Modern French armor wears a paint scheme similar to NATO camouflage; a recent paint set from Ammo by Mig provides modelers with the colors needed to recreate this scheme as well as a desert variant.
Contents
A.MIG-060 Pale Green
A.MIG-061 Warm Sand Yellow
A.MIG-064 Brown Earth
A.MIG-046 Matt Black
Review
Ammo by Mig has released another set of paints this time for French armor, this time covering more modern French vehicles. This set is provided to recreate the French variant of the NATO colors as well as a desert scheme. The colors included in the set are some of the same colors contained in the World War 1/2 set that was released some time ago. The package contains four 17ml bottle of paint, unfortunately there is no real paint scheme reference included other than the image on the front of the package.
The colors provided are:
Pale Green
Brown Earth
Matt Black
These are meant for the three tone NATO scheme, while the:
Earth Brown
Warm Sand Yellow
can be used for a desert scheme.
At first I was a little concerned with the use of the Pale Green, but a look around the internet showed that the French equivalent to the NATO scheme used a brighter green. Also, I did have a slight concern on the Matt Black, but from the reference images I found, showed the French black was darker then that used say on the German NATO scheme.
So putting the paint to the test, I had an AMX-30B2 BRENUS ready for painting, so off I went. I started with the Pale Green over a Bronze Green primer. Using an approximate 80/20 mix with Ammo by Mig thinner, I applied the paint all over the tank in three thin coats. The paint applied well with my airbrush, and looking at the reference photos, looks very close to the green used by the French.
For the rest of the camouflage, the paint was applied free hand with my Badger Renegade Krome using approximately a 60/40 mix again with Ammo by Mig thinner and applied at about 15psi. Using thin layers to build up the colors, it applied well. For the black, I did not want to go with straight black, so I mixed in a few drops of the Warm Sand Yellow, which seemed to work out well. All done the color mixture looked good, and with the slight exception of the Earth Brown which does look a little light to me.
Overview
Overall this is a good paint set scheme to recreate Modern French colors. Based on reference images I found on the internet, the colors look to be good match, but I did find the Earth Brown to be a little lighter then desired. While the colors are available in a previous release from Ammo by Mig, this four color set is good for those not needing the other colors. I would recommend this set for anyone looking to complete a French armor project using these schemes.
Highs: Good color choices for a four paint set for Modern French armor.Lows: I found the Earth Brown to be a little light in my opinion.Verdict: A great set for modern French armored vehicles, highly recommended.
Our Thanks to Ammo of Mig Jimenez! This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.
I am an IT Consultant and father, with a passion for plastic models. I mostly prefer 1/35 Armor and 1/48 Aircraft. My main interests are anything Canadian, as well as WW2 German and British Armor and Aircraft. I have been building models since I was a young kid, got away from it for awhile, but r...
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this set Kevin. The green looks a bit pale but for a brand new vehicle it is OK.
You're right about the Black, the French one is really black and not dark grey.
Olivier
This thread is a little old, but wanted to make a comment. Olivier, we have spoken in the past white a bit on modern French colors. To me, based on the photos, the green actually doesn't look too bad. However, the brown is what looks really off. The brown, on the real vehicle photos, should really be brown-brown, not the very, almost iridescent brown that appears to be what is supplied in the MIG colors.
Comments