Paul,

I think I would use a good hobby paint to get the color and gloss correct. If you are going to use off the shelf paint, you can top coat with a semi-gloss clear coat. Remember, the primers are lacquer based and are NOT fuel proof. I'm not aware of a flat clear coat but the down side to this method is going to be weight. You can achieve a beautiful flat finish with the hobby paints. The only military type I've used was the Chevron brand and I had pretty good luck with it.

Hope this helps.