Hi guys. I have a 76 M882. I just purchased the authentic U.S. Air Force Strata blue paint to re-paint my truck in Air Force livery. I need info on the lettering on the doors. I know it's yellow, but need to know what "Font" that is. I found several that are close, but not exactly right. Also, the size of the lettering on the doors? Anyone can help me with that info?
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US Air Force lettering
- Thread starter Tudorp
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Here is the marking size direct from the USAF vehicle paint and marking manual.
I'll root further into it, I believe I read the font type, I just need to find it again.
Cheers
I'll root further into it, I believe I read the font type, I just need to find it again.
Cheers
Perfect, exactly what I needed. Thanks
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Most welcome!
Here is some more information.
The Air Force always amuse me on how absolutely detailed they get on this kind of stuff - the markings manual runs 114 pages!
I don't have a copy of Mil-STD-1223, that may be where the font type is to be found.
Cheers
Here is some more information.
The Air Force always amuse me on how absolutely detailed they get on this kind of stuff - the markings manual runs 114 pages!
I don't have a copy of Mil-STD-1223, that may be where the font type is to be found.
Cheers
Thanks for the additional info. That will certainly help too. yes, very familiar with how the AF was. I spent years in the Air Force during the cold war. I was in SAC, (Strategic Air Command), and SAC was even MORE anal than the other Air Force commands. I am pretty sure they had a manual somewhere with SOP for taking a schit.. lol. Thanks again..
67Beast
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Check out my website, http://www.deltateamdecals.com/ although I don't show Air force kits per say on the website, I can and do make them. I also have the correct font as it was used by all the branches back then. I can make them in either yellow decals or paint masks.
Awesome. When I paint my M880, I will be needing the decals made, so I will be in touch.
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All the information you got is good stuff. I never found the actual FONT NAME though. Your dots are square. You need round. That "Oswald" isn't going to be it. Needs to be something a little more old school from back in the day when fonts weren't "freeware" that everybody could download. Fonts (back in the old days were thousands of dollars.
There are font recognition tools on the Web. You might try one of those to get the right font...
As I was about to tell you more, @67Beast answered up with the REAL ANSWER.
Sounds to me like he is your guy!
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I just ordered a couple gallons of the authentic Stata Blue enamel to paint it. I will probably be shooting it when the weather gets a little cooler. Too hot now, so will be either late summer into fall, or spring (I'm in Texas). Here is my M880 currently. And this is what I will be putting on the doors for lettering. The font isn't quite right, but it is close.
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nattieleather
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The font looks good to me.
The font I have looks very close, the only issue I see with it, is the dots (U.S.) are square, not round.
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On the topic of dots/periods - that is one thing the Air Force was inconsistent about on application - roughly half the vehicles I have collected pictures of are marked U.S. and the other half are marked U S
Tudorp, whereabouts in Texas?
Cheers
I am in East Texas. Couple hours south of Tyler. When I was in, I never really looked or cared enough to notice the period, or lack of. But since I have thought I seen images with and without. But, not sure if that was miss marked post service, or? I know when I was in SAC, things were VERY set in stone and black and white. SAC was very particular on details and uniformity. Much more than the other commands.
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Yep, the way Lemay set it up, SAC tended to have their own world!
The "dots or not" are both in period active duty photos, I never fully trust restoration photos because folks often don't do proper research.
Unfortunately, that goes for museums too.
East Texas, same state but still a long way away from me!
Cheers
The "dots or not" are both in period active duty photos, I never fully trust restoration photos because folks often don't do proper research.
Unfortunately, that goes for museums too.
East Texas, same state but still a long way away from me!
Cheers
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I've noticed that none of the fonts matched on any of my trucks or trailer. It seemed like they used whatever they had or maybe even sourced locally. The font that everyone said to use, didn't match what was on the truck. When I got ready to paint, I wanted to match the existing font already on the truck. I ended up making each stencil myself to match the font on the truck and cut it out on my Silhouette.
I don't think it really matters that much considering it didn't to the military.
I don't think it really matters that much considering it didn't to the military.
67Beast
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The font is a special font that the federal government uses for all kinds of markings from vehicles to signs.
Here is a quick thrown together look with the font to show you want it would look like.
Here is a quick thrown together look with the font to show you want it would look like.
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msgjd
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Although not M880/890's, the pair of 1977 USAF dodge crew cabs obtained at Plattsburg AFB for the town in the mid-80's had white lettering on the front doors of same font used by the army on its commercial vehicles in the late-70's-early 80's , both with no periods after the "U" or "S" .. Have seen yellow as well , during long trips up to the BX that was there at the time. Don't recall if the yellow ones had periods or not
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Bob H
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Old pic of a 1978 truck taken on an Air Base. color of truck is Strata Blue
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Old_mil_guy
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I realize thread is from 2022 but always thought the vehicle lettering font was amarillo?
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For what it's worth, back in the days of the Linotype and the folks who built fonts for printers and their machines there was no Amarillo font. Now days, folks can create their own fonts and there are "paid" fonts and "free" fonts. A quick Web search finds "Amarillo USAF" fonts by the dozens and with several minute differences in many of them.
So, long story made short: The "computer guy" in a motor pool downloaded whatever version of the font - and off they went - marking whatever vehicles they had on their lot. All of that vehicle pool looks the same because one guy decided on the font.
Another motor group would look similar but could definitely be different. Of all the things the TM's do, they don't bother to spec out the fonts for marking vehicles.
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