I just bought the Italieri M163A1 Vulcan SPAAG. I'm painting it the US Army version. For the Green color it is asking for the Model Master Olive Green, but lists no number. It Also says RAL 6003. What is the comperable color to use or can i use OD?

Depends on when you are depicting it. First prototype M163 in Vietnam ('68-'70) were in a strange black, brown, green, sand camo. This version is depicted in the Acdemy kit.


Early production M163s were in the Vietnam Dark Green color, Testors Model Master Dark Green looks good. For later vehicles, before they went to MERD-C in mid '70s, forest green is good, again MM color is good. Later vehicles mid-'70s to early '80s were in MERD-C camo. In early '80s, we went to NATO 3-color camo, which was last scheme before they were phased out in the early 1990s.

They were also in sand color for ODS ('90-'91), and some units (1CAV, 24ID which became 3ID, 2AR which became 4ID, and 3ACR) kept them that way when they redeployed.

Great site with interior and exterior pics: M163 pics

The kit says the vehicle is part of the 3rd Armored Division, Germany 1987

If that is the vehicle you want to depict, it would be in 3-tone NATO camo. MM medium green, field drab and flat black are my choices for this scheme. They are more faded than the commonly used colors of forest green, military brown, and flat black, but that is how they look. They fade very quickly.

Flat black? wouldn't that be a bit too clean for that faded look? That's what I want to try

Give the whole vehicle a light drybrushing of MM Armor Sand or another sandy-gray color and it will give it the correct faded look. You have to weather the vehicle to give it the used and abused look.

Check in my Showcases below to see some of my models using the above colors and techniques.