How to Mark a Camouflage Pattern on a Model

Military vehicles often have camouflage paint schemes.

Military vehicles such as tanks, trucks and aircraft often use camouflage paint to break up their silhouettes and make them less recognizable. This type of paint scheme originated during the World War I and is common today. The exact pattern of the camouflage varies depending on the military and on the environment. Painting a camouflage paint scheme on a model requires a little patience and attention to detail, but it is the key to giving a military model a realistic, contemporary appearance.

Things You'll Need

• Model
• Camouflage reference
• Masking tape
• Acrylic or enamel paint
• Paintbrush or airbrush

Instructions

1. Prepare your model for painting. Assemble all its parts and paint it with an undercoat. Make sure that the undercoat is dry and that the model is free from mold lines, excess plastic or metal and dust.

2. Paint the model with the lightest color of your camouflage scheme. Wait until this coat is completely dry.

3. Apply masking tape to the areas you want to remain the light color. Paint the rest of the model in the next lightest color in the camouflage scheme. The masking tape will keep the paint off the light areas.

4. Repeat this process for the other colors in the camouflage scheme, going from light to dark.

5. Remove the masking tape from your model, revealing the camouflage pattern.

Tips & Warnings

• If using an airbrush, make sure that surrounding surfaces are well-protected by newspaper or dropcloths in case of overspray.

References

• RC Airplane Advisor: Painting Scale Models - Camouflage
• Aircraft Resource Center; Basic Camouflage Techniques; Richard J. Tucker