King Tiger Camo

[jdt52]

Hey guys, I just got a King Tiger and I'd like to paint a camo on it. I do not have an airbrush and I'm asking you all if you have any other ways I could do it. I have heard of dry brushing and looked up some tutorials but I wanted to ask you all if there was any better ways. Hope you all have a good day!
-Thankyou Joe


This is the King Tiger I purchased

 

[Wouter]

Hi Joe

Nice kit you have there mate. But first of all, I'm a nag when it comes to Tiger II's...I'm on a crusade here, I'm trying to educate everyone not to call a Tiger II 'King Tiger' anymore, so please don't call it a 'King Tiger' even if it's on the box

Anyway, painting camouflage on a Tiger II by brush shouldn't be too hard. Depending on the timeframe you are going to depict it. Initially these were delivered in plain Dark Yellow and the maintenance crew airbrushed the camouflage patterns. Since this is soft edge it would be quite hard to replicate by brush.
However, if you are depicting a later Tiger II (like the ones during Battle of the Bulge) it would be easier. Later in the war the Tiger II were delivered with a Licht und Schatten (light and shade or the common referred to 'Ambusch scheme') camouflage - which was painted in the factory. This camouflage was a hard edge one and can be easily replicated even by brush. Paint your Tiger II first in OlivGrün (olive green, unlike often stated this was the basecoat and not DunkelGelb anymore). Use very thin paint - you will need to apply many coats but you will get a very good result. After that simple outline the camouflage colors (DunkelGelb and Rot Braun) and paint the insides of the outlines - again using very thin layers of paint. Don't try to cover all at once.

Hope this helps a bit, if you got more questions, just shoot ^^

Cheers

 

[Jakko]

I'm trying to educate everyone not to call a Tiger II 'King Tiger’ anymore

Hear, hear (I’m a bit of a stickler for using the correct names for things: an M4 medium tank in American service isn’t a Sherman [most of the time anyway], a Universal Carrier isn’t a Bren Carrier, etc.)

Anyway, painting camouflage on a Tiger II by brush shouldn't be too hard. Depending on the timeframe you are going to depict it. Initially these were delivered in plain Dark Yellow and the maintenance crew airbrushed the camouflage patterns. Since this is soft edge it would be quite hard to replicate by brush.

Even then it’s mainly a matter of personal preference. If you want to brushpaint a model to represent a tank that in the real world would have had sprayed-on camouflage, then go ahead: it’s your model and only your own opinion about it counts in the end.

 

[jdt52]

Hi Joe

Nice kit you have there mate. But first of all, I'm a nag when it comes to Tiger II's...I'm on a crusade here, I'm trying to educate everyone not to call a Tiger II 'King Tiger' anymore, so please don't call it a 'King Tiger' even if it's on the box

Anyway, painting camouflage on a Tiger II by brush shouldn't be too hard. Depending on the timeframe you are going to depict it. Initially these were delivered in plain Dark Yellow and the maintenance crew airbrushed the camouflage patterns. Since this is soft edge it would be quite hard to replicate by brush.
However, if you are depicting a later Tiger II (like the ones during Battle of the Bulge) it would be easier. Later in the war the Tiger II were delivered with a Licht und Schatten (light and shade or the common referred to 'Ambusch scheme') camouflage - which was painted in the factory. This camouflage was a hard edge one and can be easily replicated even by brush. Paint your Tiger II first in OlivGrün (olive green, unlike often stated this was the basecoat and not DunkelGelb anymore). Use very thin paint - you will need to apply many coats but you will get a very good result. After that simple outline the camouflage colors (DunkelGelb and Schokolade Braun) and paint the insides of the outlines - again using very thin layers of paint. Don't try to cover all at once.

Hope this helps a bit, if you got more questions, just shoot ^^

Cheers

Thankyou for your help I’ll defintely get back to you if i have any other questions. You were very helpful and i will remember to call it a tiger ll from now on
- have a good day, Joe

 

[jdt52]

Hear, hear (I’m a bit of a stickler for using the correct names for things: an M4 medium tank in American service isn’t a Sherman [most of the time anyway], a Universal Carrier isn’t a Bren Carrier, etc.)



Even then it’s mainly a matter of personal preference. If you want to brushpaint a model to represent a tank that in the real world would have had sprayed-on camouflage, then go ahead: it’s your model and only your own opinion about it counts in the end.

I think i may just bite the bullet and buy an airbrush so it looks more historical accurate. Do u know of any ones that aren’t insanely expensive that’d be good for a first time user
- Joe

 

[Jon Heptonstall]

Hi Joe.
alternatively you could try the three-colour hard edge scheme of dunkelgelb and olivgrün over the red oxide primer base, either plain or as part of the dappled ambush scheme. This was the finish of most (all?) of the tiger IIs belonging to Schwere SS abteilung 501 in the Ardennes.
Jon

 

[Wouter]

Hi Joe.
alternatively you could try the three-colour hard edge scheme of dunkelgelb and olivgrün over the red oxide primer base, either plain or as part of the dappled ambush scheme. This was the finish of most (all?) of the tiger IIs belonging to Schwere SS abteilung 501 in the Ardennes.
Jon

Hi Jon.

Actually this camouflage wasn't sprayed on top of the red oxide primer, I see that passing by regularly but I wonder where the people get this information? It doesn't look bad though.

Joe, you can get quite cheap airbrushes these days. My first one was a MIG Pruductions one (discontinued) which cost me about 50 €. Not sure which brand sells 50€ ones these days but I think you still can find some. And even though it was cheap it did what it have to do. The only thing which will raise the cost is the compressor. I still have my first one a Revell one (which is a Sparmax) but I think you'll easily pay minimum something like 100-150€ I think

Cheers

 

[Jakko]

I think i may just bite the bullet and buy an airbrush so it looks more historical accurate. Do u know of any ones that aren’t insanely expensive that’d be good for a first time user
- Joe

Spray guns like this:

are cheap — you can get one for a few tens of euros/pounds/dollars/candybars — though you’ll still need a compressor or a can of compressed air to use it, of course. They won’t let you spray camouflage very well, since they can’t spray very finely, but you can paint the model completely in one colour with one, then use Blu Tack or similar putty to mask off the areas you want to keep that colour, and spray the next colour. This gives you somewhat feathered edges to the camouflage, because you can apply the Blu Tack thickly so its edges curve away from the model, and if you spray away from that edge you’ll get a little overspray that will pretty nicely replicate the kind of overspray you get on a real tank sprayed freehand.

Come to think of it, you could also use spraying cans for this instead of an airbrush/spray gun.

 

[Jon Heptonstall]

Hi Wouts.
i know there are arguments for and against tiger II appearing with the base primer used as part of a 3-colour scheme but I'm inclined to go with Jentz's assertion.The only real existing reference are the original colour photos of 332 at APG. Red oxide or RAL 8017? I can't tell which from the pics but I think it's entirely reasonable that the red-brown is primer.I also think the decision to leave the primer unpainted was pragmatic rather than necessary.
Jon.

 

[Ian M]

If primers then where like they are now I would recon that they would not be left in primer but painted. Primer is great for adhesion but not very good at keeping water out.

 

[Rbaker]

I think i may just bite the bullet and buy an airbrush so it looks more historical accurate. Do u know of any ones that aren’t insanely expensive that’d be good for a first time user
- Joe

There is a selection of cheap airbrushes on the Shop attached to the forum