Mix your own paint
 

Been doing some experimenting with Humbrol model paints

Try mixing four parts No.69 yellow with one part No.21 Black.

Result is a nice grass green much like British G5 AKA Light bronze green , used from 1939 til around 42 on British softskins as a base colour .

On a larger scale, buy some Caterpiller yellow equipment enamel from any Caterpiller dealer , mix in some matt black eg. chassis black . Adjust the mix to suit your need, around 3 to 1 seems to be right . The colour has a nice rich olive look to it . The yellow has to be a deep yellow .

My theory is , WW2 camo paints were not a complicated mix of many tints . They kept it simple as possible , a dash of this and a bit of that and away we go .

Mike

Paint mixes
 

Mike:
Years ago I perused the war diaries of the 12th Manitoba Dragoons. In it the CO gave express orders to the effect that when OD was not available, "black and yellow shall be mixed in lieu".

So much for the FS type paint freaks....


Don

FS paint colours
 

Don, I agree that during wartime shortages meant that sometimes "official" paint mixes were not available to refinish vehicles. However, (at the risk of identifying myself as a paint freak) that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to identify what those official finishes were, and apply them accordingly. If you are ordering paint from a manufacturer, it helps if you can speak their language and supply some sort of reference that they can use in preparing your order. If your were to place an order for 10 litres of "Army Green" with a bit of yellow and black in it, I think your chances of being dissapointed would be high, your chance of a refund low and your chances of replicating the colour later nil. However, if you have specified a particular shade and finish and the supplied product doesn't meet that, then I'd expect them to try again until they got it right (or at least get a huge discount!) While I don't dispute that a very effective colour might result, if you're going to the trouble of ordering paint, why not get it right? The correct shade is no harder to apply than the wrong one.

Yes, Mike probably quite true, but they were different shades! You could probably get a representation of each by varying the proportions of black and yellow, but what suits which vehicles and when? Light Bronze Green and Deep Bronze Green are two different colours and apply to two separate and different time periods, just as US Olive Drab and Soviet Larch green might have been applied to the same vehicles but in different theatres.

Am I being pedantic? Maybe, maybe not. Different people have different perspectives on how they wish to present their vehicles and that is entirely their right. Some times total original accuracy is not the aim, or even possible to achieve. Other times a little consisency between several vehicles looks just great, and reflects well on the efforts of those who have gone to the trouble (and it certainly can be troublesome) to get the details right.

Paint
 

hi Tony

I agree with your comments but the problem with most paint retailers is getting decent service .

If you ask for a special colour of your choice it can be a never ending process of going back again until you are satisfied . If you can do it yourself and find a source of local paints that are easy to mix up to your own requirement , it saves lots of running around . It takes some experimenting and time to achieve what your after but in the long run it will work out cheaper .

Nothing worse than running out of paint halfway through a job .If you read the official 1942 Aust. painting instructions on my web site it says that units are to find their paint from LOCAL SOURCES . A trip down to the local hardware store maybe ?

Mike

Hi Mike and thanks for that timely tip. I have been having difficulty finding ready made sources of the correct colour for larkspur radio equipment suitable for airbrushing.

I will try out some mixes and see how I go.

Whilst on the subject I think it is relevant to remember that in service military vehicles rarely had a perfect finish for long unless New issue, workshop rebuilt, or unit refurbished for parades and special occasions.

While there will always be room for 'factory'freash' restorations, I think it's always nice to see vehicles which ex-servicemen like myself can really relate to. Many a long hour was spent in the transport compound with a paint tin and a brush 'patch painting' vehicles to protect them and keep wayward soldiers occupied. Pretty pain finish was never a requirement for a tactical vehicle and patchy paint had the added advantage of extra camouflage properties.

Cheers

Phill