Slater Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Looking at the shade of green (Olive Drab, Helo Drab, etc) on US Army helicopters during the Vietnam War as compared to today, is it essentially the same shade or darker/lighter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT7567 Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 "Olive Drab" used on Army helicopters during Vietnam is a much different color than the current shade you see on Blackhawks and Apaches. I believe the color change happened circa late 1970s. The earlier color is FS34087, which in later editions of FS595 was renumbered as FS34088. The modern color is quoted as FS34031, although its appearance seems to vary widely depending on weathering, lighting, etc. As an aside, Testors always seemed a bit quirky in naming their Model Master (RIP) colors, as "Helo Drab" is certainly a misnomer since the Army doesn't use that term. To quote an old saying about the U.S. services: The Army calls them choppers. The Navy calls them helos. The Air Force calls them useless. And the Marines call them all the time. 😆 3 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WARDOG Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Also, For FS numbers, the lower the last three digits, the darker the shade. So -031 would be darker than -087. Take Care, WARDOG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daryl_five_zero Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 If you're after modern US Helo Drab, Hataka do it, included in their modern British Army Air Corps set. I haven't had chance to use it yet but if its any good, I believe its the first rendition of it in Acrylic (happy to be told otherwise!) Daryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted July 17, 2021 Author Share Posted July 17, 2021 I've seen the same FS number vary slightly among manufacturers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted July 17, 2021 Author Share Posted July 17, 2021 I'm looking at ICM's 1/32 AH-1G (early), which presumably would be in FS 34087: http:// 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WARDOG Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Hi Daryl, The first rendition of Helo Drab in acrylic, I believe, was by Testors Model Master. I like it and it is a much better shade than their enamel so I will be using it for my Army helos. Slater, Yes, the earlier, Vietnam-era helos were in FS34087 Olive Drab. It is a more brownish-green color than the later Helo Drab color. Cheers, WARDOG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew1974 Posted July 18, 2021 Share Posted July 18, 2021 This document found here: https://history.army.mil/museums/Arms-and-Ordnance/documents/Policy-Sop/Ordnance/US_Army-Aircraft-Paint-Color-Guides.pdf discusses how olive drab changed through the years as used on US Army aircraft. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted July 18, 2021 Author Share Posted July 18, 2021 Good information, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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