Happy New Year! ...and...
What colours (Vallejo preferably) do you use to paint Soviet tanks & armour of WWII? I've tried various greens, including Russian Green (seems suitable...), Russian Uniform (another likely contender) and more, but they all turn out looking too dark on a 10mm scale mini. A bit of drybrushing helps a load, but I prefer washes. I had a similar issue with Panzer Grey for German armour, and settled on London Gray with a few black washes.
Have you tried Middlestone. It is lighter than Green Yellow, so should be able to handle washes well. I use it for one of my WWI Russian uniform colours.
I used Russian uniform over a Halfords grey primer which I think helped the colour stay a little lighter
Quote from: Leman on 02 January 2019, 03:21:52 PM
Have you tried Middlestone. It is lighter than Green Yellow, so should be able to handle washes well. I use it for one of my WWI Russian uniform colours.
For tanks? I use it for my late was Germans, and it work a treat, but it's not very... green... There's certainly green pigment in it out of the bottle, but that mixes in once it's fully stirred.
Quote from: Fenton on 02 January 2019, 04:18:43 PM
I used Russian uniform over a Halfords grey primer which I think helped the colour stay a little lighter
That's exactly what I'm using now. Previously I tried the green over a white primer, and that still looked too dark for me. I prefer to use washes for detail, and at that point the tanks just looks like a green silhouette...
I may simply be putting too much green on, I do notice that all the Soviet tanks with pictures in the Pendraken catalogue look like they've been edge highlighted with a bit of drybrushing.
I use Russian Green, give it a wash of Devlin Mud, then drybrush with GW Catachan Green, followed by Camo Green and finally one of a Light Green/Beige, the name of which escapes me!
I use Russian Green but to be honest I wouldn't get too caught up with a colour as there were so many variations I would use Russian green as your base and lighten it to your preference.
Take care
Andy
Quote from: Womble67 on 03 January 2019, 02:30:46 PM
I use Russian Green but to be honest I wouldn't get too caught up with a colour as there were so many variations I would use Russian green as your base and lighten it to your preference.
Yes, it seems I'd be best just to mix & change to drybrushing.
Thought I'd give this a go as Russian Tank Green is a lot lighter than expected, possibly due to cheap pigments and bleaching due to sunlight etc.
GW Death Guard Green spray.
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Spray-Death-Guard-Green-2019 (https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Spray-Death-Guard-Green-2019)
Quote from: Womble67 on 03 January 2019, 02:30:46 PM
I use Russian Green but to be honest I wouldn't get too caught up with a colour as there were so many variations I would use Russian green as your base and lighten it to your preference.
Take care
Andy
I have an excellent Russian book on tank Russian tank camouflage, and in 4 pagers of colour plates counted 9 definitely different greens, from an almost grey shade right through to a fairly bright grass green.
Alas, with colour photos, what you are probably getting is more information about the sensitivity of the film and the differing levels of ambient illumination than you are about the actual colour of the AFVs. :(
Wulf, a very good question. The first thing to consider is that the smaller the scale the lighter you want to go with your base color. I am using what we call "hobby store colors" for my Russian vehicles so cannot offer a suggestion for a Vallejo shade. I do the same for my German armor, using a medium gray and hen a black wash with highlights of lighter grays - but again I use mostly hobby store paints. I like Vallejo, but some of the colors are just too difficult to get mixed, with their greens being oe of them. Sorry i can't be any more help.
Terry
Quote from: Dr Dave on 12 November 2019, 03:18:39 PM
Alas, with colour photos, what you are probably getting is more information about the sensitivity of the film and the differing levels of ambient illumination than you are about the actual colour of the AFVs. :(
That are not colour photos but coloured drawings
Quote from: Dannyboy on 11 November 2019, 09:55:15 PM
Thought I'd give this a go as Russian Tank Green is a lot lighter than expected, possibly due to cheap pigments and bleaching due to sunlight etc.
GW Death Guard Green spray.
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Spray-Death-Guard-Green-2019 (https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Spray-Death-Guard-Green-2019)
Death guard green will certainly make them fight better.
Quote from: Orcs on 12 November 2019, 04:07:04 PM
That are not colour photos but coloured drawings
Well that just tells you what the artist had in his box of crayons then! ;D
Some quite good info here http://www.4bogreen.com/colors (http://www.4bogreen.com/colors)
Cheers,
Aksu
Lots of B/W photos, organized by unit. Inspiration for slogans etc.
http://tankfront.ru/ussr/photo.html (http://tankfront.ru/ussr/photo.html)
Cheers,
Aksu
This might be helpful too.
Red Army Armor Camouflage & Markings
Published: 19 May 2012
Last Updated: 19 May 2012
by Thorleif Olsson
First of all: During the war, Red Army did not adapt standardized tactical marking system. Therefore it can be hard to tell that they used that pattern from that date until that date and so on, and it also differs a lot from the German camoflauge patterns.
Painting & marking the T-34/76
The most common pattern for T-34/76 tanks was painting the entire tank in dark green. They were painted like this in June 1941, and reached Berlin in April of 1945 in the same way. Various types of paints & shades of green was used, everything from very light green to black green. In the winter vehicles were painted with washable Type B paint, but sometimes even with water mixed with lime. Most often the vehicles turned out white-green. Rarely, in the summer a two color scheme was painted, green and dark earth or ground brown. Even more scarce were a three color scheme of green, dark earth and yellow or red. Some vehicles were painted with two contrasting shades of green. Geometric and numerical markings were used, and this system was a compromise between overall military secrecy and organized command system. For example a T-34/76 marked with "87" on the turret showed that the tank belonged to the 114th Tank Brigade. Tactical number consisted of two, three or four digits, combination of two numbers or combination of geometrical sign and numbers were used. In some units, organized markings system was used allowing to specify e.g. company. Vehicles of the 1st Company had tactical markings beginning with "1" and from the 2nd Company with "2" and so on. In this case the second number was for platoon. Some Guards and Independent units had their own tactical markings such as geometric figures, letter etc. Sometimes tactical markings were mixed numbers and geometric figures. Tactical markings for the air recognition were also used, especially from 1943-45. During the battles at Don and Kursk white geometric figures were painted on top of the turret or engine compartment. During the Berlin operation from April 24th of 1945, special markings were applied as white stripes on the top and side of the turret. It was done with the knowledge of the high command for recognition by Allied airforce in the eastern and western Germany. From May 1st of 1945, white triangles painted on top of the turret were introduced.
On the sides of the turret and sometimes on the hull, patriotic or fundator signs were painted, few examples:
"Za Rodinu" (For the Motherland)
"Za Stalina" (For Stalin)
"Lidice" (Revenge for the German massacre on civilians in Czech village of Lidice)
They were applied using either white, yellow or red paint. On some tanks symbols for destroyed enemy equipment were painted on either the gun barrel or fenders. Very rarely national emblem was applied.
A red star was painted on the frontal part of the turret above or below the tactical marking. Very rarely it was painted on the front of the recoil mechanism of the tank gun (below the barrel). In Guards units, sometimes guard emblem was applied on the turret.
Terry