Painting Soviet Union Amoeba Camouflage

By Kreighton Long

During the 1930s, the Soviet Union began developing a camouflage pattern for use by scouts, engineers, and snipers.  The amoeba camouflage pattern, officially known as makirovochnyi kamuflirovannyi kostium or MKK, was produced and utilized throughout World War Two.  The amoeba pattern was produced in summer/spring green and autumn/winter brown versions.  I decided to paint my Soviet Scouts in the green version to better match my current terrain collection.  The paints I used are Vallejo’s Russian Uniform (924), Black (950), Chocolate Brown (872), and Buff (976).

 

Base coat the camouflage tunic with a 1:1 mix of Russian Uniform and Black.

 

Highlight the camouflage fabric with Russian Uniform.

 

Highlight with a 2:1 mix of Russian Uniform and Buff.

 

Apply a base coat of 1:1 Chocolate Brown and Black. I created the amoeba pattern by painting the center oval, then the smaller circles around the center oval, and finally connected the center oval with the surrounding circles with thin lines.

 

Highlight the amoeba patterns with Chocolate Brown. I allowed a thin layer of the base coat to border the highlight to help the camouflage pop when viewed from a distance.

 

Finally highlight the patterns with a 2:1 mix of Chocolate Brown and Buff.

 

The back view of my piece showing additional amoeba shapes.

 

Finish painting your model and get it on the table!

Happy painting!