gun colors?

[redalb2253]

what is the most used color for machine guns spandau's inparticular.

[jamo]

Spandau Gun question

and you will find the answer is basically semi-gloss black according to the folk who know these things

[Lyle]

Williams Bros. suggested Floquil Gunmetal as a base then rubbing graphite when it was dry, fixing it all with Testors Dullcote. Totally impractical for gnat scale, but fine for 1/6 and larger. You can get a pretty good representation of gunmetal from Polly-S, from what I remember.

[melsharkskin]

Personally -- and this only applies to certain guns, particularly Luftwaffe a/c of the wrong war -- I am impressed with the newer Model Master "Gunmetal" color, which is a sort of blue-black with some metallic pigment floating around in it. I use this, sometimes dulling it because it can come out anywhere from semi- to gloss depending on how it is thinned. When given a good coat of flat, it's quite impressive for the replica Spandaus and, left semi-gloss, are great for the real Lewis guns and their drums that I've seen.

The only a/c guns I have ever seen in the flesh that were in what is commonly sold to modelers as "gunmetal"color, which is that dark metallic shade with a slight hint of brass or gold to it, has been modern 20 mm guns that I saw while peering into the gun bays of operational F-5E's and a restored F-100D.

The point is, rely on your references and not on the colors generally passed off to modelers as "gunmetal." Gunmetal is the color of certain guns before they are painted or blued, and that's what gets sold to us as "gunmetal" colored paint. I don't know why modelers find it so hard to accept that machine guns on aircraft are sprayed with flat black or semi-gloss black paint just like many other components of the same a/c. And so they were painted in WWI just as in the next world war and all the wars after that even unto the Vulcans of today.
TOM

[StephenLawson]

The completed Spandau machine guns should be painted in semi gloss black. All German issue Spandau and Parabellum machine guns came from the factory with the outer surfaces covered in a baked on black enamel. Some highlighting in gun metal colouring maybe appropriate.

[josef scott]

I would confirm what Stephen says. There is a flight museum near me in Langley, BC, which has a Spandau (along with several other period MGs in a display case) that is definitely painted black. It does not appear to have been repainted at all.

[buzz1941]

I tend to use a dark gray, then a black wash then just the barest hint of RubnBuff for that "metal' look.

[davecww1]

I agree with Stephen, the real guns were painted black, but for my models I prefer to paint them a dark gray (Gunship gray by Model master) then give it a flat black wash and use graphite powder to highlight the edges and give it a metallic sheen. I think this makes the detail stand out, and while not 100% authentic it looks better to me than just black paint. And don't forget when doing Lewis guns, the hand grips and handle at the back should be a wood brown, and the strap on the top of the ammo drum should be leather.
Dave