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British Army Colours & Disruptive
Camouflage in the United Kingdom, France & NW Europe, 1936-45
by Mike Starmer
published by the author, no ISBN, 32 pages
Mike Starmer’s fourth volume continues the story of British camouflage
in exemplary fashion. Although, as he says, more information may come
to light one day this is the best possible reference for modellers of
British equipment at home and in Europe – not just tanks but artillery
and softskins too – for the whole period. He gives us word-for-word
transcripts of all the relevant instructions for interior and exterior
painting, complete with their diagrams showing how to paint an effective
camouflage and also how not to do it. These are “general”
examples, not specific instructions for particular tank types, so reference
to photographs will still be needed to model an individual Sherman or
what-have-you, but they lay down the principles to be followed and modellers
can follow the same principles quite easily. For 1944-45 there were three
basic disruptive patterns and all three are shown; he explains that the
“Mickey Mouse” pattern was actually a blend of two of them.
All the paint colours for the area and period are explained, with not
only paint chips but also enamel mixes to create them. These are mostly
from Humbrol, though some Revell paints are used as well, but since the
chips are given it will be a straightforward process of trial and error
for modellers using other enamels or acrylics.
Armed with this book we can apply the right paint colours to any British
military vehicle model, all we have to work out is which side of the several
introduction dates it falls upon to decide whether it’s the early-war
green, the mid-war brown or the late-war British OD that underlies the
pattern and whether it was repainted with the new colour or left in the
previous one.
Excellent, and very, very highly recommended!
John Prigent
You can order direct from Mike at 18 Hillside Road, Piddington, Northants,
NN7 2DB, UK for £10.00 plus £1.00 postage in the UK or £2.00
abroad.
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