OD Green

Just wondering if anyone knows if olive drab is supposed to be a darker color. I just got some dupont paint that was supposed to be the equivelant some kind of yellow grey. It looks pretty light in the can. I need to put it paint something and see how it dries. Any recommendations. Thanks.

John

John - There are two things to keep in mind here. One - the OD paint story fills a few pages .. and there are many variations of OD, depending on the year, the specifications, the factory, the vendor, the unit, right through to the CO and his ideas .. and even the country.

The best source for info on OD paint is here .. http://www.olive-drab.com/od_mvg_odpaint.php

Either of the first two OD colors listed on the above site would be correct for a WW2 Cat.

Two - All paint dries to a darker shade than it appears in the can. Paint a little on a flat surface and let it dry, and see how it turns out.

This is true, that D7 I have, is painted with O.D. green, since new, then various shades as it changed over many years, like was listed on the website, the tractor was idle at a depot or yard, kept operational, and probably painted from '45-'70 when it was surplused out. I have seen what the paint looks like on the other one, a '44 and the O.D. green did have some luster to it, was not flat. I saw this after exposing the old paint and or peeling the yellow off it to reveal the first coat of O.D. green. The website explains it well, tells you what matches what period vehicles, probably the best way to sum it up, you have to ID what you have and what period and match the paint spec used for that period right ?