Info needed: correct colours for WWII Aust vehicles

[Mike Cecil]

"Then if KG3 predates the 1942 colours what is its provenance given Mike Starmers work and the stark difference between UK KG3 according to his research and The Australian version that does look remarkably like toned down KGJ ." - there are two questions here, so, to the first:

I don't know the provenance of the Australian KG3. I agree it is different to UK KG3 (Mike's work), but was that simply a matter of 'variation to suit local conditions'? In other words, Aust didn't like the UK KG3, and mixed a version to suit local conditions? That's pure conjecture, of course: I have not studied that aspect or have anything archival to indicate that, I just accepted the fact that it existed, and, after exchanges with Mike many years ago, that it was purely 'Australian' with the only common factor being the name.

As to the second, rather than 'toned down KGJ', given the timing, you could look at it from the point of view that Dakin's team simply arrived at a similar colour in their research (and why wouldn't they? They were dealing with the same physical environment and camouflage challenges), and may well have 'modified' KG3 to become KG-J to align the colour more closely with their research results, ie, a 'better' version based on research. The ASC chart certainly lists KG-J as 'equivalent to Army KG-3' - it's written across the bottom of the colour chart page.

I haven't seen ref to KG-J fading (but also haven't looked for it, either): the only ref I have is to KG-3 and the suggestion to darken it, dated in June 42.

PM me with your postal address and I'll send you an Army Olive Drab colour sample chip from the 1960s/70s that might help you and Gina.

I'll look up the file ref with the KG3 chip in it and send it to you. The spec is buried in an MP729 file in Melbourne.

Nice work, Gina. Certainly thrashing out a few aspects on paint!

Mike