Israeli AF paint set (1970’s desert colours)

From bare aluminum to desert camouflage

The Israeli Air Force flew the Mirage III from 1962 in an all-metal finish and only at the beginning of the 1970s moved to a camouflage derived from the desert landscape. The set links the two periods: the first bottle holds the aluminum shade of the original uncamouflaged aircraft, and the remaining five make up the desert scheme itself.

Three upper surfaces and two undersides

The upper part of the airframe was covered by a combination of Sand to FS33531, Pale Green to FS34227 and Dark Tan to FS30219. This arrangement was worn by the MD 450 machines, by Phantoms, Skyhawks, the Israeli Neshers, Super Mysteres, Fouga Magister trainers and helicopters, so the set is far from ending with fighters. The lower surfaces were given the light Duck Egg Blue to FS35622. The last shade, Green to FS34258, is a peculiarity: it was applied to the lower surfaces of the Israeli Skyhawks in the A-4H and A-4N versions instead of the usual light green, a detail that sets a model apart from the commonly built machines.

Properties and application

The paints belong to the blue range, which is thickened for the brush, although once thinned it can also be sprayed with an airbrush. The aluminum shade needs a smooth, even base, otherwise every irregularity shows, so it pays to lay a gloss black or dark gray coat under it. The desert tones, by contrast, cover without trouble even straight onto plastic. The upper surfaces of Israeli machines were usually heavily bleached by the sun, so it is worth adding a drop of white to the base tone and lightening the middle of the larger panels with it.