Well, to give an example, take your roundels for Falangist Silesia and DROK. When seen from a distance, both are dark outer, less dark mid, bright inner, in broadly similar colours when under poor lighting conditions. If they're on the same side, that's less of an issue, but if they aren't, then there's the potential for friendly fire. Consider this by way of analogy - the British and French roundels are virtually identical under poor lighting, but when they were fighting the Germans it didn't matter as the other team used a totally different shape - the cross variations. A few posts back I posted a roundel chart for a Great War in a surviving Confederacy world, where each alliance has picked a shape - you want to be thinking along those lines, if this is around the time air forces are being established. If it isn't then you have two options for countries with similar insignia - the Dutch adopted a temporary scheme of a distinct colour and shape to differentiate themselves from their roundel-bearing neighbors during the Phony War, and Germany's allies in WW2 adopted insignia echoing the German insignia, when their peacetime insignia were quite different. Just something to think about.
Air Force roundels and markings thread
- Thread starter False Dmitri
- Start date
Well, to give an example, take your roundels for Falangist Silesia and DROK. When seen from a distance, both are dark outer, less dark mid, bright inner, in broadly similar colours when under poor lighting conditions. If they're on the same side, that's less of an issue, but if they aren't, then there's the potential for friendly fire. Consider this by way of analogy - the British and French roundels are virtually identical under poor lighting, but when they were fighting the Germans it didn't matter as the other team used a totally different shape - the cross variations. A few posts back I posted a roundel chart for a Great War in a surviving Confederacy world, where each alliance has picked a shape - you want to be thinking along those lines, if this is around the time air forces are being established. If it isn't then you have two options for countries with similar insignia - the Dutch adopted a temporary scheme of a distinct colour and shape to differentiate themselves from their roundel-bearing neighbors during the Phony War, and Germany's allies in WW2 adopted insignia echoing the German insignia, when their peacetime insignia were quite different. Just something to think about.
The cross on the FS roundel is bright golden yellow. Same with the normal, pre-authoritarian Silesian roundel. Compared with that of the DROK*, it features a distinctive, far brighter colour.
The inner circle of the DROK roundel is pale white and gives off a distinctly different appearance even at a greater distance. Besides, the aircraft camos of the two countries follow different traditions and the two of them rarely enter each others airspace (especially the DROK, which is poorer and militarily less powerful than independent Silesia). Hence why I don't think friendly fire would be that common.
(* - Amusingly, you've guessed the actual acronym I use for that country.)
The inner circle of the DROK roundel is pale white and gives off a distinctly different appearance even at a greater distance. Besides, the aircraft camos of the two countries follow different traditions and the two of them rarely enter each others airspace (especially the DROK, which is poorer and militarily less powerful than independent Silesia). Hence why I don't think friendly fire would be that common.
(* - Amusingly, you've guessed the actual acronym I use for that country.)
Roundel of the Pressburg City State (Bratislava City State) from my Sparrow Avengers universe.
Something of a different shape this time.
I think it goes well with the traditional gateway charge from the city's coat of arms and that it looks better than a circular/cocade roundel with a white outer frame would look like.
Something of a different shape this time.
I think it goes well with the traditional gateway charge from the city's coat of arms and that it looks better than a circular/cocade roundel with a white outer frame would look like.
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Roundel of the Pressburg City State (Bratislava City State) from my Sparrow Avengers universe.
Something of a different shape this time.
This I really like. Nice work
Just to cover some unfinished business :
A bigger and higher res version of my previous Košice City State roundel.
A bigger and higher res version of my previous Košice City State roundel.
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I like the idea of different shapes for each power block, and you have very sensibly used very simple designs. On the other hand, many of the colors are so similar that I would think they could be easily confused at medium and long range. It's probably no accident that all of the OTL Central powers (even Turkey) used only black and white in their insignia. Also, there's the example of red being completely eliminated from all US and British/Australian/New Zealander roundels in the Pacific War
They're for a WW1-era conflict, iirc, so I think there's a little leeway for colours being similar as the pilots can identify the plane type without too much difficulty, and the speeds are such that they can see the colours. I imagine there'd be a few changes if there were a WW2-type conflict.
Guys, I just can't decide what roundel to give to one of my fictional countries. If you can spare some time, please help me decide which of the ones I've made so far could work best as a practical air force roundel.
Here's the country's flag. I want to use the country's colours and, outside of the first roundel design, perhaps with a triangular shape in the middle of the roundel, symbolic of the country's many high and pictoresque mountain ranges.
OK, here are the following three designs I've come up with so far :
If you can spare some time, please help me decide which of the ones I've made so far could work best as a practical air force roundel.Here's the country's flag. I want to use the country's colours and, outside of the first roundel design, perhaps with a triangular shape in the middle of the roundel, symbolic of the country's many high and pictoresque mountain ranges.
OK, here are the following three designs I've come up with so far :
if you want my opinion, I think roundel 3 is the best of those, having seen the flag and read what you wrote about symbolism.
LOL, I just kitbashed the OTL Moldovan and Estonian roundels together and slightly recoloured them.
I personally lean towards design number 1, but I understand where you're coming from in terms of an original-looking design. In any case, I'm counting your vote and waiting for a few others.In the meantime, here's a preliminary version of the roundel for the Šariš Free State, another country from the same setting (in fact, a neighbour of the previously discussed countries).
The alternating argent and gules waves reference part of the country's national coat of arms, based off of the Šariš county's traditional coat of arms. These are basically an outgrowth of the typical argent and gules bars seen in many pieces of heraldry that originated in the former Kingdom of Hungary. It's just that the Šariš CoA set a tradition of depicting them as waves already a few centuries ago and it has remained like that ever since. The blue outline of the roundel obviously references the blue field of the Šariš CoA.
One little mistake I did by accident was making the uppermost gules wave a bit thicker than the rest of the waves of the same colour. I might fix it in the future, but for now, I don't find it too distracting.
The alternating argent and gules waves reference part of the country's national coat of arms, based off of the Šariš county's traditional coat of arms. These are basically an outgrowth of the typical argent and gules bars seen in many pieces of heraldry that originated in the former Kingdom of Hungary. It's just that the Šariš CoA set a tradition of depicting them as waves already a few centuries ago and it has remained like that ever since. The blue outline of the roundel obviously references the blue field of the Šariš CoA.
One little mistake I did by accident was making the uppermost gules wave a bit thicker than the rest of the waves of the same colour. I might fix it in the future, but for now, I don't find it too distracting.
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King Helü of Wu
Banned
Second Great War.
Let's make all OTL French allies on the German side, and all OTL German allies on the French side, and Second Great War an even greater stalemate.
All French-Allied Roundels are OTL post war roundels, since the allies won the war in OTL.
Kind of wonder what all world's roundels would be like if Germany wins the WWII.
Let's make all OTL French allies on the German side, and all OTL German allies on the French side, and Second Great War an even greater stalemate.
All French-Allied Roundels are OTL post war roundels, since the allies won the war in OTL.
Kind of wonder what all world's roundels would be like if Germany wins the WWII.
Very nice.
Wouldn't the Austrian roundel just be a red-white-red? What is the Dutch emblem meant to be?
King Helü of Wu
Banned
It's so many countries in the United States of Austria, it's impossible to represent all of them in one flag (and flag-derived roundel).
An universal flag should be in Hapsburg Yellow and Black, but the German Side use black mostly...
Some we are left with the Austrian colours as a universal one. Austria is the boss anyway. The the formal flag of the United States of Greater Austria is still yellow and black.
