AOP scout car

[Mike K]

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[Big D]

Hi Mike,

Great pictures! Is that camouflage pattern of a type seen on these vehicles during the WW2 period or post-war?

Am still thinking about the paint for my one.

Cheers

Darryl

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Big D

Hi Mike,

Great pictures! Is that camouflage pattern of a type seen on these vehicles during the WW2 period or post-war?

Am still thinking about the paint for my one.

Cheers

Darryl

hi Darryl

That is the WW2 camo scheme . It is not easy to be definitive about colours , but at a guess, the lighter colour is a buff yellowy colour and the darker shade is green .

[Big D]

Hi Mike

Thanks for that. I always liked the paint pattern on the M3A1 Scout Car at Bandiana which is very similar to the patterns in these photos but thought that the lighter colour on that one could have had a shade more yellow in it.

Any other pointers on trying to get a match on the 'buff yellowy' colour'?

Cheers

Darryl

[Dianaa]

Hi Darrell

The July 1942 two colour cam scheme were officially "khaki green ASC J" base colour with "Light earth ASC W" paint manufacturers/wholsalers like Protec have the Australian Standard Colour charts and can usually produce a formula using modern paints and synthetic tints.



Diana

BTW: By November 1942 the standard cam scheme changed to a three colour scheme replacing light earth with vehicle grey and adding dark green.

Note 2. BSC colours do not always match ASC colours.

[Big D]

Hi Diana

Thanks for that. Very interesting. I must keep an eye out now for any photos of that three tone scheme.

Cheers

Darryl Lennane

[Mike Cecil]

Darryl,

Be very careful with the various schemes quoted: it is but a fraction of the story, and of course, not always followed in the field anyway - in fact, far from it.

First 3 colour (1 base colour, 2 disruptive colours) for the AMF was January 1942 as an alternate scheme. Further 3 tone schemes were promulgated for general use within the AMF in March 1943.

1st Infantry Division (an AMF training division) issued a special amendment in Nov 1942 which contained only a 2 tone scheme that substituted Vehicle Dark Green for the base colour KG3, and Vehicle Light Grey for Light Earth. The Veh Light Grey was a greenish colour anyway.

1 Div did not introduce a 3 tone scheme until March 1943, which was that contained in LHQ SM4809 (just like the rest of the AMF).

Prior to July 1942, the scheme was Light Stone (ASC 'N') and KG3 (Khaki Green ASC 'J'). In July 1942, the colour Light Earth (ASC 'W') was substituted for Light Stone (ASC 'N'). I suspect the 'yellowish' colour to which you refer is an attempt to reproduce the Light Stone.

All Australian Standard Colours (ASC) were 'lettered' from White (ASC 'A') to Light Earth (ASC 'W'). They were devised by not by Army, but a Division of the Department of Home Security. The standard colour chart was issued by the Standards Association of Australia. There were three issues as far as I am aware: Dec 41, Feb 42, January 43.

I wrote a book on the subject many years ago. The unpublished manuscript still resides on my office shelf.....

Mike C