I guess this should be under Figures but I thought this forum would be better suited to ask where can I find some reference pictures of what a modern tank crew wears, specifically what our courageous guys in Iraq are wearing. I used Google Images search but cannot find anything suitable. Both Army tank crew uniforms and USMC uniforms would be helpful.
Thanks.
The two most common would be the standard CVC (Combat Vehicle Crewman) Nomex jumpsuit, kinda looks like a pilots flightsuit with IBA vest. CVC is in OD green to Forest green in color. IBA can be either woodland camo or 3-color desert camo. They also wear standard DCUs as well with IBA. IBA can have all sorts of items attached to it from ammo pouches, to zip strips, to pens and pencils.
Arty thanks. Sorry I am an old Zoomie; we wore blue uniforms. I have no idea what IBA is. DCU must be some acronym for camo fatigues since I do know what BDU’s are. Is green a standard color even in desert operations? And are all crewmen the same color combo or is there some distinction between ranks?
Thanks again.
Hi there. I am not an expert on this matter and I may have even done this incorrectly but for lack of pictures of actual crew to show, here is a pic of the an M1A1 crew that I have done using the color scheme shown in the kit instructions.
As I have said, the kit instructions may have been wrong or inaccurate but I guess it is better than nothing.[:p]
just follow the kit what it recommends … Dwight Ta-ala posted is belong to the gulf war … but they r new three colour dress … but what i see from OIF . they r newer desert uniform … the spot type but i still don t know do tankee had been issued … The three colour uniform wear with interceptor bodyarmour in woodland colour .
I tend to follow the instructions provided in the various kits.
IBA is Interceptor Body Armor, new bullet/frag resistent vest being worn, it looks like below. The IBA comes in three colors; Woodland Camo, 3-color desert camo, and the USMC uses an overall dark tan. DCU is Desert Camouflage Uniform, modern 3-color camo worn since mid-90s in desert areas, also shown below.
Dwight-ta-ala,
The uniform you have depicted is the old desert unioform worn in Operation Desert Storm (a.k.a. Gulf War) and before. It was called Chocolate-Chip DCUs since it has the dark spots. Official name was 6-color DCU. These were replaced with the 3-color shortly after Desert Storm. Kit instructions are not wrong, just from ODS timeframe, not OIF.
HeavyArty is right on. The Tri-color came into wear around 93. The fit is only moderately different. If you go for the Striker brigade guys or the SF, you’re going to have to modify the uniforms by moving the hip pockets to the sleeves and adding a calf pocket for the Striker guys. Also, we switched over to all tan desert boots in the 90s, so the kit instructions for the green jungle boots wont work. The desert boots follow the same basic pattern as the jungle boot, except their tan suede.
Actually, the tri-color came into use in 1992. When I made a return trip to Kuwait in early, we were issued a mix of chocolate chip and the newer tri-color DCUs. When we were issued field jackets in November 1992, they were all tri-color as well. You’d be surprised how cold it seems at night time.
Thanks all for the responses. I made detailed notes of the information.
I just want to make sure that if I build an M1 from the Gulf War period that the crew members aren’t wearing some new style of uniform. And I want to make sure that if I build an Army M1 or a Marines M1 the crew is dressed in appropriate colors. I’m not an all out rivet-counter when I build, but I do want to be as accurrate as as possible. I think I am good to go.
One last question…what color are the helmets? Sand? OD green? Or can the tanker paint it in some personalized color scheme like the AF pilots can?
Oops forgot to add this web site I found on camo uniforms.
If by Gulf War you mean Operation Desert Storm, '90-'91, 6-color DCU is correct with older PGST body armor and green jungle boots. For a current OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) or OEF (Operation Enduring Freedon - Afghanistan), then 3-color DCU, IBA, and tan desert boots are correct.
The hard shell of the CVC helmet comes in dark green. It gets painted when needed, usually in either the same or similar green, sand, or even flat black. Sometimes you see cloth KEVLAR helmet covers (DCU pattern or woodland camo) stretched over them as well. I have seen some custom painted covers, but not very often.
Incidentally to the original question;
Nice paint job on the figures Dwight! Really brought out the old Chocolate Chip! !
I dunno if the pic will show up, but this is what the nomex CVC coveralls look like…
