Hi guys,

I'm in the process of constructing a M35a2 that will be sand-painted like operation ODS.
I have a question: Would the WHOLE vehicle be sand or just some parts ( cargobed, driver's cabin, winch or so )
Could it be that the undercarriage would stay green ?
Thanks for all the info !!

Gé Hovens

There's a good chance that the undercarraige and other parts of the truck, such as the wheel wells, that are hard to reach with a paint sprayer would remain NATO green. Many vehicles were painted by crews as they were taken off the ships right on the docks.

A friend at the time was a C-5 loadmaster. He said the paint crews would spray whatever surfaces were visible as quickly as possible...no masking. They would then give the driver a razor blade to clean off the windshield, windows, etc.

When we sprayed our tanks we had a few things masked, lights, periscopes and any identifier markings. Everything that could get reached would, but the underside of the tank never saw paint, but the dust made that issue moot. The paint would wear off over time and the green would show through. I wouldn't worry about perfection. . . we didn't.

While at King Fahd IAP (along with the other Special Operations folks), I watched vehicle crews "paint" their Hummers, etc. with mops and rags dipped in a mud puddle created with a water hose. It was a crude, but effective way to get the "correct" sand color for operations there.

Ron