Centurion tank periscope/optics colour?

[pwypior]

Hi guys,

The title says it all. Was Centurion's periscope/optics glass tinted in any colour? I searched several Centurion walkarounds on the web, but I can't determine if the optics of this tank had any colour coating, or was simply a clear glass.
I am doing the Aussie Centurion, but I suppose the optics was eqally the same in this tank, regardless of the version number and country in which the vehicle was used.

Thanks for any help, guys,

Piotr

 

[vt1100]

I use Vallejo panzer aces 309 "periscopes" for...periscopes Looks good enough imho.

 

[Jenny Croft]

Well here is a link to my walkaround of an Aussie centurion from the old site which I thought I had moved here but I will soon .

http://tanksandthings.niceboard.net/trusty-rusty-f14/aussie-centurion-t54.htm

Jenny :kiss:

 

[Matt Stephenson]

Hi Piotr,

On a trip to New Zealand last year I came across one preserved Centurion Mk5 at an armour museum, and was fortunate enough to crawl all over and through another one before going for a 15 minute ride in it (See profile pic). Both were former Austrlian Army examples now residing in New Zealand.

I've just checked my photos from the trip, one has a good covering of snow on it, and the other has most of the glass removed. I do remember however looking through some of the optics and periscopes still left in it and recall there was a blue/green tinge to the colour of the glass. This was more noticable from the outside than inside.

Now I don't claim to be an expert on the topic, this is just my own experience from spending about 40 minutes with one example of that tank.

Hope this helps.

Matt

 

[pwypior]

Thanks Jenny,

When you last pointed me towards that Centurion walkaround I wasn't able to find it on the new site, and I was wondering why. Now I know they were left behind. I'll add your walkaround to my collection. Thanks again!

Piotr

 

[pwypior]

Matt,

Your memories are true.

A fellow modeller on another forum who worked as a British MBT optics serviceman for 40 years has informed me, that only driver's periscopes and commander's cupola vision periscopes were made from clear glass. The gunnery optics, i.e. gunner's main sight or commander's main sight (the scissors binocular one installed between vision blocks of commander's cupola)were externally tinted glossy dark bue to prevent sun reflections from large flat surfaces of the tank. So at least a part of centurion optics was tinted in colour.

Piotr