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Comparing Panzer IIIs: Dragon vs. Tamiya

Painting

Now the unit signs are partly squirted, applied partly with wet pushing and/or dry decals onto the tank. The "L" resembles a vehicle of the 11. PzDiv in the spring of 1943, the "J" one of the 2. PzDiv in the autumn of 1942. Lightening the basic colour took place with the Ausf L with oil colours mixed in ever brighter grey tones. Dragon´s tank was lightened "conventionally" with Enamel colours. The micro painting was undertaken in between the individual ageing processes, in order to represent different fresh damage. Some paint scratches were done at the very end.

Besides applying the filter layers, the ageing processes were also obtained by means of light airbrush-layers of a grey-brown colour and several pigments, which were laid on with and also without solvents. Before these work however several brands of oil colours (black, burnt sienna, raw umbra, white, ochre and Prussian blue) should be up-dabbed and dispersed immediately with a wet brush.

Thus one obtains a lively basic colour with shades of dust and dirt stains. At the drive assembly one can out-rave oneself thoroughly! For damp dust or wet earth at the bottom hull I inserted brownish pigments into linseed oil and up-dabbed this mixture with a brush. Also oil marks at the engine covers developed in such a way only with black pigments. After painting the details, like tools, exhaust stains and damage, the lower part of the hull was sprayed with the airbrush in brown tones. Exhaust soot at the muffler and gun smoke around the machinegun muzzle are represented with black pigments.