"WW2 American uniform craft paint colors?" Topic

I bit the bullet and am painting up Italeri's 1:72 2nd Div American Infantry set. It has a Modelmaster painting guide on the box, but I like using craft paints like Creamacoat or Americana but all my colors are for ACW!

Does anyone have a link to a website that lists what colors to use for American WW2 uniforms? Or maybe make some suggestions? I have never painted a WW2 fig.

BTW I was a bit put off and frustrated by 1:72, but actually had a nice time working with the figs tonight. They primed up nicely using gesso. I'm sticking to 1:72 instead of 10mm. I'll be having a lot of 1:72 questions, that is for sure! Of course, I was using a new Xacto blade and sliced my finger, as usual.

I'd just take the box or an Osprey guide to thes tore and pick an olive drab that looks right to you. After all with weathering, fading, etc. there's really no right or worng clor. Just get close and they'll look fine!

If there's no box, try Hobby Lobby – they sell WW2 plastic kits that should match up well enough.

I use Americana and Apple Barrel a lot. I own around 500 jars of paint. However, I use Musket Miniatures paints for my WW2 uniforms. I find the craft paints simply don't get it done as well for WW2 uniforms.

Thanks,

John

For brown khaki you can always use a light sandstone color or something similar. For OD green, do it the way the allies did. Mix equal parts of black and yellow ochre. Works like a charm.
For the light greens I've used Aileen's Dusty Khaki or Anita's Khaki Green. It is the pea green color of many uniforms in WWII. I've used mixes of these colors for my troops in 15mm but they work very well.

Same as above, especially mixing lamp black with yellow ochre (Americana colors). Also, play around with Americana Khaki and Sand. Mix them together in various quantities for the webbing and jackets. The right mix gives you an almost exact US Iraqi desert tan. Ceramcoat brown iron oxide is a nice reddish brown color, too. There are also a couple "pine" colors you can get and play around with. You may have to do some mixing to get more exact colors but at less than a buck a 2 ounce bottle, you can afford to.

I did break down and got a couple bottles of Model Masters acrylic olive drabs and leather just because they look nice.

> Mix equal parts of black and yellow ochre. Works like a charm.

The reason it works is that "black" is actually EXTREMELY dark blue, not black.

That's also why you get strange results if you try to darken any color by adding black to it.

I am talking paint, of course, not light (or the absence thereof).

CPBelt, I use the craft paint allmost exclusively. Try these colors for your American Infantry (early war)
Helmet Olive Green from Folkart. Jacket Autumn Brown from Delta Cream coat. Trousers Toffe Brown from Delta Cream Coat. Leggings Linen from Folk Art. Boots Dark Brown from Delta Cream Coat. Web Gear and packs Khaki Tan from Americana. For later war try Medium Foliage Green from Delta Cream Coat for Tunic and Trousers add some Slate Grey from Delta Cream coat to fade the color a bit Got some pictures in the gallery section of my web site gamecraftersltd.com