Just bought my first armor kit in 40+ years and I’d like to see a better scheme for camouflage than what is shown in the Academy instructions. Someone should do all modelers a service and translate Korean into English, as well, for ALL Academy kits. I’m too rusty to make out what’s writ down…Any existing sites for studying armor camo? Pref European schemes from 1975-1980.
Bob
You have your choice there on either the old 7th army scemes or then the MERDC schemes.
As mentioned above, the 7th Army scheme (called MASSTER) was used during the time frame you mention. This is also around the time that the use of the standardized MERDC scheme began. The M60A1 could also sport the “Dual-Tex” camouflage for a short time from 78-81. It was a series of small pixels like modern day camouflage uniforms.
7th Army/MASSTER schemes: http://www.panzerbaer.de/colours/a_relaunch/us_masster-a.htm
This site has an M60A1 MERDC scheme that was used well into the late 80s-early 90s.
http://www.panzerbaer.de/colours/merdc_m60.htm
The main colors of the MERDC scheme can vary based on the zone the tank operated in. I have the camouflage manual uploaded here: http://gallery.kitmaker.net/showgallery.php/cat/14775
This page in particular shows what colors you could use in lieu of the dark green/light green shown in the first link.
My Dad was the S-3 of a tank battalion in Germany '77-78 that had the M60A1. I remember, and he confirmed when I made a model of one for him, that they didn’t have camouflage paint schemes, just OD. I’m not saying there weren’t units with camouflage schemes, I honestly don’t know, just that not having camo is a valid paint scheme for that time period in Germany.
Paul
It all depends upon the unit. Some had camo jobs, and others still were in dark OD. I have several old photos of M60s of that era in camo that is definitely not MERDC adn by the CVDC helmets pre dates that era as well. The Army as a whole is pretty common for not having all its vehicles painted the same across the board. I bet you can still find MERDC vehicles out there today at least in Guard and Reserve units. Somewhere.
The 11th ACR and the Berlin Brigade didn’t paint a camouflage pattern on their vehicles until they got M1A1s. Even their brand new HMMWVs were delivered in overall forest green. It was strange seeing their vehicles, but easy to idenify them because of the solid color.
There are plenty of options to chose from for the time you want.
There’s also the possibility of using sand for Israeli tanks in the Yom Kippur war, and Egyptian -A1s in Desert Storm had an interesting sand-based scheme as well.
As an armor crewman in the 2/64 in the 3rd Armored Division in Schwienfurt in 75-76, our unit actually had mixed color schemes. I never knew why that was, but our tank had an overall OD green but I was more envious of the platoons which had the camo patterns on them. In the links that are provided below, AND I DEEPLY appreciate you adding those, BTW, the scheme with large color patterns broken up by smaller streaks and splotches of opposite colors seems like what I remember from that era. I just know the pattern displayed in the kit scheme just doesn’t look right, but this link does look more like it.
I thank you all for the ideas and links and if I can get this scheme down like I want it, this may be my first ever photo for submission to FS for possible publication.
THANKS for all your help folks…
Bob