What the postman brought today (Armorama)

I’ve been trying to decide how to paint my Matilda and I really like that Malta scheme - do you know what colors it was done in please?

Sorry Matthew, not really; I’m not much of a WW2 Ninja (not much of a Ninja at all outside 37 Pat webbing and Gestetner duplicators!). I imagine the base colour was Light Stone 61 - which I’m sure would have been applied prior to deployment or at least fairly soon after arrival. As to the “lines” - I’ve no idea. The colour pics in the book seem to range from dark green to a dark grey to a black. I would think it not unlikely that the colours required for this would probably be a local purchase paint, or whatever remnants the workshops had handy - in which case a dark green would be likely to make sense.

Perhaps the WW2 Ninjas can help if you post ithe question separately.

Good luck with it anyway.

1 Like

Thank you Brian.

@petbat did a valentine in Malta camo for the Malta campaign. He might have some suggestions. Miniart does a Valentine kit with Malta camo and suggest nato green and desert yellow from tamiya

1 Like

Hi Matt

When originally sent to Malta, the Matilda were likely BS381C Middle Stone No.62 being the standard colour for the Middle East. The change in orders to use Light Stone 61 occurred at the same time the tanks were disembarking in Malta. From what I have read, the tanks were likely repainted Light Stone 61 in theatre as the B&W photos show a much lighter colour than Middle Stone would have been.

Whilst Portland Stone BS 64 was also used as the ‘sand’ colour in the Middle East, most believe it was not used in Malta.

The stone camo was applied some time after the vehicles had been in Malta. The colours were locally sourced but arguments range over the colours used - from a red-brown to a medium green or very dark green. The Malta Trust has a picture wtth green:
image

One tank, Gallant, clearly has 3 colours, two for the stone camo:

Griffin, has a light camo colour, clearly not the Bronze Green G3, but whether it is red-brown or a lighter green?

In 1942 the A13 were delivered to Malta. There is a photo of two in the hold of a ship, one in what is likely overall Light Stone 61 and the other in Caunter scheme!

I used a mix for Light Stone and a medium green on my Valentine

My method was laborious. I painted the light stone and when dry, added blobs of old well used Blu-tac to form the rounded stone, then sprayed the green between the blobs.

12 Likes

Im seeing a theme there… :thinking:

Hello, in advance for my birthday, my dad got me this meng T72B3, planning on doing it as a what if captured by ukraine.

9 Likes

Wow Peter thank you very much for the extensive answer. Consider me schooled. Lovely Valentine. Interestingly enough, the Blu-tac masking method is exactly how I intend to render my Malta scheme!

1 Like

A ‘What if’… you’re joking, it isn’t exactly something that never happened…

I’ve heard this is a good kit, good luck with it.

2 Likes

I want to do a “what if a destroyed tank was captured by ukraine instead”

They captured quite a lot actually, so that is not really what if :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like

I’d call it “Free Spare Parts”. :smiley:

2 Likes

expect I’m basing it on destroyed T72B3, per example, what if this one, instead of being destroyed was captured and used by ukraine (and I can still make one who hasn’t been captured or destroyed as captured by ukraine too https://i.postimg.cc/XqFKRgfQ/1018-t72b3.png (from oryx)

4 Likes

Your such a tease.

What is in the box!!!


“Not for me”

11 Likes

15 Likes

Yea, it’s for “friend” :innocent:

5 Likes

Nice. Are the front wheels “posable”?

Technically, no. The axles and steering linkage are one piece. But, the wheel attachment points could allow you to “turn” them slightly.

1 Like