Tamiya Matilda - interior?

Flat Aluminum -  Tamiya AS-12 spray is a great match.

British made tanks used a flat aluminum interior color until just after WWII. Lend lease vehicles were in flat white as per US standards. Black and white photo's will not show much distinction between the two colors.

Modern restored vehicles seem to be painted flat white for the interior whic adds to the confusion.

Mike T.

Edit:

For the Matilda this would be accurate: additional information is that many, but not all vehicles built during the later part of 1942 to the middle of 1944 may have white interiors as a shortage of the aluminum pigments gave the aero industry priority use on it. Matildas used in North Africa should have aluminum interiors while the Mk III's and Mk IV's used in the Pacific may have a mixture of aluminum or white interiors.

Thanks telsono. What about if I build the two-tone brown scheme version based in England? Also AS-12? Then, what exactly needs to be aluminum? Only the turret? Or all of the interior? The things is if all of the interior is visible, it's also highly unrealistic since it wasn't simply a hollow shell like the model is.

Vivian

If you can see it paint it.  I go by the Shep Paine rule "You don't have to paint or detail what you can't see"

Terry

If you leave the hatch open with nothing in there, I'd paint everything inside flat black,  then jam a crew figure in the hatch.  Or just keep the hatches closed.  Works for me 100% of the time.  ( I agree that they were silver inside).

Doug

Vivian - It really depends on the version of the Matilda and the time period involved. You can be certain that if it is in a period prior to 1943 the interior is flat aluminum. If it is a hull built during the 1942-44 period that I mentioned above there is a very good chance that the interior would be flat white. Earlier built vehicles would have the flat aluminum color. I mentioned the Pacific as that was one of the last areas for them to be used in combat. In both cases the entire crew compartment and turret would be that color. Radios, if you add them would be the exterior color used at the time for temperate climes. So that a desert vehicle's radio will be painted in a green color as they are from a general supply of such items regardless of the manufacturer of the vehicle.

You could take one of the other suggestions, especially if you are unable to see the interior. AS-12 is from Tamiyas airplane series of rattle can spray paints. Its a real nice flat aluminum plant and dries quickly.

Mike T.