I’m confused, not unusual [:D]
The color call outs between the Revell 1/350 single SMS Emden and their double Emden/Dresden kits are confusingly different.
The gun shields and guns combos (six in all) are to be painted light gray in the single kit instructions for the pre-war paint scheme and yellow ochre in the double kit.
I’d appreciate it if anyone could tell me the definitive answer to this little conundrum.
BTW, the reason I have both the single and the double kits is that I completely ruined the four piece hull from the single kit. My attempt with the first of the two hulls in the double kit is more or less OK - so on I go.
Mike
Ochre is prewar, wartime is gray
“Ochre is prewar, wartime is gray.”
GMorrison,
Thanks for chiming in.
I’m well aware of the wartime gray. However, regarding the pre-war Emden’s guns and shields, the color depicted on the box art is light gray - just as the hull is light gray (NOT white) pre-war. The gray used during WWI was considerably darker than the gray that is being called out for the pre war color on the shields. The box art on both the single and double kits regarding the SMS Emden is the same - yellow ochre on most vertical surfaces plus the stacks, but light gray for the guns and shields.
This isn’t exactly a terribly important query but, in the interest of accuracy, I thought I’d see if anyone on this forum knew the answer. If no one else knows I’ll just go with the box art.
Mike
I should also have mentioned that the color call outs for the wartime SMS Emden (and the Dresden as well in the double kit) are clear. Both kits are calling for the darker gray on all vertical surfaces and the hull as well.
Mike
When I built that kit several years ago I researched the colors on a number of sites focused on the pre war at and wartime Imperial Navy.
I don’t have the references at hand, but they shouldn’t be hard to track down.
I’m looking at the model on my shelf, and it looks like:
Red ant fouling, thin black boot stripe, dark grey up to the main deck level and light gray above.
I didn’t research the prewar Far East scheme because I didn’t plan that model.
And I paid no attention to Dresden.
But I started there rather than follow the kit instructions, which as you know are always hit or miss ie not too reliable.
When I was researching my Graf Spee build several years back I came across a site that said the pre/early WWII DKM colors were close, if not identical to the WWI colors used by the Kaiser’s Fleet during WWI. Those colors were a Dunkelgrau 51 Hull above the waterline and a Hellgrau 50 superstructure. I don’t know how accurate or reliable those call outs are for WWI era, but I thought that I would throw that out there for consideration.
GMorrison and Stikpusher,
Thank you both for your thoughts.
Again, I’m building her (Emden) as she began her cruise to the far east before the war. She had most vertical surfaces painted yellow ochre and the hull above the WL a very, very light (nearly white) gray. She may or may not have had a boot stripe. (I will probably attempt to give her one anyway). I’m only concerned with the gun/shield combinations of which there are six on her forward, main, and aft decks. As you can see from my post Revell’s instructions contradict each other from the single and double kits when it comes to the color of those gun/shield combos. That’s what my question is. I think I’ll go with the light gray.
Mike
It seems there must have been a bargain on white and buff paints the early years of the 20th century. So many navies seemed to use that scheme that I got to wondering why!
Funny you should say that Don.
A couple of years ago I stocked up on WEM ( late and lamented, but I did my part) Colourcoats White RAL 9010 and Sand Yellow RAL 1002, three tins each.
There’s a Combrig 1/350 full hull kit in my stash waiting for me to have enough time to deal with sourcing or scratching all of the stuff that normally gets covered in someone’s PE issue. Probably I’ll get the PE for one of those big ICM battleships.
Seems like it’s been modeled both ways.
I have no idea now that you bring it up.
And I think it would be reasonable to assume that the shield got painted the same color as the guns themselves.
BTW I made my own from thin brass- the stuff left over around the border of the PE. It looks pretty good, those guns in the kit leave a lot to be wished for.
I think a safe bet is that they are either gun color or hull color. I call the hull color white. And it is a little gray, but not much.
From my research the gun shields and guns are the same color as the hull in her pre-war years.
Ron W.
Ron,
Thanks for your input. As I suggested, I’ll be using the same color on the guns and shields as is on the hull. I’ve painted the hull a light gray - not so light one would call it white but very, very light.
Mike
I think that’s a good way to go. The WEM color seems to be white with a little black added for scale effect.
I’m certain the real thing was really cool white, not gray. But that again wouldn’t look right in a model.
And the other color isn’t ochre at all. It’s pretty yellow. Again adding a little black gives it scale, but it’s not Spar or Buff. The successful models I’ve seen use Lufthansa Yellow with black added.
GMorrison,
I may not have mixed my colors to the most historically accurate hue but I’m satisfied with what I came up with.
As I explained in the first post in this thread, I had a devil of a time just trying to get the hull together. I completely ruined my original kit’s hull. The amount of time I spent trying to get the pieces (four of them) to fit together was exorbitant and each successive attempt seemed to reek more havoc on the puzzle. I gave up and am keeping the hull for a potential waterline model in the future.
My new hull is coming along much better. I’m on my second round of puttying and sanding but I think (I hope) it’ll be OK. The following picture shows my second attempt at the hull (which I should be air brushing today) along with the fret showing the color I’ve mixed up and am using as the “yellow”.
Mike
I have another question regarding the prop shafts. Should they be painted hull red or brass? Those are the two conflicting choices Revell has given us between the double kit and single kit. I’ve already painted the shafts brass and the cowling (or whatever it’s called coming out of the hull) and the brackets will be hull red as well. I think that’s what Revell meant to convey but I’m at a loss as to why they make their kits with conflicting instructions.
Here’s where I am so far. Lots of filling (puttying), sanding and touch-up painting still to come around the hull/deck joins.
Mike
I always thought that prop shafts were made of steel and were either painted the color of the hull or left unpainted.
Marcus,
Thanks for your thoughts.
I think I may repaint the shaft to the hull red color but I wondered if this community had others who know for sure about the Emden/Dresden prop shaft colors. It’s certainly not a big deal to me but I’m posting these discrepancies between the single and double Revell kits as I find them.
Mike
Hi mike,
Doing the Emden myself, I did some research for the build and I think the shafts were inside of steel tubes, thus would be hull colored
