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US Marines-Vietnam

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  • Member since
    November 2005
US Marines-Vietnam
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 21, 2005 9:02 AM
Hi out-there,
Can anyone tell me what colours you'd paint US Marines in VietNam, 1/35 scale. I've an idea for a dio with Marines being lifted out by a Huey. It would be set around the Khe Sanh era of the war. I'm just about to invest in some Vallejo acrylics so colour names or numbers would be superb if possible. Thanks again for your time reading this. Regards, Rich Big Smile [:D]
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Caput Mundi
Posted by Avus on Friday, October 21, 2005 9:36 AM
I'll look up the nubers at home but roughly I'd say olive green for the uniforms khakhi drab for the flak vests and a lighte shade of olive green for the harness.

Klaus

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  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: The Red Hills of South Carolina
Posted by grizz30_06 on Friday, October 21, 2005 3:13 PM
I'ld agree with Avus. It would be really hard to say that there is a "right" Olive Drab color. Once you dry brush it and put on a black and red wash (unless they are shiney new from basic) they base color is not going to matter a great deal. One note a good deal of the US Marine helmets that I see pictures of in reference material have camo covers on them.
I have to admit that some times I just grab a greenish looking paint so that I can give a little contrast to the different gear that is seen. Like having the shirt and pants OD then the flack jacket OD green, the ammo pouches etc. field green and what not. Do remember that Vietnam has a good deal of red dirt that as I have read get everywhere.

Grizz
Denial, it's not just a coping mechanism, it's a way of life.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 23, 2005 3:46 AM
Keep in mind that often the blouse and the trousers didn't match. They faded at different rates, the trousers might get ruined and replaced and so not match. There's a wide range of color variance that could reasonably be expected in the field, so there's no magic bullet color, just a basic tone.

Some sets were almost a lime green, while others were more of a traditional OD. You can mix and match to create some contrast. It helps to find color pictures, or better yet, an actual example of the clothing.

I use Humbrol 94 with a touch of black and then lighten it with white. I'll also add some yellow and sometimes blue to pull the color in the right direction. It needs to be generally on the yellow side, but it also has to have a gray quality, and it should also be a light OD green. No clus what Vallejo colors to use, but you can mess around with mixing a tan, black, white and yellow and see what you get.

This is about as exact as I can get with Photoshop in the middle of the night, but here are some color chips that might help get the idea across. They illustrate, roughly, the degree of variance. i think the first one is the closest to the most common color.





Also, here's a site for some kind of reenactment group wearing period uniforms. Aside from the color of the utilities, also take note of the colors in the Camo helmet covers. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a good Vietnam figure ruined by painting the helmet with the modern BDU pattern.

http://www.mooremilitaria.com/photos.htm
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 23, 2005 1:31 PM
Thanks guys for your help. When I finally get round to building this I'll have a go at posting them on the forums.
I've only just recently got back into modelling after a looonnng break and am pleasantly suprised at how friendly and helpful other modellers are in taking the time to reply to posts. Thanks again.
Rich
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