US M.1981 Woodland Camouflage Pattern

US M.81 Woodland Camouflage Pattern, 1:72 Miniatures ESCI P-239.

The US M.1981 Woodland Camouflage Pattern is a four-colour pattern of green, brown, sand, and black, first introduced with the Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) which replaced the earlier olive green 107 (OG-107) uniforms worn since 1952. M81 Woodland pattern material was used for BDUs, patrol caps, Boonie hats, and M65 field jackets, as well as canteen covers, pouches, load bearing tactical vests, packs, rucksacks, and helmet covers. Based on the M.1948 ERDL “Leaf Pattern”, M81 Woodland pattern was considered suitable for wooded, jungle, and tropical terrain.

Painting M.1981 Woodland Camouflage Pattern

Green
- Olive Green
- Sea Green RAL 6028, Revell 361.48
- Reflective Green (FS 34129, RAL 6003), Vallejo 70.890
Brown
- Leather Brown, Revell 361.84
- German Cam. Medium Brown, Vallejo Model Color 70.826
Sand
- Beige
- Tan
- Sand (Yellow Ochre RAL 1024), Revell 361.16
- German Cam. Beige, Vallejo Model Color 70.821
Black
- Anthracite Grey RAL 7021, Revell 3610.9

Painting US M.81 Woodland Camouflage Pattern, 1:72 Miniatures ESCI P-239. — Painting US M.81 Woodland Camouflage Pattern on 1:72 scale ESCI US Infantry. All three figures were airbrushed a light olive green. Sand-coloured wriggles were then applied with a paintbrush, followed by leather brown splotches. The figure on the right has fine black lines separating the sand-colour from the brown splotches, which were highlighted with PRIMAcryl 13.215 »Brilliant Orange«, tinted with »Titanium White« and shaded with »Ivory Black«.

The desaturated colours matching the Woodland pattern BDU illustrated by Ron Volstad on Plate G1 (Senior Scout/Observer, LRS Detachment, 7th Infantry Division) of Osprey Elite Series 13 »US Army Rangers & LRRP Units« are Revell 36.362 »Reed Green RAL 6013«, PRIMAcryl 13.215 »Brilliant Orange« tinted with »Titanium White« and shaded with »Ivory Black«, Kreul 75.252 »Beige«, and PRIMAcryl 13.789 »Neutral Grey«. — The desaturated colours matching the Woodland pattern BDU illustrated by Ron Volstad on Plate G1 (Senior Scout/Observer, LRS Detachment, 7th Infantry Division) of Osprey Elite Series 13 “US Army Rangers & LRRP Units” are Revell 36.362 »Reed Green RAL 6013«, PRIMAcryl 13.215 »Brilliant Orange« tinted with »Titanium White« and shaded with »Ivory Black«, Kreul 75.252 »Beige«, and PRIMAcryl 13.789 »Neutral Grey«.

Bibliography

Camopedia: M81 Woodland Camouflage Pattern
Katcher, Philip: The American Soldier. US Armies in uniform, 1755 to the present (New York 1990), pp. 136–138, 164–167, 182–184, 190–198

Painting Camouflage Uniforms