then final document can have tens of layers but you can control properties of every color individually.

Regards,
   66misos

Hi Misos,
I've made. How does it look now?
Regards
Massimo

Massimo,
it's perfect.
To save your time I will copy today my final photos to the gallery with appropriate link to discussions. I think already finished discussions (Il-2, Bf-109...) can be kept where they are. And new colorizing I will start in new WIP directory.
regards,
   66misos

EDIT: I already put 3 photos into Gallery.

Hi Misos,
I'm glad you like it. I can move easily previous discussions to the new subforum.
I think I'll publish there my old colorized images that now have their own place on the site.
I hope to see new images by you soon.
Regards
Massimo

Back to pin-up - if assume it as a female picture this is the first one that i had ever actually seen in VVS.

It is surprising - it's the first one I've seen. The VVS was rather more prudish than the RAF or the USAAF when it came to portrayals of the female form on their aircraft. Then again, I saw a GPW aeroplane with St. George slaying the dragon (a religious theme), which I thought rather odd for an aircraft of the officially atheist Soviet Union. As I read further, I read that it was the seal or emblem of the city of Moscow.

Regards,

Jason

photos of "Soviet P-39 with a pin-up" were posted at http://scalemodels.ru/modules/forum/viewtopic_t_12_start_380.html

(http://scalemodels.ru/images/2012/12/1356290539_T2eC16JEE9s2ufV-wBQymONFY60_57.jpg)

(http://scalemodels.ru/images/2012/12/1356290514_KGrHqJlFCeqOWhnBBQymslhQoQ60_57.jpg)

pin-up was identified as the famous Soviet actress Valentina Serova...

(http://www.kino-teatr.ru/acter/album/3893/182735.jpg)

V. Serova with a group of female VVS pilots:

(http://www.kino-teatr.ru/acter/album/3893/197486.jpg)

Hi Konstantin,
interesting photos indeed.
Misos, what do you think of a profile of this plane?
Regards
Massimo

Hi,
Konstantin, thanks a lot for remind this Soviet pin-up. I have that photo, but somehow I forgot it.
Massimo, I already thought about profile of this plane a time ago. But I could not find a photo showing tail with/without serial number and/or unit marking. Plus that pin-up is not visible enough.
Regards,
    66misos

Hi Misos, shouldn't part of the serial be visible on the photo, if any?
Regards
Massimo

Hi Massimo,
I decided to continue discussion about P-39 pin-up in P-39 thread at http://sovietwarplanes.com/board/index.php?topic=1714.msg15302#msg15302 (http://sovietwarplanes.com/board/index.php?topic=1714.msg15302#msg15302) as this is thread about Lavochkin.
Regards,
     66misos