"Painting Team Yankee M1s" Topic

I have Bannon's Boys M1 Abrams still on the their sprues and I am conflicted about how to paint them. Verdant MERDC looks cool and is somewhat iconic, but I understand it wasn't on M1s very often. Forest green is perhaps most accurate [yawn], then perhaps I could go with Nato tricolour… Argghhh – this internal debate prevents me from painting them – what have other folks done for their mid 1980s M1s?

Perhaps WW2 German ambush scheme?!

Tally Ho!

Move on to acceptance…paint them NATO tri-color or forest green. :)

pjm

I love forest green! Most of my first tracks looked like that. It's easy to paint and it looks snazzy. I'll post a couple of pics later.

I too have been faced with this dilemma, painting my own 1/285 modern US forces. Looking at Internet images and having little knowledge of what paint schemes were used when and where, I've felt uncertain about how to proceed.

Some of you already know this, but I actually finished some M1 tanks and vehicles this summer. Using one photo I liked for reference, I used a medium green/gray color for my miniatures. Our family's new kitten knocked these vehicles to the floor and ruined them (they were stored in a box and had not yet gotten a protective matte coat.) So they're currently being repainted.

I am not proud to admit that I've chosen a lighter green color for my 1/285 vehicles which probably isn't accurate (or is it?) and that I just don't feel too bothered about it.

Tgunner, I'd like to see your pics. You just might change my mind!

They aren't great pictures because I used my phone in terrible lighting. But they look pretty good to me. My first active duty tanks were in this color scheme: just plain OD green. They were dirty, stained, faded, and just plain cool!

Plain Forest Green, and then go nuts on the weathering and mud?

I mean, doesn't anyone else remember the line from Red Storm Rising where a company of Abrams are flying down a dirt road and throwing rooster-tails of dirt/mud behind them?

Nice pics Tg.

It's quite something when 60 to 70 tons of metal scoots across mud real quick sending jets of mud out behind it like a jet-ski on water.

I've seen Chally2's do it at Lulworth/Bovvy.

Brings a smile to your face

DC<

I was in your boat till I found that in reality the first M1s were painted plain green. BF states somewhere that they did the MERDC scheme to make them easier to distinguish from the Soviet vehicles in their eye candy photos.

So, mine are green…..

Thanks for the photos, guys!

Thanks all, I reckon forest green is will be.

A number of M1s in the US got a pseudo Summer Verdant scheme so that is a possibility too.

I painted mine Forest Green.

Damon.

Which Vallejo paint equates to forest green please? Is the TY NATO green compatible?

FS34079 US Army Forest Green equates to Vallejo 893 US Dark Green. But 888 is probably a decent alternative for smaller scales.

Each divisional maintance shop, I was the G1 Safety officer in 1980 and had to inspect the shops, had a manual with color scheme for each theatre. The 2nd Armored division was painted in desert patterns. The 1st Cavalry was in NATO colors. Each color had a percentage amount but the pattern placed each color placed in a specific location.
I remember that in 1977, my cavalry platoon was painted wrong and were sent to the shop to be repainted.

Thanks for that freerangeegg. Can anyone tell me if the Team Yankee NATO green is anywhere near close?

I believe the TYs NATO green is Vallejo 894 Russian Green.
It's not quite the same, but it's close. In 15mm by the time it's had a wash, some highlights and been dirtied up a bit, who's going to know?

Thanks again freerangeegg

Yes Forest Green for just about every M1 (and Bradley) in USAREUR until the Nato 3 colour scheme was gradually introduced in the late 80s.

Nick in Somerset's suggestion is a great one though. Several USAREUR units- but particularly it seems the 11th 'Black Horse' ACR went in for their own home brewed camo patterns applied with mud when on FTX. On page 60 of the excellent Tankograd book on the early M1/IPM1- there is a great picture of a Black Horse M1 mud painted in German WWII ambush pattern while on exercise in 1983.

Several USAREUR units- but particularly it seems the 11th 'Black Horse' ACR went in for their own home brewed camo patterns applied with mud when on FTX. On page 60 of the excellent Tankograd book on the early M1/IPM1- there is a great picture of a Black Horse M1 mud painted in German WWII ambush pattern while on exercise in 1983.

I may need to get that book, then! Sounds like entirely too much fun to screw with people.

One of the MERDC snow schemes is the only choice. I'm sure if WWIII did start they totally would have painted some like this.
nanotanks.wordpress.com/2017/09/30/m1-abrams-tanks

Beautifully done.

All the photos I have seen of M1s on FTX in Germany in the 80s though are plain Forest Green with a simple coat of what looks like domestic whitewash. After a few hours/days the whitwash steaked and wore off in places and was actually created very good camouflage against the German winter landscape. Never seen a picture anything like these I'm afraid- but they do look nice!

Also- never seen any pictures of 1980s M1s or other vehicles with the tactical numbers painted on the sides or turret- just tiny numbers as part of the bumper code. In all the pictures I have seen, the vehicles were identified by the geometric 'Vehicle Identification System' panels at the back of the turret. Both 66 and 55 (Bn CO and 2IC) were usually plain panels without further sub-marking on them.