The Loose Association of Wargamers

Anyone know who makes a rattle can in the 1940 panzer dark grey?

Plastic Soldier Company.

https://www.theplasticsoldiercompany.co ... ies/paint/

E

You're spoilt for choice, in acrylics or enamels: Tamiya https://www.frontlinehobbies.com.au/tam ... 00ml-paint , Humbrol https://www.humbrol.com/uk-en/67-tank-g ... paint.html , Vallejo https://www.frontlinehobbies.com.au/val ... grey-400ml , Testors https://www.hobbylinc.com/testors-model ... paint-1950 , probably Army Painter.

Then you just need to find a suitable shade for the brown...

Surely there are fifty shades of Panzer grey?

Only in the officers' mess, I would imagine (thinking Helga from "Allo? Allo!").

Etranger wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:11 am Then you just need to find a suitable shade for the brown...

I've decided to not bother with the brown, for two reasons: (1) I gather it wasn't used as much as was originally thought; and (2) my regular gaming buddy* is building stuff for Barbarossa, by which time I think it had been well and truly phased out.

* he eats lots of roughage.

Thanks, Iain and Huw - I would honestly not have thought of looking at PSC, but there's a few cans in their range that appeal; I shall probably go for acrylic rather than enamel. It was either that or buy myself an airbrush (which, to be honest, would be much more versatile, but which I'm equally sure I would quickly fuck up beyond repair through incompetence or laziness).

Now then, what to get for French tanks......

Sounds like 25.

Baron , this way lies madness. Each design of French armour had it's own distinctive camouflage scheme, which was factory applied. That scheme could vary from batch to batch and from factory to factory (for the small number of types produced at multiple sites). A single battalion was usually equipped with vehicles from the same batch, so camouflage tended to be similar within the unit, at least until replacement vehicles were issued, or, as was seen towards the end of the French campaign, when ad hoc formations and amalgamated units meant that uniformity could be lost.

Simple so far? The patterns and colours weren't always well documented & there's no French equivalent of "Panzer Colors" to give an overview, although there is a growing series of publications cataloguing what is known, which has covered the main designs.

A large range of colours were used; beige, mid green and chestnut brown being commonest. Other colours including blue, white and gray are also described, as well as the use of black dividing lines between colours, which although common, wasn't universal.

As to the paints to use, you won't find a range of spray "French armour colours". Although there are paint ranges specific for French armour (e.g. Vallejo, who also do a set packaged for Battlefront), you're back in spray gun or brush paint territory.

Duunkelgeb (German "Panzer yellow") is a reasonable base for the French armour, which is widely available in rattle can, but you'll want the "yellowish" as opposed to "greenish" tint end of the spectrum. (Only one colour, for Dunkelgelb? , oh no!) Then brown, green, blue etc as disruptive colours.

Soft skins, guns armoured cars, motorcycles etc are easier, as they were generally a plain green shade. However you won't find it in a spray can. I use Humbrol 150 for this, appropriately enough it was known as French artillery green, (although I think it's now just artillery green). I don't know if it's in their acrylic range offhand.

Then there's markings....

BaronVonWreckedoften wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 12:14 pm

Etranger wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:11 am Then you just need to find a suitable shade for the brown...

I've decided to not bother with the brown, for two reasons: (1) I gather it wasn't used as much as was originally thought; and (2) my regular gaming buddy* is building stuff for Barbarossa, by which time I think it had been well and truly phased out.

* he eats lots of roughage.

Messers Jentz and Doyle would disagree on the former point, as would John Prigent, who's written some very nice and well illustrated books on the topic in the past few years.