Italian tank paint schemes

[Most Holy]

This one seems wrong to me and I wonder if anyone could tell me if it is right or point me in the right direction. I’m painting the FMG Italians right now and need markings help.

[knp7765]

Just my 2 cents here. It seems to me the model with the Italian Flag colors on it would be more appropriate for “show”, like in a military parade for Mussolini’s review or something like that. The second picture looks more like one that would have been used out in the field.
However, I could be wrong. In one of my A&A Miniature sets, I think it’s North Africa, I got an Autoblinda 41 and I think it had the Italian Flag on the side, so perhaps they used those like that in the field.
ALso, if you are just wanting to make them more identifiable on the board, perhaps you might want to paint the little Italian Flag on them so they will stand out a little more. Perhaps don’t worry about the Flag colors on the front and only paint the one on the side. That first picture does seem a bit overkill on the flags.
I guess it really comes down to your own taste. The little flag might make them look a little prettier and stand out more on the game board, without the flag would make them look more like actual vehicles going into combat.
Good luck. Hope they turn out good for you.

[Most Holy]

What I wonder most about is: the red white green roundel on the planes was used by the Italians after liberation by the Allies. Is the flag on the one picture above representative of the same era or did they use that under Mussolini?

I ask because I painted my original Italians with little flags on them and then I found out that not only are the OOB roundels the wrong nation (Iranian) but that even if the colors were reversed they still wouldn’t represent the Axis era Italian roundel.

Before I paint them I want to make sure they are painted as the Axis era. Maybe I’ll do them up with the fascist roundels unless I can find the proper era paint scheme.

[Viracocha]

Mussolini’s regime also sported the flag pictured.  The Autoblinda frequently had a flag on the side as in the photo as well, but as far as all the other parts with the flag’s colors - yeah, that looks like pageantry I think…

[Most Holy]

Thanks guys. I’ll put up pics of the finished product here for critique.

[Witt]

Hi Most Holy. I cannot find any pictures of Italian tanks from 40-43 with any national markings. Have not seen a recon vehicle though.
Surprisingly, for me anyway, Mussolini did not do away with the national flag, but his own one just had the fasces. As I have said cannot see any tricolor on tanks, though they are evident on some planes.

[Viracocha]

The tri was on tanks as well…

http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/Files/1-Vehicles/Axis/2-Italy/08-ArmoredCars/AB-41/AB-41.htm

http://www.italeri.com/scheda.asp?idProdotto=1086&idSottocategoria=25&idCategoria=3

Well, the above are drawings but I have the impression they modeled them after the real deal.

But there’s also this photo, I think that’s the flag not a divisional marking…
I’ve seen other photos of tanks featuring the flag as well (and have looked at one in a museum once that had the flag - but that wasn’t an armored car).  :-D

If the photo doesn’t appear:
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=Autoblinda+Fiat+SPA+AB.41+photos&start=155&um=1&hl=en&biw=975&bih=526&tbm=isch&tbnid=nELyGfybSHHbsM:&imgrefurl=http://minimaniaks.canalblog.com/archives/blindes/index.html&docid=5gupqxY2n3LH5M&imgurl=http://storage.canalblog.com/56/61/509450/53793328.jpg&w=450&h=307&ei=9iLfT8amM8iM8gPNuKjECw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=664&vpy=13&dur=1694&hovh=185&hovw=272&tx=94&ty=98&sig=109198008159597658805&page=14&tbnh=149&tbnw=194&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:155,i:227

[Witt]

Looks like a flag. Well done. I looked in books, not on the net.
Am sorry my grandfather is not alive, as he was in Africa.
Could you ask the Italian A&A organisers?
Cannot imagine anyone complaining if you used 2 small flags ones though!

[Most Holy]

Here’s the finished tanks and mech inf.

[Most Holy]

tanks

[Viracocha]

Awesome!  Ready-for-the-desert scheme, sweet.