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Armor/AFV: Modern - USA
Modern Armor, AFVs, and Support vehicles.
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M60A2 in 3-color camouflage?
awrc
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Wisconsin, United States
Joined: April 18, 2005
KitMaker: 281 posts
Armorama: 201 posts
Posted: Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 12:51 PM UTC
I was looking through the New Vanguard title on the M60A2 when I came across a color plate showing an M60A2 in a scheme I'd never seen before - it's either black and two greens or (more likely) three shades of green. Unfortunately the book's information on that particular plate isn't very enlightening.

Anyone know what those three colors might have been? It'd certainly make for a different looking M60A2 (if that wasn't different looking enough to start with).
ChillyMedic
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Ontario, Canada
Joined: October 01, 2005
KitMaker: 54 posts
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Posted: Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 12:59 PM UTC
Any chance of a picture?

Don
TankCarl
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Rhode Island, United States
Joined: May 10, 2002
KitMaker: 3,581 posts
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Posted: Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 01:13 PM UTC
Those might be late 70's MERDC. Our unit was just begining to paint that,as I was leaving in '78.
HeavyArty
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Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
KitMaker: 17,694 posts
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Posted: Friday, February 05, 2010 - 10:59 AM UTC
It was most likely in MERDC. The M60A2 was phased out in the mid-late '70s, well before the 3-tone NATO camo came out in the early '80s.
awrc
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Wisconsin, United States
Joined: April 18, 2005
KitMaker: 281 posts
Armorama: 201 posts
Posted: Friday, February 05, 2010 - 01:47 PM UTC
Yep, I think it must be MERDC - the image of an 80s M60A3 also appears to be in 3-tone green. I think they've just got the colors wrong and substituted a pale green for sand (or was it earth yellow?). Since the M60A2s were gone by 1980, some of them would be in MERDC.

Thanks very much folks!
TankSGT
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New Jersey, United States
Joined: July 25, 2006
KitMaker: 1,139 posts
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Posted: Friday, February 05, 2010 - 03:13 PM UTC
In 1978 I painted my M60A1 Rise Passive in the MERDC winter verdant. But the unit decided to leave off the sand paint. They came in forest green and we sprayed on the field brown and black. I had a diagram on an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper and a piece of chalk to mark the pattern. Since I painted model tanks my tank commander felt I could paint a real one.

So we followed the MERDC pattern but only used 3 out of 4 colors. M60A2s were long gone before the new 3 color CARC painted vehicles came into service. I did get to see some in action on REFORGER and at Graf.

Tom
chnoone
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Armed Forces Europe, United States
Joined: January 01, 2009
KitMaker: 1,036 posts
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Posted: Friday, February 05, 2010 - 10:13 PM UTC
The 7 Corps had this camo testing thing going on in Germany during the early - mid 70‘ties. Can still remember seeing them as a kid during Reforger. Base colour was a very pale SAND/TAN with a medium GREEN and a red‘isch sort of BROWN and some BLACK. All sharp-edged as applied with brush, maybe thats the one you mean, check the TANKOGRAD series on Reforger in Germany Vol. 1+2. There are some pics of a M60A2, also in this "test" camo scheme.

Cheers
Christopher
zapper
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Skåne, Sweden
Joined: October 18, 2005
KitMaker: 745 posts
Armorama: 734 posts
Posted: Friday, February 05, 2010 - 11:35 PM UTC
Here's a good site regarding MERDEC types and the 7th Army scheme (also refered to as MASSTER camouflage):
http://sites.google.com/site/merdccamo/home

Cheers,
/E
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 01:38 AM UTC

Quoted Text

In 1978 I painted my M60A1 Rise Passive in the MERDC winter verdant. But the unit decided to leave off the sand paint. They came in forest green and we sprayed on the field brown and black. I had a diagram on an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper and a piece of chalk to mark the pattern. Since I painted model tanks my tank commander felt I could paint a real one.

So we followed the MERDC pattern but only used 3 out of 4 colors. M60A3s were long gone before the new 3 color CARC painted vehicles came into service. I did get to see some in action on REFORGER and at Graf.

Tom
Our A3s were painted similarly, the MERDC 3 color minus the sand. I believe the last time we painted them prior to turn in was in the NATO 3 color pattern but used the more tan brown instead of the chocolate brown of the NATO scheme.
TankCarl
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Rhode Island, United States
Joined: May 10, 2002
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Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 05:40 AM UTC
@ Christopher Noone. When I got to Germany and the 1st AD,I was on an M60 (plain) with that odd sand and tan and medium green scheme. Some other tanks in my platoon, had NO camo at all,but did have the subdued black stars!
m75
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California, United States
Joined: July 20, 2002
KitMaker: 666 posts
Armorama: 661 posts
Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 07:37 AM UTC
The M60A2s with the 2nd AD at Ft Hood in the 70's were all painted in the 4-color MERDC schemes. Two versions were used, depending on the BDE that the individual BN was assigned to. One was the temperate 4-color, using the green, earth, black and sand, while the desert scheme was used with brown, sand, black and earth yellow, both in 40/40/10/10% ratios.

All of a BDE's equipment was painted in the format that reflected it's anticipated CAPSTONE deployment region. Mine was always the "hot and sunny" scheme......
TankSGT
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New Jersey, United States
Joined: July 25, 2006
KitMaker: 1,139 posts
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Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 04:20 PM UTC
When I got to Fulda in 1977 there were a few vehicles in the old 7th Army cammo an M578 comes to mind. Our M551s were in a modified MERDC scheme the right colors but no 2 tracks were painted the same. They were so worn out it just looked like shades of brown. Thank God we never had to use them for any thing serious. traded them in for M60A1s in mid 78.

Tom

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