tiger question

[InitialProduction1]

While I wait for Christmas, I need some help with my new rye tiger, I want to build 503's 323 tiger. Funny to need help, but out if all my references, and looking on the Web till my eyeballs bleed, I cannot tie down the colors of that dang unit, I've seen panzer grey, olive green, dark yellow, dark yellow with light green and brown lines, this is nuts does any tiger nut out there have the info I need? A huge thanks in advance, because I know there's some tiger nuts in here hahahaha, thanks again.

[Coen]

I'm no expert on the tiger, but from what I've found, 323 looks to be dunklegelb with no camo pattern.

This is an artists representation of the unit in colour...



These are of 323 herself...




This one I'm not sure of... the source claims that it's 323 or 503, but there are some discrepancies in the photo.

[mannloon]

Yellow is usually a safe bet, and that's what it looks like to me in those pictures. Byrden said he had no clue where Rye Field got the idea for that boxart. I'm so early in my build through for Armorama I haven't even thought about paint yet. Keep in mind these particular Tigers have an interesting back story. This is from David Byrden's website

"The defeat at Stalingrad is the reason for the custom-made turret bins. This event caused a collapse of the German front line and the emergency allocation of the 2nd company of s.Pz.Abt.502 to close the breach. They were waiting to get their tanks and join their battalion at Leningrad, when just before Christmas 1942 they were given nine new Tigers and ordered to the Stalingrad region. These Tigers lacked some tools and external items, which the battalion raced to obtain from factories all over Germany. It was then that the turret bins were made, in Fallingbostel.

The Tigers were all numbered "2xx", since the 2nd company hoped to join their battalion some day. But they were soon transferred to s.Pz.Abt.503 at Rostov, becoming their 3rd company. The Tigers were renumbered "3xx" and their grey finish was repainted in camouflage colours when the weather warmed up; we have no record of what these colours were. Later, the crews added more storage boxes to some of the tanks and painted crosses on the turret bins and sides. They participated in the Kursk offensive and were active for the rest of 1943."

So the Tiger's with those weird turret bins would have been Gray from the factory and not painted with camouflage until some time after mid February 43 at the earliest, but more likely in April or May, in which case they could have gray with yellow over spray, or green or redbrown or all of those. My gut says yellow or gray with yellow over it, but there is seriously no way to know. If they have the balkankreuz on the turret you'd be safest with yellow, but you could do it in a late winter gray version as well, just leave off the turret kreuz in that case.

[Joker56]

i could only find one photo of 323 in this book, not clear enough due to possible winter camo still being on it

[RichardT]

Hi ,

I have Jean Restayn Tiger 1 on the Eastern Front and there are several clear photos of these 503rd tanks with the distinctive turret bins.
The turret numbering on these tanks is also not standard.You can't tell from the black and white photos the tank colours , but one assumption is
very reasonable - up until February 43 panzer grey - maybe even later - after that dunkelgelb as the base colour - and for Kursk definitely dunkelgelb oversprayed on the grey - and maybe olive green or rotbraun camouflage as well - but you can't tell from the pics if there is another camouflage colour being used. It is safe to say that it is extremely unlikely that any tiger would still have the grey in the height of the Russian summer of 43 - considering how seriously the Germans took camouflaging their vehicles.

Cheers,
Richard

[mannloon]

Hi ,

I have Jean Restayn Tiger 1 on the Eastern Front and there are several clear photos of these 503rd tanks with the distinctive turret bins.
The turret numbering on these tanks is also not standard.You can't tell from the black and white photos the tank colours , but one assumption is
very reasonable - up until February 43 panzer grey - maybe even later - after that dunkelgelb as the base colour - and for Kursk definitely dunkelgelb oversprayed on the grey - and maybe olive green or rotbraun camouflage as well - but you can't tell from the pics if there is another camouflage colour being used. It is safe to say that it is extremely unlikely that any tiger would still have the grey in the height of the Russian summer of 43 - considering how seriously the Germans took camouflaging their vehicles.

Cheers,
Richard

well put.

[burnie43]

i like the idea of grey with dunkelgelb.......thats my next one planned then...
cheers for that and a HAPPY NEW EAR
mark

[InitialProduction1]

well that's what I mean, I've seen a 503 tiger1 in what looks to be a three tone color UGH. so coen and Adam gives me a good idea. I'm wanting to build tank 323 of 503. there's some small things wrong with the rye field tiger and some parts that I need to attend to. one is, the storage bin, needs weld seems in those cuts on the bin, why they have those lines cut into the bin, is beyond me, I need to change tow eyelets, they need to be square, not round, on all 4 tow junctions. and for some reason no one adds the binocular drivers site? I can scratch build it from pictures I have , but it would be nice to have it for a change. and no 323 did not have the binocular site, but I like the tank 323, and it has a "full" interior. also does anyone know why there is a white patch? or strip? where the exhaust stacks are, its in a couple of pictures? also they have 6 bent u shaped wires welded right to the tank in one picture, " left side of the super structure", not like rye fields tiger kit. part number P3 step 34 in the in instructions, I really need to talk to someone about the tiger 323. but anyway any help would be greatly appreciated. happy modeling guys

[mannloon]

Those u shape things on the hull are for an unditching beam, basically a big log. Be careful what you choose to correct and what you leave. Byrden and the guys on tiif, network54 and track-link are a great resource but you can choose the level of accuracy you want. Because to be honest if you're going to get technical 323 wasn't even an early it was an initial so the fenders would be wrong as would parts of the upper hull. As long as you're enjoying the build i suppose you can go crazy. I'm going to make mine 321.

[InitialProduction1]

Hey Adam, ya those are for logs, the roads in Russia blowed, back then lol. On the tank I think your thinking of tank 321, it is the initial, 323 is a mix of early/mid production. That dang tank 323, in some pics are so dark, I like coens yellow idea, but I think I could get away with your idea of pz grey/yellow, and then add a white/yellowish stripe color on the rear bulkhead, what do you think?

[InitialProduction1]

Thank you coen, in coens post, pic one & two are of the same 323, in pic three is what appears to be 323 not 100% sure but I do have another pic of that tank but very messy pic, but in both pictures they have the white stripe, on the rear bulkhead, why and what is it? Paint, mud, color of tank before exhaust covers were lost in combat? Any ideas welcomed,