Semovente 105/25 “Bassotto”

[Herr Dr. Professor]

From the close-up photos, I can see that you know how to make the 3D printed material look like real metal. What remarkable skill!

[Tank79]

If you mean the side skirt, they are made of metal! The rest is nylon Sls printed. The surface is a little bit rough.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

I really was referring to the 3D parts. For example, the edges of the casement seem metallic, as if base coat and camouflage paint had been worn off exposing bare, unh, "metal."

[Tank79]

Oh in this case… Thank you so much! It was my purpose! True-earth color help very well for these effects

[Tank79]

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[Xiaoshan_Sailor]

That is very nice!

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Ah, interesting, Tank79: "black and white" photos. I always like to try black and white, just to see if the tank looks more realistic. You probably have higher resolution versions of these, too large to post, but it seems that the black and white versions here obscure the camouflage. That makes me wonder how much in real vintage WWII photos we do not see the camouflage.

[Tank79]

The truth is that I overdid the contrast, because I really like photos with high contrast. Usually vintage photos have low to medium contrast that tends to fade and blend colors. Plus you would have to "play" with the black and white point to find the right effect.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

So even with increased contrast, the camouflage is obscured. That really demonstrates how unreliable vintage photos are, just as you explain.

[Tank79]

In this regard I would like to share what Mr. Giuseppe Vitali,model maker, expert in military models and owner of True-Earth colors, told me some time ago. He told me it is difficult to trace the colors of a model from a photo. You have to cross-reference with official documents ( often incomplete or without any reference), and to still existing vehicles provided they have not been repainted. Plus the various production batches of paints, had a margin of tolerance on color shades and sometimes changed from one manufacturer to another. As an example he reported to me the Caunter Scheme of the Matilda. The blue part is not in any official document.