Abteilung 502 question

[Bisbee]

Working on 1/16 scale US Army figures of WW2, need to know proper color mixtures for olive drab. Particular to US Army of WW2. What colors can I use from the Abteilung 502 selection that best represents OD 3 and OD 7. Does Abteilung 502 have the colors or must I mix certain colors together to achieve what I want ? Thank you. Rob

 

[Bisbee]

This question may be easier to answer, what colors in general make olive drab and what colors lighten and darken olive drab ? Thank you. Rob

 

[Ferris]

Don’t know the Abteilung oils, but if you take a dark green and mix in small amounts of a yellowish sand colour I’d expect this to give an OD. Shading can be done with dark blue and black. Highlighting with a light skintone. Don’t highlight with white; this gives an ugly greyish finish.

Don’t get too wound up about exact colours. It’s more important to get nice transitions from shade to midtone to highlights.

Good luck!

Adrian

 

[Woods457]

Most paint producers sell pre-packaged sets with all the paints you need for most of the major nations of each conflict.

Have you seen these offering from other paint producers, most will come with colour charts and painting instructions etc?

 

[Bisbee]

Great answers all, thank you.

 

[Babelfish]

Don’t get too wound up about exact colours. It’s more important to get nice transitions from shade to midtone to highlights.

This ^^^^

The colours of the real things varied a lot anyway, even before they were subjected to natural bleaching, fading, dirt etc. in the field.

When it comes to painting, my philosophy is that if it *looks* right to the eye, it's probably there or thereabouts.

A lot of this stuff with companies releasing specific colour sets for such-and-such a garment or metal type or flesh tone or whatever is just marketing IMHO, making the whole painting process appear like some kind of "dark art" full of wonder & mystery and in need of a magical key to unlock it all that only AK, Mig, Scale 75, Vallejo or whoever can provide.

All the companies are at it, often making things a whole lot more complicated than they need to be, and you end up in danger of not being able to see the forest for the trees.

- Steve

 

[Bisbee]

This ^^^^

The colours of the real things varied a lot anyway, even before they were subjected to natural bleaching, fading, dirt etc. in the field.

When it comes to painting, my philosophy is that if it *looks* right to the eye, it's probably there or thereabouts.

A lot of this stuff with companies releasing specific colour sets for such-and-such a garment or metal type or flesh tone or whatever is just marketing IMHO, making the whole painting process appear like some kind of "dark art" full of wonder & mystery and in need of a magical key to unlock it all that only AK, Mig, Scale 75, Vallejo or whoever can provide.

All the companies are at it, often making things a whole lot more complicated than they need to be, and you end up in danger of not being able to see the forest for the trees.

- Steve

Well said Steve I agree, thank you.