These patterns are from TB 43-0209, Color, Marking and Camouflage painting of military vehicles, construction equipment, and materials handling equipment, published by the Department of the Army. For each version of CUCV (pickup, utility, and ambulance) there are the original patterns, and the revised pattern which is to be used if the vehicle is completely repainted.
All military vehicles and equipment have characteristic shapes and shadows. These shapes and shadows contrast with the material surroundings and make the object stand out. Pattern painting using wavy, irregular patches of camouflage colors does much to break up the characteristic shapes of the equipment by reducing contrasts with sod and vegetation, pattern
shape, and placement. Patterns have been designed for each type of vehicle to cut off sharp corners, avoid straight, vertical, and horizontal lines, and extend shadows in shapes similar to natural features and vegetation; however, the accuracy with which the pattern is applied completely determines how well the pattern camouflages the equipment.
The black bands, located at the visual center of each side in a pattern, are the key to the three-color camouflage systems. These bands must be in the correct place and must be the correct width. To ensure correct placement and width, each pattern has between 10 and 25 critical reference points. Critical reference points are based on fixed features on the item and are reflected on the vehicle pattern. All dimensions are listed in inches. All dimensional tolerances are limited to +1.00 inch.
These patterns are of the “color by number” format.
In this format:
The numbers in the parenthesis reflect the FS color numbers, and are the colors used in the current “383” NATO camouflage colors.
Additional painting tips…
I have found that printing out the below patterns and then using a copier to enlarge the pattern needed for each side of the truck onto an overhead transparency works great. This way you can use an overhead projector to very accurately transfer the pattern to the vehicle. You may find that you will have to place the projector some distance from the vehicle, this can result in distortions, at least it did when I tried it. A solution for this is positioning the projector towards the front or rear of the truck, and aligning the projection on that half, tracing it out, then proceeding to do the other half. On the top of the truck, I have no idea how to do this other than eye-balling it, or stringing up an overhead projector in the rafters to shine down on the truck.
