Family fun wagon: Part 5

A three-stage paint process inspired by a WW2 fighter plane’s camouflage colour scheme transforms Trevor’s One Ten family fun wagon

With the prep and masking done, a three-stage paint process transforms Trevor Cuthbert’s One Ten

BACK WHEN my V8 One Ten had been cut down to an 88-inch wheelbase, the mismatch of body panels (modern camouflage colour scheme on the wings, bonnet, bulkhead and doors, plus a blue Series III body tub and a Limestone roof) had all been brush-painted with NATO green paint. And this was fine for a rough and ready off-road Land Rover that would deal with some particularly arduous locations and situations.

When planning this current conversion back to One Ten configuration, I initially considered another brush coat of NATO green because the truck would still be used for some off-road driving, especially greenlaning, so an expensive high-end paint job was never on my radar. However, with perfect timing, a friend introduced me to Ian Hendry, a professional vehicle painter who also is a volunteer painter at the Ulster Aviation Society (UAS).

Ian’s voluntary work involves painting aircraft exhibits for the UAS museum at a pair of large World War 2 aircraft hangars at Maze, Co Antrim. Much of this type of painting is in camouflage schemes of many eras but, on visiting the museum, I was particularly taken with the WW2 brown and green adorning the Spitfire exhibit. Ian was glad to take on the job of painting my Land Rover and the UAS kindly agreed to let us use a corner of one of the hangars for the job, as Ian does not have his own premises.