Sd.Kfz.138/1 Geschutzwagen 38 M qusetion.

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

I’m a real novice at the armor modeling game and I have a few questions. I’m building the Dragon kit of the 138/1 and I wonder what the interior color(s) are? How about the engine/transmission/radiator/fuel tanks/battery colors? The instructions don’t tell you much at all. Thanks for all replies.

Jeff Cadenhead (who usually builds the wingy things)

2

LOL! [(-D]

I can’t really find many good pictures of the interior, but it would be painted white over a red oxide primer showing through chips/ worn areas. The transmission would be a dark metal color like a warn steel. Thats all I know, hope it helped. Someone will probably know all the colors or correct me though. Hope it helped.

Good luck on your first armor build!

3

The inside of the fighting compartment is oging to be the exteiror base color. Don’t know how “open” you plan on making haches etc but you may not be able to see any of the engine etc at all. I am definately one of the “not seen, not painted” kinda guys.

4

Thanks for the info. Not really my first armor kit but the first one with most all of the hatches open. I was thinking white also but I did find and build similar to the one I’m working on and they used what looks like field gray for the floor/fuel tanks/transmission and such as well as white.

Jeff

5

Here are some pictures of inteior color of some German armors:

Hope this helps…

6

Thanks! This will also help.

Jeff

7

To add to what the others have mentioned regarding colors, the 138/1 is a variant of the Pzkpfw 38(t) and the M kept all of the drive-train components and just rearranged them by placing the engin in the middle instead of at the rear as in the gun-tank vehicle. If you see my thread about build #100, you’ll see how I’m tackling the interior colors using what references there are available on interiors for this family. /forums/1189774/ShowPost.aspx The engine compartment would’ve been left in red oxide primer throughout since it’s enclosed and not presented to the crew. The driver’s compartment at the front would’ve been in elfenbein (an ivory or off-white color) except for the floor which would’ve been in red primer. The engine was multi-colored depending on the different parts, the transmission was left in a metallic state as near as I can tell even though it’s a modeler’s convention to paint it field green, the fuel tanks would’ve been red oxide, the batteries black. The open top ares of the fighting compartment would indeed have been left in the same color as the vehicle exterior. HTH!

8

Thanks for all of this info. It helps alot. All that have responded have been more than helpful. The answers here have been better than on some of the armor web site that I asked the same question.

Thanks again!

Jeff