Info needed: correct colours for WWII Aust vehicles

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler

Evidence suggests Light Earth was introduced in production for armoured vehicles only, and where seen on softskins it has been applied in the field.

I should qualify that statement in respect of softskin tactical vehicles, for which evidence of Light Earth in production most definitely exists.

1363reff60sbofors.jpg

[Big D]

Hi Tony,

I thought you might say that…..thanks for your expert analysis.

The more I have looked at it, the more I see bare metal in the right light around that reddish colour, and I think you are right. It is rust on the surface.

I cleaned back the paint on another part of the body (the area in front of the windshield) which should be completely original to this vehicle (that is, not an armoured panel that could have been added post-war) where the disruptive would have been on an AOP. Again, the same pattern of green and that primer, along with the red colour (rust) below as what I had found on the other areas.

It is interesting as I had located the white US star further back on the side panels, and always assumed they were original. However, I sanded through the white paint on the star today and it revealed the same pattern of paint that I had seen in the other areas, albeit without the reddish rust colour. There were some areas of darker rust right underneath it though where I rubbed it back.

There was no sign of any original US paint under it, nor any primer and I think the stars and probably the numbers in white paint I’ve found on the hood were added in at some stage previously when the whole vehicle was stripped of its paint.

Gina – hope you didn’t think I was taking over your thread. I thought this might have helped to ‘paint’ the picture on the disruptive paint aspect but alas it looks like this scout car cannot contribute anymore unless I get some paint chips off like you say Tony!

[Mrs Vampire]

OH not at all Darryl

The more the merrier...its a learning exercise for me the more people add the more I learn