Mr. Color - olivová (2)

Olive number two from the American palette

Army olive is the most widespread military finish of the twentieth century and at the same time a color whose real tone is the subject of an endless debate. On one batch it leaned toward green, on another toward brown, and after a few weeks in the sun it faded noticeably more. The paint manufacturer responded in its own way: the palette holds two variants and the number in brackets denotes the second of them. It is therefore not a different type of finish or a different sheen but a different rendering of the same shade.

Where it is useful

You will cover American ground vehicles with it from the middle of the 1940s up to the Vietnam War, that is trucks, armored personnel carriers, tanks, guns and small camp equipment, and equally the upper surfaces of army aircraft. It is interesting above all as a starting point: lighter mixtures create the faded roofs and hoods, while darker ones create the shadows in recesses and under superstructures. When the kit instructions prescribe a specific number from the palette, follow it, because you will then get exactly the tone that the author of the plans had in mind.

How to apply it

The bottle holds ten milliliters and the paint has a lacquer, solvent-based nature, so it is thinned with the product of the same brand. It is applied with an airbrush, on the extensive surfaces of military vehicles in two thin coats, so that the welds and rivets stay legible. The semi-matte surface is an ideal base for washes and filters, and once dulled with a final clear coat it also takes dry pigments.