I’ve just gotten the big Trumpeter 1/20th scale Type 98 kit. It’s not as awful as I’d been led to believe, though it certainly is crude compared to comparable big scale kits now being released.
Anyway, I don’t care for the green/tan/blackish green scheme the few produced vehicles have carried in photos I’ve seen of the tank (probably the same batch of vehicles photographed over and over again)… I’m interested in painting it a two-tone scheme, as in an elite tank division once the thing goes into full production (assuming it does!) but I wonder if the Chinese have gone completely over to the three-tone scheme I just mentioned.
Anyone here familiar with Chinese camo schemes for current AFV’s? Are there websites devoted to this? Any suggestions on color – rough equivalents in western or Soviet colors would be great. Thanks.
Larry,
The only other camo scheme that I have been able to find online is a medium green/russian green/earth brown pattern. I built the Trumpeter Type 89 anti tank platform and it looks quite good in this pattern. I don’t like the color references that Trumpeter gives for the two green colors. They blend together and look like one color instead of two colors. The few pictures I have downloaded show a distinct color separation between the two greens. I went with a medium green and a lighter colored green. When I get to my hobby area I will get the exact colors and post them here. I have found my pictures on www.fas.org or in Yahoo groups (look for armyrecognition) and on alt.binaries.pictures.military. I can send them to you if you want them. If there is anything else I can do, let me know.
Thanks guys. I may just use the three-color scheme after all, and just leave off the stars with the Chinese character in them – presumably just applied for parades. I think I will leave off the white detailing in the wheels as well!
That’s the thing though – I wonder if the entire appearance of Chinese vehicles in pictures – including the three-tone scheme – is for parade dress only … hmmm …
I’m open to suggestions for the colours in Tamiya, Humbrol or Testors mode for the three-colour Green/Green/Tan scheme. We can’t even interpret the Mr Color numbers, let alone think that they’re accurate.
