I'm finishing up my first resin kit and I'm unsure what a good base color is for the tracks. Steel appears to be too light and I'm trying some steel mixed with black metallic. Any suggestions?

It's a FV432 and from the pics I've seen the track when under use will at least be lighter than the track pads.

I recall the spare track sections on the M113 were fairly dark but that's probably a factory coating.

Paul

I'd go for the black colour and drybrush with light rust,siler and a dust colour there is a topic in the painting section about track painting

What I do is:
- paint the all tracks with rust
- paint the pads with black or dark gray

- drybrush the metal parts with silver/chrome

- drybrush the pads with gray

- finish the metal parts with graphite powder (from a "soft" pencil) applied with a finger
- finish the whole tracks with pastels/pigment for the dust

Ciao

Much helpful Fabio , as always !!!!

That is some great paint work Fabio!
tell me do you use airbrush and what kind?
Thanks (++) (:-)

Yes ia do use an airbrush, an Aztec 470 to be more precise...
Ciao
C[ ]

Fabio - that brown rust tint you use is a snap for the manganese tracks on WWII Russian tanks, is it acrylic? I'm an acrylic sprayer at heart, looks like it's two shades of rust..?

Aitch: the one I use (unfortunately for you) is a Modelmaster Enamel named "Rust". Quite likely the two shades you notice are where the colour got during the rust painting of the inner part and the connectors of the links. Going to overpaint it with "Rubber" (always MM enamel) I was no too accurate spraying it...
In Italy are not yet available MM Acryls, but quite likely it exists too...
Ciao

Great tips and thanks for the example pics. I've always been lazy about painting tracks but I've been inspired now.

Thanks,
Paul