Planning on building a Dingo II and Humber , in Scotland, late 42/ early 43. (Polish 10th Mounted Rifles and 1st Armored.) From what I see regs show SCC-2 brown base with SCC-1a dark brown (or SCC-14 black) using the MTP-20 patterns for the time frame. All the references I’ve seen thus far, fron kit and decal instructions , say “green” (Khaki Green G-3?) Any thoughts?
Khaki Green G3 was the base colour into 1941. SCC2 came into use in 1941, but existing vehicles were not immediately (and often not at all) repainted.
Humber armoured cars of the Polish 10th Mounted Rifles Regiment parked up the grounds of Dalkeith Palace c1941:
Interpret the colours as you will, but for my take on it, G3 overall. Compare the uniforms to the AC’s colour.
Here is SCC2 Brown: very much a dark colour in B&W pics:
and yes they were SSC2:
PArt of the color used would be time of manufacture. Cromwell/ Centaurs didnt start production till after the switch to SCC2,if memory serves. So would be SCC-2 until the switch to SCC-15 in 44. (I read somwhere, in Normandy there was a mix of SCC-2, factory SCC-15 factory paint. and SCC-15 repainted vehicles.) I’d imagine the Dingo/ Humbers were the same. Wonder if the Poles (and other exiles.) got new built equipment or if they got “used” while the new built went to British units … and to North Africa.
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Good grief - second picture down once graced the cover of a very old Airfix magazine from way back when; I think I was still at school!
The last pic shows General Sir Bernard Paget, as CinC Home Forces I think.
Good pics all round.
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Reference my last, and Google being my friend, here it is:
To think, I joined the Army 4 months later. Sigh
(Nothing to do with the thread of course - my apologies!)
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Interesting the color shift between the magazine cover and the IWM digitalized archive version…
Found this Universal Carrier for more reference
and a close up of the Crusader in the earlier photo
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The first pic (Churchill?) and the one of the Universal Carrier look like they are SCC-2 with green . (Or black maybe.) Hey, side question … did the Poles use the standard Brit black tank berets or did the use different head gear?
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Hmmm; Airfix were obviously on to a good thing:
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I agree that these are excellent photos. However, relying on them (or any other wartime colour images or film) as ‘accurate’ colours is dangerous.
Colour film is more difficult to process than monochrome film and also more sensitive to exposure or processing errors. In addition, the chemical dyes embedded in the film render colours in different ways, depending on the film manufacturer and that can impact on what the colour looks like in the photo.Film stock back then was also less stable, so that meant a greater risk of variation from batch to batch.
These images are generally providing a very ‘rich’ range of high contrast tones which would suggest that they may have been taken with Kodachrome film stock. If the same photos had been taken with Afga film stock (as the Germans generally used), the blues would have been rendered paler and that would alter the apparent colour of the vehicle.
The vehicles in the first post are Humber Mk IVs and given their manufacturing date, they would have left the factory in SCC2 Brown.
Oh I know on that. But they provide a good basic starting point, rather than being the “last word”.
Any thoughts on when th Dingo II was produced? I know they had Dingos in France in 40 but not sure which Mks. Depending on the production run the Dingo II could have beenG-3 or SCC-2 depending on date. Also, where Brit vehicles camoed at the factory or, like the Germans, base color from the factory and camoed by the unit maintenance depot receiving them?
British AFVs left the factory in a single base colour as far as I can remember. Any pattern painting Disruptors were added at workshop level to a defined set of guidance published in MTO pamphlets. The patterns were not strictly defined but were supposed to follow the advice provided, so variation between vehicles was commonplace. It’s also worth pointing out that AFVs without additional camouflage patterns were probably more common than those with camo patterns in ‘Home’ (UK-based) units.
The Mk II Dingo would have been produced from 1941 (approx) to 1943. The vehicles in France would have been Mk Is. The Mk III entered production in 1943. Therefore it could be in either G3 or SCC2 I guess. I’d be inclined to go for SCC2 but it’s feasible that a few earlier ones were still in G3.
That being the case I might go with SCC-2 for the Humber and G-3 for the Dingo, compare & contrast. Planning a Cromwell too, in SCC-15. (Would like to do a Sherman IIa but no one makes a good one in 1/48. Hobbyboss has a bunch of issues. Was thinking of cross decking the Tamiya M4A1 hull and A3E8 turret BUT the A1 is a small hatch and the A3 turret is a late production with oval loaders hatch. (Polish Sherman IIas had the split loader’s hatch. )
Another option would be to do a Tamiya Cromwell in Polish markings - the Recce Regt of the Polish Armoured Division was 10th Mounted Rifles and you get Polish markings in the kit (albeit, just for Hela, which was a command vehicle). Other options would include an M10 or Achilles. The Austin ‘Tilly’ would be appropriate as well.
Got decals from Toro Models. Planning on Humber from 1st Recce Regt., 1st Armor Div., 1943. Dingo II, 10th Mounted Rifles, 1942. Cromwell, 10th MR, 1944. Crusader AA, 2nd Tank Regt. 1st Armored Div. , 1944. (when were these built? SCC-2 or 15?) , M10C Achilles, 1st AT Artillery Regt. 1944. Sherman I, Carpathian Lancers, 2nd Polish Corps, Italy, 1945. Sherman Ic, 4th Armored Regt. 2nd Polish Corps,Italy, 1945. T-34 obr 1942, 1st Armored Brigade, 1st Polish Army, Poland, 1945 .IS-2, 4th Ind. Armored Regt. 1st Polish Army, Berlin, 1945. T-34/85, 16th Armored Brigade, 2nd Polish Army. Czechoslovakia, 1945. BA-64B, 27th Self Propelled Artillery Regt., 2nd Polish Army, Czechoslovakia, 1945. (BA-64B and T-34/85 WIPs. Still need to weather a bit more, do some final touched. )
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