1937-44 PANZER COLORS

From gray to yellow

German vehicles rolled into Poland and into France in a uniform dark gray, at first completed with brown fields, which were however soon dropped. The gray finish lasted surprisingly long and suited the Central European setting and the winter as well, yet the campaigns in Africa and in the east showed its limits. From February 1943 the factories therefore switched to a light yellowish base, onto which the units added a pattern to match the terrain.

Desert, snow and mud

The Afrikakorps was issued sandy and brownish tones that dried out and faded extremely fast; photographs show machines noticeably lighter than the ones that had left the port. On the Eastern Front, in contrast, winter improvisations arose from lime or white paint applied with a rag, which flaked off after a few weeks and revealed the original finish underneath. The mud of the thawed roads then unified the whole finish into a single brownish tone.

Building advice

The set allows the whole first half of the war to be built without mixing any further shades. The best result comes from a thin coat over a lighter undertone, followed by the lightening of the centers of the large surfaces. With the gray scheme let the tone fade more than would seem right, otherwise the model turns black in the display case. Apply the winter layer separately and with the knowledge that the wear around the hatches and the places that were stepped on was the greatest. For an African subject let the edges of the fenders and the upper armor fade the most, the sun and the sand took the heaviest toll there, while the surfaces protected under the tools stayed richer.