Stowage

I would have thought most of the stowage on the back of vehicles would be well worn and bashed about a bit...so heavy weathering and dry brushing would give it that well worn look. The things with cans etc...is they all to offen look like part of the vehicle when in fact they are just things that are transported then used off the vehicle where they get scratched and dented. Same for tarps did they have what we call tarps in WWII or was it more like canvas covers ( I think it was more the later) lead sheet makes really nice looking "tarps". As for tool boxes and ammo tins WELL BASHED they are made from much thinner matrails than the vehicles themselves so dont stand up to quite as much punishment.

what kind of equipment? standard issue like entrenching tools, or other stuff like presonal items, or maybe equipmnt being moved?? fuel cans and drums can be dunkelgelb (a kind of sandy khaki), panzer grey, or something OD. tarps can be various colors. stik with greens or greys, maybe a brown. ammo boxes are panzer grey or dunkelgelb. boxes can be plain wood, greyed for weathering, or brown, or maybe painted like green or grey again. also depends on time of vehicle oyur buildin. hope it heps....

If it's on the engine deck or rear of the tank it'll have LOTS of dust on it.

One word, FAMO.

How about id numbers and lettering on cans and boxes?

Actually for numbers and stenciling Look in this months FSM, tells you how to make numbers on stuff.

well rebel, i did see that but those are casting numbers, not painted on numbers. I mean serial numbers on ammo boxes.

you can use dry transfer stencils or try your hand freestyle but I'd rather us dry transfer

Stowage? It should be painted in the colors of the time frame , in which it is being modelled . Do some research , and check pics of the vehicle you are modelling.However , external stowage on an AFV , must be secured , either by straps , ropes , or a bracket. If the AFV , is mobile , and the stowage if not secured , it will fall off.I have seen so many models of great AFV's , with lots of external stowage ,depicting an AFV on the move. that hasn't been secured. Believe me , once the AFV , starts moving , if it's not secured , it's gone.
Frank
" PERSEVERANCE"

I remember when I was in the military, we had a lot of 20, 30, 40 year old equipment. For example, although the plastic water can was current issue at the time, we still had a lot of the old metal ones. We also had both the old black binculars and the rubberized green ones.

That's one catch with military modeling - some of the equipment that gets reused alot, like ammo cans and fuel cans, boxes & crates, etc, might be of a color or design no longer normally in service. A fuel can from 1938, for example, might be found on the back of a Panzer IV in 1944. Just because it isn't standard current issue doesn't mean it can't be used. Also, remember that some pics of German equipment show US fuel cans thrown in. Whatever will hold fuel.

Just make sure you don't use a piece of equipment that didn't exist yet, and be sure to weather the heck out of it. "Damage" it a little, take a dremel to it, or something so it looks well-used.

~J

Take a look at this month's issue of FSM. The FAMO dio has a full bed of oil drums, etc.
Ultimately, most of these items are thin sheet metal, and would thus fatigue and dent a lot easier than the vehicle itself. So, drybrush with some metallic tones, and ding it up.
The tarps on vehicles are parts of said vehicles,and should be weathered accordingly. I'll usually use something like a dustcoat to tie in all the elements with the vehicle itself.

Thanks guys!