Early WW2 German AFV paint set

The 1933 standard and what remained of it

German military finishes gained a firm order when the shades already in use from the 1920s were written into a national standard. It laid down exactly what the yellow-brown, green and brown camouflage trio should look like, and it described the colors that came after it in the same way. This set is drawn from that standard and brings eight standardized tones into modeling bottles.

The dark gray shade served longest. From mid-1937 it formed the base onto which dark brown patches were sprayed, and from mid-1940 it remained on vehicles alone, with no additions. Alongside it the set offers the early gray-green intended for unmasked vehicles and later for small equipment, and the anthracite gray-blue that Luftwaffe ground equipment wore.

What the builder saves

German vehicles from the prewar maneuvers and from the first campaigns are built often today, and it cannot be done without the right tones. Having eight key colors together means there is no need to hunt individual numbers in a color chart and compare samples between brands. The selection is also closed in time: it ends where the later yellow era begins, so no needless duplicates arise between the shades.

Winter on the Eastern Front

The eighth shade is a temporary white intended for spraying over a vehicle in winter. It was applied in haste and washed off in spring, so it tended to be uneven, flaking and entirely missing on the edges. That is exactly why on a model it pays to apply it in layers and to wipe part of it away while it is still wet.

The line the paints come from combines easy application with durability once dry. It suits the airbrush but copes with a brush as well, which helps with the winter finish, because an uneven coat is wanted here. The colors hold up side by side even under the layering of varnishes and pigments.