Best T34 paint colour and product info request

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siegfried
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Best T34 paint colour and product info request

Post by siegfried »

I will be working on a HL T34 project soon and I am looking for the best colour WW2 Russian Tank green paint straight from the tin for use in an airbrush. I do not want to mix a shade but go for a ready made colour product from a known range in a prefered acrylic matt/ semi matt finish, such as Tamiya, Vallejo, or even oil based Revell/Humbrol, so that touch ups will be easy to match to the original painted shade. Really trying to get as close to possible to that WW2 T 34 green shade from a stock paint. Can people post pictures of their WW2 russian tank models and the paint used for reference please, as a picture speaks a thousand words.

I seen this paint suggested, which Tamiya paint is closest to WW2 Russian tank colour?
VAL78408 - Vallejo Armour Set - AFV Modern Russian Green.

Thanks Guys.
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silversurfer1947
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Re: Best T34 paint colour and product info request

Post by silversurfer1947 »

I remember checking this some time ago. In fact there is a thread here somewhere. My albeit limited research indicated that there was no such thing as a standard colour.

For paint equivalents, have a look at the Vallejo pdf from here. http://intscalemodeller.com/viewtopic.php?t=9 Unfortunately, it only deals with the 3 digit Vallejo paint codes.
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dgsselkirk
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Re: Best T34 paint colour and product info request

Post by dgsselkirk »

Mig makes some great sets. Here is a rather neat combo

http://www.ammomigjimenez-usa.com/combo ... s-set.html

I used his Russian modulation set on my KV and it works really well.

http://www.ammomigjimenez-usa.com/modul ... n-set.html

Not to mention when you go around his site there are lots of other great products to use. I like his streaking products as well... :D
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RobW
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Re: Best T34 paint colour and product info request

Post by RobW »

Not necessarily the best, but...




Plus this stuff for winter
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/381843115837? ... EBIDX%3AIT

I'm brush painting, and only used the primer so far.
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Raminator
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Re: Best T34 paint colour and product info request

Post by Raminator »

There are that many theories about what 4BO green looked like, you're better off choosing an interpretation that you like. Since the paint changes colour with age and all the authoritative photos are in black-and-white or early colour film, none seem to be any more "correct" than the other.

I know you said you didn't want to mix colours, but for my T-34/76 I brightened up XF-74 JGSDF olive drab with XF-4 yellow green. If you look at the original recipe for 4BO green, it contains a high percentage of yellow ochre, so I wanted a warm colour to reflect that. I didn't like any of the pre-mixed colours or modulation sets; they're either too light or too green.
  • Image
If you keep the proportions simple, you won't have any trouble remaking them at a later date. I had to touch up a few spots after construction, and since the recipe was easy to follow and the airbrush lays down translucent coats you can't tell where they are.
Aussie
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Re: Best T34 paint colour and product info request

Post by Aussie »

That looks like a perfect shade of green for a Soviet tank , well done.
Don't get your panties in a bunch , we still got hand weapons and the fifty!
doc larsson
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Re: Best T34 paint colour and product info request

Post by doc larsson »

siegfreid

I'd go with the vallejo russian uniform colour. it doesn't shine that glossy way and looks natural on a tank !
siegfried
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Re: Best T34 paint colour and product info request

Post by siegfried »

Thanks for the paint info, true, due to colour fade and many variations and shades in colour photos, I guess there is no true standard colour. I will try a few suggested colours and see which looks best. looking at pictures of museum tanks there seems a more numourous shade used, so I will try and replicate that, problem is museum tanks are repainted so what was the most numerous WW2 shade?
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Raminator
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Re: Best T34 paint colour and product info request

Post by Raminator »

Between 1941 and 1956, the standard colour that all Soviet tanks were painted in was 4BO green. There are a bunch of articles and websites discussing what 4BO should look like, but since nearly all extant photos are in black-and-white and all surviving examples have aged, it's hard to tell what that actually means.

From what I've been able to find, the general consensus is that 4BO looked about FS34127 when brand-new, which gradually faded to something like FS34096 with age. Since that covers a pretty big range, if you mix yourself something that you like the look of, you're going to be "correct" and be happy with it. That's the best possible outcome, in my opinion. :thumbup:
siegfried
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Re: Best T34 paint colour and product info request

Post by siegfried »

I tried the Vallejo Russian 4BO the other day and it is a great paint, first time I tried it as usually I use Tamiya paints, the vallejo seems to be a thicker paint, as you need to be careful of paint runs on the surface, Tamiya paint seems much thiner. Hope that helps
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