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Landships II -> Landships WW1 Forum -> References -> paint colours for french army uniforms 1916-18
Post Info TOPIC: paint colours for french army uniforms 1916-18
THE OLD LANCER


Colonel

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paint colours for french army uniforms 1916-18
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confusedAs a new member i do not know how this works!. I am trying to find the right colours for the french army uniforms of 1916-18, i have a number of books with colour plates but still can not find the right colours by any of the main manufactures, can anyone HELP!!!!!! please.

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Paul Bonnett


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Some time ago I painted a "Poilu" and started with Humbrol 109 WW1 Blue (enamel) for Horizon Blue and then shaded with oils mixed with the base colour.
HTH Paul

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Rhomboid


Field Marshal

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If you would like to paint with acrylics, Games Workshop's Citadel paints "Shadow Grey" lightened with some "Skull White" would give a good match for horizon blue. I've found Vallejo's thinner to be much better than plain water for mixing the highlighting washes used with acrylics.

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THE OLD LANCER


Colonel

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Thanks all for the input, will try your suggestions and see how they come out!
many thanks THE OLD LANCER.

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James H


Legend

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It really is a problem, because no two pics of horizon blue are alike. I'm sure I read somewhere that it came about as a result of red, white, and blue thread being woven patriotically together, but that might be a myth.

Colour photos that I've got range from purple-ish blue to blue-grey (dark enough for Belgian infantry trousers) to almost Confederate grey. Enclosed is a pic from a French site, and even they describe it as one of the shades of horizon blue. We don't even know to what extent surviving uniforms have faded from their original colours, and then there is the problem of colour reproduction; there are a couple of promising shades in the Model Color leaflet but they look very different on the website. There's a French reenactors' site where the uniforms look deep sky blue, but the Germans next to them have a bluish tinge as well, so that probably can't be relied on. On top of which there's the problem of colours "scaling".

If you have a look here http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/ you might see something that is suitable. In the Model Color section the Pale Blue looks passable. (The colours here are in numerical order by the second, smaller number - in this case 906/64) In the Game Color section, where they're numbered more sensibly, it looks as if you'd get away with 46 Ghost Grey and/or 47 Wolf Grey, but I suppose trial and error is the answer.

Fortunately, as Peter K pointed out as regards German uniforms, the wear and tear probably created a range of shades that were there or thereabouts.

-- Edited by James H at 19:33, 2008-01-10

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