Were the Italian Leo 1A2s the same RAL 6014 as the German ones or did they use a different shade? (Oto Melera built them under licence) Also, did the Italians upgrade any of their tanks with the FBZ 200 image intensifiers? (or anybody besides the Germans?)

Hi, this might result in a very long and potentially tedious reply, therefore I will try and answer in the shortest possible way. Normally in Italy we call Leopard 1A2 the tanks manufactured here by OTO Melara, whilst the earlier ones, manufactured by Krauss Maffei and in a few instances coming from Bundeswehr stocks are called Leo 1A1. The colours: some ex Bundeswehr ones might well have been in RAL 6014 Gelboliv but Italian made ones no, definitely not. Normally as a start modellers in Italy used to represent Italian Olive Green a variety of Humbrol enamels, such as Hu 86 or Hu 114, this last one currently unavailable. Other people just use Tamiya XF-13 or XF-67. This tells us more than mere words that this colour is far from being a sound colour like the Teutonic RAL 6014, Italian are as usual more fickle than Germans and less reliable, the same applies to this colour. Jokes aside, I have several pics of Ariete and the shade of olive green does change significantly depending from the amount of light,if sky is overcast or sunny and so on ... I guess that HU86 or acrylic equivalents eventually slightly lightened could be an excellent match.

Hi,
I recall to have seen many Leopard 1 in Udine in the '80s, and they were of a darker and more olive shade than the color that is utilized now.
Besides I was told that it was a special paint that didn't reflect IR rays. So, I think that it was likely the German gelboliv.
Only, I have never seen German vehicles with my own eyes so I can't be fully sure.
When I was doing my military service, I saw cans with three shades of green; the lighter shade was the one in use at present days.
For what I remember, Italian military vehicles of the 70s and early '80s were often painted with a sort of dark olive green that could be not too far from olive drab and faded to yellow, then an intermediate shade that could be as gelboliv, typical of Leopards.
Now I think that the lighter shade now in use could have replaced the gelboliv on Leopards too. It changes with stocks and weathering, but I think that is not far from FS 34102, so a bit ligher than the Tamiya NATO green, and more green than Humbrol 86.

I looked up the Humbrol 86 and, depending how accurate my screen is, it looks olivish grey/ faded O.D. Is Lifecolor UA221 close? (I looked up the HU86 on Ebay .... have to order it from the UK, $22 shipping, via RMS .... if it doesn't hit the iceberg!!)

Hi, indeed it doesn't look half bad, do you also have the rest of Lifecolor OD set? I like the UA220 slightly darker and greener more. I think that in both cases you are pretty close anyway.

I don't have the Lifecolor set. I agree the 220 looks a bit better. I ordered that up. We shall see how it works. Any clues as to whether any of the Italian A2s ever were equipped with the PZB 200 night vision scope?

I am almost 100% sure that we never had any PZB 200 passive image intensifier fitted on our Leos.