Starting to build an early to mid-1970’s US M110 (8 inch) howitzer from 1/40th arty stationed in Germany.
Can anyone suggest the best color of paint to match this vehicle at this particular time? Pretty sure that they weren’t done in the camo pattern at the time but if so, I’m good with that if someone has pics. I’d also appreciate any colored pics.
Thanks!
Steve
And … the 1st of the 40th Arty was the organic 8 inch battalion in the 3rd Armored Div at the time (had been 6th of the 40th previously; “redesignated” after VN).
Steve, for this time-frame it would in fact have been in the camouflaged scheme known as MASSTER; if you use the search engine on this site and say, just enter “MASSTER” you should find enough threads to point you in the right direction. In my opinion, it is a not unattractive scheme and will really make your model look different (if that’s not an oxymoron when it comes to “camouflage”!).
I’m sure there are others who will assist shortly, possibly even former users.
Here is more info on MASSTER camo.
More info on other possible '70s camo (MERDC and DUALTEX) as well.
Thanks Gino; clearly lateral thinking not my forte! I should have done just that!
I’m sure this will all help Steve.
Interesting. I trained soldiers from the reactivated 1/40 FA on several occasions at Ft. Sill.
They have a pretty storied history. My reenlistiment with them in 2000 or so:
Ah, with the “OPSEC” covering of bumper codes. Yes, do it.
Ah, OK, post-WWII dark olive green, so early '70s.
Tamiya J.A. Green (XF13) works well for it.
They also do an OD 2 (LP29) that is also pretty good.
The cutoff date for the OD paint scheme going over to the MASSTER scheme is the summer of 1973. I can’t provide the EXACT dates for a couple of reasons. For starters while I know that the USAREUR as well as the V Corps and VII Corps Supplements were published sometime around July of 1973, neither I nor anybody else on the planet it seems, can lay their hands on any copies of the Regs themselves.
The Attachment which came out with the Regs and had the patterns for a collection of various vehicles was actually created in 1966, and then put on the shelf when the initial pattern painting program was cancelled, only to be trotted out again when MASSTER was initiated.
I know it was in the summer of 1973, because at the time I was stationed with 1st Bn, 2nd FA in Baumholder and that’s when we and everybody else in USAREUR began the process of trotting off to the motor pool with the patterns in one hand and some white chalk in the other, to mark off the patterns and for the most part, apply the paint by hand with buckets and brushes.
There were VERY FEW units that I’m aware of that applied MASSTER with spray equipment, although of course there would have been exceptions.
For that reason to be accurate, (despite what any “judges” would say!) a MASSTER scheme should NOT be applied to a model by masking and spraying. That’s NOT the correct “look”.
The other reason on timing of course is that the painting took place over some length of time and it was probably about 4-6 months before the majority of combat vehicles in USAREUR (the Divisional as well as Corps units) were all complete.
If you’re planning a pre-MASSTER scheme, absent an actual photo of a vehicle that you’re modeling, I would probably go with white for the USA number, stars and bumper numbers. But those varied by unit and over time as well.
Looking at the photo above I would guess that it is more likely late 60’s to perhaps 1970 or so at the latest, mainly because of the bright shoulder sleeve insignia as well as the bright chevrons on the sleeves. Those had been replaced with the subdued SSI and subdued rank insignia by October of 1972 when I arrived in country. That vehicle clearly has the USA number in black and I’m guessing that the stars (and who knows about the bumper numbers!) were in black as well. But that photo like I said is probably more late 60’s and at least in 8th ID, in the early 70’s pre-MASSTER, we had white markings on the solid OD vehicles.
Tom
Thanks! THAT is precisely the info that I was looking for.
I was stationed in Schweinfurt (B 2/30 Inf) 71-73 and, as I recall we didn’t start the new camo (MASSTER) scheme til late ‘72 / early ‘73.
And, yes, we chalked out the colors on our 113’s and then hand painted them. Think my 1/4 ton (I was B Co C.O.) stayed in the original 1-color scheme… at least until I rotated in June ‘73.
Thanks again!
Steve
