The still pictures I ordered from Critical Past arrived and exceeded expectations. I can see I will be watching more videos and more than likely ordering more pictures for the projects in my kit stash.
I have been scouring through all the color film and photographs of LVTs from Iwo Jima in 1945. Critical Past has allowed a new avenue to study the LVTs and think I have what I need to do an accurate LVT-A4. Between videos from various sources and photographs from the Navy Historical Branch my next LVT-A4 of the 2D Armored Amphibian Tractor Battalion will look conspicuously different than those done previously. Armed with pictures and a little thinking about how the LVTs would of gotten painted back then helped the process along. Whether the order was received on an island or while embarked aboard ship the choice of colors would have been limited to stocks on hand or readily accessible through other means. The LVT-A4s may have received the order to paint at the docks or on ship, at which point the choice of colors would have been limited to Navy colors. From my guesstimates, I will be using Haze Gray, Navy #3 Green and Navy #4 Brown to match the color photos.
The photos are the stills I ordered from Critical Past and scanned. Next, I applied the grey scale and placed the images beside each other. It is easy to see how contemporary interpretations arrived at a green-tan-brown finish.
Of course this is a work in progress; I have acquired the Unit Diary of the 3D Armored Amphibian from Jul 44 – Oct 45 with personnel rosters, maintenance summaries and host more information. I am compiling a list of units and dates to request the same data/information from the Marine Corps Historical Branch for the remaining Marine LVT units during WWII.
WIP:
Trying to get my hobby stuff sorted - just moved and still unpacking.
"Gator, Green Catskill....Charlie On Time"