Challenger 2 paint

[Simon Cornes]

Just a quick question. Which Tamiya colour is the closest match for the green currently used on the Challenger 2? 
I am thinking about buying a Heng Long 1/16 tank and it will come in desert colours so a repaint will be required!

I have recently used Tamiya XF88/89/90

for a 1/16 Tiger I and I like the paint, hence my request for a good colour match for a Chally!

Thank you

Simon

Edited March 15, 2021 by Simon Cornes
Corrected paint refs

[Test Valley Models]

20 minutes ago, Simon Cornes said:

Just a quick question. Which Tamiya colour is the closest match for the green currently used on the Challenger 2? 
I am thinking about buying a Heng Long 1/16 tank and it will come in desert colours so a repaint will be required!

I have recently used Tamiya XF88/89/90

for a 1/16 Tiger I and I like the paint, hence my request for a good colour match for a Chally!

Thank you

Simon

You are better off going for the cans TS61 NATO Green Flat, then weather it down to look like this.

 

I'm lucky enough to have a mate who works at the gunnery school in Lulworth !

[Scimitar F1]

Hi Simon 

I tried lots of greens for NATO IRR Green  and the best one I came up with was Tamiya Dark Green XF-81. 
Will

[Simon Cornes]

Gentlemen 

Thank you for your candid opinion. The truth probably lies somewhere in between - and with a lot of dust!

[Paws4thot]

Can't remember the product code, but Tamiya also do a NATO black, which is specifically formulated to do disruptive patterns over their NATO green.

[Simon Cornes]

4 minutes ago, Paws4thot said:

Can't remember the product code, but Tamiya also do a NATO black, which is specifically formulated to do disruptive patterns over their NATO green.

Thank you, yes, along with the dark brown- something like XF68, 69 and 70 as used on a Leopard but I think the suggestion is that British Challengers don’t use NATO green and I suppose black is black, especially under a coat of  dust!

 

[Paws4thot]

Verging on O/T but I'd have thought that German Leopards at least would use RAL colours.

[Simon Cornes]

1 minute ago, Paws4thot said:

Verging on O/T but I'd have thought that German Leopards at least would use RAL colours.

Yes, I bet they do so but they no doubt also conform to NATO specs as well if they’re being efficient!

[Steben]

Nato green is a name used for different colours. Tricolour nato camo uses ral 6031. It is very green compared to Late 70ties british IRR green, which is very greyish. Some faded quickly to pinkish. Xf81 could use some xf49 khaki or xf57 mixed in. But filters might do that as well.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Steben

[Simon Cornes]

24 minutes ago, Steben said:

Nato green is a name used for different colours. Tricolour nato camo uses ral 6031. It is very green compared to Late 70ties british IRR green, which is very greyish. Some faded quickly to pinkish. Xf81 could use some xf49 khaki or xf57 mixed in. But filters might do that as well.

That’s interesting - and useful - thank you!

[Steben]

Completely old faded Nato Green with black disruptive: (look how similar all tanks are on this picture, that is NO coincidence no matter how much some might want it)

Edited May 3, 2021 by Steben

[Simon Cornes]

Yes, agree with mixing a bit of khaki or dark earth into the green based on those colour comparisons.

[ivan-o]

Hataka do IRR green or you can mix modelair olive drab,interior green 50/50 ish and that will be fairly close.

Ivan

[Dads203]

During my time - 1989 -2001, the green paint was called " Paint Olive Green IRR Brushing Matt " Or "Paint Olive Green IRR Spraying Matt" I have no recollection 

of it being referred as NATO Green?  ( IRR stands for Infra Red Refective)  Now things might of changed since I left but I doubt very much so as the UK MOD does not move fast 

at all. 

Again we seem to have the same conversations about the true colour? Its all so subjective . We used various thinners from Petrol to parafin and including the proper 

proprietry thinners if you could get hold of them, some vehicles were brush painted and others sprayed, some guys never mixed the tins of paint properly and others did. 

If wagons were store outside then the hue was different as the UV would break it down faster and turn the green into a grey so I really wouldn't get hung up over it. 

 

 

[Steben]

1 hour ago, Dads203 said:

During my time - 1989 -2001, the green paint was called " Paint Olive Green IRR Brushing Matt " Or "Paint Olive Green IRR Spraying Matt" I have no recollection 

of it being referred as NATO Green?  ( IRR stands for Infra Red Refective)  Now things might of changed since I left but I doubt very much so as the UK MOD does not move fast 

at all. 

Again we seem to have the same conversations about the true colour? Its all so subjective . We used various thinners from Petrol to parafin and including the proper 

proprietry thinners if you could get hold of them, some vehicles were brush painted and others sprayed, some guys never mixed the tins of paint properly and others did. 

If wagons were store outside then the hue was different as the UV would break it down faster and turn the green into a grey so I really wouldn't get hung up over it. 

 

 

I understand, but the bottom line is, it was never the german RAL 6031 "nato" bronze green.  

[ivan-o]

3 hours ago, Steben said:

I understand, but the bottom line is, it was never the german RAL 6031 "nato" bronze green.  

Correct 👍

[Modeler8522]

On 02/05/2021 at 22:10, Simon Cornes said:

 

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by Modeler8522