Mark IV Colour

[Steve Stuart]

This may be a naïve question, but has any one any advice on colours of this Tank around the time of Cambrai. In particular if there is a pantone number that could be used to get some mixed,I hesitate to say RAL number!
Thanks, Steve

[Paul Morris]

Hi Steve.

Well it seems this is a bit of a hornets nest with lots of threads on the net with several views but when I did this one I was advised by the tank museum to go for this colour scheme as that's what they said was correct.

Hope this helps a little, cant give you a colour code im afraid its just several muddy shades applied till I thought it looked right.
Cheers Paul.

[Adrian Harris]

Looks like DunkelGelb to me

Adrian.

[Steve Stuart]

Having been to the tank museum to day and spoken to the kit modellers there about the matter. The advice I have got is that Humbrol No. 29 Dark Earth, possibly lightened with a touch of white is the best they have come up with for "Tank Brown". Dunklegelb is in their eyes 'too yellow' , although I think it might be something that could be just right for lightening the brown a shade?
I think that the best solution will be to paint the tank and find some, clay covered chalk track, like on the ridgeway, after the four wheelers have been along and done their best, and get the tank covered in hopefully an authentic manner!
Steve

[Paul Morris]

Thanks for your reply

[Adrian Harris]

Thanks Steve

Anyone know the Caunter style dazzle patterns had been phased out by the time the Mark IV arrived

I think I've only ever seen it in relation to Mark I tanks.

Adrian.

[Dennis Jones]

Hi Steve,

Just to let you know your blue stool you left behind yesterday (well we presume it was yours) is being looked after by Brian.

Dennis.

[Steve Stuart]

Hi Dennis
Thank you for finding it, I thought I had remembered everything. Given the topic of the thread, I am thankful that my folding seating device is blue,:oops:
On another note, thank you to all who have passed on their insight, all is much appreciated.
Unfortunately the Caunter Dazzle schemes, as far as I have read do not extend to the Mark IV. Plus the red and white flashes were not on Cambrai vintage tanks either. So a shade of Brown it will be.
Maybe the way to go, is ask you Paul, for your mix if you are able to provide it, and then we might be consistent in our approach and present a united front to the critics?
Thanks again
Steve

[Ray Brown]

Hey Steve. The red & white flashes weren't on Cambrai tanks. Bummer as I like them. I want to have them but also have picked a Cambrai tank to do. Do you know where and when the flashes were used.
Cheers
Ray

[Stephen White]

Following this thread with interest. The white/red/white ID stripes were promulgated in Apr 1918 and some battalions had adopted them by May. They were painted on the horns, cab roof and fuel tank. With direct air support becoming available, ID of friendly forces was becoming a real issue, complicated by the Germans using some Beutepanzer (captured Allied tanks).

By the way, is anyone doing "Hilda" - Gen Elles' tank at Cambrai? It's probably the most famous and well known Mk IV, aside from "Deborah" which M Phillipe Gorcynski dug up at Flesquieres.

Stephen

[Ray Brown]

Thanks Steve. Looks like a respray. It's definately Cambrai then.
Cheers
Ray

[Kevin Hunter]

Interesting note from Stephen. Haven't seen any reference to "Hilda" in the forum, but it could make an interesting model with Elles and his Tank Corps flag protruding from the top.

I get that "Hilda" was H battalion, but wasn't calling a "male" tank a female name a bit risqué for the day?

Think I'll stick with 4086

Kevin

[Stephen White]

Kevin, interesting point. From what I can see, there was a general correlation between gender of tank and name but many exceptions. "Hilda" of H Bn at Cambrai was male.

Mike Cooper quotes the following Mk IVs at Passchedaele:

A Bn - Ariadne - A36 is WD number 2023, a male
D Bn - D3, 2693 is Drone, but a female; D42 is Daphne but male
E and C Bans play the game though - Emperor was male, Empress female; Consort Male, Chaperon female.

If you haven't seen it, this is M Phillipe's web site re Deborah:

http://www.tank-cambrai.com/english/home.php

His book is now very hard to get but I've got a copy if anyone needs any reference work. Another site just beginning to produce interesting stuff is:

http://www.tankmenofcambrai.com/

All the best.

Stephen

[Paul Morris]

Hi fellas.

I found these images on the net this morning ... thought they may be of some use

I realise they are only colourised images but looking at soldiers skin and uniform colour they look pretty good to me, in fact the tank in the picture above looks pretty close to the colour I got by chance

I really like the second picture ... although everything looks a little bit green to me? but is anyone going to reproduce the icicles??
Cheers Paul.

[IAN HINKS]

When I first saw the photo of the light brown tank I thought surely not that light, but then as I looked at the flesh tones of the soldiers I saw they were very close to reality as you say. I guess as long as the photo was converted from black and white tones and not tinted individually by hand then we can fairly safely assume that this is a pukka colour. Well done for highlighting this information. However it is a photo of a MkI, I wonder when they moved over from the brown to the green shown on the Mk IV Female in photo 2? Or were they producing a mixture? Amazing that we don't have more accurate information from official sources.
Gunner.