[deleted]
You could have some good luck posting to r/modelmakers, but I am a modeler as well, so I'll help. I talk a bit about US WWII uniforms here.
The miniatures in your picture are wearing the standard uniform worn by the US Army from the beginning of the war until mid-1944. The color of all these uniform pieces was officially Olive Drab no. 3, a mustardy, sometimes brownish, khaki color. These tones among equipment could vary wildly based upon the production quality and dye lots, and I like to spice up the figures I paint by using different colors. There are some trends however; the M1941 jacket was usually much lighter than the other pieces, and soldiers didn't like this so they turned it inside out to expose the darker lining.
Olive Drab no. 3 was replaced by Olive Drab no. 7, a darker, drab greenish color, beginning in late 1943
Introduced in early 1944, the M1943 uniform, while it saw very wide use in Europe and Italy beginning in the summer of 1944, saw very, very little usage in the Pacific. The M1943 was made of heavy waterproofed dark green Olive Drab no. 7 wool and intended to be used as a "layering" type uniform for cold weather, which the earlier "M1941" set could not do. In late 1943 and early 1944, suspenders, belts, entrenching tool covers, and the like began to be manufactured in Olive Drab no. 7 fabric as well.
As these figures are 1/56, some features may be very small and nearly impossible to paint, so you can ignore them. The standard US Army uniform from early to mid-war that your figures wear consisted of:
M1 helmet
M1937 wool shirt
M1937 wool trousers
M1941 jacket
M1936 suspenders
M1923 cartridge belt (M1 Garand) M1936 pistol belt (pistol or carbine) or M1937 cartridge belt (BAR)
M1942 first aid pouch, usually hooked on to front side of cartridge belt
M1928 haversack. The unwieldy M1928 haversack was replaced by the M1944 combat pack in late 1944
M1910 or M1943 entrenching tool. The M1943 began to replace the M1910 in mid 1944
Meat can and utensils in canvas pouch hooked on to haversack
M1910 canteen with cover, usually hooked on to rear of cartridge belt. Some soldiers, especially medical and surgical technicians (medics) carried two
M1 or M1905E1 bayonet in M3 scabbard (M1 Garand)
M3 trench knife in M8 scabbard (to any soldier not issued with an M1 Garand)
M1916 holster for M1911 pistol
M1938 dismounted leggings
Type II leather service shoes.
Sometimes, the light herringbone twill uniform was worn in the hot climate, which consisted of a jacket, trousers, and a cap, in a dark sage green color.
Here is a reenactor (rifleman) wearing most of all of the above, with the M1937 wool trousers replaced by HBT trousers.
Many soldiers mixed new and old equipment of both fabrics, and I reflect this below.
Here are my painting recommendations for the various pieces, in Tamiya paints. I'm not exactly sure what's in the set, so I'll cover all the bases.
Paint guide:
| Paint | Color |
|---|---|
| X-18 | Semigloss black |
| XF-1 | Flat black |
| XF-10 | Flat brown |
| XF-15 | Flat flesh (flesh) |
| XF-51 | Khaki drab |
| XF-56 | Metallic gray |
| XF-57 | Buff |
| XF-60 | Dark yellow |
| XF-62 | Olive drab |
| XF-64 | Red brown |
| XF-69 | NATO black |
XF-49, XF-57, and the XF-49:1+XF-60:1 mix loosely represent all the variation in Olive Drab no. 3
XF-51 represents the newer Olive Drab no. 7 and HBT
The uniform colors can be lightened or darkened to your liking to produce even more variations.
M1941 uniform:
| Uniform piece | Paint |
|---|---|
| M1 helmet | XF-62 |
| M1937 wool shirt | XF-49 |
| M1937 wool trousers | XF-49 |
| M1941 jacket | XF-58 |
| M1936 suspenders | XF-49:1+XF-60:1 |
| Cartridge or pistol belts | XF-49:1+XF-60:1 |
| M1942 first aid pouches | XF-49:1+XF-60:1 |
| M1928 haversacks and meat can pouches | XF-49:1+XF-60:1 |
| M1910 or M1943 entrenching tool | Cover: XF-49:1+XF-60:1; Handle: XF-62 |
| M1910 canteen | Cover: XF-49:1+XF-60:1; Cap: X-18 |
| M3 and M8 scabbard | Handle: XF-1; Body: XF-62 |
| M1916 holster | XF-10 or XF-64 |
| M1938 dismounted leggings | XF-49:1+XF-60:1 |
| Type II Service Shoes | XF-10 or XF-64 |
M1943 uniform:
| Uniform piece | Paint |
|---|---|
| M1 helmet | XF-62 |
| M1937 wool shirt | XF-49 |
| M1943 wool trousers | XF-51 |
| M1943 jacket | XF-51 |
| M1936 suspenders | XF-51 or XF-49:1+XF-60:1 |
| Cartridge or pistol belts | XF-51 or XF-49:1+XF-60:1 |
| M1942 first aid pouches | XF-51 or XF-49:1 + XF-60:1 |
| M1944 combat pack | XF-51 |
| M1943 entrenching tool | Cover: XF-51 or XF-49:1+XF-60:1; Handle: XF-62 |
| M1910 canteen | Cover: XF-51 or XF-49:1+XF-60:1; Cap: X-18 |
| M3 and M8 scabbard | Handle: XF-1; Body: XF-62 |
| M1916 holster | XF-10 or XF-64 |
| Two-buckle boots | XF-10 or XF-64 |
HBT uniform:
| Uniform piece | Paint |
|---|---|
| Cap | XF-51 |
| Jacket | XF-51 |
| Pants | XF-51 |
Weapons:
| Weapon | Wood | Metal | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 Garand | XF-10 or XF-64 | XF-69:2+XF-56:1 | -- |
| M1 carbine | XF-10 or XF-64 | XF-69:2+XF-56:1 | -- |
| M1 or M1A1 submachine gun | XF-10 or XF-64 | XF-69:2+XF-56:1 | -- |
| M3 or M3A1 submachine gun | -- | XF-69:2+XF-56:1 | -- |
| M1911 pistol | -- | XF-69:2+XF-56:1 | -- |
| M1918A2 BAR | XF-10 or XF-64 | XF-69:2+XF-56:1 | XF-10 or XF-64 (wood); XF-1 (plastic) |
| M1919A4 machine gun | -- | XF-69:2+XF-56:1 | -- |
| M2HB machine gun | XF-10 or XF-64 | XF-69:2+XF-56:1 | -- |
| M1/M1A1/M9/M9A1 Bazooka | XF-10 or XF-64 | XF-62 | -- |
| Rifle grenades/grenades | -- | XF-62 | -- |