Author Topic: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41  (Read 5976 times)

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Offline iceonaboy

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Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« on: 17 Apr , 2011, 12:42 »
I am, as most of you know already, in the process of building the Revell 1.72 scale type VIIC  and VIIC/41. I am still a bit unsure as to which paint to use that will depict the true colours accurately.  :-\ I know there is a difference in the colour scheme for the later boats, and Ive heard that the decks should be almost black. I have some Tamiya XF-20 and XF-63 for the hull. Is this a good bet for the earlier boat?Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Jawohl herr Kaleun!

Offline Rokket

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #1 on: 22 Apr , 2011, 00:21 »
Some info here on my old build site:
http://www.rokket.biz/models/modelsweb/rokket/u557/paint.shtml

I used White Ensign Models ColourCoats, very authentic and high quality. I also used an undercoat of Humbrol, trying to match the WEM, just to stretch and as an exoperiment. The site lists some conversions which are a bit loose, for other brands.

and in the LIBRARY http://amp.rokket.biz/lib_uboats.shtml Dougie's WolfPack documents, inc. a huge section on Uboat Colours
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Offline iceonaboy

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #2 on: 22 Apr , 2011, 09:48 »
Thanks Rokket, thats a great help ;D

Jawohl herr Kaleun!

Offline Rokket

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #3 on: 23 Apr , 2011, 21:18 »
no worries!
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Offline iceonaboy

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #4 on: 24 Apr , 2011, 14:15 »
I have found the links a great help but was wondering, how is it , when anyone mentions such and such a percentage of one colour and such and such a percentage of another colour, that these percentages are measured out? What is used to measure paint quantities? Ive often wondered about this as I never seem to know exactly how much thinners to add to paint before airbrushing. ??? Ive always used guesswork, and this doesnt seem to be a very accurate method. I would be grateful if someone could release me from my ignorance :-[

Jawohl herr Kaleun!

Offline Rokket

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #5 on: 24 Apr , 2011, 17:17 »
You can do it by drops, an eye-dropper, or any consistent way you have to scoop out paint into another container. For example, if the formula for gray was 1 drop of black to 9 drops of white, you would be recreating a 10% formula (1/10 = 10%). None of this is pure science and some small variation won't be noticeable. Then again, a test is different to full-scale: I experimented for a 2001 diorama I was doing, to get a red and orange and green for the space suit, and was sooo pleased with my tests! Then months later when I mixed a large qty of paint, I must have been off and it was wrong-wrong-wrong!

I tried to recreate WEM colourcoats for both stretching them (they are cheap but take a while to go halfway around the world), and as an experiment to learn more about paint. But I would suggest just buying them and using them!
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Offline iceonaboy

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #6 on: 26 Apr , 2011, 07:13 »
Thanks so much again Rokket. One other question if you will? I have been practising my build and airbrush skills on the 1/144  VIIC/41  and was wondering, when it comes to blackwashing the boat. Is it best to wipe off the excess or completely leave it. I have left it and even though it looks quite good, there does seem to be "staining" left on the panels. This is the first time I have ever tried to weather a model, so everything  is new to me. I have read lots but I guess its just practise that makes perfect, eh? I would post pics but for the life of me, I cant see how to add a picture on this site ???

Jawohl herr Kaleun!

Offline iceonaboy

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #7 on: 26 Apr , 2011, 14:34 »
Every time I try to add a pic, it says file too large. Is it because I am using pictures from an iphone?

Jawohl herr Kaleun!

Offline iceonaboy

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #8 on: 29 Apr , 2011, 12:50 »
Can anyone help with suggestions for which filter colours to use for U boat greys? I am sorry to be asking so many questions, but the display of talent on show in this forum has whetted my appetite and I am determined to gather all the right tools and information before comitting to the build :P

Jawohl herr Kaleun!

Offline Anakin

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #9 on: 29 Apr , 2011, 13:30 »
Every time I try to add a pic, it says file too large. Is it because I am using pictures from an iphone?

Hi!

Try to scale them smaller like 900x1200 or something... I guess you are trying to upload 8Mpix pictures and they might be tooo big!  ;)

EDIT...
Seems like the correct size is 600x800pix / 1Mb  http://models.rokket.biz/index.php?topic=70.0


-Anakin-
« Last Edit: 29 Apr , 2011, 13:34 by Anakin »

Offline iceonaboy

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #10 on: 30 Apr , 2011, 00:55 »
Yeah but its saying the file is too large, maximun is 150kb ??? Every picture I try to load says the same and I have never had trouble before loading pictures . What am I doing wrong? :-[

Jawohl herr Kaleun!

Offline iceonaboy

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #11 on: 30 Apr , 2011, 01:13 »
I downloaded a resizer, resized my pictures to the correct size and I am still getting error, file size is to large, maximum allowed is 150kb >:( My picture I am trying to load is 100 kb, so why is this not working? ???
« Last Edit: 30 Apr , 2011, 06:15 by iceonaboy »

Jawohl herr Kaleun!

Offline Pat

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #12 on: 30 Apr , 2011, 07:11 »
I know what you mean about uploading pictures.  I have the same problem as my only digital camera is a cellphone and the pix just will not load into the site.  My computer is ancient (about 1999 vintage) and won't install any of the new programs to work with the picture files for compression etc.

On the subject of hul colours, to a great extent I feel that as long as you get close enough that it looks right to the eye, you're ok.

That's because during the war, the exact colours of equipment changed as they found that what worked and what didn't.  So an early war boat may have a colour called dunkelGrau slightly different than a late war boat.

Also, and especially later in the war when getting a boat out to the front was more important than getting the colours exact, shipyards would use whatever was available as long as it was close to the desired colour.  You might see this with repair work done to damage being almost, but not quite, the same colour.

And finally, salt water and sun are very harsh on paint so a boat on it's third patrol without being repainted might be a different colour when compared to the same boat on it's first patrol, before fading, weathering, rust, oil, diesel fuel, grime, etc got at the paint.  The upper and horizontal surfaces would get lighter, the vertical surfaces might get darker and the edges would get either lighter or darker depending on the wear and what came into contact with them.

Offline iceonaboy

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #13 on: 30 Apr , 2011, 07:48 »
Cheers for that Pat, I was kind of thinking along those lines myself, but its always good to get it in writing as they say ;D I am glad to hear that someone else is having the same problem, but my computer is newish, my camera aint old and I have an iphone that wont work either on this site :-\ I downloaded a picture resizer and made them the proper size and the file is 100 kb , and I still get a message saying error , file too large, max size is 150kb. Now theres an enigma for ya!  :o

Jawohl herr Kaleun!

Offline iceonaboy

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Re: Hull colours for type VIIC and VIIC/41
« Reply #14 on: 30 Apr , 2011, 07:52 »
Sorry, didnt mean Im glad someone else is having the same problem, :-[ I meant Im glad its not something peculiar to me, Cheers Pat

Jawohl herr Kaleun!