Author Topic: Best/Favorite Paint Schemes  (Read 4189 times)

Offline Logan Hartke

  • High priest in the black arts of profiling...
  • Rivet-counting whiffer
Best/Favorite Paint Schemes
« on: April 06, 2018, 04:27:36 AM »
Here's something I was thinking about recently. You're the new defense minister for a medium size nation (think France or similar). You get to pick what the predominate biome is in this fictitious country, though (temperate, desert, jungle, tundra, etc.).



Part of the mandate of your office, however, is to institute what your branches look like. I'm only going to give you four branches to work with:

  • AIR FORCEIncluding but not limited to:
    fighters
    ground attack/strike aircraft
    AEW&C
    tankers
    airlift assets
    trainers
    CSAR helicopters
    UCAVs

  • ARMYIncluding but not limited to:
    attack helicopters
    heavy lift helicopters
    observation and light attack aircraft
    light transport aircraft
    tactical transport helicopters
    scout helicopters
    liaison helicopters
    special forces helicopters

  • NAVYIncluding but not limited to:
    ASW helicopters
    carrier-based aircraft
    maritime patrol aircraft
    maritime strike aircraft
    minesweeping helicopters
    marine corps aviation

  • CIVIL GUARDIncluding but not limited to:
    coast guard patrol aircraft
    coast guard SAR helicopters
    homeland security AEW&C
    gendarmerie helicopters
    border patrol aircraft
    forestry service firebombers

The services don't get to distinguish between combat and non-combat aircraft. They don't get different schemes for rotary vs. fixed-wing assets. Even the size of the aircraft doesn't warrant it for a different paint scheme. There can be slight variety (scale of the pattern, for example), but you only get to pick one paint scheme for each service.

So, what 4 paint schemes would you choose to represent your entire military & paramilitary aviation inventory?

BONUS: Is there a paint scheme that you'd choose for the army to paint all its vehicles?

Cheers,

Logan

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Best/Favorite Paint Schemes
« Reply #1 on: June 05, 2018, 05:17:38 AM »
Interesting idea Logan. But tough finding a country the size of France with one dominant biome.

My first thought was an independent British Columbia (which is roughly the size of France) ... but BC has too many distinct biomes for one camo scheme.

Then, Tanzania came to mind as a country where one scheme might be able to cover most of the land mass. So, I'll fudge on the 'fictitious country' and make mine Tanganyika. That what-if part being that the union with Zanzibar never happened ;)

Your four categories I've broken down as follows:

Tanganyika Defence Force/Air Wing : Combat, trainers, and larger transport aircraft;
Tanganyika Defence Force/Land Force : Smaller transport aircraft and scout helicopters;
Tanganyika Defence Force/Coastal Force Aircraft : Patrol and maritime SAR aircraft; and
Tanganyika Defence Force/para-militaries : Patrol and medevac aircraft

The military units were formed with the assistance of a West German aid mission. The para-militaries consist of the Border Patrol (part of Tanganyika Customs) and the Police Field Force. Two PFF units operated aircraft -  the Police Air Wing and the Police Marine Unit. All para-military flying units come under the jurisdiction of the TDF (although their aircraft are owned by Tanganyika Civil Aviation Authority).

Markings consist of roundels formed from the Tanganyikan coat of arms in six positions plus Tanganyikan flags on the tail. Roundels are outlines rendered in flat black and tail flags are quite small. The para-militaries have full-colour roundels and larger tail flags.

The standardized paint schemes date from after German unification and are based on donated ex-DDR NVA/LSK paint stocks. Although the NVA/LSK never had a standard farbschema, the Tanganyikan 'combat' schemes are based on the relatively common NVA/LSK three-tone camouflage pattern of Gelbbraun, Grün, and Dunkelgrün over Hellblau.

In the Tanganyikan scheme, a custom-mixed desert tan takes the place of (or overpaints) Dunkelgrün. This custom tan was achieved by mixing ex-NVA Gelbbraun and Weiß to give the desired colour. 'Non-combat' schemes re-use paints from the NVA Volksmarine's Weiss/Dunkelblau scheme.

Standardized schemes are broken down by branch:

TDF/AW : Three-tone Mid-green/tan/brown upper surfaces, pale blue lower surfaces

TDF/LF : As per TDF/AW but with a greater proportion of tan and some brown dappling over mid-green portions.

(Land Force armour camouflage is essentially the same but with proportionately smaller patches of medium green-only dapple and small, matt-black vehicle number, divisional insignia, no flags applied.)

TDF/CF : All-over medium grey (Grau). Individual aircraft numbers (originally in white) are now black.

Para-Military: Upper surfaces gloss white, lower surfaces gloss dark blue.

(Para-Military Forces' vehicles have a similar white/blue scheme except for tactical vehicles which employ the Army brown/green scheme but with the additional of full-colour flag insignia. Small, full-colour Customs or PFF crests replace Army divisional insignia.)

An order of battle for Tanganyikan Defence Force aircraft c.1995 is available if of interest.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Kelmola

  • Seeking motivation to start buillding the stash
Re: Best/Favorite Paint Schemes
« Reply #2 on: June 05, 2018, 06:47:47 PM »
Couldn't come up with any own designs, so here's my favourites for temperate-ish biome:

Air Force: "Fields & Meadows" aka Swedish Air Force camo for Viggen (black green/dark green/medium green/tan splinter over light grey)
Army aviation: European One (European I Grey/European I Green/Medium Green wraparound)
Army vehicles: "Ambush" camo (late WW2 German vehicles; Dunkelgelb/Olivgrün/Rotbraun fields with mottling in contrasting colour)
All are at least designed for European-ish biome.

Navy: USN WW2 tri-tone (Sea Blue over Medium Blue over White)
Going by the Rule of Cool here because grays are boring (this might be more effective in the tropics with lots of sunshine and deep ocean).

Paramilitary: USN Cold War hi-viz scheme (Light Gull Gray over White)
SAR and firebombers should probably be as visible as possible, but Homeland Security in signal red, deep yellow, or day-glo orange would be just embarrassing. This is then the compromise between visibility and "military look".

Offline Logan Hartke

  • High priest in the black arts of profiling...
  • Rivet-counting whiffer
Re: Best/Favorite Paint Schemes
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2018, 04:18:02 AM »
That's kind of what I was looking for, because the challenge has to do with the versatility of certain paint schemes. I think all of us rebel against the plain overall gray that predominates in militaries any more, but are there any that you love enough to paint EVERYTHING that way?

Kelmola definitely named a few of my favorites. By the way, this thread will be better with pictures.

I have a lot of favorites for aircraft, but I always loved the late East German NVA green-black-gray 3-color scheme.



Cheers,

Logan

Offline Kelmola

  • Seeking motivation to start buillding the stash
Re: Best/Favorite Paint Schemes
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2018, 04:13:46 PM »
Come to think of it, maybe I could live with the entirety of naval aviation of this Temperate biome nation painted in the FAA EDSG over White scheme, that'd still maintain the lovely contrast but the topside would be more in tone with "temperate" climate with actual winter.

Now I then have to come up with Arctic, Desert, and Tropical nations' schemes ;)