German Faded Gray

The faded variant of German gray

The shade listed as German Faded Gray is a lighter, more parched counterpart of the dark gray that German ground vehicles carried in the first years of the war. A vehicle's finish in service did not behave like a freshly painted surface: sun, rain and the crew's wear drew it out within a few months into a lighter and cooler tone, most of all on the horizontal surfaces and the edges. That is exactly the state this shade captures.

How to work with the faded tone

Most often it serves as a second layer over the base dark gray. Spray it lightly into the middle of large surfaces, on the upper armor, on the turret roof and in the places the crew moved about, and let the original tone show through around the rivets, in the shadows and along the lower edges. That gives the depth a flat finish does not have. On its own it also suits vehicles long in the field or equipment repainted later, where little of the original gray was left.

Painting tips

• Apply the lighter tone in fine mists, or it will swallow the transition to the base gray.
• Thin it with the thinner of the same range, rather more thinly for a smooth transition.
• Stir the bottle before applying it, because settled pigment will shift the shade.
• Let it dry before you start with washes and dry-brushing.
• On small external equipment the fading stands out more than on large surfaces, so combine both.

What is in the box

One bottle of paint with a volume of 10 ml. The thinner, the base gray shade, varnishes and the model are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.