Nashorn Camo Paint Sceme

Great! Glad to hear that you didn't let this minor conundrum ruin your enjoyment of armor modeling! Post some pics of your finished Nashorn if you have the chance---sharing our work is what this forum is all about!! :)

Yes the paint/paste was centrally distributed and made to a national standard (RAL).And yes by mid 1943 the strategic bombing of Germany was having some effect upon the quality of munitions and supplies produced for the German war effort, but far less than say a year later. But, it was designed to be thinned by whterever was availble:water, fuel, etc. and applied by whatever means were avaialble. hence the great variety in final color. Unit A may used a brush or broom it apply the colors directly from the paste, while unit B may be using diesel fuel to thin the paint prior to applying it with a compressor and spray gun in a single light coat to stretch the paint supply out as much as possible.

It sounds like you got the look that you wanted though. That is what is most important.

Thank you, that's why all the patterns, color fades etc, vary so much. I guess I assumed that the paint/paste was centrally distributed and generally would be somewhat close. Obviously that's not the case.

I changed my original pattern and sprayed Tamiya red brown, dark green and XF60 and I'm very satisfied with the results.

I'm a tall ship builder and new to armor and now really I'm hooked with all the complexities of finishes and great kits that are available.

So I ended up painting a three color pattern then over sprayed a thinned XF60 that muted the colors a bit and it turned out great.

Thanks again for the great replies.

If I may be so bold, let me give you some of the best modeling advice you're ever going to get: do NOT get hung up on "correct colors"--especially when it comes to "old photos".

First of all, there's the disparity between individual mixes of paint from different manufacturers and wartime expediencies. Next, you have the effects of weather, fading, shadow, angle, etc. Add to that the peculiarities and quirks of actual film, and how THAT changes color over time--and then there are both the calibration of your computer monitor and/or of printing processes.

Realize that NO ONE can say with any definite accuracy of EXACTLY how dark, light, or tinted one color is vs the next, and that there really IS "NO" "correct" colors. In truth, we all have our own opinions as to what the "correct" color shade or tint is, but no one really "knows".

If the shade seems too dark for you, lighten it until it makes you happy. Modeling IS "Art" after all!

The real color used by the Germans could vary quite a bit. It was issued in a paste form, and depending upon how it was thinned and applied, could be lighter or darker.

I thought so but with the color photos I found, it seemed a little dark. Thanks

Tamiya Red Brown