Hi, my first post here, found this page 2days ago.
Just that I'm currently building the academy m2bradley, but the instructions are such a screwup on the box, the boxart and the completed model shown there is desert yellow, the instructions say olive drab. Im, kind of confused here. Never seen an olive drab m2 bradley? Can anyone help me out here

Hi,

the Acadmey kit is a kind of Tamiya rebox. At the time the kit was released the MERDC camo scheme was not in service in every unit so some M2 (the early APC) were painted overall green. In my opinion, it should be Forest Green more than Olive Drab.

Those sent to Desert Storm were repainted Sand (more probably just externally) so the interior of the hatches may be Forest Green too.

Hope this helps

regards
olivier

Welcome to Armorama.

If you pick up the Squadron In Action book on the M2, you will see OD Bradleys. All I can offer you is a Good Luck.

On a side note: I noticed you probably double clicked the SUBMIT button. You only need to hit it once and it will post it. Don't worry I've done it at least once.

Jeff

As Bison126 says, the original production Bradleys were meant to be painted in the 4-colour MERDC scheme, but it got abandoned before getting very far.

So most original Bradleys (and M1s) were painted Forest Green (FS 34079), which is a darker green than OD, and equivalent to Humbrol 116.

Better not look too deeply into the origins of the Academy Bradley

Actually it was not a rebox, but an unlicenced copy of Tamiya model. Some details were marginally softer than those in Tamiya kit and vinyl tracks were molded with rubber blocks upside down (!). Also decals were much worse in Academy kit.




Well, below is a picture of green Bradley. Is it OD or FG?...



Pawel

Looks like OD to me..

Could be OD or Forest Green. Depending on lighting conditions, dirt on vehicle, and fading of paint, the color can vary widely.

Here are two pictures of M2AO+'s.
The first was one I worked on a few years back while we where still 49th Armored Division.
The second on sits right outside my office door. This one was repainted after we switched from 49th AD to the 36th Infantry Division.

Ok I'll go with OD, blackwash it and dust it. I'm quite a noob at this. My second military model ever. I was a motorhead before tanks. Well thanks everybody for their help and pictures;) when I get done with it il post some pics here

Here is the almost finished interior, some paint touchups needed. Critisism is always a welcome guest in my house

Looks like it is coming along well. A few pointers though. The color of the ammo storage racks on either side of the hull should be the same color as the interior, not black. The ammo boxes themselves are black for the larger 25mm and the smaller .30 cal ammo cans on the right side behind the rack should be dark green. The crew air filter box, on left side behind driver's seat should also be same as interior color. What color did you use for the interior? It looks too grey to me, could be lighting or photo though. It should be a pale green color, MM Pale Green is an exact match.

Here is my M7 BFIST (Bradley Fires Integration Support Team vehicle) with full scratc/converted interior in progress.




Keep up the good work.

One note from an old Bradley grunt. Very few of the Brads delivered to Germany in the first issue in '86 were actually painted straight Forest Green. Which BTW is the same Green found in NATO Camo, NOT Olive Drab. Most were delivered in 3 color NATO except the ones delivered to Ft. Stewart (24th ID at the time) which came in Desert Tan.

well, I did the interior by the reference got from tanxheaven, and there the ammoboxes are black and the interior blueish gray.

btw arty your interior looks sick

Gino is right, the color should be pale green. It is called "sea foam green". It is a bit tricky color to photograph and on many pictures it looks almost white or bluish gray, but it is definitely green. Picture you posted is overexposed, that's why the color does not look like it should. I think however that color on Gino's model seems too dark and too green. It probably should be lightened a bit for better scale effect.

Check these photos in Sabot's Motorpool gallery: https://armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?set_albumName=albup49&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php.

Pawel

Darn! Well im not gonna redo it thats for sure

In your reference photo the color looks like German Sky Type S. It makes a really good interior color.

But what camo should I do it? Recomendations? The decals given are a few numbers. So hard to think whats the real thing? the decals on the side are MV009D and 2 C-15 on a white backround they should go on the front mudguards. I don't wanna go with all green, looks way too dull. Desert is ok.

Indrek
Here is one way you can mark it if you are goin all green. These are the markingings from one of the units here in the Texas Army National Guard:

36 3/141 HQ-1

In between the 36 and the 3 is a square black box which is the way we represent infantry. The HQ-1 goes centered on the right storage box in the rear and on the left drive sprocket housing in the front. The 36 goes on the left rear box and the right front housing. There are no other markings.

If you want to represent a desert bradley check here for the bumper numbers:

Modern Unit Number Identification (Bumper Numbers)

The infantry units had the M2 before they got M2A2's

Couldn't find anything close to mine or I'm just too sleepy.
I have 2-triangle-2-1-48 and C-15 so I probably have a desert bradley? Sorry for my dumbness

Indrek,
I just want to welcome you to Armorama.


Happy Modeling.

That's true - the modern US armor interior color is quite close to Sky type S. But this is not a German color, this is a color used by British RAF during WW2.

Pawel

The cosest pre-mixed paint I've found for modern U.S. intrerior green is Model Masters # 34227 Pale Green. But I'd add just a little white to get it to scale.

I'm not able to fully decipher your bumper number. I've checked through General Order #7 and I can't find a 48th Infantry Regiment that participated in Desert Storm. The closest I can figure that your markings mean are:
2^=2nd Armor Division
2-=?
1-48=1st Battalion, 48th Infantry Regiment

Also, the vehicle number C-15 puzzles me. Infantry platoons have 4 vehicles not 5. C Co., 1st Platoon vehicles would have the numbers C-11, C-12, C-13, C-14. C-15 would not exist in an infantry battlion.

I think I have this kit and can look to see what the markings really are. It may be that they markings were a best guess of someone looking at a wartime photo. Or it can be that the markings are correct and I'm wrong.

Yup, I can't figure out whats the C-15.
By the way people I used humbrol 65 on the interior.
I don't know, I'll just go with the forest green then as the instructions point out.

A couple of thoughts on the vehicle numbers. In some units the 1st platoon leader's track would be called 16, the 2nd 26, etc. The same sometimes applied to the platoon sergeant's track, if the PL's was 16, the PSG's would be 15.
As for the unit markings is it possible the Bradley could be from the 2nd Armored's organic cav squadron? ie: 2nd Armored Div, 2? 1/48 Cav?
Although scout platoons only used M3s, Cav Squadrons use a mix of M1s, M2s, and M3s.