Landrover paint schemes

[Rick W]

The ambulance is in desperate need of a lick of paint So Im seeking advice as to what the colour/colour scheme it should have. Its had 3 layers of paint applied to it. The bottom coat appears to be the deep gloss green, the middle layer is green and black matt camo, the topcoat is a very pale green. Its been with the 1st Royal Anglian Regt from 1979 to demob in 2000. I was going to put it back to the green and black camo with markings to match. Is this green and black a specific colour? How can I find out what unit markings it had and where to put them? Anyone got any photos of a S3 ambulance in camo markings? :?

[David Ives]

the best bet is emlra.com for a photo and the colours are nato green and matt black

[sirhc]

Rick,

 

The camo scheme is basically made up by whoever paints it. You can get hold of BS285 Nato green quite easily and make up your own sheme. They should be roughly 2/3 green and 1/3 black. Modern army vehicles don't tend to have many markings but it may be worth getting in touch with the Anglian Regiment and asking them.

 

Chris

[ghasp!]

Is the matt black special IR paint as well as the green ? :dunno:

[David Ives]

yes all paint is irr paint if you want to do it from the 80s

[sirhc]

Avoid the IRR paint if you can. It will look terrible after a year or so. Much better to start with decent paint. I painted my Ferret with Cromadex paint 6 years ago and it still looks good. I didn't have time to get some to do my Spartan with 2 years ago and ended up using MoD paint. It looks awful now & I'm going to have to do it again!

[Lord Burley]

Agreed on the IRR stuff.You will probably get max two years life out of it.After that it starts to fade.With it gradually,if left long enough turn a bluey/grey colour.

[rambo1969]

Go to your local car paint shop and get synthectic satin finish, it does'nt mark as easily as matt and is easier to wash and keep clean.

 

Use a gloss roller for the green and have some aresol's made up for the satin black, it will look brilliant!. I did my 110, my dads champ and 2 off my mates lightwieghts the same way.

[Rick W]

Ordered NATO green from the EMLRA chap who was very helpful and vehicle stencils. He also suggested just using exterior metal paint, ie car aerosol spray for the black. Does anyone know if the red cross would have been in gloss or matt, i would have thought matt?

[fv1609]

Is the matt black special IR paint as well as the green ? :dunno:

 

 

Yes, but it has less IRR pigment as the green as otherwise under IR illumination it would look the same density as the green & would negate a disruptive pattern.

 

A 5 litre can of the stuff can be picked up often for as little as £10 because it is either not recognised for what it is or people are concerned about fading which is undeniable.

 

But the fading is the effect of sun & rain. But are you going to be keeping your vehicle permanently outside? If its garaged it will last for ages. Then you have the satisfaction of having the genuine stuff & paid less than the buying some non original stuff from B&Q or more expensively from a paint dealer.

 

 

[fv1609]

He also suggested just using exterior metal paint, ie car aerosol spray for the black.

 

Watch out car spray is cellulose & with time may bubble/flake off paint that is non-cellulose.

 

 

Does anyone know if the red cross would have been in gloss or matt, i would have thought matt?

 

Gloss. If it is gloss it will retain less mud & dust, thereby making it more visible, which is what you want so you can be identified as a medical vehicle.

[AlienFTM]

Gloss. If it is gloss it will retain less mud & dust, thereby making it more visible, which is what you want so you can be identified as a medical vehicle.

 

 

Not sure about that. Our Samaritans got the exact same treatment as the rest of our vehicles. Park the FHQ in a wood, cam everything up, disappear from view ... except that the ambulance catches the eye and draws attention and the whole FHQ is exposed. I was surprised to find that Samaritans came with roll-down blinds to cover the red crosses to aid camouflage.

 

I guess it depends on the ambulance's role, whether it is part of a tactical or a non-tactical unit.

[Poptopshed]

I have heard that Blackboard paint is a good cheap substitute for matt black camo paint. Never tried it but i it could be a good hard wearing alternative.

[Rick W]

Most car paint is acrylic these days, as Clive correctly stated, cellulose reacts with just about everything! And as Im not planning to go into combat over the weekend Im not too concerned with the IRR pigment! ;-)

[fv1609]

Not sure about that. Our Samaritans got the exact same treatment as the rest of our vehicles. Park the FHQ in a wood, cam everything up, disappear from view ... except that the ambulance catches the eye and draws attention and the whole FHQ is exposed. I was surprised to find that Samaritans came with roll-down blinds to cover the red crosses to aid camouflage.

 

I guess it depends on the ambulance's role, whether it is part of a tactical or a non-tactical unit.

 

 

Well yes obviously there is a time & a place for displaying red crosses, which is why many tactical ambulances have provision to mask these markings.

 

But I answered the question: "Does anyone know if the red cross would have been in gloss or matt, i would have thought matt?"

 

The requirements are laid down in AESP 0220-A-221-013 The Painting of Service Equipment, Table 1, Serial No.4.

 

The specified paints are:

White (brushing or spraying) high gloss

Red Signal BSC537 (brushing or spraying) high gloss

 

[Rick W]

As always, question answered, thanks Clive! ;-)

[ghasp!]

Are the black patches usually applied by brush or sprayed on?

[David Ives]

the painting is usually done by squaddies on punishment as the paint stinks :evil: but can be brushed sprayed or rollered whichever you fancy doing

[AlienFTM]

Well yes obviously there is a time & a place for displaying red crosses, which is why many tactical ambulances have provision to mask these markings.

 

But I answered the question: "Does anyone know if the red cross would have been in gloss or matt, i would have thought matt?"

 

The requirements are laid down in AESP 0220-A-221-013 The Painting of Service Equipment, Table 1, Serial No.4.

 

The specified paints are:

White (brushing or spraying) high gloss

 

You are absolutely correct. Excuse my inability to engage brain before hitting keyboard.

Red Signal BSC537 (brushing or spraying) high gloss

 

 

[Ian Dunn]

Just a note from down here in Cornwall......................

 

We have just done 2 x S2a Ambulances

 

Bothe were done with NATO Green (put on with Gloss roller)

 

and the black was Blackboard paint (Brushed)

 

all was Matt

 

crosses were Cardinal Red (Satin) on top of Brillient White (Satin)

 

I was brought up in the Aldershot area and joined the T A's in 1978

 

Not many units used spray guns in those days!!!!!

 

most of the re-painting was done by

 

Guys that did not want to do it!

 

and did not know how to do it!

 

and with a 3 inch brush

 

Here is a pic of my 109 done the same way

 

 

Ian

 

 

 

[ghasp!]

Does the army still apply black stipes to new vehicles? I've seen a lot of plain green ones recently.

[sirhc]

The army doesn't always apply the black disruptive pattern. It depends on where the vehicle is being used. If it is a front line vehicle, such as a tank or other AFV then it will always have a disruptive pattern, either green/black or green/sand. Vehicles which aren't used on the front line, such as some trucks, tank transporters, Land Rovers etc are often left plain green. The exception is when vehicles are used in the desert, and then they are normally just sand. Although green and sand is sometimes used!

 

Chris

[AlienFTM]

The army doesn't always apply the black disruptive pattern. It depends on where the vehicle is being used. If it is a front line vehicle, such as a tank or other AFV then it will always have a disruptive pattern, either green/black or green/sand. Vehicles which aren't used on the front line, such as some trucks, tank transporters, Land Rovers etc are often left plain green. The exception is when vehicles are used in the desert, and then they are normally just sand. Although green and sand is sometimes used!

 

Chris

 

 

The camouflage pattern applied is Dispersed Pattern, not Disruptive pattern (and DPM is Dispersed Pattern Material, not Disruptive Pattern Material as popular misconcept has it, except on Dennison smocks).

 

Disruptive Pattern has sharp edges, usual acutely triangular or splinter. The effect is to break up the shape. Apart from Dennison smocks, it is most often seen i pictures of ships (in the Far East in WW" IIRC) where the sharply contrasting colours and angles prevent the eye from determining the shape of what it is seeing. Possibly the most violent Dispersed Pattern was on Fighter Command aircraft at the outbreak of WW2, where the left side of the underbelly was painted black and the right side white. To an observer on the ground, only one half of the aeroplane or the other (depending on the colour of the sky / clouds behind it) would be noticed, and because the eyes only saw half an aeroplane, the brain would not see an aeroplane.

 

Dispersed Pattern consists of swirls of colours (maybe five on a combat jacket) which blend the jacket into the background. The pattern is similar on vehicles but normally in the UK only using two colours (some countries use three or four) in the ratio 2/3 base - normally green - to 1/3 black. In winter, whitewash may be issued to be cover 1/2 the green to make it 1/3 green, 1/3 black, 1/3 white. In eight years in BAOR we got issued winter cam once (in January 1981).

[ghasp!]

Is there an undercoat, if so what colour is it?

[Rick W]

The only undercoat on mine is the yellow chromate primer.