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Desert Camo Color


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For my next build I plan on getting into a 1:35 Stryker. It is molded in a field green color. I was on my way to the hobby shop to pick up paints. I figured I may just want to change that to a desert color. I use Tamiya Acrylics for everything...it seems to be working for me and if it is not broke don't fix it! What is a good "XF" color for the desert color? I guess it can be any brand. I will then covert it to Tamiya from the EXTENSIVE conversion chart I have. THANKS! I need the input!!!!! If it comes down to it I am just going to leave it the field green color

THX

Jetdx

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For my next build I plan on getting into a 1:35 Stryker. It is molded in a field green color. I was on my way to the hobby shop to pick up paints. I figured I may just want to change that to a desert color. I use Tamiya Acrylics for everything...it seems to be working for me and if it is not broke don't fix it! What is a good "XF" color for the desert color? I guess it can be any brand. I will then covert it to Tamiya from the EXTENSIVE conversion chart I have. THANKS! I need the input!!!!! If it comes down to it I am just going to leave it the field green color

THX

Jetdx

Hi,

Don't have a match for Tamiya's paints. Testor's sand is supposed to be a very close match if you want to go with that product. FWIW, very, very few Strykers are in sand. The vast majority are standard NATO green.

Good luck,

John

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Hi,

Don't have a match for Tamiya's paints. Testor's sand is supposed to be a very close match if you want to go with that product. FWIW, very, very few Strykers are in sand. The vast majority are standard NATO green.

Good luck,

John

That makes my decision for me. I like it when that happens. How close is NATO green to field green?

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jetdx

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The color that I came up with using the instructions is XF-5 (flat green). I looked at Tamiya's NATO green (XF-67) and the color that they show there looks better than XF-5. I have a lot of PE to add to it so I am going to have to paint it all. I have tried it before using the molded color (not painting) it and painting it all, even the same color, makes it look better.

Another question then: I assume...after I get it done I add the weathering. I don't want so much but I don't want it to look like it just rolled off the factory floor. How do I get that look? Real sand (wouldn't the grains be too big)? What is a good way to get that "scruffy" look...maybe just after a cleaning/wash/bath. I am not going for the look of something that has been out in theatre for several weeks. This will be my first armor model and I like the Stryker but I have not done much weathering. I don't know how to explain it. A little help would be great.

THX

Jetdx

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The color that I came up with using the instructions is XF-5 (flat green). I looked at Tamiya's NATO green (XF-67) and the color that they show there looks better than XF-5. I have a lot of PE to add to it so I am going to have to paint it all. I have tried it before using the molded color (not painting) it and painting it all, even the same color, makes it look better.

Another question then: I assume...after I get it done I add the weathering. I don't want so much but I don't want it to look like it just rolled off the factory floor. How do I get that look? Real sand (wouldn't the grains be too big)? What is a good way to get that "scruffy" look...maybe just after a cleaning/wash/bath. I am not going for the look of something that has been out in theatre for several weeks. This will be my first armor model and I like the Stryker but I have not done much weathering. I don't know how to explain it. A little help would be great.

THX

Jetdx

Many, many different techniques out there. Some guys use pigment (pastels), washes, etc. I tend to roughly coat the lower surfaces, wheels and suspension with a mud color (testor's sand does a good job of replicating dried mud), I also use this color (or a custom mix) to drybrush the raised detail on the other surfaces. If you have an airbrush, you can very lightly spray on a light tan-ish color to replicate dust. Take it easy on the rust and bare metal, not much of this was visible. Sorry to be brief, a full explanation of weathering would take dozens of pages. Try some techniques on an old model or on the bottom of your Stryker for practice and see what works for you the best.

Regards,

John

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I'm building the AFV Cub Stryker MGS M1128. NATO green is the standard color of US vehicles not painted for the desert. When the US Army switched over to the 3 color cammo they agreed to use the same colors a the rest of NATO so the green brown and black that most companies NATO coors will work or be close enough for scale work. The green on modern vehicles is definately different then the forest green used as the factory base for the MERDC scheme. The Concord Stryker book has a lot of pictures of Strykers in the field and the dust goes right up the side of the hull.

I made my own mud formula years ago and still use it over MIG powders and the like. I grind up green florist foam in a mixture of white glue and water add in the acrylic earth color of choice, if you were driving over turf which gets picked up readily by tactical vehicles add static grass or other types of scale grass. Brush on where it makes the most sense. I water it down a bit so the earth color acts like a wash and the white glue helps it stick. Being water soluble it cleans off easily if to thick.

Keep in mind the vehicles are fairly new and well maintained so no rust except around afew bolt heads. A stateside or European based unit will wash the truck everytime they leave the field so the build up of dirt will only be for a few days too weeks. In Iraq and A-stan they probably don't get washed very often. Though most Strykers there have the bar armor which is awhole other problem. I don't like that much photo etched so I'm doing mine stateside or 2nd SCR. I wish I could have had the chance to shoot gunnery in one, I only got as far as M1s.

TC

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