Prior to the German invasion, Soviet tanks were painted a light green, but later on the Soviet painted their tanks in a darker green. When (and why) was the transition?

Hey, Tom
Where did you get your info? Just curious, because I never heard of that.
Not always. Before the war many tanks were painted in different camo schemes too:
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/rkkaww2/galleries/T-50/img/T_50_pic03.JPG
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/rkkaww2/galleries/T-26/T-26_based/TU-26_TT-26/TT_26pic1.jpg
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/rkkaww2/galleries/T-28/pic/T_28pic12.jpg

As far as painting during the war there were different shades of green. It was the war of survival, and I think nobody really cared if their green matched the green from another factory.

I was going by the pictures of the models I've seen of the various tanks. Yes I know camouflage was used in certain areas but I assumed (from the model pictures I saw) that the base color was light green.

I don't know if there is a reference page somewhere of Soviet color patterns during that era.

I wouldn't use someone's models as a reference. Try to find your own color. Try to experiment. Even the "Russian Green" differs from one manufacturer to another.
Especially if you are going for historical accuracy. And be careful with decals. You have no idea, how ridiculous most of them are. Plus, if you have several Soviet/Russian AFVs painted with the same color - it look boring. Try this link. It might give you some idea.

http://www.armchairgeneral.com/rkkaww2/galleries.htm

The "standard" color for WWII-era Russian armor was 4BO green.

Personally, I've never heard of the paint being lighter before Barbarossa and darker afterwards. There was a wide variation in paint shades during the war for a number of reasons, and the color issue has been discussed a few times previously on this forum.

Here is one old thread that might be useful. And here is an article that you might find interesting...or frustrating.

HTH.

-YL

It always comes to the "right color". I will be stoned for this, but there is no such thing. As you might have read about OD as well: each vehicle will have a different hue, different shade, even if they were painted at the exact same time with the exact same paint, simply because their "history" (exposure to elements, sun, etc) differs. Add to this that different runs of the color can differ significantly (even on a can-by-can basis), that in wartime the standardization of paint is the least of the worries, and that even the thickness of the paint layer can affect the overall color, and you end up with lots of different "Russian Greens" (or German grays, dunkelgelb or whatever). Plus if the paint was applied on the field, the application, the solvent, and the conditions during the painting can also make a huge impact on the color.
Not to mention the fact that each color will look differently depending on the lightning conditions (morning, mid-day, cloudy, etc), and their surroundings (the Russian camo for the Hind is a great example: the colors can look anything between different shades of gray to green and yellow depending on where the chopper is; it's truly a great choice of camouflage.)
So to wrap it up: you have a great deal of artistic freedom, and no-one can complain that the color is not authentic. (Don't forget to "dull down" the colors, though. Too bright colors look unrealistic on a scale model. And, of course, there's the scale effect.)

Cool link!

Another question, why did the russians kept the german crosses on the captured vehicles ?
At least all pics of PIII and PIV had their crosses and regiment insignias.

The added white star is almost like the US stars, pretty confusing....
Imagine a crossroads with a german Panther with the M10 insignia meets a captured Panzer IV with a white star and german cross...who shoots who ???

I found pictures of only one regiment that kept original crosses and insignia. But I think they did it only for the time being. Have not seen anything else where crosses were kept, especially nothing with crosses and red star in the same time.
As far as painting white stars instead of red... If all they had was the white paint, why not?

Is it known what color these panthers were painted?

This particular Panthers are from the tank company under command of Grd. Lt. Sotnikov. Most of them were repainted in standart 4BO.

Thanks, and darn it. Now I have to build at least two more Panthers.

My own plans are for a KV-2 in the opening weeks of the war. Why I wanted to be sure how it would be painted, as it would be a relatively new and pristine tank.

Basically any green you like.

Are you trying to build the whole regiment? Going to a war?

As long as it's fought in 1/35 or 1/72


It's just there are so many subjects, that you want to build, you make a list, you cross out the types you have built, and boom comes an interesting paintjob, and you're back on square one.
I guess things could be worse, right?

I would go for FS 34102, which is available as a USAF cammo color in several model paint lines. Steve Zaloga favors FS 34095, which is one shade darker, but otherwise similar in hue. The article linked in the post above suggests that the paint darkened with age due to chemical reactions in the pigments.

You got the best pics Alex!!!!! Just wanted you to know they're all appreciated

And same from me as well!

I use mainly Tamiya paints, and I know they have Air Force color paints (though local hobby shops don't always stock them. Co you by any chance know the Tamiya color equivalent? Thank you.

Greg and Tom, thanks a bunch!
Glad to help!

Dang! I just might have to build Panther 513!

Neil Stokes wrote an excellent article on Missing-lynx about 4BO green. The paint got darker with age, although we are talking months and a large number of Soviet tanks didn't last that long. The basic color mix was also not precise which led to some variation right at the factory.
The FS numbers he gives are 34102, 24052, 34095. The older the tank the darker the paint. For a KV-2 I would go with a darker green.

Blue-shifted thanks to cheapo German colour film, but definitely dark



David