Be careful if you want to use Model Master paints... Different production batches may vary the color shade, sometimes their Medium Green is a Medium Green, sometimes it is a bit darker, very close to Dark Green.

Wow, just like the original!

Hey guys,

I am back from my vacation

First, i love russian ww II armor and want to be as right as possible what building and painting i can make, but the paint process is always plausible.
There is no real hard evidence to say, this is the REAL color .
The same counts for German dunkel gelb...

Second, i totally agree with Mike and Mauro. My first T-34 i used the valejo color Russian green, but i made the color lighter with oil paints and fading and love the result. Now i use the AK/Valejo 4bo green set and love the result.

Paul, the most impotant thing is to have fun and explore the world of painting technique. Don't be afraid you do it wrong, becouse its the end result that counts.
Everybody use a other paint or paint technique and is always debatable

Have fun and i hope you post some pics.

O, i got the same problem like you, but counterwise
I want to make a sherman, but don't know much about it...

Regards,

Remco

Hi Guys

Thanks for the help with the colour choice

My two russian Models are below, I went with Humbrol 86 with quite a bit of weathering so hope they look ok. They are probably a bit too Olive and next time I may try to do a bit of a Custom mix to get something closer to Khaki Green.

I have hidden them on the end of this post as I have not been modelling for very long so they are not as good as normally seen on the forum

Hope you like them

They are both Dragon Kits, one T34/85 and the other SU-85M but you knew that anyway.

Paul

Where they that bad

Ok I will try better next time

Who said that? Thy´re nicely finished...
Except you´ve had an issue with T34 tracks. Me too
But the questin is still there...Why do we want "accurate" color if after applying all the effects the original shade is barely visible?

Maybe this one could help.
This t-34/76 is wearing the very well conditioned original green color. The picture was taken after the recovery.
It´s a 1943 production type turret and this tank was left in 1943. The color ist pretty new..."used" color would go more to a "yellowish" tone,which is typical for green-olive mixtures. Also with a layer of dust during service the color would look more olive.

Some people use a bright green for their soviet tanks, for me its wrong.

That photo looks suspiciously like a kit... I did, however watch the retrieval of Russian armor from a river. It had the green shown above covering most of it. The rest was a more yellow-green. I believe the darker green was the base coat, left after the top coat of yellow-green was washed away. Unfortunately, I don't have the link to post.

I definitely agree with this comment, up to a point. While I don't labor over trying to perfectly match every color I use, I still help myself by at least paying attention and getting as close as I can without dwelling over accuracy. My weathering is in no way "extreme", so much of the base color (in some form) is usually fairly obvious. Therefore, as long as I satisfy myself that the color used is what I personally interpret as correct, I'm happy.
As for the models, nice job!!! I think you got very close with the Russian green. A few pointers, if I may. The satiny finish will always make color appear much more bold and sometimes that equates into a non-scale appearance. In your case, a flat finish would have "subdued" the color slightly, thus making he model appear a bit more realistic. But, if that is the effect yu strived for, who are we to judge Also, never feel compelled to add mud to tracks. Again, a much overused effect in modeling today, mud is usually quickly shed from tracks but it will also collect under fenders and on hull sides. Don' be afraid to use the technique, just be aware that sometimes restraint will give you more reaistic results.
Overall, nice work. And I think the rest of us appreciate the effort you spent asking questions, seeking answers and employng what you learned on your models. That's what this forum is all about, asking for and receiving a little help, all in an effort to improve!!!
Kirchoff

Hi Paul, as you use Humbrol and Revell colours I might add to the confusion by throwing my recipe into the mix:
50% Humbrol 150
25% Revell SM 365
25% Matt black
Doesn't have to be mixed to exactly those amounts as most things I've read point at there having been quite a bit of variation in the colour anyway, due to various factors. I'm surprised 4BO.com hasn't been mentioned so far - have a look, there are some links to the different shades that have been recorded.
Main thing is that you're happy with it!

I'm only 5 years late for this party but I just found it and the following website while researching if my custom mix is accurate.

4B0 Green

Lots of good discussion in this aging thread. FWIW, I use the light olive interpretation of 4B0.

I've painted all my Russian armor with Ammo of Mig's 4BO modulation set. I have four shades of Russian green and they all work very well!

Hey Guys ,

I am also a few years late, I dug out an old T-34 kit I put together a LONG TIME ago and the paint color I used looks really dark, I followed kit colors. I recalled an article from years ago, it reminded everyone not to get lost in all the colors charts and settle with " what looks good" which I will try with this T- 34 diorama.

Ken, if you are really concerned about the darkness try a light yellow filter across the entire model should "warm" it up a bit but as has been said, don't fret to much and have fun.

will tamiya XF-81 dark green as a suitable paint for soviet armour in late war year (1944~1945)?

Xf-67 NATO green is preferable. Xf-81 is the RAF color and is too dark and too blue. But if you like it, it's close enough because there really is no pure correct color, just approximate mixes that match a particular hue at a particular time.

I checked out my paint locket and found another green which I will add to a sand color to the witches brew. I plan on giving the hairspray tech a shot , I might as well check out some new methods

This is a 60/40 mix of Tamiya XF-73, JGSDF Dark Green with XF-4, Yellow Green. I modulated it with small amounts of XF-4.





G

That looks pretty darn close to the Akan 4BO I use, maybe slightly yellower but that could be down to how it appears on my pc screen. It certainly looks "right" to me.

I like the subtle weathering, not every Soviet tank was a filthy rust-bucket (many didn't last long enough to become this way.

Regards,
Andy

Did cold war Soviet tanks also sport 4BO? I'm particularly interested to know about the immediate post WWII period colour through to the mid-1950s... Would Vallejo Air Russian Green do the job for a T54 type 1949, for example?

Cheers

Matthew

Try Tamiya XF13 J.A. Green , darkened &/ or lightened with washes. Just a thought.

...or XF81.

Fellow 4BO-ers,
I found online a mix that works for me, I forget if it was here or elsewhere. Using Tamiya paints, mix 50/50 XF-49 (Khaki) and XF-58 (Olive-Green) It makes a nice green with ochre depth. I painted this next to some published color plates and it matched up well. For shading increase the green or add a bit of darker green and then for highlights add a touch more khaki or buff. It works for me! In the past I usually used Polly-S Pullman Green with a little tan, but since Polly-S is gone, I had to find a formula for Tamiya paint.

I hope this helps out a bit.

Stephen

Here is a sample of this paint mix on a small (1/72) T-34 built for the recent Trumpeter Campaign. A bit weathered, but you should get the idea.



Thanks,
Stephen