Panther II – Camouflage painting
I painted the camouflage of this Panther II with the airbrush. I chose a German three-tone one with Dunkelgelb, Olivegrün and Schokoladenbraun, using an invented scheme (it's a "paper Panzer" anyway...).
Paints
I used the Vallejo Model Color acrylic paints shown in the photo below. Three were for the main colors (Green Ochre, Chocolate Brown and Reflective Green) and two for desaturation (Buff and Flat Yellow). Although not strictly designed for airbrushing, these paints performed quite well, except for occasionally clogging the nozzle. I thinned them —using a variable mixing ratio, minimum 50% of thinner— with an alcohol-based glass cleaner: unlike the water, it leaves a matt finish and clogs the nozzle less often. Should it happen, however, just use a soft paintbrush dipped in alcohol to clean the airbrush tip "on the fly".
Painting
Base color
I gave a coat of Chocolate Brown as preshading (looks better than black under Dunkelgelb), followed by the Dunkelgelb (Green Ochre).
I painted the lower part of the hull, behind the running gear, with a mix of brown and black, to create more shadows.
Fading
I desaturated the central part of the horizontal surfaces, as well as the upper part of the vertical ones, with a mix of Green Ochre and Buff. No problem if it looks too bright: further filters and washes will dim the contrast.
Camouflage
Now comes the most complex part: painting the camouflage scheme. It's convenient to draw the contours first (with low air pressure, airbrush tip closer to the surface and more thinned paint), then fill the areas.
After completing the scheme, I brightened the green and brown areas, the former by adding yellow, the latter by adding Buff.
Tools
I painted the metal parts of the tools and the tow cable with black, then I dry-brushed them with Humbrol 53 Gun Metal enamel.
