Originally Posted by
metalhead1986
Now onto the hull.
What color should the inside of the hatches be? I know it is different than the base color.
I read a couple of places tat the Tigers were base coated in a red color before the base coat of dunkelgelb or dunkelgrau was painted on. Do you go the extra step of painting this red coat, or do you just start with the base color? I guess it might be useful if used with chipping compound or the like. Otherwise, l am not so sure.
Thanks again,
Steve
I like to make the primer coat Grey primer, and some people even use black. I then airbrush on the color base coat varying the thickness. The purpose of the dark primer is that it really helps the base coat come alive, and on a scale tank, it gives the paint real depth. The effect is dramatic if done properly.
Every historic record I've seen and read indicates that all or almost all panzers, early war to mid-war period regardless of type, had their interiors painted white. The interior of the hatches may have been a different color as they were visible to enemy observation, after all.
As the war progressed by mid to late 1944 and after, most tanks were painted in the red oxide primer. Inside and out. The interior of the tank, all new and rebuilt tanks, was left in the red primer.
Morover the camo pattern of late war tigers and panthers was changed to have either the red oxide, or a light green (dunkelgrun) as the base. (From 1943 to this period, sand yellow-"sand gelb" was the base color with olive drab and brown). Then sand and brown was used for the rest of the pattern.