Meng 1/35 A7V "Schnuck"

[runeha]

Hi, I've built Mengs A7V in 1:35th scale. It depicts "Schnuck", and it belonged to Abt.2 in Northern France during autumn 1918. the model is painted using Tamiya acrylics, and weathered with Mig and AK products. Hope you enjoy :)

 

 

 

 

 

Best regards 

Rune, Norway

 

 

 

 

[daront]

Gorgeous model and paintwork

[kiwitrogg]

Another great looking WWI oddity.  Nice work

If I hadn't seen one on Tank Chat I wouldn't have believed it might have been real.

Cheers

Gaz

[Kingsman]

The only slight criticism, if I may, is that spray painting did not exist in 1918 and so the buntfarbenanstrich should be hard-edged.

[Bullbasket]

You've done a really good job on that. Excellent..

 

John.

[Ernst]

Awesome build and weathering, I've got the ancient Tauro a7v in the stash, I couldn't resist buying one but this one is probably a lot more accurate. Great job,

Cheers,

Ernst.

[John Masters]

Brilliant!

[Bigglesof266]

23 hours ago, Das Abteilung said:

The only slight criticism, if I may, is that spray painting did not exist in 1918 and so the buntfarbenanstrich should be hard-edged.

My thanks for that too. Hadn't been a consideration until you mentioned it, but sounds about right now you have.

[PF Naughton]

Hi,

The above posts got me wondering about spray painting, and as it turns out, apparently the concept of spray painting appears to have started in the early 1890s and was in use in some US Railroad company around that time, if I am understanding correctly (though the aerosol can was not invented till 1949). 

 

Though in line with what the posters above note, it is still possible that it was not in use by the Germans during WWI.  Its just one of those things I never thought of till I saw this thread, so I thought I'd pass the info along.

Pat

 

PS.  If anyone is interested here is a link to the airbrush museum's website for reference.

 

http://www.airbrushmuseum.com/index.html

Edited April 15, 2020 by PF Naughton
Added PS.

[Bigglesof266]

Yes I read that too along with some various stuff other sources, but given that it's predominantly US centric diminishes its cred, and so general that what they do have to say is useless as regards this enquiry.  

 

If it's any consolation, apparently the Qld Museum (who own and restored "Mephisto" in 2011) didn't know either. I saw and crawled through it regularly in the early 1960s when it was out in the weather even before they built a tin roof stand to over it. But even by then for whatever reason in the intervening years since located there in 1919, its original paint was indiscernible as other than a rusty opaque flattish black.  

 

I'm still out on whether the Germans had available or used spray painting technology when they built these, but under the circumstances in Germany at the time of their construction and how few were manufactured individually, it stands to reason that in all probability the field camouflage would have been brush/hand applied.  Is it even possible to tell from extant b&W photos? I wouldn't sweat it. Damn fine looking job you've done of a fascinating subject, a must have model for me.

[cduckworth]

I’ve seen photos of the Germans using a paint sprayer on WWI aircraft so they were in use prior to 1918.   As to use on armor back then you’re on your own. 

[Ernst]

Some of those a7v's appear to have (semi) soft -edge camo patterns, maybe it's the grainy photo's and/or dust accumulation or maybe the guys in the field painted it wet on wet and intentionally or not blended the colours that way. In the 20's and 30's the buntfarbenanstrich had specific colours assigned to them but is buntfarbenanstrich prior to the 20's just a german compound word for anything non-monochrome grey?