----------------------------------- Tony Barton Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:47 pm British " Blanco" and its use on webbing equipment ----------------------------------- Blanco in 1/6th scale : The point of this article is to make people aware that they can greatly improve the appearance of their WW2 British figures by painting the webbing equipment , and to promote more research on the subject of “ Blanco “, the use of which affects the colour one might choose. This is a topic I approach with some trepidation , since the subject of colour always starts arguments , because its interpretation is very subjective ; however I think the information I’ve compiled is quite interesting , and certainly relevant to my own models, and thus might be of interest to others. British Webbing was all issued in a pale tan /khaki colour , some yellowish , some slightly greenish or neutral . The colour varied somewhat depending where it was manufactured : typically the Canadian manufactured versions were a strong yellow ochre shade. Most of the 1/6th offerings are too pale , and the texture is greatly improved by painting anyway : it unifies the surface of the various fabrics used to make them. Use variations of Vallejo 914 Green Ochre , or 880 Khaki grey, lighter or yellower as you prefer .You can see the problem in this pic : http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/Too-pale.jpg All soldiers issued with a set of webbing would have applied a commercial cleaner known as“Blanco “ at some time to their own personal webbing : originally developed by Pickerings before the Great War to cover stains on webbing by applying a matching cleaner, this had developed into a range of colours by WW2 , and its application could modify the colour considerably . It was used at one extreme to make it look smart , and at the other to help with camouflage . http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/Original-KGL.jpg Thanks to Richie for this sample . The different companies producing it ( Pickerings , Properts etc ) had their own shades , which were supposed to conform to War Office specifications , but there was inevitable variation. Which shade was used depended on Regimental practice and Theatre of War . It was not unknown for the battalion to use one colour for parades , and another when posted overseas . Unfortunately we can never be sure exactly which shade was used from B/W pics , and colour pics are pretty rare , so unless we have veterans’ testimony we shall never know. These colour pics are an indication : (thanks to woodlander , Allan W and The Saint for finding some of these ) the quality of some of them is pretty dreadful , but they do at least prove the point that webbing was not worn in the pale colour provided by the 1/6th manufacturers : http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/wartime-colour-probkgl.jpghttp://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/wartime-colourkhaki.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/Wartime-colour-KGL.jpghttp://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/polish10.jpg Most of these appear to show Khaki Green Light . This one shows a mid-olive : might be faded KG3 : http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/a_13_cruiser_tank.jpg And these chaps , taken in strong sunlight and with a yellow cast I can't remove with photobucket , may be wearing Buff or Khaki : I doubt they never used Blanco , since this is training at Bovington , and there would be lots of occasions for parades : http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/churchill_mk_2.jpg After a great deal of help from Chris Woffenden , Richie Elbourne and Richard Ingrams , I am now certain about four shades : there were definitely several others , but I don’t have exact enough evidence to produce names and matches for them at present. Here’s a colour chart , with suggested mixes from the Vallejo range : ~ http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/Colour-chart-1.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/BEF-green.jpg BEF 1940 , wearing Khaki Green Medium shade 97 : mixing this without it looking very bright is tricky , and I admit this might be a bit bright. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/Libya.jpg Western Desert : scrubbed and bleached webbing , no Blanco . http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/Khaki61.jpg KOYLI 1943 : Khaki Blanco , shade 61 . http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/KGLsmart.jpg Officer's set : Khaki Green Light : this is , I reckon , the commonest colour : we were still using this in the Cadet Force in 1964 ! http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/KGLworn.jpg Dorsets in Normandy : Khaki Green Light again, but worn and faded . http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/KG3real.jpg D.of Ws before D.Day : Khaki Green 3 : this is real Blanco on this model ! A thick application produces this dark Olive colour . http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/airborneKG3.jpg A Para at Arnhem : also KG3 , but thinly applied and worn : it can look even greyer than this . http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/buffblanco.jpg KOSB Officer in Germany 1945 : Buff Blanco for Parade ( use Vallejo Green Ochre 914 ). I don't have a sample of this , but I've used it myself , and this is pretty close . Just a bit lighter than Khaki 61. Finally two of the figures holding real blanco samples for comparison : thanks to Chris W for these : http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/blanco-samples.jpg _____________________________________________________________ If you go to the trouble of painting the webbing , it might be worth remembering a few other points for authenticity when finishing figures :~ The groundsheet/cape usually carried beneath the flap of the haversack was issued in pale or mid-khaki : unfortunately the commercial 1/6th ones are all green . Repaint , or remake from a piece of suitable fabric . The same applies to the five pocket rifle ammo bandolier : pale tan, not green . The e-tool helve should have the metal bayonet fitting at the thin end cut off : these were not really in use before the end of the war . This figure shows the various colours that might appear on a single man :note the Utility pouches at his feet , still unblancoed :~ http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g53/TonyBarton/welshrear.jpg This is the Khaki Green Medium Blanco again : rather dirty and worn , and much less bright than the BEF figure . The gaiters would normally be blancoed the same as the rest of the set . Later versions had leather straps : these were issued as pinkish leather , but would be blacked for parades . Thanks again to everyone for their help : and if you can find any more COLOUR pics , especially showing the Olive shades , I should be very glad to see them : stick them up in this thread . _____________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------- Pangaea95 Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:03 pm ----------------------------------- Great read Tony, I'm getting ready to rework my British Commandos and your tutorial will come in quite handy. Thanks for posting :!: ----------------------------------- Andreas Mon Nov 19, 2007 4:06 pm ----------------------------------- Yay! excellent explanation on a tricky subject (in my Germanesque opinion). I painted Blackies webbing in a quite clear green (not far from the original colour) but I might have to repaint it. Oh well... ----------------------------------- cablecommander Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:04 pm ----------------------------------- thanks for posting this, Tony. I've been using yellow ocre 913, which has been making my webbing come out a rather bright yellow color. CC ----------------------------------- Dougmo Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:43 pm ----------------------------------- Ahhhh, the teacher in me loves your tutorials. We all need to bookmark this one. I have the softcover Brayley and Ingram WWII Tommy, and it's a real bargain at $25 (I got mine at Borders, no doubt cheaper via Amazon). Thanks again, Tony- ----------------------------------- Andreas Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:12 pm ----------------------------------- Tony, you previously mentioned that different regiments used different colours of blanco. Do you know which regiment used which colour? Did the colour stay the same throughout the war for the regiments or did they change? How common was it that there were several colours represented in the same unit - platoon, squad, battalion etc? Just in case (or more likely when) I extend my British force... ----------------------------------- Tony Barton Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:24 am ----------------------------------- Andreas , I did say that unless we have a colour pic , or veteran's testimony , we cannot know exactly which colour any regiment wore : and in some cases it changed when the regiment moved. However , it would be consistent in each battalion , so if you build a squad they would all wear the same . If in doubt use Khaki Green Light ! ----------------------------------- Andreas Wed Nov 21, 2007 11:19 am ----------------------------------- :) Thanks. I'll try to remember that! ----------------------------------- jbcat Wed Nov 21, 2007 3:10 pm ----------------------------------- Excellent tutorial Tony, as always ----------------------------------- niall68 Sat Apr 25, 2009 1:24 pm ----------------------------------- Tony Barton, What kind of paint did you applied on brit 1/6th webbing? Tamiya Arylic paint? if so what colour did you use it on brit 1/6th webbing? Thanks Niall ----------------------------------- Tony Barton Sat Apr 25, 2009 2:46 pm ----------------------------------- Niall , I thought I made it clear in the text that I used Vallejo : refer to the colour chart. Obviously if you only have Tamiya, save the colour chart and print it , so you can mix your own copies of the shades. ----------------------------------- Actionfigureman09 Sun Aug 09, 2009 12:46 pm ----------------------------------- Thank you again for this tutorial Tony. I found some blanco on ebay: [url=http://cgi.ebay.com/WWII-ORIGINAL-BRITISH-ARMY-GREEN-BLANCO-E9485_W0QQitemZ120217460403QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1bfd84deb3&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116]BLANCO ON EBAY Ben