Apparently the common practice for German WWII AFV’s was to receive, at the factory, a coat of red oxide primer before any subsequent coats of paint was put on. Ok.
Was wondering if any you actually do that to your panzer kits? I mean actually simulating the ‘red oxide primer’ by placing a coat of red (appropriate color) over your kit before putting any other paint on it? How’d it look?
Glenn
The red oxide was used later in WW2 on german vehicles. Earlier in the war they used gray.
Some people prime to the actual color used during the war. I only do it if it can possible be seen. On 1/35 scale armor I prefer to shoot a coat of flat black and then shoot the finish color on top of it.
Here’s a link where Roy primed his in red oxide.
What paints do you guys use for the red oxide primer? I generally shoot Model Master Acryls.
“It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it.”-R.E.Lee
Hull red from Tamiya’s range of acryls here…
I have a WWII german helmet. I cannot remember what type it is, but when I got it in the Czech Republic, it was black, with a few scrapes revealing a red/orange color. I was wondering if they also applied this primer to helmets.
On another armor website it has been mentioned that the ‘closest’ Tamiya color for ‘red-oxide primer’ is HULL RED, XF-9. Some modelers seem to feel that Polly Scale/Model Railroad Colors #414354 “Special Oxide Red” comes the closest.
My question is not so much about which brand to use to replicate ‘red-oxide primer’, but whether or not anyone actually took the step in their painting process to add a ‘red-oxide primer’ coat before adding anything else, thereby simulating the ‘real process’ that many German AFV’s went through. I am aware that some armor modeler’s do prime using black and then proceed from there.
Am debating whether to try a red colored primer. Haven’t made up my mind. Thanks for the responses!
Glenn
I only use Red Oxide primer if I am planning to flake the paint to show the primer. I usually paint the tank a different color (darker) that the plastic model color or the final paint color. The different color helps see the final paint job better. If I am not featuring the primer I do not worry about it the color but I think black is a good base color. Just my two cents.
TC
I use the standard flat black for my primer basecoats , I prefer the shadowing effect one gets from it during the later camo coats .
Kenneth Childers uses Oxide red for his models and they turn out excellent IMO .
Just a matter of preference I think .
I see no point in actually basecoating the whole vehicle in red oxide. If I basecoat, its probably just a shade of the final coat, or white. As with some members of this board, black is popular. To basecoat it red to get the most realistic paint finish is, IMHO, redundant, as the final shades of paint are hotly contested, and would exibit a variety of effects, thus making your “accuracy” questionable at best. Also, I think its being just a tad too anal. I’ll paint red oxide only if there is paint chipping to be done, or zimm flaking off, and that I’ll actually paint after the final coat, as opposed to a basecoat.