Hey

I am about to get adventursome and tackle my first interior conversion. I need some info on the correct interior color(s) for M3 Lee. Any thoughts would be gratlhy appreciated

Basic interior color is an semi-gloss white. Sets cushions broen or khaki. Radios and instrument faces black. Heer is a site with some color photos of an M3 Grant interior for referance. Basically all US interiors are painted the same.

M3 Grant

I'am not quite sure what years they switched but most interiors that I have seen are what is called White Green semi Gloss. The M-113 and M-60 were painted this way in early 82 while at Fort Ripley MN. Some of Tamaya's instructions call for this color for interiors on Shermans and the like. Any correct drivers out there?

The light green interior color began use in the 1970's in mostly APC's and other vehicles that had large areas that opened to the outside. The idea is that the green is less noticible than white. Tank, howitzer and other mostly enclosed vehicles still use the semi gloss white interiors. Here are some examples out of Major Rob's Motorpool in the gallery section here.

Green Interiors: M113 M2/M3 Bradley

White interior:
M1 Abrams M109-A5 Howitzer

Hope this clears it up some. Basically, anything prior to early 1970's for US and most other equipment, should be white for interior.

Thomas,

Welcome to Armorama.

Here's a couple of interior shots of a the lower hull of a M3 Grant. The interior details are very similar.





You can see a bunch more in the Tankshack Image Gallery

This seems to be a question that pops up on modeling sites periodically. Interior colors of american AFV's. Three basic schemes. White, vehicle exterior color and hospital or puke green. The last is what we called it in the 60's. The white and green colors are gloss and the exterior vehicle color is, well, the exterior vehicle color. The green color is the same as the color "sky". Why green and not white? White interiors are most common in inclosed crew served vehicles and is intended to lighten the interior when the vehicle is buttoned up and to aid in the detection of fluid leaks and the gloss paint makes it easier to clean. Explains why engine compartments are painted white. Vehicles intended to transport personnel and those design to be work spaces are painted sky green. As I mentioned, we called it hospital or puke green. This color was also used on hospital walls. Someone decided that this color was soothing to the nerves and helped prevent claustraphobia. Hmm. Ride in a buttoned up 113 long enough and you'll realize why we called it puke green. Vehicle interiors painted the exterior vehicle color are those with fighting compartments that are normally open such as the M-20, M-10/18/36. And there are variations. The M106 mortar track is basically an M113. The drivers compartment is sky green but the fighting compartment is a dark green because it is opened to fire the mortar. I'm assuming that the drivers compartment was left the factory painted color as this would assist the driver's ability to see. Now I may be wrong here but I seem to remember that the M114 interior was white and not green. Though it looks like a baby M113, it's not. This practice also extended to wheeled vehicles. Those with removeable tops including hard tops were the vehicle color as delivered from the factory. Shelters, and in this I'm refering to factory built shelters vs unit built shelters, that were carried on the back of 2 1/2 ton, 5 tons and on 2 1/2 ton trailers were painted on the inside the interior sky green.
As an addendum, I see a lot of APC models with really great paint and weathering depicting well worn vehicles. Don't understand why some people would then forget to weather the floor plates correctlly. These are aluminum with the Diamond? nonskid surface. They don't rust like steel and the paint comes off quickly with use. Infact I remember a lot of them had little or no paint on the floor plates. Just a little pet peeve, sorta like opinions and arse holes, we all have them.

Thanks for the info this will for sure come in handy on my next project. My project right now is a MLRS during Desert Storm, By the way is the interior the same for these units? I will be Building Two M2's (Tamaya) soon and will keep in mind about the floor plates.

A few more thoughts. M2 floorpates are not diamond treadplate aluminumlike M113 floorplates. On the M2, the floorplates are flat aluminum plates with a heavy coat of sand paint to add traction. They are painted the same green as the rest of the vehicle interior. The M270 MLRS is also painted pale green on the interior, not white.

Here is a site with detailed photos of an M270 MLRS SPPL (Self Propelled Loader Launcher) M270

If I can butt in here...

My understanding was/is that the interior of the 113's was changed to the light green to be easier on the grunt's eyes... to eliminate the sharp contrast between the inside and outside... i.e: cooped up riding in the back vs. deploying in the bush (or wherever).

Thanks,
Kevin Keefe

Kevin--that is a new one on me. You may well be right. The Bradley is a light interior green also while the M-60 and M-1 series tanks are white. The WW II vehicles came out of the factory with a white interior, but were normally toned down with a shade of olive drab once in the hands of the troops. I have seen several Shermans, for example, where the bottom half of the interior is white while the drivers and tank commander's areas are that light color green.
My 2 cents.