I recently purchased a Trumpeter half track kit that comes with a full engine but no details on painting. I’m inclined to believe it isn’t German Grey like the rest of the vehicle, and an internet search isn’t giving me any good results. It looks like the engines may have been black. Does anyone know for sure or have a source for pics? This particular kit is Trumpeter 01523, German 2C Flakvierling 38 Auf Selbstfahrlafette. Thanks!!
Hello!
While I can’t be sure, in Europe the engine block was usually unpainted - that would mean it’s raw iron casting, dark grey metallic (and not very metallic, at that) with oil spills all over… And parts like oil pan or valve cover would be gloss black when new, getting quickly scratched and worn.
Hope it helps, have a nice day
Paweł
The colour you need is RAL7016 for the engine. Vallejo Model Air 71.115. This is a Panther engine, but the colour is the same!
Here is a SdKfz 7 being fully restored;
The engine;
The primary color is as Snapdragon noted, RAL 7016, commonly called Anthracite Grey.
Aha!
The color is indeed Anthracite Grey!
Thanks everyone, you guys are the best!
Equipment from “outside” suppliers were often painted different colours throughout the war. A standardisation was brought in to use in very early 1944, but due to stockpiling you would find late war vehicles with different colours for the drive train, gearbox etc.
Engines were mostly RAL 7016 but you could find some engines that were built early in the war painted in RAL 7008 with many transmissions etc the same.
May- September 1944 saw the interior colour change from RAL 1001 to RAL 9002. This is due to a series of raids by the 8th air force on chemical and paint plants reducing stocks, output and supplies. The paint used was actually the same colour as the Kregsmarine S-Boat hulls known as Schnellboot Weiss.
What you have to be careful of is the “scale Colour” paints made by AK and MIG etc. they do not really represent the true original chipset colours used, which OEM paint companies actually managed a +/-10% variance of the colours, which is not noticable to the Mk1. Eyeball, throughout the war, air raids, supply disruption and shortages etc. A truly remarkable effort!
this is why I use Vallejo as they have a chipset accuracy policy and I do like the way their paints go on.
Interior fire extingishers were red, while ones mounted on the exterior were black. you don’t want your vehicle spotted because of a bright red object hanging on your vehicle!
Another colour was RAL 6006 Feldgrau Nr.3. Used to paint ammunition boxes and equipment throughout the war. quite often you would see tank radios, electric junction boxes etc in this colour.
James