Scale stuff

As G notes, it varies based on theater, country, time-period, and local conditions if the camo was sprayed by the units in the field. German armor also had periods where schemes were applied at the factories at the start and end of the war (this is a simple answer to what was really a complex arrangement), so you can see both soft and hard-edged schemes depending on the vehicles and time-period. The short answer is that there isn't any one-size-fits-all approach which is one of the great beauties of modelling subjects in this time period IMHO. Lots of variety!

While on the subject of camo painting, here's something I've always wondered about; are camo patterns just that, or are they random?  That is, do they have masks, or careful patterns they mark/mask off, or does someone get busy with a few buckets of paint and a brush or spray gun?  From some of the reading on the aircraft forums, it appears that some countries, at least, tended toward a mask and paint type pattern.  How is it usually done on armor?  And is it the same for all countries? 

Sorry to hijack your thread, but it seemed like a fitting continuation of the thread. 

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

plasticandglue

...How do I get scale "kill rings" on a tiger barrel (or any barrel for that matter)...

Paint them or use a decal.

...how do I do "scale" camo on german armour?...

Use the box art or a reference photo and air brush the pattern you see.  There are several How To Armor books on the market.  Purchase two or three and read how others have done it.

 

i used some old woodland scenics dry transfer decals i have for kill rings, you dont have to really transfer them completely if you get them close and use solvaset you can get them exactly where you want them. these dry transfers are just long white stripe that i assume were designed to be used for pinstripes on model locomotives and rolling stock. if you can find them the are usually around $3-$6 but a sheet should last you a long long time. you would probably be able to put 20 kill rings on 25+ tanks. the package of them i have looks pretty old but woodland scenics probably still makes them. i found mine at a model railroading shop.

Kill rings were not that widely used if you look at the gereral entirety of wartime photos.  They appear occasionally but not all the time.  If I wanted to do it, I'd cut white decal into strips.

As for camo: one note about the snaky camo lines that sometimes appears on German armor.  Don't make it some continuous 30 foot long paint line (which is easy to do on a 1/35 scale model).  In reality, it would be one dude hauling around a paint gun at the end of an air hose.  He wouldn't clamber over the doggone tank just to keep "artisty" in focus.  He'd stand in one spot and spray to what was comfortable.

I call this model painting error the "hand of god" air brusher.  Don't do it!!!  LOL

 

 

I'm by no means an expert but maybe this will help. Killrings: I would think the easiest way is to use a suitable decal or dry transfer. I know years ago verlinden made a set so you could model a specific vehicle. Otherwise you would have to mask the lines individually and paint them. Camo: if you're going from kit instructions : if you have access to a decent copier enlarge the instructions until its approximately the same size as the kit. And basically just color in the camo until you feel comfortable enough to shoot on the model. This will especially help with the schemes with the squigly lines. Or if its a tri tone you could cut the diffrent colors out and use as a mask. If you're going from say just a single image that catches your eye: its a tiger I and you only have one pic and its from the front. It has a two tone scheme of wide camo bands across a base color. Pick a good spot on the photo. Take a pencil and mark where the left side of the band is on your model then the right. Measure the distance and now you have a decent idea of how wide the camo bands are. And remember camo is not always exact. Tanks were never painted by the same person. As well they were painted under all kinds of conditions. Except maybe the brit tanks. Those guys are pretty anal bout procedures.