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AFV Painting & Weathering
Answers to questions about the right paint scheme or tips for the right effect.
Painting German Panzer Grey?
him_15
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Hong Kong S.A.R. / 繁體
Joined: April 25, 2015
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Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2016 - 08:42 AM UTC
Hi all, I would like to ask advise for painting German Panzer Grey. As I can't find good formula for good looking outcome (I mainly use TAMIYA acrylic). May I ask how do you normally paint your's? Which brand, which color and what ratio do you use and mix? Thank you!
GazzaS
#424
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: April 23, 2015
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Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2016 - 11:15 AM UTC
Tamiya makes Panzer Grey, my friend.

Gary
him_15
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Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2016 - 11:35 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Tamiya makes Panzer Grey, my friend.

Gary


Yes, but the result isn't great, I would like to know what people normally mix with German Grey for a better outcome.
Venko555
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Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2016 - 12:48 PM UTC
I don't mix, I'm using AK/AMMO etc. modulation colors for panzer grey. Works great
Grauwolf
#084
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Quebec, Canada
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Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2016 - 01:42 PM UTC
Tamiya's XF-63 German Grey is extremely accurate.
GeraldOwens
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 12:57 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi all, I would like to ask advise for painting German Panzer Grey. As I can't find good formula for good looking outcome (I mainly use TAMIYA acrylic). May I ask how do you normally paint your's? Which brand, which color and what ratio do you use and mix? Thank you!


I just mix black and white by eye. It's a very dark stone gray color. Many hobby paints add a significant amount of blue, which I don't see in surviving samples of the paint. The result is, when model makers lighten the paint to depict scale color or fading, the result is often a very silly powder blue shade.
RLlockie
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 01:24 AM UTC
In what sense do you mean it is 'not great'? Colour accuracy? Texture? Sprayability?

Dunkelgrau, to use the correct term, was a very dark grey and Tamiya's colour is probably a little light but depending on how you weather it (varnish, dust etc.), the result may end up close to reality. As a starting point, any of the neutral dark greys is probably good, given that the end result will be different anyway.

Gerald is right about the lack of blue; I don't know how that came to be accepted as the norm but I always find it looks odd on models, as do the medium grey variations.
marcb
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Overijssel, Netherlands
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 03:05 AM UTC
Keep away from the bluish variants as alrady mentioned. The color was quite dark, which might be a problem for modelling.
See the difference between this post war repaint and a period color pic

Post war repaint (scroll down to 1/2)
https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/239281-id0028613-110515-german-tanks-have-the-wrong-colour/

Period color pic
I'd go for a darkish dull grey.
https://smallsagas.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/fifty-shades-of-panzer-grey/

More period color pics (scroll down to 3/4)
https://mistertretiakpresents.wordpress.com/category/historical-information/world-war-ii/

I like the Tamiya color btw.
Vicious
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 03:34 AM UTC
But the problem with period color pic is cant trust them to match, the yield of the color was not really good at that time,the color film was a pretty new tecnology and some picture you can see a bue shade but i think was the film it self give this
Grauwolf
#084
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 04:55 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The color was quite dark, which might be a problem for modelling



I agree that the color was quite dark but why is this a problem
for modeling?
Thirian24
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Oklahoma, United States
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 07:06 AM UTC
That color is dark, but does seen to have a blue tint to it also, from looking at those pictures.
brekinapez
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 08:39 AM UTC
Possibly referring to the scale effect, where dark seems a lot darker on smaller objects (like models) and makes detail hard to see. It's an aesthetic effect meant to allow the modeler to show off his work in essence by modeling the light levels as well, in a sense. Obviously, a full size dark gray tank will reflect a lot more sunlight than a small model tank, and so will appear brighter. Since the model tank can't reflect more light, you artificially lighten it and details pop out.

Also, as was pointed out, World of Tanks and War Thunder both go with too light a gray supposedly because older systems render them as dark, ugly blobs when faced with reality.

That said, I use Tamiya Panzer Gray, both airbrush and spray can. If anything, I think the Model Master Panzer Schwartzgrau is a little darker than the Tamiya. I used it on a Pz II I built and it almost freaked me out when I first looked at it after laying paint. I thought, "People are going to think I put a frigging rock from the backyard on my shelf, and painted some little numbers and crosses on it". But by the time I had finished weathering, especially dust, it had mellowed out.
tatbaqui
Staff MemberNews Writer
ARMORAMA
#040
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Metro Manila, Philippines
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 09:38 AM UTC
FWIW my experience with Tamiya German Grey is that that rattle can has a lighter shade than the one in the bottles.
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