I have just about finished the Italeri version of the above kit and want to paint it in OIF colours (desert sand). Most off the photos i have show the vehicle looking pretty clean, with very little wear and tear. I presume like all vehicles in Iraq they where sprayed before leaving their base, and would have recieved lots of wear and tear resulting in areas of chipped and worn paint in places of high contact , which would have exposed the orginal darker green shades.
I would also like some advice on how to paint the tracks for a vehicle in Iraq.
Cookie

I would not say they were clean. You can see a lot of subtle weathering like rain streaks and such. From these photos w/ low resolution and not so close, you will not see much evidence of chipping, but it will be there around hatch rings and other high traffic areas. Burnt Umber would be a good chip color.

Also, some of the arty vets here, like Gino, might want to comment on the muzzle. I have read that modern ammo does not create that black soot look, and so maybe what we are seeing in the photos is dust attaching itself to grease or oil. In at least one photo it seems like more of a brown color, say burnt umber or raw sienna, or burnt sienna. But the other does look more black...





Bob

It isn't soot from the powder used, it's scorched from the heat of the muzzle blast. On the NATO camo'd vehicles it isn't really noticable

CARC paint doesn't readily chip if properly applied, but once it does, it usually starts flaking off more and more from the same spot.
The best place to show wear is underneath the sponsons where the tracks rub up against the hull.

Be careful about the color you choose for chipping. The entire hull and a lot of the turret fittings, including the TC ring, are aluminum.

Yeah, CARC is a really hard paint, and the only way it will chip is from an impact or if it was oversprayed (desert sand over NATO) and the surface wasn't clean it will start to lift and flake off.

18Bravo is all over it on the paint. CARC doesn't easily chip. Most of the Paladins that have been to Iraq are permenantly painted sand as well, not just for deployment. All 3ID vehicles were/are sand. Minor chipping around hatches, lift rings, etc. is present, but not much more. Our vehicles did not have paint wear like British vehicles did/do.

2CAVTrooper is correct on the muzzle as well. The flames that come out scorch it. Most units paint the muzzle brake flat black so it looks better than scorched metal. The sand and dust on the muzzle in Bob's pic is due to sand sticking to oils and solvents used for cleaning the tube.

Hey, other than CIPs, what does the Italeri need Oob to dipict an invasion vehicle?

Other than stowage, not a lot. I posted a pretty detailed list last year of the fixes though, which would certainly help the kit. Right now I can't sem to retrieve old posts or I'd just bump it up. Briefly-
Remove oxbow shaped wading equipment cover from top of hull
Add armor over driver's hatch
Add side hatch lock and bump stop
Fix incorrectly shape bore evacuator
Correct rear stowage boxes on back of hull-there should be two small ones and one large one, not two large ones
Add speed counter on its mount
Add collar with bolt detail around barrel near recoil group housing
Remove small round hatch from front of hull and fill notch in gun crutch mount which was there to accomodate erroneous hatch
Add auxiliary rear door lock and commo reel holder

And that's just the short list...

i hadn't relaised that the entire hull and a lot of the turret fittings, including the TC ring, are aluminum.Therefore no rust stains. Because of the aluminum i presume any wear areas will be kept sparse and finished with a dull steel sheen. The paint used and the fact that they are often perminantly painted a sand colour explains why they seem resonably fresh with a clean appearance. I presume whilst in Iraq they will have a permanent layer of sand dust.
Hear i was thinking that the crew had them at the car wash every week.

Another query what Regiment (if thats what you call them in the US) used these vehiclrs in Iraq and is there decals out there for any of the vehicles.

Thanks Guys

Cookie

All heavy divisions use the Paladin in their Artillery Bns. Depending on which division and when you want to depict, will dictate which unit it is. For 3ID during the invasion, unit #s are as follows:

Bumper numbers would be something like the following:
Left side 3I 1-9F right side A11, B12, C14, etc.

Unit #s on the side are as follows:
60 - 1-9 FA
90 - 1-41 FA
30 - 1-10 FA
HHB was X0, A X1, B X2, C X3, SVC X4

Chevron would point to top for 1st PLT, right for 2nd PLT, down for 3rd PLT, and left for 4th PLT. Howitzers 11, 12, 13 are first PLT, 14, 15, 16 are 2nd PLT. 6 howitzres to a Battery. FDC M1068A3s (M577) are 10 and 20 (first and second PLT), M992A1 ammo carriers are 21-26.

No AM decals out there that I know of for Paladins. Wouldn't be too hard to make them yourself though.

Hope that helps.

Cookie,

Heres a link to a sand colored Paladin:

http://www.primeportal.net/artillery/mike_high/m109a6_walk_1.htm

This howitzer belongs to 3/29 FA out of Ft. Carson. There are more at this web site....some VERY good pics. The one I shot was "freshly" painted....within a couple of months of the picture shoot. You'll notice some chipping around the driver's "lenses" covers. I was hoping it would show the "wear" against the hull from the tracks, but it's "too new."

HTH,

Mike (++) (++)

These photos are typical of the chipping found on Paladins:








And while it may seem funny, we did use to take our towed cannons through the car wash.

Nah I took my M1025 to the car wash, and I had permission from the guys at the Auto Craft Shop on post to do so whenever I needed to.......The downside was the MP's would hassle me whenever I did.

Thanks for the photo sites and all the info lads really great. What would we do without the internet.
(just build them out of the box i suppose)
Are Paladins still being used in Iraq at this moment. Would any have been in action without the desert sand colour, ie still in the Nato 3 tone. I notice many Humvees having mixed colour schemes

Cookie

yes, Pladins are being used in Iraq now. Not sure if there are any camo ones there now, but 1AD out of Germany took their camo ones, as did 1ID and 2ID. Believe it is all sand ones there right now with 4ID though.

Bump of old post for DeskJockey. In addition to the list, another tip is to use paper hole reinforcers to mask the wheels. They are the perfect size.