Can anyone suggest a suitable Humbrol or Revell colour for an M48A3 in Vietnam? I have read that there was a difference between the colour of US Army and USMC versions.

Army equipment was painted semigloss Olive Drab, Marine equipment was semigloss Forest Green. The Army shade was similar to FS-34088, but semigloss, and the Marine shade was similar to FS-34079, but again, semigloss. The amount of shine visible depended on how dusty or muddy it was.

There was a tropical paint that appeared late in the conflict with an additive that reflected more of the infrared in sunlight, and kept the interior about 10 degrees cooler, but nobody has published a definitive color match for it, other than to say it was "different" from Olive Drab.

Gerald,

Many thanks for that information. I guess suitable Humbrol versions would be:
Army = 155 or 66 (lightened)
Marines = 116
These appear to be the rough equivalent of the US Federal Standard colours. Of course, weathering (including a heavy accumulation of Vietnam dust) would modify the tones considerably.

Paul

I was an I-Corp Rat from 12/67 till 3/69. We had some trucks and we had more than our share of CMMI's and two IG's in the field. You get the task of repainting all the bad spots on everything. One thing we noticed was that the color of O.D. slightly changed to what seemed like it was a touch lighter in shade! Our equipment was seriously faded, and it still was lighter. The Marine green pretty much stayed the same, but it wasn't uncommon to see a Marine 48 in O.D. Been on OP's with them, when a third of the tracks were O.D. green. I've also seen Marine 48's with a couple O.D. painted road wheels.

When you weather a 48, it gets lighter in color from the top down. You pretty much see every color of mud you can imagine, plus dust from white sand as well. Everybody thinks there was only red clay in Vietnam, but the first time you get near a rice paddy everything I almost black. Breaking jungle is also similar.
gary