From The Archive - Renault FT Internal Paint Finish - Part One - Inside Track | Renault TSF Tank Kent

Another piece requested by a number of our members from way back in 2016..... Our FT and TSF armour arrived disassembled. Both vehicles were delivered separately and over a number of trips given the weight and sheer number of parts that make up a single hull. Upon arrival the FT was laid out to identify whether any parts were missing. This also served, given the number of photographs taken, as a valuable reference tool later to match each part with its original location within the vehicle and to resolve any confusion should any parts from either vehicle get mixed up. A giant rather tired looking Lego set. The next step was to identify and record each item in detail and note any specific features. This process helped us no end in every stage of the restoration process. The paint on both the outside and inside of the panels was recorded immediately and the best examples were sent off to Crick Smith for analysis before time and exposure lost any further detail. The front panels were covered and left in a dark room to protect whatever remained of the original painted registration numbers. The internal faces of the panels were very interesting given the conflicting information found on all save for the engine bay. The differences were found primarily in paint colours and where they were located. Study of the forward driver’s area panels showed grey paint applied from the bottom of the panel (including the angle iron) up to 50cm or 43.5cm excluding angle iron at the high end and 42 cm at the low end (front of the vehicle). This very gently sloped grey line was painted over the base white colour, which in turn covered the red lead primer coat underneath. There was an additional layer of off white and darker grey, which was applied at a later date. The later grey is seen in the photo attached. It has flaked off exposing the original ‘goose egg green’ colour underneath. This was applied some time after WW1 as evidenced by the unpainted surface locating where the original brake and throttle hubs had been mounted. These Renault FTs were repainted during their service life but with a higher grey line demarcation against the white. The commander’s area panels showed the same grey white divide. The original grey was also 50cm up from the base of the plate continuing in a straight line from the driver’s area. The second application of grey went approximately 20 mm higher up the face of the plate. The original paintwork appears to be a lot neater, than the later attempt, in finish in WW1 given how straight the white / grey dividing line is underneath.

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