BT52 Blue

BT52 Blue, a paint for models of formula cars

BT52 Blue belongs to the Number Five line of paints, which is built entirely on the shades of particular racing and sports cars. The name aims at the blue component of the finish of the Brabham BT52 single-seater, the car with which Nelson Piquet took the world title in 1983. A modeler therefore does not have to put the tone together by trial and error out of universal blues.

The blue on the real car

The finish of the car rested on a light surface into which the sponsor's colored wedges bit from the sides. Blue made up the main part of them, running from the slender nose across the flanks to the rear wing, and it also bordered the race numbers. On a model what therefore decides is not only its tone but also how exactly the edge of a wedge meets the surrounding surfaces.

Where you will use the paint

• the blue surfaces of the body on models of single-seaters of the early 1980s
• continuity with the white and red components of the same finish
• touching up edges and spots where a thinly sprayed margin shows after unmasking
• blue items of pit equipment and of the service zone on a diorama

How to work with it

Stir the contents thoroughly before work, because the pigment settles to the bottom and unstirred paint changes both tone and gloss from coat to coat. The shade comes out best on a smooth, filled and polished ground. Apply several thinner coats rather than one heavy one, and let the surface dry properly between them. Try the tone in advance on an offcut of sprue so you know how it behaves on your ground.

Who it is for

For builders of car and formula models who want to get a period finish right the first time, and for those who put their palette together gradually by particular cars rather than by universal names of shades.

Store the paint well closed and out of the reach of children, and work in a well-ventilated room.