Need some clarification on M880 Camo Pattern

[nattieleather]

The MERCD Camo color combination was also set by your theater of operation. If you were going to fight in Europe or Korea your unit panted the Woodland or Winter US and Europe pattern of Forest Green, Field Drab, Sand, and Black. If you were going to be in say a warmer climate like jungle setting then you got the Woodland Summer of Forest Green, Light Green, Sand, and Black...then there were desert combos like Sand, Field Drab, Earth Yellow and Black.

If you want to go with the MERCD Camo you have options as to color combinations.
Or you can do what many Guard and Reserve units did and just paint the vehicle Forest Green and be done with it. Saw many M880s like that sitting in Armory motor pools.

 

[busbart]

I don't know if you know, and I don't know if the US Army has the same regulations, but with the NATO 3 color camo you also have a desert and winter option.
At least the Geman and Dutch army has regulations that if they go desert, they replace the green part of the 3 color camo with tan, and for winter I thought they replace the green with white.

At least I read a long time ago some official documentation about that subject.
Maybe it might be overtaken already, since the desert camo on the vehicles the Dutch and German used in Afganistan is different. i.e. solid tan, and a camo with tan, light olive and a grey for the German army.

 

[M813rc]

When I was in Norway with the Marines in 1980, our vehicles were all painted in the Winter Verdant MERDC scheme year round (green 34079, field drab brown 30118, with small sand and black bits. See attached pictures).
This was pretty much the standard scheme for the Marines, and most of our vehicles on Camp Pendleton were also in this scheme until the 383 camo came around mid-80s.
Vehicles at Twentynine Palms were mostly in variations of MERDC desert camo.
In Panama there was a mix of vehicles painted in either Winter Verdant or Tropical Verdant (three greens with small black areas).

The Marines also adjusted the schemes as needed to suit the local environment.
In Norway, once the snow season started, half the vehicles had the brown painted over with temporary (water soluble) white paint, the other half had the green painted over with white. This was done by hand with brushes, straight from the can.
The white paint weathered fairly quickly, but this actually helped camouflage them. They did need touchups after a few weeks. The white could be easily removed with a pressure washer.

MERDC in all its variations was, at least to my eye, very effective camouflage. I was a keen model builder when I was young, with a strong interest in camouflage patterns and such, which is why I paid so much attention to colours, patterns, markings, etc., and took a lot of notes which I've kept to this day. Now I do my vehicles in 1/1 scale.

Cheers

PS - the attached are from the manual, and were coloured in by one of our members many years ago, but I don't remember who, so can't give him credit. I also attached photos of two vehicles to give a better idea of the actual colours. The jeep has a canvas cover on the front, which is why it is entirely green around the grill and headlights.

 

[michigandon]

Were any of them built for the Air Force and thus painted Strata Blue???

I've seen a few M886s that were painted Strata Blue.

 

[busbart]

I completely agree with what you say, I own a M-884 in winter scheme, and I noticed that if you put a 383camo and a Merdc (winter scheme) together and have a look at them in the twilight, you'll still see the 383, and you hardly see the one in Merdc. and If I'm correct one of the korea's still paints all their new military vehicles in Merdc, even in this day and age.

When I was in Norway with the Marines in 1980, our vehicles were all painted in the Winter Verdant MERDC scheme year round (green 34079, field drab brown 30118, with small sand and black bits. See attached pictures).
This was pretty much the standard scheme for the Marines, and most of our vehicles on Camp Pendleton were also in this scheme until the 383 camo came around mid-80s.
Vehicles at Twentynine Palms were mostly in variations of MERDC desert camo.
In Panama there was a mix of vehicles painted in either Winter Verdant or Tropical Verdant (three greens with small black areas).

The Marines also adjusted the schemes as needed to suit the local environment.
In Norway, once the snow season started, half the vehicles had the brown painted over with temporary (water soluble) white paint, the other half had the green painted over with white. This was done by hand with brushes, straight from the can.
The white paint weathered fairly quickly, but this actually helped camouflage them. They did need touchups after a few weeks. The white could be easily removed with a pressure washer.

MERDC in all its variations was, at least to my eye, very effective camouflage. I was a keen model builder when I was young, with a strong interest in camouflage patterns and such, which is why I paid so much attention to colours, patterns, markings, etc., and took a lot of notes which I've kept to this day. Now I do my vehicles in 1/1 scale.

Cheers

PS - the attached are from the manual, and were coloured in by one of our members many years ago, but I don't remember who, so can't give him credit. I also attached photos of two vehicles to give a better idea of the actual colours. The jeep has a canvas cover on the front, which is why it is entirely green around the grill and headlights.

 

[M813rc]

I completely agree with what you say, I own a M-884 in winter scheme, and I noticed that if you put a 383camo and a Merdc (winter scheme) together and have a look at them in the twilight, you'll still see the 383, and you hardly see the one in Merdc. and If I'm correct one of the korea's still paints all their new military vehicles in Merdc, even in this day and age.

South Korea. It is a very effective scheme there.

When the US switched to 383, it was for camo commonality with NATO rather than lack of effectiveness of the MERDEC.

Cheers

 

[busbart]

Ok, Yes, I prefere the Merdc scheme, for me it has proven to be better than the 383 scheme, not only in South Korea!

In my 27 years of ownership My Dodge has seen some other colors as wel, But I always missed the original color! (Merdc winter scheme)