Upgrading my tanks

[Arnie_DK]

Since I cant work on the tanks yet, I have been spending some time researching the camo patterns on german tanks.

Originally I wanted to make all the tanks part of Panzer Division "Wiking" but since Wiking didnt have any Tigers, I had to think of something else.
I found out that Wiking fought with the 3rd Panzer division "Totenkopf" at the town of Modlin in Poland, mid August 1944, so the Tigers will be from Totenkopf and the PzIV will be Wiking.

My Tigers are a Early and Mid versions, so therefore I wanted the early Tiger to have a grey basecoat and the mid to have the Dark yellow basecoat, but I still wanted them to look like part of the same unit, so their camo pattern will be more or less the same style, where as the PzIV, being from Wiking, would have a completely different camo pattern and a different pattern colour variation.

I have tinkered around with some test patterns in windows paint. Pretty happy about the PzIV and mid Tiger. The early Tiger I am not completely sure about, so would like some feedback on this
And if anyone have a list or a photo, with numbers, markings and other insignia for Totenkopf and Wiking Tanks, I would much apreciate it

[DavidByrden]

Once you start looking for accuracy, life gets difficult!

The "Totenkopf" division were issued exactly 9 Early Tigers with a grey base coat, in February 1943. These tanks didn't have the standard turret bin that you get in commercial Tiger kits; they had a wider bin with side supports.
Soon after getting them, the division had them all covered in whitewash and numbered in a "400" series;



By August 1944, the unit had lost one half of all the Tigers it was ever issued, and it's not certain that any of these 9 grey Tigers were still operating. We do have photos of a few in Summer 1943 or later;



I have no idea how they were painted, but I don't think that the grey paint was visible by then.

David

[Arnie_DK]

Thanks David

So now the decision rests on whether I can live with the inaccuracies or find another unit. I guess I can live with the turret not being right, but would like to have a grey basecoat on the arly tiger.
One thing is clear. I want the PzIV to be from Wiking, and I'd like it to at least be plausible, for all the tanks, to actually have taken part in the same battle at some point in history...

Since the T-34's are the 85 variant, Battle of Kursk and earlier, would be out of the picture.

[DavidByrden]

I'd like it to at least be plausible, for all the tanks, to actually have taken part in the same battle at some point in history...

The real problem with your plan, is the desire for a grey basecoat. You really didn't see them on any Tigers after Summer 1943.

David

[Arnie_DK]

Well, I guess I could drop the Grey then. Just thought it would be nice with a bit of deviation, especially since its an early and mid Tiger, so I thought it made sense to have early in grey and mid in yellow.

Maybe I can satisfy my need for deviation, by using a different shade of dark yellow basecoat. As I understand there where 3 or 4 official variations of yellow, depending on the time and place of manufacture.

[jarndice]

Arnie, way back when I started on the fastest way of spending money ever invented, I decided I would build a Panzer 4, I finished it and gave it an Afrika Korps finish.
I then thought I would build an early Tiger 1 in a Tunisian finish and I decided I would finish it in the same Afrika korps finish and obviously in the service of the same Abteilung.
I did some research to find which of the Abteilung in Tunisia used both Panzer 4s and Tiger 1s in the Afrika Korps, I found out two rather annoying facts.
Panzer 4s did serve in the Afrika korps BUT no Tiger 1s did, don't get me wrong, Tiger1s did serve in Tunisia but at no time were they part of the Afrika Korps which means the Tiger did not carry the Afrika Korps Palm tree flash, and to make matters worse the Tigers only served in the same Abteilung as Panzer 111s not with Panzer 4s.
If you have a plan do make sure you do the research before you build the Tanks unlike me, DOHHH shaun

[DavidByrden]

Maybe I can satisfy my need for deviation, by using a different shade of dark yellow basecoat.

Seriously...if you spend time with real vehicles that have been out in the weather for months on end, you'll realise they all end up in different colours. Their weathering history gets baked into the paint. You'd have to wash them down to have a hope of getting them back to the official colour.

And you can add to that, the individuality of the men who painted camouflage patterns on them.

David

[DavidByrden]

the Tigers only served in the same Abteilung as Panzer 111s not with Panzer 4s.

For Operation "Ochsenkopf", the Tigers of s.Pz.Abt.501 were attached to the 10 Panzer Division and they fought alongside Pz.4 like this one;



David

[Arnie_DK]

Just got a message from the wife. My box of upgrades from rctank.de have arrived!!!

KV-1 Metal lower hull with Metal road wheels, Idlers wheels, return wheels and sprockets.
KV-1 upper hull with 4 metal boxes, metal exhausts, on/off switch with charging system, turret rotation motor and a few extra bits.
KV-1 Metal tracks
PzIV Metal hatches front and back
PzIV Metal road wheels, Idlers wheels, return wheels and sprockets.
PzIV Metal return wheel mounts
PzIV MEtal idler adjuster
Tiger 1 metal barrel
Assorted cables for electronics.

[Arnie_DK]

Still waiting for an Asiatam PzIV metal hull and other doodaas!!