Best spray paint color for DAK vehicles

Coffeepoweredprof

I've found the Vallejo Air to have a good color range for German armor, though fair warning: the surface primer colors and the Air colors are different for Dunkelgelb. Surface primer is much darker. Vallejo paints do have RAL numbers on the bottles though, so that's handy.

That being said, I concur with the replies here - there was so much color variation depending on the date, the unit, how long the vehicle had been in the field, what the paint was mixed with, where the vehicle had been serving... I'd say just find a correctly-named or close-looking color you like, and go for it.

 

Although I’m not a fan of acrylics I used the Vellejo Air RAL 8020 and it sprayed and covered very well on this 8 rad I’m working on. Vallejo has an extensive RAL selection which is a plus.

I've found the Vallejo Air to have a good color range for German armor, though fair warning: the surface primer colors and the Air colors are different for Dunkelgelb. Surface primer is much darker. Vallejo paints do have RAL numbers on the bottles though, so that's handy.

That being said, I concur with the replies here - there was so much color variation depending on the date, the unit, how long the vehicle had been in the field, what the paint was mixed with, where the vehicle had been serving... I'd say just find a correctly-named or close-looking color you like, and go for it.

stikpusher

On top of all that, if you're going to realistically weather the vehicle, like any vehicle operating in the desert, it's gonna have a serious coat of dust, so the base color(s) will hardly resemble their original shade.

 

Exactly. The colors were either sprayed or hand applied even using captured British or Italian paints. Application methods varied and so did the shades, then throw in the weathering factor as stik pointed out the colors will certainly look different.

On top of all that, if you're going to realistically weather the vehicle, like any vehicle operating in the desert, it's gonna have a serious coat of dust, so the base color(s) will hardly resemble their original shade.

The scheme used in Africa was the Tropen Scheme

From 1941 to the spring of 42 it was

2/3 RAL 8000

1/3 RAL 7000

From 42 onward it was

2/3 RAL 8020

1/3 RAL 7027

I'm not sure what's available in spray cans,but those are the colors that you would need.But as others said,you would have to specify what vehicle you are building

How about a particular type of vehicle? Depending upon the vehicle variant, some only wore one type of paint scheme due to the era.

I dont have a specific time or vehicle to be portrayed but I have always liked the look of the desert colored vehicles

There were two tropical paint schemes utilized by the DAK, introduced 1941 and the other in 1942.   Also the first contingent arrived in the European scheme of grey. 

You have a specific vehicle and time period to be portrayed?

regards,

Jack