Supercritical Simulations Group, also known as simply SSG, have released the first previews of their 747-8i version 2 for X-Plane, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Queen of the Skies.

In a post on Facebook, the SSG team detail what to expect for the forthcoming update:

"Happy Birthday to the Queen - Feb 9, 2019. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the real Boeing 747’s first flight, here are some sneak previews of the SSG 747-8 Version 2 external model. We at SSG are working on several fronts for this huge project, and this preview focuses on the external model. The entire aircraft is being redone."

Here's the feature list:

• New fuselage
• Added fuselage animations and details (pretty much anything that can open/move on the aircraft Is modeled).
• New cut windows instead of textures
• New stabilizers with added details
• New nacelles and engines
• Reworked landing gear
• Improved flaps

"The textures for the entire aircraft are also new to match the new model in 4K resolution and of very high quality, along with decals for certain detailed areas, right down to most of the external placards. 

We are working closely with our technical advisors to ensure all the main details are present and that we are getting them right. Similar work is being done in the cockpit, cabin, and for its systems, autoflight and FMS. It is not a mere update, this will be a whole new aircraft. 

We congratulate Boeing on the anniversary of this amazing aircraft and look forward to sharing with you more details of Version 2 as we complete development work."

You can see more on the SSG Facebook page here.