WW1 GERMAN NAVAL CAMOUFLAGE COLORS AND MIXING FORMULAS

Additional Information about World War 1 Modeling by George Grasse

 

1. INTRODUCTION

I started building and painting 1:48 scale German World War 1 naval aircraft only recently (2026) resulting from a request from a collector to build the Gavia Albatros W.4 floatplane fighter.  The three-color hexanganol top camouflage was easily handled becasue the kit provided an excellent decal sheet which included three small patches for repairs.  As I acquired more and more material to understand the Albatros W.4 I couldn't help running across other German naval aircraft, personalities, and naval stations.  My interest exploded when I acquired Aeronaut's Zeebrugge and Windau books. 

The Albatros W.4 project continued on and soon I had to mix paint to match the kit's hex decal where inadvertant mistakes needed coverup.  Then it bacame apparent that the whole camoulfage scheme of the Albatros W.4 needed to be understood.  Four distinct applications of camouflage were discovered.  In brief, top surfaces when seen from above were covered in the naval three-hex pattern.  Side surfaces were painted in naval blue-gray.  Underside fabric surfaces remained in their natural state, that is CDL (clerar doped linen).  Underside wood surfaces were painted a light gray. 

 

2. COLORS

 

 The following tables I created for my Albatros W.4 project.  Note that proportions are approximate.  Mix and test before application.

 

Table 1 - Basic German Naval Camouflage Scheme Colors

LOCATION	COLOR	BRAND EQUIVALENT NAME & NUMBER
Fabric Undersides	CDL	Vallejo 837 Pale Sand
Wood Undersides	Light Grey	Vallejo 993 White Grey
All Side Surfaces	Dark Blue Grey	Vallejo 899 Dark Prussian Blue Vallejo 900 Mirage Blue
All Top Surfaces Viewed from Above	Three-color Printed Fabric	Decal Sheet (See also Table 2)

  

Table 2 - Three-Color Hexagonal Fabric Coloring

COLOR	BRAND EQUIVALENT NAME & NUMBER
Dark Blue-Grey	Vallejo 899 Dark Prussian Bleu (3 parts) Vallejo 900 Mirage Blue (1 part)
Light Blue-Grey	Vallejo 904 Dark Blue-Grey (1 part) Vallejo 951 Flat White (3 parts)
Pale Blue-Grey	Vallejo 993 White Grey

  

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