ATOM 1944-45 German Standard Colors Set

The Palette of the War's Final Year

From spring 1943, German vehicles left the factories in a uniform dark yellow finish, and the units themselves added camouflage patterns afterward using pastes supplied in cans. From summer 1944, production returned to factory-applied camouflage, so vehicles rolled out already carrying olive green and red-brown patches. In the final months, the order reversed once more, and for part of production, green became the base color, with yellow and brown patches added on top.

The Shades That Hold This Era Together

The trio of dark yellow, olive green and red-brown covers practically all ground equipment of the final period: tanks, tank destroyers, half-tracks and trucks alike. The set is therefore built more as basic equipment for a period than as a tool for a single vehicle, and the individual shades can be mixed together, producing in-between tones for faded areas.

How to Work with Them

The binder is water-based, so both thinning and tool cleanup can be handled with water or the maker's own thinner, and there is no odor in the room afterward. The consistency is set so the paint can be applied with a brush without visible strokes, and once thinned it also goes through an airbrush. It is applied in thin coats; a single thick coat fills in molded-on details and dries poorly. Once dry, the surface is matte and takes further work well, meaning washes, dry-brushing and pigments. Before applying decals, though, it is sensible to give the surface a coat of gloss varnish first, or a milky edge will appear under the decal.