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Reviews
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The "Sportsmans" package
Part1
from Bill Lyons
REVIEW by Roger "Maddog" Gaylor
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Good day to ya fellow simmers. The "Maddog" here
with another review to feast your eyes upon. Today
I have some HOT news for you that you won't want
to pass up.
I'm sure anyone who hasn't been living under
a rock are familiar with Bill Lyons' wonderful
classic creations for the flightsim world. Creations
such as the Waco, the Cannibal Queen stearman,
the T50 Bobcat and even a blimp and hotair baloon
just to name a few. His last release being the
Classic DH82a Tiger Moth biplane collection.
His freeware contributions have been around for
several years now. But to obtain his ingenious
creations today it's now necessary to contribute
to his retirement fund a bit :-) But, unlike a
lot of the payware offerings today, to quote a
simmer from a recent forum message, "you get more
bang for the buck" from Bill.
Now Bill Lyons has done it again with his new
"Sportsman" package from the Golden Eagles Squadron.
This package features the beautifully crafted
classic Ryan STA/YPT16, but that's just for starters.
Along with this stunning aircraft, you get for
the first time anywhere a human snow skier to
experience the slopes of Aspen with. And also
a skater to hurry on down to the coner grocery
to pick up your favorite six-pack between commercials.
If that's not enough to wet your appetite, there's
also a fabulous 1934 Ford convert-a-top to see
the scenery from the ground view. And to explore
all the waterways Bill has included a wooden cruiser
that will blow your mind.
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The Aircraft - Ryan STA
So lets break it down some to show you
just what "Bang" you're getting. Let's start
with the plane itself. It comes in two models,
one a float version with a variety of color
schemes for each. It is a very fun aircraft
to fly as you scoot through the clouds.
It is designed with all the latest features
including reflective textures and virtual
cockpit.
Bill has been almost a pioneer in the use
of the virtual cockpit. I think he was the
first to design a VC utilizing gauges way
back in FS98. Pressing the "/" key inserts
animated pilots. The pilots have animated
scarfs blowing in the wind, a nice touch.
The plane even has animated flames coming
out of the exhaust pipes, which is sooo
cool. The beautiful antique gauges even
have a lighted glow when you're flying at
night and the cockpit is fully animated.
And of course Bill is one of the best
FD crafters there are bar none. So you'll
enjoy flying this pretty bird just as much.
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The
34 Ford is a work of art. From it's classy
lines down to the exquisite chrome capped rims.
Both doors open to show a fully textured interior
including a wooden dash and cloth seats. The stearing
wheel turns with the front wheels and the ahooga
horn blows also. What more could you want?! It has
great night lighting including exterior and dash
lights. The convertable canvas top pops off with
the strobes key and you can even see the smoke from
the exhaust while the engine is running. The Aoooha
horn can be heard by pressing the F8 key. As you're
driving along the dash with it's wooden look and
the antique gauges make you really feel like you're
back in the 1930s with the wind blowing through
your hair. A most magnificiant addition to the package.
Oh, and in case I forgot to mention it, the "/"
inserts two passengers in the Ford. |
| The Garwood
is another invaluable collection piece
which, if you owned a real one or similiar
today, it would truely be a most expensive
collector's item. It as with the Ford, has
an animated virtual interior and is even more
in depth. You will see two entrys in the aircraft
menu. Garwood and Garwood Cabin. The first
entry will put you behind the helm in the
interior while the second entry puts you into
the hull or living quarters below of the cruiser.
The helm which is animated along with the
throttle gives you a feeling of complete control.
The cabin area is fully detailed from an old
Philco radio and books on a shelf to pictures
on the wall of Bill & Lynn. There's some charts
and a lamp and you can see out the portholes.
The cabin door to the upper area will even
open when using the Shift +E key. All that's
missing is Popeye :-) The Garwood has several
features besides the unique virtual interior
one of which is the anchor. The anchor can
be retracted with the F5 Key and dropped into
the water with the F8 key. Or once you start
moving, it will retract automaticaly. If you're
inside the cabin you can even hear the anchor
chain as it is raised or lowered into the
water. Very cool. Also once the cruiser starts
moving, you'll notice the flag will appear
and flutter in the wind. As with the car and
plane, the "/" key inserts a driver and a
passenger in the rear seated at the table.
It has a full aray of individually controlled
night lighting and if you'll notice in the
Flights image, you can even see some colored
lights when choosing the "Christmas on the
Columbia River" Flight. As with the Ford,
it has lots of chrome all over from the railing
and lights, and just smells of the aristocratic
nature of this exquisite vessel. You will
have hours of enjoyment and check out the
flights that come with the package for exploring
sights that I'll bet you've never seen before. |
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