since i hate to do weather model, and just like
very new condition tank , this is some problem.

what was the original factory applied german panzer

muffler color?


i used to paint it just it's base color
dunkelgelb or german grey and even camo it.

but i dont know this is correct.

They were left in natural metal. The heat would burn off any paint so quickly it wasn't practical to apply it.

I would expect that tank mufflers could well have been supplied wearing a factory coat of heat-resistant black enamel or even a "stove-black" to reduce rusting - there was likely more than a little pride in these machines - specially before the war - and complete detail-finishing would be the norm for German industrial products such as tanks.

A different "philosophical approach" may have also pertained, both in Europe and pretty clearly right here in the USA back then; "paint everything".

PS: The subject of painting and German tank mufflers has been around on this and other model sites - there was, IIRC, more than a little photo evidence discussed in one or another thread suggesting both base-coat and camo painting occurred at factories and in the field, and for in-use burn-off and ashing of paint.

IF it were my "brand-new FOFF tank", I think that I would, for those tanks like Pz I and II with small mufflers under heat-shields, go with a satin black. For Pz III and IV, I would probably paint new mufflers the vehicle base-coat. Ditto for things like Pz 38(t) and variants.

But of course, this is just my opinion and suggestion!

Bob

When I still had my 1969 VW bus, German replacement mufflers would come painted with a matte/satin black paint. Most of it would burn away and turn to rust, obviously. I think the only real purpose it serves is to prevent rust while the parts are in storage. Occasionally I would get stuck buying a South American or Asian muffler that wasn't painted; they were usually coated with some crap that burned off quicker than the paint or they came bare and with surface rust already forming.