ISRAELI AIR FORCE COLORS

Eight shades, two eras of Israeli aircraft

Over half a century the Israeli Air Force went through two completely different camouflage worlds. Over Sinai and the Negev it held to a three-color desert scheme with a light underside from the 1970s, whereas the machines of later generations went over to a pair of cool grays derived from the American air superiority standard. This collection reaches across both periods, so you can build a Skyhawk and a more modern fighter side by side without buying further bottles.

Inside there are eight containers of 17 ml. The desert part is made up of Tan Earth FS 30219, Sand FS 33531, Pale Green FS 34227 with the matching code RAL 6011 and Green FS 34258. The undersides are handled by Duck Egg Blue FS 35622 and Sky FS 34424. Aimed at the newer equipment are Dark Ghost Grey FS 36320 together with Light Ghost Grey FS 36375. Every tone carries a Federal Standard code, so it can be compared with period photographs and with the palettes of other brands without argument.

Working with the desert scheme

The boundaries between the desert fields were sprayed freehand on the real machines and a sharp line does not belong there. When spraying, lower pressure, sufficient thinning and patience at the transitions all help. The contents of a container deserve thorough shaking before you draw from it, as the pigment sinks to the bottom over time. Light desert tones also cover better over a neutral base coat than straight onto plastic.

The eight of them also let you mix transitional tones for the faded fields above the tanks, where the Middle Eastern sun shifts the shade noticeably. Just add a drop of the light gray to the desert base and apply it only to the upper sides of the wings and the fuselage spine.