I am looking for the correct color/colors for the British Cromwell in Europe. I plan on using Life Colors.


Thanks!

G’day Greg,

Extract from
British Vehicle Camouflage 1939-45 Part 1.
Version 5, June 2005
Mike Starmer and Mike Cooper
Europe
1944 – 45 The final change in colouring came in April 1944 when A.C.I. 533 authorised S.C.C. 15 Olive Drab for use as the new basic colour, partially to remove the need to repaint US supplied vehicles. S.C.C. 15 Olive Drab was used to cover the obsolete S.C.C. 2 in M.T.P. 46/4A patterns or on its own, particularly after the abandonment of disruptive painting with A.C.I. 1100 of August 1944 except on vehicles still in S.C.C. 2.
http://www.mafva.net/PDF/BritishCamouflage1.pdf

According to most sites the best mix for S.C.C. 15 Olive Drab is:
Humbrol 150 + Humbrol 159 + Humbrol 33 in ratio 5:5:2
I have used this mix myself and I found it to be a very good rendition of the colour.

Unfortunately; there is no Lifecolor equivalent for Hum 159, but if you wish to use acrylics then you could try the following
http://hataka-hobby.com/products/s-c-c-no-15-olive-drab/
or
http://www.migjimenez.com/en/real-colors/410-scc-15-british-1944-45-olive-drab-.html
I can’t comment on how good they are or to accuracy as I have never used them

David

Thank you David.

It's generally accepted that British OD was a close match to US OD (slightly greener), but only when vehicles were freshly painted. The British paint had a different formulation than US equivalent, so after fading, British painted vehicles remained greenish hued, and US vehicles tended towards a brownish hue.

Hi Greg,
Biggles is right from my research.
Lately I have been using spray cans for base colors instead of wasting paint with the airbrush.
Tamiya OD is more the American color and Testors OD is slightly greener I have been using for British vehicles.

Tom

There are several Tamiya OD colors. Which one?

Tamiya has only 2 OD colors - XF 62, and XF 74. XF 62 is closest to WWII US OD; XF 74 is modern Japanese Defense Force. If you're doing US WWII vehicles then XF 62 is the one to use. Note; out of the bottle it will be too dark. Lighten it just a little with buff, or dark yellow, or desert yellow for a more in scale color. If you're doing British OD, lighten it as noted, and add some dark green.

I saw that Life color has a British European color set with 4 colors. One of them was British Olive Drab. However I did not see an individual product number for the individual colors in the set.

I have the Hataka British AFV Set (ww2 European colurs) which includes SCC15.

I've only used the Dk Green No4 so far, first impressions:
it has a bearing to help mix.... make sure the cap is tight tight, or you will find out how well it sticks to your hand.

Sprays well undiluted, touch dries quickly, but on Tamiya Mosquito bomb-load (not degreased, not sanded, not undercoated)it is very fragile, easily scratched with nails.
Hardens off when properly dry, sands cleanly & is tougher than Vallejo Poly Primer.

I'll report back when I've sprayed some more on properly prepared bits.