Pacific Theater Drab Camo

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

I am building a C 47 A transport as a gift for a China-Burma-India pilot who flew there in 1944-1945. I read that the brown drab/olive drab paint used was notoriously unstable. I hope to capture a color as close to what he would remember as possible. I welcome any suggestions as to a paint mix. I will be painting with Tamiya accrylics. Thanks

2

Start with their Olive Drab and add a bit of Buff for your base color. Then make a lighter shade by the same method perhaps add a touch of Red Brown for a lighter and more brown shade for highlights. Also the doped fabric of the flight control surfaces would fade at a different rate than the metal surfaces. Look at some photos to get an idea and mix a custom shade for those items.

3

couldn’t you also use filtering techniques use in armor builds with oil paints. Using dots of yellow ochre, naples yellow and blend them onto the painted surface of the base color. Vary the mixture of the paints so that the fabric areas are different from the metal. You would have to allow the oil paint to dry over a couple of days, but it will work. The result wold not be an even color texture but would have variations like in real life.

Mike T.

4

That technique is fine for armor, but IMHO it’s too heavy-handed for fading or color-shifting on aircraft…

5

I appreciate the tips posted. I am pleaseed with the results. The picture does not reveal the very subtle shading. The overall effect matches well with color photos I found of China-Burma-India theatre C-46s[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

6

I am not surewhy but it seems I am not using Photobucket correctly. I am reposting the photo[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

7

Third time the charm?[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

8

Sorry, I can’t figure out the mistake.[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

9

The last time it posted in the preview so maybe I am getting closer. OOne more time.

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10

This is getting annoying. I apologise for the difficulties.

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11

Can anyone enlighten me as to what I may have done wrong

12

Just tried closing and reopening Photobucket.[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

13

Tried uploading a new image and coppied the IMG before moving to an album. Crossing fingers.[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

14

Glad you solved the Photobucket issue. Great looking C-47 [Y].

Regards, Rick