Miniart says to paint these guys gray, is this correct, not a big WW II guy but this just doesn't seem right??

The uniforms , the fatigues would fade to a light color almost grayish after a while . Maybe that's why they said gray .

They also state the uniform color should be "dark grey", on their "Close Combat" crew. This is incorrect. I'm not sure if they meant them to be weathered or took a shortcut and guessed(unlikely). The easiest solution is to Google US tank uniform WWII.

Been googling but it's hard to tell. I think I'll go with a faded olive drab or olive green, definitely not gray

I painted mine as per box and they looked weird even with filters
So reverted back to Vallejo U.S. tank green with a little medium flesh, much more lifelike.
HTH
Darren Melia

Best reference out there -

http://www.usarmymodels.com/guidetopainting.html

This is exactly like the old old debate over the proper color for field gray on the Wehrmacht guys. There really is no "proper" color because there can be so many variations. I know this drives some people bonkers but there it is!!

True, but grey is not correct. A faded green is a better description. I would go with either OD Green or a Medium Green, both faded accordingly.

Not sure what uniform those Mini Art guys are wearing. Typically it should be Model 1943 HBT coveralls, but the breast pocket is on the wrong side. And the color would be a faded OD/Olive Green (of course, precise colors would vary). Tankers could also occaisonally wear items of infantry clothing.

HI! Let's start with the US HBT (Herringbone Twill). The HBT tanker uniforms were issued in either a single-piece coverall, or as a two-piece jacket/trouser set, in both the US Army and USMC. The two-piece set found more favor with the USMC, as it was hot in the Pacific Theatre, and the jacket could be taken off when it became too uncomfortably hot. US Army Tankers were mostly clad in the one-piece HBT coveralls, prior to, during, and after World War II...

As to the color of HBT, the cloth itself was a weave of lighter and darker shades of a GRAY-ish GREEN, woven in the classic herringbone pattern. The actual color of US HBT is the same as some of the lighter flakes of SAGE, which you may even find in your wife's spice rack. Oregano is close, but just a tad too green... DON'T USE German FELDGRAU as a base, because it's a bit too dark. I've liked to use and mix TESTORS MODEL MASTER II ENAMELS with oils, because the range of color is infinite, if you aren't afraid of mixing mediums. I've found however, that I like better to use different colors of weathering powders and/or ground Artist's Pastel Chalks to create the various subtle nuances of color that one finds in clothing. I use a pallette when I paint my figures- it's much easier to create and mix different colors, especially when I'm mixing the powders into my mix. The key here is ADD ONLY MINUTE AMOUNTS of the chalks into the mix- You DON'T WANT TO CREATE MUD. A lttle bit too thick? Just dip your brush into some clean thinners, and you can thin your mix into any consistency that you want. By adding the weathering powders or ground-up powders into the mix, you not only change the hue of your paint, but you'll also remove any un-realistic "glossiness" of paints that you definitely don't want to wind up with when painting clothing. If I like a particular color on my pallette and I don't want to change the color at all, I'll add a tiny amount of WHITE powder or chalk powder, if I want an absolutely "DEAD FLAT" color once it's dry. I've even gotten great results by using this little trick with airbrushed finishes. Careful, though- You don't want to add too much powder into your mix, and you want to add the finest grain of powder possible. Otherwise, you may clog-up your airbrush. Years ago, TAMIYA and TESTORS both suggested adding tiny amounts of talcum powder into the paint if you wanted to turn a glossy paint into a flat one. With the advent of flat clears, this practice has generally gone out of use, but I still do it, and it still works just fine...

Sometimes, I use LIFECOLOR Paints, but BE CAREFUL, because some of their colors JUST AREN'T ACCURATE, when compared to actual uniform cloth materials. I know, because I'm also an original-uniform collector, so I have access to the actual, original colors of WWII uniforms. I have original, WWII-issue US, German, British, Soviet and Japanese uniforms in my collection, so those are my first sources. I also have US original WWII Web Equipment and Leggings, along with every single item required to complete both combat and dress uniforms, concentrating mostly on Officer's Uniforms of the USAAF, US ARMY, US NAVY, and USMC. I have complete US Combat uniforms of the Army and Marines, as well as several General Officers uniforms of the HEER, LUFTWAFFE, and SS. The KRIEGSMARINE-stuff is EXTREMELY HARD (and EXPENSIVE!!!) to find. I "used-to-be" a re-enactor, but since I've become disabled, I don't reenact anymore. Walking long distances has become a problem. OK, enough! Back to our original subject-

I don't buy into the "Scale-Effect" school of color, because I think it's a lot of hooey. Once you start your various weathering processes, all that "Scale-Effect" nonsense goes out the window, anyway...

For US-issue HBT, I like to start with MODEL MASTER II RAF INTERIOR GREEN as a base color. This color is a perfect start for US HBT... I create my "shadow-effects with a suitable shade of mixed Weathering Powders, which I brush into the recesses of the clothing, using a 00 or 000 red sable brush. I then seal this with TESTORS 1960 LUSTERLESS FLAT Spray, which I will let cure overnight. To create my highlights for the HBT clothing, I like to gently dry-brush MODEL MASTER II ENAMEL RAF SKY Type-S, very gently hitting the "high spots" of the folds and wrinkles of the clothing. I will then mix my "shadow" color with a slightly lighter color, in order to create a color that is between the base color and the "shadow" color, and then I will use this mix to blend a "transition" from the light-colored high-spots into the darker shadow colors of the "shadow-effects" step. I like this method, because there's a lot less chance of over-doing, or even ruining the effects when using oils. I then go on to painting all of the web equipment, knapsacks, helmets, pouches, etc.

Once I'm satisfied with my "light-and-shadow" effects of clothing and equipment overall, I SEAL the entire figure by spraying a second coat of LUSTERLESS FLAT over the whole thing. My first step in painting any of my figures is always with the faces, hands, and any other exposed flesh that my figure may have. Then I go on to the clothing. You paint a figure as if you were "dressing" it. Face, hands, legs, etc. Then the shirt, then the jacket and trousers, etc. Exposed flesh ALWAYS comes first... Speaking of exposed flesh, you guys should see some of my girls! But this isn't an "ADULT" site, so I'm NOT going to elaborate!

For the various other shades of color required by US WWII equipment, I'll custom-mix my own colors, sometimes adding tiny amounts of weathering powders to change the hues of the various "KHAKI", OLIVE DRAB, (Which came in various shades, even on Tanks and Soft-skinned Vehicles, by the way...) SAGE GREEN, FOREST GREEN, and other colors, etc.

One thing I've learned- I DON'T bother to mix bottles of different "UNIFORM Paint Colors", because there is literally NO SUCH THING as IDENTICAL COLORS between two "identical" uniforms. There may not be stark differences in color, say, between two pairs of M1943 Field Jackets, but there definitely WILL be VERY SUBTLE variances, if you look closely.

With WWII German Officers' Uniforms, especially Field and General-Grade Officers, there is an even wider range of color, because German Officers of such high rank often clothed themselves in custom tailor-made uniforms. Surprisingly, prior to and during WWII, American Officers from Second Lieutenant and Ensign on up to the General's and Admiral's ranks, could, and DID have tailor-made dress uniforms, Georgie Patton notwithstanding...

The thing to remember with WWII US Army and/or USMC Tanker uniforms, is that HBT Utilities and Coveralls were the regular-issue for Armored Crew, right on up to the end of the war. Hope this helps, even in the smallest way...