B.E.F. softskins
Anyone know what colour the British softskins were painted in 1940? Standard olive or the same darker bronze green as the tanks? Slightly off-the wall question, but blame the Lardies.

Come to think of it - any info on whether the Italian kit in Sicily in 1940 was painted grey or sand?

Stu - it wasn't bronze green, that being a pre (& post) war colour. Most seem to have been coloured the khaki greenish G3 & without any camouflage pattern to it. Mike Stamer's latest book might have some more details (I haven't got it yet). As a fair bit of the BEF MT was requisitioned civilian vehicles it seems likely that there would be quite a bit of variation. Here's a link to some of Mike's earlier work on the topic http://www.matadormodels.co.uk/tank_museum/5_camo_1.htm Can't help on the Italian kit for Sciliy in 1940 but I do know that some of the Italian armour stationed there in 1943 (the R35s) was painted a straight mid-green, suggesting that a temperate scheme was preferred over a desert one.

Thanks for the link- although it states british vehicles were all painted bronze green in 1940, changing in 1941..... Usefully though, trcuks were rarely repainted, meaning if I were to be a pedant, I could reuse the trucks later.

Mikes clarified that elsewhere. Actually most of the BEF trucks did get repainted - panzer gray ..........

When did the 'mickey mouse ear' green/black camo pattern come into use?

Brian - mid war I think and it was never universal. I'll give the articles a more thorough reading - though TBO I'll probably just paint them olive because it'll be close enough and I can use them late war as well. Unless someone is going to tell me we changed truck types half-way through as well :mental:

:coffee: Well actually. ......... There were all the CMP & Lend Lease vehicles which largely came into service after the BEF was evacuated. The Bedford OYs & the like changed a little in detail (eg windscreens & full cabs instead of aeroscreens) but you'll get by with the same vehicles.

Ronan - that largely applied to the Crusader tank as a part of the 'Houseboat' (or 'Sunshield') disguise of a canvas & steel covering over the tank & which (particularly to aerial observers) resembled a lorry. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IWM-E-18461-Crusader-camouflaged-19421026.jpg (Note that this one doesn't have the wheels painted out) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crusader_tank_III.jpg (this one does!) It was a standard pattern & covered in Mike Starmers book. Mickey Mouse pattern was roughly 1942-43 (MTP 46a was the order IIRC) & applied to the European theatre (ie NW Europe) rather than the Mediterranean. It was applied to soft skins in a standardised pattern - it could be used on jeeps & other light vehicles but was by no means universal. "MM" style camouflage could be seen in Italy but appears to have been less common. Ooooh found it -MTP 46, or an extract thereof - not quite Mickey Mouse but similar. It is actually the Canadian regulations but British were identical. MM appears to have been a somewhat unoffical interpretation of the official pattern IIRC. http://milifax2003.tripod.com/home03.html http://bcoy1cpb.pacdat.net/mtp_46_pt_4a_painting_mt.htm These next 3 are somewhat earlier versions of Mike Starmers current research - he has since made some changes, particularly with regard to some of the early middle East schemes. http://www.mafva.net/PDF/BritishCamouflage1.pdf http://www.mafva.net/PDF/BritishCamouflage2.pdf http://www.mafva.net/PDF/BritishCamouflage3.pdf

I had no idea that was the effect the 'mickey mouse' scheme was trying to replicate ,i always thought it was a sort of 'dapple effect'.I do remember the MM articles but ive not got much in my reference books on it.Ive read Mike Starmers articles i know he has theories about the Caunter scheme not using sky blue but a more Grey/Blue scheme :hmm: