Mouse grey parka

Any thought on a “match” for the “mouse grey” used for German winter parkas? I have a bunch of Lifecolor Kriegsmarine greys. I’d think one would be ball park-ish. Or does Valejo/ AK/MiG make one? Planning on an SS TC, Kharkiv. 43.

The color designation is RAL7005. I think Tamiya RLM Grey is close, but not close enough.

Here’s a dozen different shades of “mouse-gray”. Take your pick: https://www.google.ca/search?q=mouse+gray+color&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjLi4Wn1PP_AhVTm4kEHVgEAV0Q0pQJegQICRAB&biw=1920&bih=929&dpr=1
:smiley: :canada:

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Fifty Shades of _____________ .

Insert Color of Choice here :point_up:t2:

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Blaugrau 58-1 or Dunkelgrau 53???

That’s mainly for the subs and support vessels, not for the uniforms.

Yeah . I kinda have that figured out. Sort says so on the box. But paint is paint and the two I mentioned look like what I have seen as “mouse Grey”. Wonder if anybody concurs.

There’s no big mystery to “mouse-gray”…medium gray with a touch of brown. Fade/weather to taste. :exploding_head:
:smiley: :canada:

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Photos I’ve seen look bluish grey. That is why I am leaning towards Kriegsmarine colors 58-1 or 53.
lif-ua609-o0 (2)

LC-UA611-Dunkelgrau-53-600x263 Your monitor may vary.

I wouldn’t get too fixated on RAL colours if I were you. The SS winter parkas could be virtually any colour from a dark slate to almost khaki, at least that’s what I’ve seen in photos of actual garments. It’s like “Field Grey” - there’s really no such colour. It always makes me laugh when I see paint manufacturers touting their colour as the genuine article. I always mix my own field grey using black, white, yellow, blue and sometimes a very small trace of red. No particular ratios, I just mix until I reach something I’m happy with on the day. This ensures that all my figures differ slightly which is reflected in real life, depending on year, unit, age of uniform or WHY.

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According to the Hobby Color Converter there are several equivalents to RAL7005


The first 2 are from Jakarta the others from Revell.

Perfectomundo!!! I have the 70,869 (I assume that is the Vallejo #) in my stock. Thanks.

That is correct, but it is a close semblance… As mentioned before it is no absolute science, so deviations are not uncommon.

Ended up using Lifecolor UA 601 Dunkelgrau 51. Someone suggested Vallejo 70.869 but it was near as dark as RAL 7021.


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While I do agree that the shade can differ, I think Manufacturers can and should offer the exact colors. Its also surprisingly easy to do. There are for example so called Musterstucke, which are governmen approved samples. You can find them in national military museums and I have seen them for german uniforms and equipment, also 19th century stuff even as back as the Seven years war. There are samples of woolen uniforms approved by the crown. I have myself taken a few samples if modern cloth to Les Invalides to compare the colors to the original uniforms in the daylight. Suffice to say that by doing so I have ended a few reenacting controversies and I dont discuss the color of our reenacting uniforms anymore, bucause there is nothing to discuss.

Back in the day I used to use Pactra or Testors Flat Gray. It worked. Over a short time uniforms fade. Some quicker than others. So no 2 parkas are going to look exactly alike. So why worry about it.

A most reasonable answer!
:smiley: :canada:

Well this is the final result . Pzkw III Ausf L.2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Div. Kharkiv. March 1943. (1/48Tamiya)





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OK, one question about the mouse grey parka. Did everyone use it, or just Panzer troops? Wehrmacht or Waffen SS? Luftwaffe/Falschirmjagers?
Ken