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Forums - Modelling / Painting |
The painting forum is for the discussion of techniques on the painting, decalling and weathering phases of AFV modelling and the tools and materials used. |
| Topics | 1432 |
| Messages | 7349 |
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| Subject: | Re: Chipped Paint color of bare metal prior to rusting |  |
| Date: | Jan 18, 2005 |
| From: | Steve Campbell | |
Tom,
You are picking the scab of a wound that never heals.
The right to artistic license over historically accuracy has been a long and painful debated topic. The paint on a tank is not to stop it rusting away (like Tonka trucks, they were built tough to play tough :)) but to add the protection of concealment or uncertainty. Hard paint (“hammer coating” resists scratching) flakes off when hit, all the way back to metal but soft paint (acrylic) will stick while easily scratching thus exposing the undercoat below.
Some use exaggerated paint jobs to express a vehicles hard working environment or prolonged exposure to battle. It is fun to see some tank paint schemes that are more indicative of a just completed North Atlantic transit by neglected tramp steamer than a tank belonging to an elite combat unit of the Third Reich.
The North Africa campaigns could be the template used for erroneous paint conditions applied in other theaters. When you think long and hard about the reference material used by all of us in the hobby the one consistent denominator is the fine weather as cameramen don’t like getting expensive equipment wet I guess on rainy days. Dusty, faded paint would be the product of sunny days combat or movement (or both) over dry exposed earth in North Africa or Southern Russia (or Greece I suppose) but I would have thought that there would be far more wet weather days than dry.
Sorry about the protracted nature of my interjection but over time you will understand that the paint on kits is just as important as the detail of the build :).
I’ll end by saying that a great paint job on a poorly built kit will inspire a long list of compliments but a bad (or plain) paint job on a 100% historically accurate kit will be met by the deafening sound of silence. A good paint job equals a great kit to the unwashed masses (that’s meant as a joke everyone :)).
Steve |
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