Camo - how is it done?

[casm]

Okay, this is probably a really, really stupid question - but how is camo paintwork done (yeah, i know - 'with a spray')?

Basically, I'm wondering how a proper camo pattern is replicated. Is it literally a case of 'look at one and try to copy it', or is there an actual technique involved? I'm guessing that it's probably a bit more involved than simplying spraying one layer followed by spraying the next leaving the previous one exposed where you want it to show and repeating until done.

Digital camo... Looks to be horribly complex to do; anyone have insights on that one as well?

For anyone wondering, I'd like to replicate a Russian desert camo pattern on a Lada Niva.

[Kejtar]

For anyone wondering, I'd like to replicate a Russian desert camo pattern on a Lada Niva.
like this? (http://4wheeldrive.about.com/library/uc/ucgraphics/Bruttusrusu2.jpg) I say eyeball it.

[RichP]

You start out with a base coat, the color that is going to be predominant in the scheme, in woodland its OD green more or less then using chalk you lay out your pattern. There are several real US military sites that have the dash-10's for the approved layout. I don't know where you would get a russian pattern other than to give the national training center in mojave a call and ask them, ask for the motor pool if you call, they might even be able to direct you to an online site that specializes in 'vehicle recognition'...

[BruteXJ]

I've "eyeballed" everything I ever camo'd, and they came out all right.

For the "RealTree" look, just park a white vehicle alternately under an oak and a pine for twenty years total, alternating trees every 5 years, and never wash it.

[RKBA]

Give me your e-mail address and I will send you a .pdf file with the patterns that the military uses for various vehicles. Take the closest one, photocopy them on a transparency and shoot them on your rig with an overhead projector.

As Rich said, you would paint on your base coat first and then chalk out the lines from the overhead projector image. The manual explains the percentages of each color and all that jazz.

[casm]

like this? (http://4wheeldrive.about.com/library/uc/ucgraphics/Bruttusrusu2.jpg) I say eyeball it.

That's actually the one that gave me the idea to begin with :) I was going to go with the somewhat lighter Afghanistan-era scheme, though.

You start out with a base coat, the color that is going to be predominant in the scheme, in woodland its OD green more or less then using chalk you lay out your pattern. There are several real US military sites that have the dash-10's for the approved layout.

OK, cool. Makes sense. This project's a long way off right now, but good to know beforehand.

I don't know where you would get a russian pattern other than to give the national training center in mojave a call and ask them, ask for the motor pool if you call, they might even be able to direct you to an online site that specializes in 'vehicle recognition'...

Yeah... I found the dash-10 stuff without too much trouble, but the Russian pattern's proving way more difficult to come by, particularly since I'm looking for an older one. NTC's a good suggestion, though; I think I will drop them a line. Thanks!

Give me your e-mail address and I will send you a .pdf file with the patterns that the military uses for various vehicles. Take the closest one, photocopy them on a transparency and shoot them on your rig with an overhead projector.

As Rich said, you would paint on your base coat first and then chalk out the lines from the overhead projector image. The manual explains the percentages of each color and all that jazz.

Excellent info. Check your PMs; I'd love to take a look at them.

[AJsArmor]

And whatever you do, don't mask/stencil it. Nothing looks worse than camo with a fine edge.

[Mr.OverKill]

i did a german or russian winter scheem on my 68 jeep 1-1/4 ton army truck, i starter with grey then went to a air brush for an eye balled black then the same for the white, do what ever you feel looks right. when i finished the jeep disapeared at nite in the trees even in full moon light.

i did this twice a year for 12 years on f14 tomcats in fallon, desert and sky cammo the top black, tan and brown and the bottom haze grey and sky blue, pilots said it worked awsome.

troy

[What Rd]

i did a german or russian winter scheem on my 68 jeep 1-1/4 ton army truck, i starter with grey then went to a air brush for an eye balled black then the same for the white, do what ever you feel looks right. when i finished the jeep disapeared at nite in the trees even in full moon light.
troy

Pics?
Sounds good.

[Mr.OverKill]

will try to find them and get them scaned in to the puter.

i loved that truck:rattle: , pops sold it finaly after we owned it for 13 years or more, i painted it in 1993 and he sold it last year.

[twardnw]

sorry to bring back an older thread, was wondering where a good place to pick up OD green is? Doesn't need to be mil-spec, but something pretty close to that color. Going to do up my XJ w/ it once I get the body patched up. (and complete it with white stars on the front doors and hood, lol)

[JeepFreak21]

sorry to bring back an older thread, was wondering where a good place to pick up OD green is? Doesn't need to be mil-spec, but something pretty close to that color. Going to do up my XJ w/ it once I get the body patched up. (and complete it with white stars on the front doors and hood, lol)

Home depot?
Billy

[Lawn Cher']

They sell camo paint at Walmart, near the hunting section. Just shake the can as you spray and it changes the color that comes out.

[Yucca-Man]

I've looked into doing a MarPat camo pattern on the XJ; but as far as I can tell there's no standard pattern, right? If I remember correctly from my plastic modelling days, there are FS595 color chips for mil-spec coloring - but I can't find a MarPat equivalent. Any help?

Something like this:
http://www.yuccaman.com/jim/marpat_xj.jpg

[XTrmXJ]

http://mpjai.com/phpBB2/files/38redneckcamero0ui-med.jpg

[Yucca-Man]

Oh my hell...that would be even better if it were a 1979 Firebird! :laugh3:

[Bohican]

I've looked into doing a MarPat camo pattern on the XJ; but as far as I can tell there's no standard pattern, right? If I remember correctly from my plastic modelling days, there are FS595 color chips for mil-spec coloring - but I can't find a MarPat equivalent. Any help?


You can get brown and tan spray paint from cabellas and cheaper than dirt. I'd thing it would be easiest to make 3 or 4 stencils using grid wire and paperboard (lay the gridwire ontop of the paperboard and lightly spraypaint, then cut to pattern). Do a base coat of tan, then use the stencils you make with the brown paint, adjusting the darkness of brown with multiple coats / distance of the can from the painting surface. If you're worried about the sharp lines from using the stancils, you should be able blend the edges a very light spray of the tan from a good distance. Course, this is just a guess, so you might want to see if someone with more auto-body experience chimes in.

[Jeffro600]

http://mpjai.com/phpBB2/files/38redneckcamero0ui-med.jpg

WOW! Nothin says "white trash" more than a camo'ed firebird with spoked rims!! :laugh:

[drifto77]

Oh my hell...that would be even better if it were a 1979 Firebird! :laugh3:
Like this one? (anyone wanna photshop it?)
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y172/045cal/Firebird/MVC-014S.jpg
Its for sale.

[dphillips]

You can take off the T-tops (if there are any) and use it for a duck blind!

:laugh3:

[87manche]

If you're worried about the sharp lines from using the stancils, you should be able blend the edges a very light spray of the tan from a good distance.
A good way to do camo with a stencil is to hold the stencil away from your work. 6-8 is a good starting point. Farther=softer edge

[Shomsky462]

im thinkin about urban camo on my 91 white cherokee i was inspired by some extremely nice tacomas that were solid axled and had super clean camo paint jobs with a fine edge on each spot paint. it doesnt look anything close to horrible, i think it would look better fine edge than a soft crappy edge thats to thin and you can see the color underneath it. but yeah what kind of paint should i use and how should it be applied?

[corbinafly]

Try these guys for the paint.

http://www.armyjeepparts.com/index.html

Kyung

[lost1]

WOW! Nothin says "white trash" more than a camo'ed firebird with spoked rims!! :laugh:


yeah but it'd say rednek if it were lifted w/ boggers and a gunrack...

[partsxj]

Found this
http://www.milspray.com/

[FASTnSPEEDY]

yeah but it'd say rednek if it were lifted w/ boggers and a gunrack...
Don't come by my house, a guy down the road has a Camaro, of maybe a 'stang, but I'm almost sure it's a Camaro on something like 40's. He's had it for sale for years, I may ask him one day to test drive it, take it down somewhere nice. It would be awesome to roll up in a lifted Camaro on around 40 inch Boggers.

[luvme88xj]

pop open the trunk lid and i bet you find a whole bunch of corn whiskey
regarding camo paint, check out marine finish manufactures. I know that Valspar makes some colors but I don't know how many. I used 2 quart of Dead Grass Green to coat my 88 and have contimplated doing the digitat pattern using the valspar DGG as the base

[dfreeman616]

dragging it back from the dead...

anyone got some good pics of xj's in mil colors? specifically, i'm thinking of solid OD or tan similar to desert tan.