IDF UNIFORM COLORS

A uniform whose shade changed with the times

Israeli field gear has gone through several changes since the end of the 1940s. The older olive green gradually gave way to sand and khaki tones better suited to desert surroundings, and more recent times have brought a richer green back again. A figure painter therefore cannot manage with a single pot: he needs a tone for the base, a darker one to deepen the folds and a lighter one for the edges that catch the light.

How to work with a set like this

The paints are water-thinnable and intended above all for the brush. They are laid on in thin, gradually built-up coats, because a single heavy coat fills the molded relief of the cloth and the figure goes flat. The proven procedure starts with an overall base, goes on to deepen the seams and folds and ends with drybrushing or thin strokes on the raised areas. The shades in the set are chosen so that the transition between them looks natural and there is no need to mix intermediate steps by eye.

Where the set is used

Besides figures in 1:35 and 1:16 scale it also serves for tarpaulins, bags, straps and fabric accessories on vehicles, where a purely military green would look too harsh. It is a good idea to shake the bottles thoroughly before use, because the pigment of matte shades settles at the bottom, and to keep the palette damp so that the acrylic does not dry before it can be blended into a transition. The dried coat is durable and takes further work with a wash or a pigment, so a finished uniform can still be dusted down to match the setting the figure belongs to.