1943 Panzer Dunkelgelb

Don't get to hung up on the exact colour of the dark Yellow, or any of the other late war German armour colours. The colour could vary depending on who made the particular batch of paint used. Not sure how green yours is, I am sure others here have used that brand, though I am not sure why they call it Dunkelgeld 1943.

I use the MM DY 1943 color but cut it 50% with MM Light Gray to use as my base starting point. Right out of the bottle it is on the darker/greenish side and since the weathering process inevitably alters the finish, I find it's much easier to start with a lighter color and let the layers build from there. German paint names are a little misleading, DY is the name applied to the RAL 7028 ordered for use but that doesn't mean it was strictly a yellow color per se any more than Feldgrau was a gray color (it's actually more green than gray) for example.

No, I wouldn't trust box top art, because firstly, it is an artist's interpretation of the colour.  Then you have the same image being reproduced by a printer, though the operator should be trying to match the artist's proof.

What you choose to represent Dunkelgelb  is your choice, so in that regard if you prefer the colour on model box, then go with it.  On the other hand, if you want to match historically what has been found through research, then you will likely end up with something else.

The current opinion is that there were several shades of this colour (five, with first one being a yellow used for farm equipment).  This though was not by design, but as result of adapting to shortages, specially by the end of 1944 due to the constant bombing of German factories.

Please excuse, but the comp at work won't allow me to post a hot link, but here is a good read if interested:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/thread/1364651560/A+%91big+question%92-+Dunkelgelb+%96+did+it+evolve-

regards,

Jack

wbill76

I use the MM DY 1943 color but cut it 50% with MM Light Gray to use as my base starting point. Right out of the bottle it is on the darker/greenish side and since the weathering process inevitably alters the finish, I find it's much easier to start with a lighter color and let the layers build from there. German paint names are a little misleading, DY is the name applied to the RAL 7028 ordered for use but that doesn't mean it was strictly a yellow color per se any more than Feldgrau was a gray color (it's actually more green than gray) for example.

  Go with Bills' formula, he's got that color                                                                  down pat.

I don't like the MM Dunklegeld; I agree that it seems a little too green for me. That's probably why Bill's method of cutting it with gray works to nullify that a bit. I like Tamiya DY, with a generous dollop of white or Buff. In the end, you can weather it so much that it really doesn't matter TOO much what your base coat is---you can darken it with washes, lighten it with mapping, and do all kinds of color modulation on it to get it where you want it to be.