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John Richards
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Tiger 1 Mid Production

February 15, 2015 · in Armor · · 16 · 2.7K

After doing the Hanomag 251 in Panzer Gray, it was time to do some Armor in the tritone camouflage. This is my Mid Production Tank 131 of SPZABT 101 in Summer Normandy France 1944. I used Model Master Enamel Paint, and Vallejo Washes. I wanted to blend the Camo a bit, so I made my own filter out of Tamiya XF-64 Red Brown Acyrilic paint, water, and dish soap to break surface tension. I considered using the MIG pigment powder again to add mud, but decided that not all Armor has mud. I am very leased with how this turned out. I am enjoying building and painting AFVs. Now it is time to do a plane again, and I will begin the F4U 1-A Corsair that I have in my stash.

Reader reactions:
3  Awesome

2 additional images. Click to enlarge.


16 responses

  1. Very nice rendition of a poweful beast. Good job on the camo! Awesome.

  2. Nicely built and finished John.

  3. You've got a nice finish on this one, John, how did you do the camoflage, did you use masking tape?

    • I always paint by hand with a brush. I painted the base coat of Dunklegelb (dark yellow) and then painted the Root Brun (Red Brown) and OlivGrun(Olive Green) on top of the base coat. It was all freehand with a brush. I did use photos of Tanks from the time period that I searched online as a Guide. I searched "Tiger Tank Normady" and saved the photos to my computer as references.

  4. John:
    Good job painting the waffenfarbe on the tank commanders uniform.
    I seem to recall that the tank had the basic tan paint on it, and the other two colors came with it, and the crew mixed it with water and applied them, at the unit.
    If that's the case, you did what they did.And probably better!
    She looks really good,

    • Thanks Bernard. I am fascinated by the fact that German planes and Tanks both were painted a basic way at the factory and the units added some Camo of their own choosing. It makes for infinite original paint schemes. So I can do many different looking Tanks or Planes of the same model. I have also read that sometimes the crews applied the paint with a broom. The next Tank I plan to do is the Tiger 1 Early and it will be all over Panzer Grey.

  5. They used whatever was available, rags, brooms.
    I've also seen pictures where the crew of a Hanomag are applying mud to the overall panzer gray with brushes. Or piling snow to the tank, tying branches, even whole trees to the tank.
    You can just have a good time in the model railroad aisle of the ol' hobby shop.
    I figure that every modeler has to do a Tiger at least once, and/or a Sherman.

  6. Yeah, John!
    And in my neighborhood, Michaels.
    When I accompany my wife to the stores for her stuff, I do creative browsing. They also sometimes do sales on wood bases and plastic storage boxes, to keep your Carlinesque STUFF together.
    The Walters "O" guage train catalogue has dio stuff, barrels, furniture, (!) scale lumber, scads of useful stuff. Woodland scenics makes grass, weeds, trees. Grass mats, all that useful dio materiels.
    Gives the imagination a workout, it does.

  7. John,
    Very nicely done

    • Thank you Frank. I think it may need something in regards to more weathering. I am doing another Tiger, but in Panzer Grey and will use a filter and washes to get better effects hopefully.

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