GHQ Models Forums

Hi,
I´m looking for the colors of the american forces (tanks and infantry) in the mid 80ths in Germay. Which Vallejo colors are the right ones? Do you have some ideas?

That's the end of MERDC and the beginning of Cbunchofotherlettersican'tremember, so you can have a merry old time.

The older pattern was often field drab, forest green, buff and black in central Europe. There are a bunch of variations on this, swapping in white, reds, other greens... etc, depending on season and terrain.

Plain forest green is an option.

C.... is forest green, red-brown, & black.

In all cases, each type of vehicle had the same pattern (officially, at least), so all M-60s were the same, as were all M-2s... However that probably doesn't apply when things got painted in the field.

Sorry, that's short on specifics. But hopefully it might get you headed in the right direction.

Try this link for MERDC colors. There is another link that shows what each pattern is supposed to look like for each vehicle but it may take me a while to find it again. I had it bookmarked on my old computer, but not this one.. Also, the MERDC camouflage was used on the M60/M113 series combat vehicles. I don't recall seeing M1/M2 s painted anything other than forest green although the support vehicles usually were painted MERDC 4 color temperate.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/afv/merdc.html

Thanks a lot. I think the Link will helps

That late 80s paint scheme was meant to be a NATO-wide universal scheme, but I get the impression that each nation had its own version...

For micro scale, I use Tamiya NATO Green, Polly-S scale black, and a Vallejo brown (I think its leather). I lighten up the whole jar of Green with about 10 drops of Tamiya White when I first open it, otherwise it is too dark. Avoid other Polly-S and model master NATO colors -- they are way too dark for the scale. Go with lighter stuff. I particularly like the scale black.

Also, MLRS in Europe, for whatever reason, stayed in MERDC 'til the 1990s. Overall, I'm not sure how widespread NATO tri-color was on anything but new vehicles, and photos from the 1980s show pretty wide latitude taken even with the MERDC scheme.

Pat

We had a good discussion on this not so long ago:
http://www.ghqmodels.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2835

"Use the search Luke..."

Also, MLRS in Europe, for whatever reason, stayed in MERDC 'til the 1990s. Overall, I'm not sure how widespread NATO tri-color was on anything but new vehicles, and photos from the 1980s show pretty wide latitude taken even with the MERDC scheme

During my time in the Marines camo scheme regulations were at best an official suggestion. We pained our jeeps so often that when we turned in our jeeps for Hummers the paint was all that was holding them together.

I know on 2 occasions we went from tri color to MERCD back to tri color. If we were lucky we had spray guns and 3 times I saw vehicles being hand painted! Only once did we sit with a Camo diagram and chalk and try to reporduce the "official" sceme. (Actually after we started painting we painted over the lines so the black and brown were "close".)

Point is you have some room for "artistic license". If you weather the paint scheme and show a heavy layer of dust you will have how they looked most of the time. Just a fuzzy mix of brown black and green. Or very weathered MERCD.

I was in during the Regan transition and a M60 with a 70's paint scheme fits till about 1985 ish. Also in (Europe & at least FT Hood) no camo scheme at all was very very common. Just dark olive. I know that is not as much fun to paint as camo but was very prevelant. I also noticed that Jeeps HUMVV's and trucks were cammo'ed more often than tanks or Bradleys.

Hopefully I'm not confusing the discussion but it really wasn't that tight.