Hi guys,

These last weeks I tried to finish some models that were just waiting for better days, the M46 Patton from Dragon was next..
So far the hull, turret are finished waiting for painting, separately are the fenders and wheels too and other details like spare tracks, tools and .50 MG.
And of course the painful task of the tracks and separate guide horns.

The tracks were all metal ,but did they rusted quickly ? what colours should I use to paint them ?

The whole tank was Olive drab or were there othe "greenish" variations ?
the colours by Dragon are a H303 Gunze for the Green and Steel for the tracks. I only have tamyia, vallejo and humbrol paints...

thanks,
john

There have been several very detailed threads about American "Olive Drab" in the past few months. I suggest you do a quick search from them on Armorama and read up. In all honesty, one of the most recent ones should tell you everything you need to know. I found it to be very thorough and included links that were well researched.

Not quite the one I had in mind, but it might help.

Olive Drab Link

Weathering in VERY general terms would be similar to any other Cold War era tank. But it would also be specific to the use of the vehicle. My personal observation is that most armor seeing active use doesn't typically appear rusty, except perhaps certain elements (i.e. exhaust). Tracks are more dirty with maybe subtle rust, but dirt and mud would quickly obscure that. Vehicles that have been in storage or parked in a motor pool for extended periods might be more prone to developing a light rust on the tracks. There are LOTS of good examples on Armorama if you spend some time searching. Its really easy too.

The standard paint at the time was similar in color to the World War Two No. 9 shade, but in a semigloss base, which "reads" a bit darker. Tamiya Olive Drab is a good match for the original color, but it should be lightened slightly for scale effect with a little German Dark Yellow. The Tamiya color could be oversprayed with a satin (semigloss) clear coat for the slight shine (though dusty vehicles would have very little shine). Rubber tires would be flat dark gray. Steel tracks could rust, but the high points will be polished by contact with the ground.

The others covered the OD pretty well. For the tracks check out the Painting Tank Treads thread that is sticked at the top of the Painting forum.

Bottom line, tracks that are used frequently will not rust much. There will be a thin coating of rust in the deep recesses, but raised areas and areas that rub on the ground or on other track parts will become polished to a dark, glossy metallic sheen.

Thanks guys !!!!

That LifeColour Olive Drab box will make my day for sure !
I viewed the link too, tons of info on OD !

Also will get some pics of M46's and try to figure out a realistic colour.

those single guide horns are killing me...the rest of the build was ok, despite the usual Dragon instructions.
I will start painting, the tools, spare tracks and .50 MG while building the tracks.

Also will try to post some photos during the process.

Thanks again for the help Olive Drab Jedi Warriors!!

Paint the tracks the colour of dried dirt and mud, then drybrush grey into the track pads and brown into the steel areas. Contact points, various metallics. The contact point between the wheels and tracks can be rubbed with graphite, so the edges of the wheels and the line across the track where the wheel runs.