Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

[C_roundy]

Please dear Sirs, I badly need better photos than the few distant / low res. pictures of the Bear in this paint scheme than I have been able to find from searching all the racer reference books I have been able to lay my hands on, and trawling the net exhaustively.
The project is a scratch built, hollow molded, 1/6th scale, 14lb, Supercharged and fuel injected, competition RC pylon racer that my partner and I are HIGHLY motivated to finish as accurately as possible!
The paint scheme we are after is the one that has the same trim pattern as the green trim color pattern on the Thomason scheme, but orange on the base white.
We have the trim scheme plotted accurately (from the Thomason green years), but are sorely lacking detail of the logos, sponser graphics, any differences in race # placement etc. that Rare bear flew in the orange years 1988 through 1991.
If anyone at all could dig up photographs of her from these years I would be extremely grateful!, we really want do the Bear crew (past, present, and future) proud on this airplane!!!

Thanks in advance hopefully! C_Roundy
P.S. even if you think your photos are'nt good enough, they might still help!

[CG51]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

Here you go.

[C_roundy]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

WOW!!!, Fantastic!, Flat Out Awesome!!! Thankyou CG51!
These really do get me alot closer! Whatever insight caused you to take these photos on a fateful ramp day last century, I am very, very grateful!
Not only do they lock down placement and sizing for the graphics on the WHOLE airplane, and actually give enough resolution to completely lock a few of the graphics, they get me so stoked that I feel waay better about tackling the difficulties of finding close-ups of enough of the rest of them to be able to successfully capture the essence of vintage BearKitty ness!

Best regards to you and yours, sincerely, Chuck Roundy

Anybody else got close shots...?, Anybody...???
Thanks in advance hopefully!

[CG51]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

Your Welcome. Clint

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

The color was not orange, It was PPG "Copperfrost" and was painted that color because Jack Debore had his Lear and Gulfstream painted that color. At the time he was paying the bills.
John

[C_roundy]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

The color was not orange, It was PPG "Copperfrost" and was painted that color because Jack Debore had his Lear and Gulfstream painted that color. At the time he was paying the bills.
John

BellCobraIV, ThankYou!!! coming from you I will take that as written in stone Sir!
Fascinating and very appropriate back story too!
We should be able to come closer to duplicating it now that we know it was Copperfrost; I have had a rude awakening to the fact that there have been alot of E.P.A. driven chemistry changes in the PPG paints in recent years!

To tell you the truth though, we are stuck in an even harder spot trying to get good enough res. pics of a few of the main logos on the plane to be able to recreate them.
For instance, we need at least a slightly tighter shot than we have been able to find of the Flag/Warbird/Eagle graphic behind the canopy, the green graphic above #77 on the vert. tail, and the text on the can-O-pee side rails.

John, you Sir, may be the best possible hope on the planet to steer us in the right direction.
Any additional help at all beyond what you have already given would be hugely appreciated!
Sincerely, Chuck Roundy

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

BellCobraIV, ThankYou!!! coming from you I will take that as written in stone Sir!
Fascinating and very appropriate back story too!
We should be able to come closer to duplicating it now that we know it was Copperfrost; I have had a rude awakening to the fact that there have been alot of E.P.A. driven chemistry changes in the PPG paints in recent years!

To tell you the truth though, we are stuck in an even harder spot trying to get good enough res. pics of a few of the main logos on the plane to be able to recreate them.
For instance, we need at least a slightly tighter shot than we have been able to find of the Flag/Warbird/Eagle graphic behind the canopy, the green graphic above #77 on the vert. tail, and the text on the can-O-pee side rails.

John, you Sir, may be the best possible hope on the planet to steer us in the right direction.
Any additional help at all beyond what you have already given would be hugely appreciated!
Sincerely, Chuck Roundy

To tell you the truth, The best the airplane ever looked in that color, was at the 3KM record attempt in 1989. The paint was similar at Reno that year. My favorite paint job was the gold with white spinner. The best source for detail pictures would be Neal Nurmi or Bucky Dawson. Neal was our official team photographer and took lots of great detail pictures. I'd contact him directly for what you need.
John

[Big_Jim]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

To tell you the truth, The best the airplane ever looked in that color, was at the 3KM record attempt in 1989. The paint was similar at Reno that year. My favorite paint job was the gold with white spinner. The best source for detail pictures would be Neal Nurmi or Bucky Dawson. Neal was our official team photographer and took lots of great detail pictures. I'd contact him directly for what you need.
John

BellCobraIV, you must be smoking some of that good payote from the reservation where your old man set the speed record. Something left over from the Shaman who blessed the run, perhaps?

Everyone knows that purple is/was/will always be the only real color for the Bear.

[C_roundy]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

To tell you the truth, The best the airplane ever looked in that color, was at the 3KM record attempt in 1989. The paint was similar at Reno that year. My favorite paint job was the gold with white spinner. The best source for detail pictures would be Neal Nurmi or Bucky Dawson. Neal was our official team photographer and took lots of great detail pictures. I'd contact him directly for what you need.
John

John, Neal's name has been cropping up, now, thanks to you I know he was the Official Photographer and I will contact Bucky D. as well! . The "Copperfrost" yrs. 1988-1991 certainly were Not crappy ones for team Bear; Qualifying speed records, and Championship speed records all 4 yrs. (except 1989 when Bear set the 528.3mph world record that still stands after 21 yrs) but still won the gold even though she and the team must have been a bit tired!!!

The first Bear out of this set of molds was done in the green "Thomason" scheme and she was drop dead gorgeous til' the day she got mid-aired. This second Copperfrost Bear will be even more accurate and Beautiful, (the cowling profile, and especially the gear doors for instance).
I promise at some point we will get to the gold/white scheme and make sure you get to see it fly!

Thankyou VERY much once again!, Chuck Roundy

[C_roundy]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

BellCobraIV, you must be smoking some of that good payote from the reservation where your old man set the speed record. Something left over from the Shaman who blessed the run, perhaps?

Everyone knows that purple is/was/will always be the only real color for the Bear.

Hmm... (best Forrest Gump rendition) Ahmm n'ot a sm'art mahin,... b'ut ee'ut sawnds lahk yew knaoow somthee'in 'baowt tha'ut payote Mr.

Ironically, the new purple scheme might best be attempted after a peyote session, in the desert, on a reservation, with a Shaman's blessings

Seriously Big_Jim, it may be a long time before we attempt that one, as soul stunning as it is, it will be extremely time consuming to generate it accurately. (hopefully someday!)

[wingman]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

Sorry Chuck -- been busy with other stuff for a while and haven't been here much...

Here are a couple of shots taken after the Gold in 1988, and a shot from 1990. I have some more detailed stuff, when I can get at it.

Neal

[C_roundy]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

[QUOTE=wingman;78060]Sorry Chuck -- been busy with other stuff for a while and haven't been here much...

Here are a couple of shots taken after the Gold in 1988, and a shot from 1990. I have some more detailed stuff, when I can get at it.

Neal

QUOTE]

Dear Neal, I can barely even begin to thank you enough Sir. These first 3 pics from you are the sharpest we've seen yet, and start to get us really close to being able to shoot paint.
Only a few graphics left to nail, (whats in the eagles talons,... Neighborhood suites???, the Joe Camel is unique,... some of the smaller text is still a mystery... etc.)

Thankyou Sir!!!
Sincerely, Chuck Roundy

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

[QUOTE=C_roundy;78065]

Sorry Chuck -- been busy with other stuff for a while and haven't been here much...

Here are a couple of shots taken after the Gold in 1988, and a shot from 1990. I have some more detailed stuff, when I can get at it.

Neal

QUOTE]

Dear Neal, I can barely even begin to thank you enough Sir. These first 3 pics from you are the sharpest we've seen yet, and start to get us really close to being able to shoot paint.
Only a few graphics left to nail, (whats in the eagles talons,... Neighborhood suites???, the Joe Camel is unique,... some of the smaller text is still a mystery... etc.)

Thankyou Sir!!!
Sincerely, Chuck Roundy

Chuck,
I'd chose one of the years without Joe Camel, Lyle was willing to give up the prize money bonus that year and not carry the Camel artwork. as he didn't like the product, but put it on so that the crew could share the bonus. But he never liked the Joe Camel.

[C_roundy]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

John I read you loud and clear, consider it done. Now that you've explained that to me: and as putting That graphic on my airplane will not earn the Bear crew bonuses, I suddenly have ZERO interest in having it on mine!
P.S. I really love hearing the background stories of what really went on, and what it was really like for the team back then. After all the work we've put in the model, the stories make it even more special for me to see her transform into period livery!

Best Regards to You and Yours!!!
Chuck Roundy

[Big_Jim]

Re: Need detail photos of Rare Bear 1988 thru 1991 orange & white paint scheme

[QUOTE=BellCobraIV;78073]

Chuck,
I'd chose one of the years without Joe Camel, Lyle was willing to give up the prize money bonus that year and not carry the Camel artwork. as he didn't like the product, but put it on so that the crew could share the bonus. But he never liked the Joe Camel.

Even though I don't smoke, the Air Camel Warbirds sponsorship never bothered me. In fact, for once it was nice to see some corporate bucks infused into air racing--however minute it may have been.

Somewhere in the archives I've got two of the big stickers tucked away...along with the patch, a hat, shirt, pin, etc.