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[WIP] Oberkommando West - Historical - Ardennes improvised ambush pattern

Hello guys, I'm workin on some rare Ardennes December 1944 pattern, here is the references:

1) 
Source:

2)

Source:

The colors seems to be:

1) Factory Base Coat - 8012 Dark Red Primer (or Rotbraun RAL 8012);
2) Disruptive Pattern 1 - RAL 7021 Schwarzgrau;
3) Disruptive Pattern 2 - RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb.

I couldnt find a lot of info on this, so it's seems what it's a sort of custom-modifed pattern. But the colors seems legit and I liked them a lot,  so I decided to make it :-) After all, the skins suppose to be inspired by historical events, not necessary be copy of it.

So here is what I did so far:

Winter version:



Summer version:




I hope you will like it and hope I didnt messed up too much in the process :-)


Replies

  • georider
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    georider polygon
    references are very correct , since that konig Tiger was my reference in my OKW skinpack as well in my tunic german skinpack , I must say that you make a good aproach. In my hamble oppinion where is some historical error, in the dots, the factory ambuse cammo used green and brown dots in yellow , green and yellow dots is brown and brown and yellow dots in brown , in a ratio 25-75% between green/brown vs yellow dots. So the dots is the most complex issue in historical cammo skins you must fount the right dimention, that's why you are correct ussing only yellow but you have to found the right dimention of the dots and make them look like initial picture. If you are looking for more references check out battle of belgioum operation "Acht un Rein" . Final notice you are using the decals that killing the result of the pattern and historical aproach of the Armor. i suggest use without decals for vetter visual, and of course you need to test them inside since sometimes the initial colors needs some detach.
    It's a very good WIP, keep on.

  • skyline5gtr
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    skyline5gtr polycounter lvl 9
    I think the white color is off as well, i think its more beige but comes off white in the renders
  • georider
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    georider polygon
    no you are wrong sky, it's accurate I have seen that skin in many real photoes from battle of belgioum, that tank belongs to 1SS panz division in Kampfegroup peiper. Durring preperation for Ardens offencive the paint the armor in rush thats why the paint the sides with white wash , also with snowfall the difference bettwen 2 parts one white and the rest with initial cammo , made a good reflexion for shadowing the Armor. It's a good aproach and accurate , but that blue decals killing my eyes B)
  • Relic_Orca
    sweet renders..looking great!
  • reallymadmaveric
    My humble advice is do what you feel looks best.
    Historicaly when the factories had the correct paint supplies they would do a set camo pattern before the vehicle was dispatched. These patterns were subject to having the correct paint (exact color pigments varied upon which factory produced it and when) in stock and the current pattern ( which were subject to change). By 1944 the German war machine was  stretched to the limit due to contant bombing of the German heartland by the US stratigic air command and British Bomber command.
     This ment tanks often left the factories with bodge job paint jobs and even no paint at all other than red primer. If there was time to give it a coat of something on arrival at its Divisional unit then field camo may have been applied. There are hundreds of historical black and white photos showing tank units having a wide range of different paint jobs within the same zugs. Many of the colored references are only model makers and artists best reconstructions of what the believe the black and white images show. Think of it this way, if you had to paint 22 Panther tanks in your company would they all look the same. Many may be similar but none would be the same. Throw in lenght of vehicle service, damage and recovered parts from other donor tanks along with a new replacement vehicle and you get the picture.  Then come to winter. They gave some lucky tank crews whitewash and some brushes and let them do what they felt would work best.  Each tank would have been unique. If you look at many winter 1944 vehicle photos, many in heavy snow had no winter camo as some units never recieved paint in time for the offensive.

  • georider
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    georider polygon
    Mav is correct as always. And now I remember some stories that writen to books that they use mud as well to applie a pattern special at 1942 , that why you seen grey Tanks with brown asymetric stripes , also there are many references that they  modify existing operational hulls to different stasis i.e in the hull of panzer Iv the add the flack 20 mm and here goes the ostwind , so in many occasions we have such differents in painting etc etc.

  • RitaRush
    Georider, thank you SO MUCH for your feedback, it's priceless for me :-) I'll try to fix the dots as soon as possible. And I will definetly find the way to get rid of that decals :-)
  • RitaRush
    REALLYMADMAVERIC, that's amazing! I feeling so less stressed about making the EXACTLY CORRECT historical pattern now. You guys know so much details! Big thx for sharing!
  • georider
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    georider polygon
    you are wellcome rita , thats why we are here for , we are the historical freaks in the show :D , and from what I see so far , all of you know how to work in a combination 3D -2D , we worked so far only in 2D and view the 3D inside game playing the game , try to figured out the uvmap of each vehicle "what goes where" viewing the replay etc etc. so for me polycount competition is a benefit for me to expand my knowledge in 3D and at the end my work will become easier , than before. As for decals perhaps you have load the material in the 3d program you are using for rendering , i think if you are use only dif (or nrm -spec , I don't use these in 3d) you get read of these. Finaly for the dots i'm using either green in yellow or the above combination , but since I'm watching the model in 3dsmax , it will be easier now for someone to apply the propper ambush in that way. Keep on is a fine work , and remember the key behind a historical skin is the reaserch , something though demands many hours but for start , that aproach by you is just fine , well done.
  • RitaRush
    Did my additional research on "Wacht am Rhein" operation, trying to figure out the exactly right pattern of the dots, but got confused even more.

    Here's some reference examples:





    Different size of the dots on the same type of tank in the same time period. Somewhere they are bigger, somewhere - smaller. I guess tanks indeed very often left the factories without any dots at all, and crews just drow them by themself.

    So I decided to go with the some compromised solution between all the references. And of course I used the 25-75% color ratio rule, mentioned by GEORIDER.

    Removed the decals completely also.

    p.s. I have to confess: I didnt use any 3D software at all, that was not a render :-) I could use a MODO for that, and it could help me a lot, but unfortunally my subscribtion is over and I cant afford to renew it at the moment, lol. So I worked with the textures direclty in the Photoshop, with the game running on the second monitor.

    All this preview is just screenshots and my digital art skills for the shadows and backgrounds. I am actually an artist, not a modder :-) But it's so cool to figure out something new!
  • RitaRush
    Spoiler! Images under the spoiler! :D

    Flak Halftrack:
     

    IR Halftrack:

    Walking Stuka:

    Kubelwagen:

    Jagdpanzer:

    Panther:



  • georider
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    georider polygon
    You are an artist that's for sure and an excellent one from what i saw, also I become astonish from the way you adjust the historical accuracy so quick, well done, the light vehicles preview is very good.
  • RitaRush
    GEORIDER, thank you so much for such kind words :smile: 
  • Starbuck
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    Starbuck polycounter lvl 2
    Yes, that is excellent work.  Very nice at aligning everything seamlessly in your skins.  I know from much experience the challenge that is. Well done.
  • RitaRush
    Starbuck said:
    Yes, that is excellent work.  Very nice at aligning everything seamlessly in your skins.  I know from much experience the challenge that is. Well done.
    Thank you. Love your skinpack too, especially that net-alike armor skirts on the Panzer IV. Is it suppose to protect from some special type of shells I guess?
  • georider
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    georider polygon
    That type of side skirts was called Thoma sutzen , and it was used in Ausf J , we also use here alpha chanel on the side skirts to set in that type of protection. We also see that type in some jagdpanzer IV/L/70 . The reason of developed these was the bazooka used buy usf , also soviets durring Battle of berlin put something similar to thoma sutzen in the sides of the turets of IS-2 and T-74/85 to reflect the panzerfaust, that type of protection is something that we see in our days in Striker Armored personel vehicle durring gulf war 2 and Afganistan , and the use is to recoile the RPG-7 shells.


  • reallymadmaveric
  • RitaRush
  • RitaRush
    Finished!

    Thanks again for all your help guys, I really-really appreciate it :-)
  • georider
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    georider polygon
    Good Luck , much oblidge for your good coments ;)
  • Kyle_RE
    Hi Rita,

    Just a heads up in case you are not aware but your submission to the curated pathway in the Steam Workshop is not visible to the public. When I view your submission there is an error message that says: "This item is not visible to users. The author needs to accept the latest Steam Workshop Agreement."

    Cheers,

    Kyle
  • RitaRush
    Kyle_RE said:
    Hi Rita,

    Just a heads up in case you are not aware but your submission to the curated pathway in the Steam Workshop is not visible to the public. When I view your submission there is an error message that says: "This item is not visible to users. The author needs to accept the latest Steam Workshop Agreement."

    Cheers,

    Kyle
    Yes Kyle, glad you noticed that, I am struggling with it for three days now :-(( Mod is complete, I just cant publish it on Steam.

    The page keeps saying: "Action required - You need to agree to the latest version of the Steam Workshop Agreement before your item can be fully published to the Steam Workshop".

    But I already accepted the agreement, and if I click on the agreement page it says "accepted" and won't disappear off the workshop page, which has also caused the workshop page for my submission to error whenever someone clicks on it.

    I have updated the mods, removed them completely and published them again twice, but the issue stays all the time. I have tried literally everything, and nothing helps. Steam support ignores me completely :-(

    Here's the screens:




    Maybe you can help me with that somehow? i will be very grateful.
  • georider
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    georider polygon
    I had the same problem play around with workshop , on your workshop page when this item displayed in upper right there is a function 'Ender or payment agreement info' there needs something to click , I can't recal it's tricky though.
  • RitaRush
    GEORIDER, thanks for the reply!

    You mean something like that?


    Been there. That link leeds to the page which says: "You have accepted... blah blah", like on the second screenshot in my previous post :-( 
  • Starbuck
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    Starbuck polycounter lvl 2
    Try this:
    https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/workshoplegalagreement/?appid=440

    At the bottom, hit "select both". You may have to hit it twice.  If your payment info is already submitted, then you should be good to go.
    Hope this helps.
  • skyline5gtr
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    skyline5gtr polycounter lvl 9
    o i never signed that second one, just did will check when i get home if I can upload as well
  • RitaRush
    Starbuck said:
    Try this:
    https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/workshoplegalagreement/?appid=440

    At the bottom, hit "select both". You may have to hit it twice.  If your payment info is already submitted, then you should be good to go.
    Hope this helps.
    THAT WORKED!!!! OMG STARBUCK THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!  <3<3<3
  • Starbuck
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    Starbuck polycounter lvl 2
    You are most welcome!  Good luck!
  • RitaRush
    At last! It is really finished! Just updated the links. 

    Jezz, that steam fighting was harder than mode-creation itself :-)

    Thanks again for all your support guys, I appreciate it sooo much <3
  • realb33rm4n
    Starbuck said:
    Try this:
    https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/workshoplegalagreement/?appid=440

    At the bottom, hit "select both". You may have to hit it twice.  If your payment info is already submitted, then you should be good to go.
    Hope this helps.
    Thank u I had the same problem.
  • realb33rm4n
    Ritarush you do a very good skin!
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