Hi, I have been away from the hobby for decades and returned last year with a vengeance. Now I have at least forty mailnly armour kits around my study in various stages of completion. Some still in shrink wrap!

I recently bought the Tristar Pz1a, the interior set and the Lion Roar PE set. I can briefly say that all three products are great and probably good value. However, I am struggling with a couple of things. Firstly, the interior set's instructions are in the form of actual in progress photo's with no exploded views. And the pictures are fuzzy to boot. But I am puzzling it out.

My real question is how do I paint the interior. Do I do the walls in off white and the floor in red brown? What about things like the radio, engine and other major fittings?Also does anyone know about the internal electrical layout?

Would much appreciate your help so I don't stuff up my most expensive project to date. I will be more than happy to send photo's of the completed kit if it survives the construction process.

Zed

Hi Zed,welcome to the best site on the web Unfortunately I model aircraft, but I'm sure one of the hundreds of armour builders will be able to help :-)
Mal

I am also one of the many followers, I don't know anything but I try to suck all the knowledge I can in like a sponge - to only be rung out when I go and buy the stuff.... :-)

Welcome!! We love pics!!

I took the liberty of administrating the "HEEEEEEELP" title of this post. You'll have more success if you try to title your messages in a way that shows people what you need, rather than vague titles. I hope someone can help you soon !
Jan

My experience with interiors is limited, I'll draw on general detail experience.
As far as color goes - don't know, but I have never seen a dark floor and light walls. The floors are always dirty.
As far as painting intricate things. I would go about it in sub assemblies. I would build the basic interior and paint it the overall white (or whatever). Leave major assemblies out - ie the radio. Paint them outside and install them after the overall painting has been done. This leaves you free to detail the face of the radio and other alternate colored detail needed components. This also leaves you free to get to 360 degrees of the subassemblies getting the bottoms and nooks and cranies.
When you do finally assemble the subassemblies test fit them first. Then get an idea of contact/glue points. Before adding glue scrape off the paint on both parts to give good plastic contact for the glue.

Here are some links to references
http://www.achtungpanzer.com/panzer.htm
http://www.panzernet.com/
http://www.chez.com/mythicpanzers/Panzer_!_Le_Mythe/Panzers/PanzersHead.html

Keep asking questions.

I'm surprised about the dark floor too... shouldn't it be white, like the walls ?

Oberst is currently working on the exact same thing, you might wanna to ask him, that little bugger seems to have a lot of information, and is very detail minded (SOMETIMES TOO MUCH!!!! ) But all jokes aside, he is a good modeller, and will be happy to share information.

HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!!
Hi there Zed.
As Dave said, I am working on the panzer 1 and I have the Aber detail set and the Tristar interior set. I am also very unsure about the interior colors but I am certain that the floor is not red primer. I have added all of the drivers visors and vision ports as well as headrests and other missing detail in the Tristar kit.The radio is slightly more complex. As you have seen from reference pics, the radio rack is not included in the kit, only the radio so I decided to scratch build it. The radio housing should be black with the face a grey color. The case should be off white. As for the internal electrical layout, I know only of a few wires here and there, ie. from the radio and from the sight in the turret, as you know, the panzer 1 was not a very complicated tank. Any other wiring is not indicated in the Panzer Tracks 1-1 book. I will learn more throughout the building process and hopefully can help you more then.

Andrew

Zed,
Your general description of the interior colors sounds close to reality. I would guess that the "red brown" color that you refer to is the highly debated "red oxide primer". Most early war vehicles would have had another paint color applied over the primer. So, it will take some study of the photos to determine which color it might have been.

I do have the very nice Panzer Tracts book on the Panzer I. This book shows clear interior shots. Now of course all of the photos are black and white, so you'll have to guess on the exact colors.

If you have specific areas, (such as turret interior, driver's station ) that you need "guidance" on, let me know and I'll post some scans from the book for you.

Oh yeah,... welcome to Armorama.

Let me know how I can help.
Tim

Okay Zed, I have been searching exhaustively and this is what I have found:
The paint used for the interior of the superstructure was consistent and covered the walls as well as the floor and torsion bars. I have mixed information as to the turret interior being different, ie. the bottom of the tank being grey-green while the turret is white. Other pieces of equipment that were not immediate parts of the superstructure were painted black. Stowage boxes for the MG 13 magazines were white but the interior of them were most likely black. I am trying to make a very detailed replica of the panzer 1 and as such, am very concerned that I get the colors perfect or as close as possible. What I am saying is that I am using this sceme and I think it is pretty damn accurate

Andrew

Hi Zed,Ive been reading my Shep Paine bible he states german interiors were red oxide over sprayed white but the red should show through.The floors,herr Oberst is right onthat one. all the best

Okay let me give this a shot ...The inside of a panzer 1 was painted an Ivory biege color and it seems like the floor is the same color, the transmission was painted in a gloss black color with many fittings being different colors ie...turret rotation mechanizm is black , the plate where the transmission goes into the engine compartment is a grey green color...with parts connected to the transmission being a metalic color...Okay these are picture of repainted tanks in german Museums but looks good to me ...and if you do ever find a picture of a different color floor go with the grey green color at the beginning of the war ...even early tigers had this color on the sidewalls and floor ...If you can pick up Achtung Panzer# 7 you will find it very helpful I'm sure...worth every bit of its price...Well I hope this will help ..

Rick

Hey Rick, how's it going?
Anyway, I do question the mixing of the grey-green (on the back plate) and beige but I do agree with the other things you said. What were the vision ports painted (from the inside) as well as a hatches? I assume grey for the hatches. Was the turret also painted the Ivory color? I assume it was. I am still building and SUPER detailing but this colour issue is really bumming me out
Oh well, it will work itself out, :-)

Andrew

Thank you guys for your encouraging replies. They have given me a warm feeling inside. I hope that I can make a positive contribution to your community.

Oberst, do you think you could post some in progress shots. I promise to do the same when I have progressed to a reasonable stage. I think I will need to buy the Panzer Tracts book to make up the gaps in the instructions.

Thanks again

Sure thing Zed,
I just finished scratchbuilding the detail around the vision prots as well as the turret travel locks. This one is going to be a doozie! :-)

Andrew

http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/message?forumid=183713&messageid=1048220969

Hi Zed these are some drawings taken from Achtung Panzer # 7 hope they help ...

Rick

Gents, I found a reference on the net claiming that "for the first part of the war,...the official paint scheme for tank crew compartments mandated that the red primer be completely overpainted. There were two colours used; a yellow colour called Elfenbein (Ivory) for the upper part of the compartment, and a grey-green colour for the lower part...Elfenbein was RAL 1001, which is a light lemon yellow colour."

Any thoughts. Oberst, what are you painting the interior, and at what point are you swithching from the grey green to the lighter colour?

Zed, I had read that too and did not know what to think of it. I also would like to know where the green color stops and the ivory begins. Another problem is getting the green-grey color right.
I will see what I can come up with...

Andrew

Well, I have been reading the reference, I may do the floors the Grey-green but not the walls.
The color of grey-green is Humbrol 115 supposedly...
What does everyone else think?

Andrew

:-H

Just picked up the Militaria in detail book on the Panzer 1. This should be a great resource fo anyone trying to model the Panzer 1. Lots of interior shots. Highly recommend.

Nick

Staff_Jim, should be posting my long awaited article which will explain all for you.
Hope fully tonight or tomorrow........

HTH