My main gripe with the current artistic approaches are that they make the vehicle look like a range target hulk or that they have been in some outdoor storage park for years where they have not been maintained. Extreme fading, excessive rust, and paint peeling/chipping away in large areas. If that’s what you’re modeling, have at it! But I suspect that the gurus who developed their artistic styles and then popularized them via media base their work off of such types, not off the operational vehicles that they might find in a local military post. Most WWII vehicles had short service lives measured in months at best. Postwar vehicles in regular armies had far longer service lives, but were also better maintained.
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The best compliment I ever received was when one of the very skilled (Mirko Bayerl) builders/painters said that my collection (13 or 14) of German Panzers were “boring”.
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The debate ends when there is a debate over the ‘correct’ colour of the Tiger at Bovington. If those guys can’t agree then what hope have we?
bruce
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I guess you did something right… or wrong, depending on the beholder.
But let’s face it; tanks are boring, colourwise. It is the very idea of the concept; mud & dust over camouflage.
Yep.
Mine were monochrome dark yellow, boring as a rainy Tuesday in November
Well, you can always build a Korean War “Tiger Face” tank! Lots of color there!
Ken
That they are! It sure is the gaudiest tank on my shelves.
Agreed 100%. I love the splash of colour it brings to my OD lineup of US tanks!
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Hmmm…a few “Girls und Panzers” should liven up your shelf, too! 
Shouldn’t it be “mädchen und panzers”, or “fräulein und panzers”?
Gotta love those 6th Tank Battalion Pattons!
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Absolutely love those Patton’s yup!
It’s Japanese, and that’s how they translate it. Also, it’s just Panzer, no “S” for plural, so I quess they all get crammed into one Panzer?
Ken
That looks amazing!
Somewhere in my stash I have the Matchbox reboxes of Monograms 1/32 Patton and Walker in Korean War tiger colours. I might dig them out and build them just to have a couple of tiger striped tanks in the collection. Innacurate and chunky yes, but I reckon they might be fun builds.
Oh I don’t want to go there…. 
I’ve seen what happens when too many females are in close quarters for extended time.
That looks to be a Marine Corps Abrams at sea in a well deck. Lots of salt water and sea air exposure to do that…
Yep. “A US Marine Corps (USMC) M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank (MBT) assigned to Tank Platoon, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Special Operations Capable (SOC), showing the words “PROTEST THIS,” painted on the fume extractor, on the barrel for the 120mm smooth bore gun, as the tank is loaded onto a LCU 1600 CLASS: Utility Landing Craft, from inside the well deck aboard the US Navy (USN) WASP CLASS: Amphibious Assault Ship, USS NASSAU (LAH 4), during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.”
Is it fair to compare modern vehicles with WW2 vehicles? Just saying. WW2 guys often got destroyed before they got old. Modern stuff hangs around a lot longer. But then paint has improved. So what’s the answer?
bruce
Yea, I’d say that’s fair. Modern stuff lasts longer, but usually has better maintenance done on it. There are always exceptions (see the Marine tanks above) but mostly you can compare them.
Ken