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Armor/AFV: Early Armor
WWI and other early tanks and armored cars.
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MK IV in German service question
crucial_H
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Södermanland, Sweden
Joined: January 15, 2008
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Posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 - 05:13 AM UTC
I'm looking into getting the new Takom Mk IV and would like to finish it as a tank captured by the Germans.

Since there are no color photos from that era that I know of, how wrong can I go with the hue of the camouflage colors? I've googled a bit and it seems lite the base coat spans from bluish grey to grey to green on different color profiles. What would be the least incorrect here?

Also, a stupid question here, but i have to ask. How was the tanks painted? I mean, was the paint gun invented during WW1 or should I try and just depict a hand painted camo?

I hope these questions aren't too stupid!

// Henrik
panzerbob01
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Louisiana, United States
Joined: March 06, 2010
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Posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 - 05:49 AM UTC
Henrik;

Period photos show that both planes and tanks could appear wearing "soft-edge" camo schemes. The paint spray-gun was invented well before WWI - the earliest forms were patented perhaps as early as 1880!

Spray-guns were in use by the Germans and captured Mk IV could well have been painted with such. I have seen several period pics that indicate sprayed patterns.

Google "captured British Mk IV tanks in WWI". Check out the "images" tab...

An interesting pic of a Mk IV showing clear sprayed camo shows up at:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/CapturedMkIVFemaleTankInGermanService1918.jpg

Now... as to the actual colors being used... My best suggestion is to search for the colors used by the Germans to paint camo on artillery pieces in WWI. That, and maybe some other ground equipment.

I would be thinking that you might use the colors which later appeared in the German pre-WWII "Feuersicherlich Buntfarben-anstrict" camo-scheme used by the Heer ca 1934 - 38. There are some "on the web" sources that identify German equipment colors from WWI through WWII. Check those out!

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

Bob
crucial_H
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Södermanland, Sweden
Joined: January 15, 2008
KitMaker: 150 posts
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Posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 - 06:08 AM UTC
Thank you so much! I mostly build WW2 stuff, so I'm a bit out of my comfort zone!

The artillery piece advice was really good. I'm also thinking about using the A7V replica as an inspiration when it comes to the colors.
Gotrek58
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Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Joined: January 11, 2009
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Posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 - 08:51 AM UTC
Hi Henrik, referring to the wonderful Tankograd book "Beute-Tanks"
http://www.amazon.com/Tankograd-Beute-Tanks-British-German-Service/dp/3936519242
they used railway paints at B.A.K.P.20 (Bayerischer Armee-Kraftwagen-Park 20) to camo the captured Ml. IVs. This workshop was placed in the former Societe Anonyme des Ateliers Germaine that had mainly produced rail wagons at Monceau-sur Sambre. So railcar green and railcar red-brown, and ivory and amber for interior surfaces of passenger railcars were still available!


Michael
GeraldOwens
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Florida, United States
Joined: March 30, 2006
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Posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 - 09:00 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Henrik;



I would be thinking that you might use the colors which later appeared in the German pre-WWII "Feuersicherlich Buntfarben-anstrict" camo-scheme used by the Heer ca 1934 - 38. There are some "on the web" sources that identify German equipment colors from WWI through WWII. Check those out!

Bob

Here's the online chart of German military colors and model paint equivalents (or suitable mixes).

http://www.miniatures.de/colour-ral-farben.html
crucial_H
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Södermanland, Sweden
Joined: January 15, 2008
KitMaker: 150 posts
Armorama: 147 posts
Posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 - 11:18 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Henrik, referring to the wonderful Tankograd book "Beute-Tanks"
http://www.amazon.com/Tankograd-Beute-Tanks-British-German-Service/dp/3936519242
they used railway paints at B.A.K.P.20 (Bayerischer Armee-Kraftwagen-Park 20) to camo the captured Ml. IVs. This workshop was placed in the former Societe Anonyme des Ateliers Germaine that had mainly produced rail wagons at Monceau-sur Sambre. So railcar green and railcar red-brown, and ivory and amber for interior surfaces of passenger railcars were still available!



Michael


Thanks! So this means that green would be a "safe choice" for the base colour?
// Henrik
Gotrek58
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Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Joined: January 11, 2009
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Posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 - 11:41 PM UTC
"The ivory/amber dapples weathered away first, while the colors green and red-brown designed for exterior use showed at least some longevity.
On the first tanks, all three (or four) colors seem to have been applied in small or large blotches, without one of them being used as a base color.
Since April 1918, however, green appears to have been chosen as the base color."

So I think, at first they painted or sprayed the blothes over the original british color!


Michael
crucial_H
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Södermanland, Sweden
Joined: January 15, 2008
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Posted: Tuesday, January 27, 2015 - 04:26 AM UTC

Quoted Text

"The ivory/amber dapples weathered away first, while the colors green and red-brown designed for exterior use showed at least some longevity.
On the first tanks, all three (or four) colors seem to have been applied in small or large blotches, without one of them being used as a base color.
Since April 1918, however, green appears to have been chosen as the base color."

So I think, at first they painted or sprayed the blothes over the original british color!


Michael


Thanks a bunch Michael!
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