Mr. Color - FS34097 polní zelená

The field green of American military vehicles

The number in the name refers to the American federal standard of color shades, used by the Army and the Air Force of the United States. The first digit after the letters gives away the sheen: a three means a matte surface, and that is exactly how this shade looks. It is a medium-saturated green with a cast toward olive, with no blue or yellow excess.

The tone appeared on the ground vehicles and equipment of the American army at the time when the change was made from a single-color olive finish to large four-color patches. The field green formed the largest areas in them and was complemented by brown, sand and black. The same shade also suits crates, jerrycans, tarpaulins and other small equipment set out around a vehicle in a diorama.

Before spraying

The paint is based on a lacquer binder, so once dry it forms a durable layer that you will not rub off when masking or dry-brushing. It is thinned with the manufacturer's thinner intended for this range, commonly in a ratio of around one to one. Matte shades tend to be thicker, so a little more thinner is usually needed than with gloss ones.

A matte surface takes pigments and dust effects superbly, but under decals it is advisable to overcoat the area with a gloss clear first, otherwise a silvery film appears under the decal. The package holds 10 ml and the shade has to be stirred right down to the bottom before loading the cup.

On the large flat areas of a hull or a turret it pays to detune the shade slightly every time. Add a drop of sand or white into the second coat and spray only the center of the panel; the eye then reads the area as sunlit and the model stops looking like a uniformly painted toy.