Further dilemmas of an amateur tanker...

[Etranger]

I'm certain there is a colour photo of a Crusader III in Italy having its 6 pdr pulled through.

This one? Tunisia according to the original IWM caption.

[Norman D. Landings]

Top job, gents!

Conclusion: painting the 2lbers for western desert and going full Caunter.
The 6lb-ers get sand-&-green and light mud-&-Black camo, a’ la Tunisia.

If (when) they get used on Euro-style terrain; I’m not even sorry.

Thanks!

[Jeremy]

I painted my Stuart Honey in green and sand for my Desert Rats. The rest of my Allied tanks are straight olive drab. It’s not unknown for my Brtitish Sherman’s to fight alongside my Russians. Heresy I know, but that’s how I roll

[Norman D. Landings]

Yeah, these decals aren’t really going to bear forensic scrutiny either!

[Etranger]

I painted my Stuart Honey in green and sand for my Desert Rats. The rest of my Allied tanks are straight olive drab. It’s not unknown for my Brtitish Sherman’s to fight alongside my Russians. Heresy I know, but that’s how I roll

Not entirely wrong though. British tanks sent to the Russians kept their British WD serial numbers and paint schemes. Don't know about the Shermans though as they probably came directly from US stocks.

[Paul]

It's 'kind of' accurate in that the Valentine was around, but not as a gun tank.

haha I've been looking at all those same photos

I was interested in the illustrations that site had of Valentines both the 2pdr and up gunned versions in the colours they 'served' in in 'Sicily' and 'Italy'. I guess they must be either conjectural (which seems a lot of work to make up) or command tanks?

I like the Valentine but 'kin hate Shermans!!

Conclusion: painting the 2lbers for western desert and going full Caunter.

But which version of caunter. Some, which have become accepted by modellers, seem to be misinterpretations from B&W photos and/or faded darker colours.

[Purple]

I’d just like to say that I don’t consider any of you to be amateur tankers...

[Norman D. Landings]

Caunter - it’s all about the least mixing.
I’ve got a Brit desert armour basecoat spray. So that’s what colour the ‘sand’ is going to be.
I’ve got a dark green-grey.
I’ve got a grey-blue that’s too dark. I’m going to put some duck-egg blue in it.
That’ll do.

[Etranger]

Caunter - it’s all about the least mixing.
...
I’ve got a grey-blue that’s too dark. I’m going to put some duck-egg blue in it.
That’ll do.

or light gray. You'll get a weird pale green otherwise.

[Paul]

Even the base colour for Caunter seems to vary from a very pale 'greenish' cream or grey sandy colour to a 'classic desert' medium sand colour. So it looks like you're basically safe whatever the choice. It's the paler blue colour which was never actually used despite being represented by modellers. In reality it's supposedly a faded slate grey I think?