captured german trucks 1945 - repainting

[MarkIV]

I've just noticed that in the MiniArt 35459 German 3t Cargo Truck 3,6-36S Late Prod kit one painting looks interesting. I mean this one:

 

But I'm wondering if this isn't a fiction. Really? US Army had time to paint a whole truck like this into olive drab?

Edited July 22 by MarkIV

[sandsmodels]

the us army had 251 h/tracks painted in olive & marked with stars so might be correct.

 

[Kingsman]

Friendly force ID would be important.  Colours as well as markings.  Anything looking Germanic around the front line would be a target.  So yes, I would go with full repaint.  With the lavish logistic support provision to US forces I don't see a bit of repainting troubling them.

[Kelscale]

Even though the US army in the ETO might not be accused of having a lack of general transport in 1944-45, I don't think its unreasonable to assume at least one was re-painted and used. Even if just for shipping POW's.  It makes for an interesting subject IMO

Edited July 22 by Kelscale

[Pete in Lincs]

If you find an enemy vehicle full of goodies and you have some paint. It's easier to do this than unloading it and trying to find one of your own trucks that is empty and then loading that up. The Kubel was very popular. There are plenty of pictures of big half tracks pulling tanks on trailers. Both Opel and Ford whermacht trucks were not too different from their US equivalents I suspect. 

[DanReed]

Googling-

 

Miniart based theirs on this photo-

https://www.materielsterrestres39-45.fr/fr/index.php/vehicules-de-capture/78-etats-unis-vehicules-capture/647-opel-blitz-de-capture

[Kingsman]

Fiat 666 in the background?  A kit of that might be nice if anyone is listening.  Miniart missed the wonky door star.  And good luck with the grille star.......  It has been given a serial number and officially bought on charge, which Miniart also missed.

[Circloy]

 

14 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

If you find an enemy vehicle full of goodies and you have some paint. It's easier to do this than unloading it and trying to find one of your own trucks that is empty and then loading that up.

I'd tend to disagree, it takes minutes for a group of men to unceremoniousy unload a truck of equipment/supplies that's probably of no use to you and which advancing troops carry paint and equiment to do the job to the standard of the box art, that's got to be a workshop finish.

 

If you've a need to press enemy vehicles into imediate use your probably going to do as these guy's

 

https://www.pegasusarchive.org/varsity/frames.htm

 

 

[Kingsman]

The fact that it has an official X serial for a locally acquired vehicle says that it has been 'through the system' and bought on charge, so a workshop repaint seems likely.

 

I like the irony of captured trucks being used to transport POWs.  I wonder if they used German drivers with an MP sat alongside?  But by this stage of the war I don't imagine that many POWs would be making a break to rejoin the fight.  Which makes me wonder if the trucks belonged to the MPs for that purpose rather than allocating a Transport Company.

Edited October 21 by Kingsman
Bad spelling

[MarkIV]

I wonder if each possible surface was painted in this case.

[Kingsman]

Hard to tell.  If it was a Dunkelgelb truck then you might expect to see some lighter unpainted areas under the body, wheel arches etc.  Which you can't. It could be an older truck still in dunkelgrau, which would be hard to tell apart from OD in monochrome.  The Fiat might have been grigio-verde scuro, a darkish grey-green. And everything is splattered with a fine coating of dried mud to confuse the issue.

[Tomas Enerdal]

Model Victoria has a 

On 23/07/2025 at 00:24, Kingsman said:

Fiat 666 in the background?  A kit of that might be nice if anyone is listening.

Model Victoria has a resin Fiat 626 in resin, see here. Scalemates has it covered, SM, including link to a French review. Their resin kits are normally very nice.

[Kingsman]

Just noticed that the Miniart artwork shows Dunlop tyres.  Which seems unlikely as Dunlop was a British brand.  However, they did have a German subsidiary which functioned throughout WW2 under regime control - essentially expropriated - making aircraft tyres for the Luftwaffe.  I'm not aware that they made road vehicle tyres though.

[Knevi]

5 hours ago, Kingsman said:

Just noticed that the Miniart artwork shows Dunlop tyres.  Which seems unlikely as Dunlop was a British brand.  However, they did have a German subsidiary which functioned throughout WW2 under regime control - essentially expropriated - making aircraft tyres for the Luftwaffe.  I'm not aware that they made road vehicle tyres though.

Wouldn't there be a Dunlop equivalent profile and radius to replace the originals

[Kingsman]

There would.  Or just scrape off the "Dunlop" and leave them anonymous.  Replacing the wheels with resin alternatives would be an expensive fix.

 

A set of Panzerart wheels is £16 with late wheels or £15 with early wheels.  Different hole shapes.  Reskit's late wheel set is more like £29.  DEF's set is probably £24-ish.  MR Modellbau's set is - staggeringly - getting on for £35!!!  Hussar, best part of £30.  Need I go on??  Expensive to fix what is most likely a goof by Miniart.  All of these other brands seem to have gone for Continental Extra Gelande branding.  There look to be at least 3 different tread patterns in the original photo.

 

If you want to replace them then the Panzer Art sets look to be the best option price-wise.  Wildcats Models have both in stock right now.  Free shipping at those prices too.

[KRK4m]

On 7/23/2025 at 12:24 AM, Kingsman said:

Fiat 666 in the background?  A kit of that might be nice if anyone is listening.  

 

11 hours ago, Tomas Enerdal said:

Model Victoria has a resin Fiat 626 in resin, see here. Scalemates has it covered, SM, including link to a French review. Their resin kits are normally very nice.

While the Fiat 626 and 666 are very similar due to their forward cab, the photo shows the smaller of the two – the 3-ton 626 that @Tomas Enerdal is writing about.

@Kingsman, on the other hand, misses the larger, 6-ton 666. The only model I know of is the 3-D printed IDAP https://www.scalemates.com/kits/military-scales-pmi0053b-fiat-666-truck--1599769 in 1/72, which I can heartily recommend – the quality is fantastic. 

Cheers

Michael