What color should my IDF Merkava III be paainted?

Good question. Depends on when/where it is depicted. IDF have used everything from a mediaum sand color to OD green over the years. Here is a good referance site for you.


IDF Modeling, with a great color chart and referance pics.

Good luck.

The color chart doesn't seem to reproduce well on my monitor, as the greens look gray. Essentially, the 1960's color was indeed something people would call a desert sand shade, but shortly before the Yom Kippur War in 1973, a new gray-green color was introduced, usually called Sand Gray. On some vehicles captured by the Egyptians, it was used as secondary color, creating a cammo pattern with the original sand color. Most vehicles carried it as an overall color, though. IDF commanders were also known to customize their own units' paint to better match the terrain, so vehicles in the Sinai weren't always the same color as vehicles on the Golan Heights. The stock color has been darkened over the years.
Testors Model Master makes this color as Israeli Sand-Gray, suitable for the 1980's and later. An IDF vet I know suggests a 50-50 mix of US Olive Drab and US Desert Sand as an alternative. I wouldn't sweat the exact shade too much unless you are trying to depict a vehicle cleaned up for an inspection. A few minutes on the road, and the tank will pick up a layer of desert dust that will effectively disguise the original shade.

Much appreciated!!