ACRYLIC WASH Neutral Grey Wash

ACRYLIC WASH — Neutral Grey Wash (AMMO of Mig Jimenez)

An acrylic wash in a neutral gray shade, a 15 ml bottle with a dropper cap, drying to a matte finish. This is modeling chemistry, not a kit — it is applied to an already-painted model, flows into engraved lines and recesses, and brings out detail. Neutral Grey is the most cautious choice in the whole range: it neither warms nor cools the base color, it only darkens it in the shadows.

Acrylic, Not Enamel — Practical Consequences

The wash is a water-thinnable acrylic: it is thinned and excess is removed with water or acrylic thinner, not mineral spirits. It is odorless and has low toxicity, so you can work with it even in a living room. It dries faster than an enamel version.

Two things must be respected, though. An acrylic wash is harder to wipe off once dry than an enamel one — deal with the excess as you go, while it is still wet; do not leave it to dry until later. And do not apply it to an uncured acrylic coat — the water in the wash would dissolve and smear fresh paint. The safest procedure: let the base color cure fully, coat it with a gloss varnish, let that dry, and only then apply the wash. A gloss base also keeps the wash in the engraved lines instead of letting it streak across the surface.

Which Base Color It Suits

A wash is chosen based on the model's base color, not at random: a dark wash on a light color looks dirty and coarse, a light wash on a dark color disappears. Neutral Grey is neutrally gray — use it where you do not want to shift the tone of the base color: on gray military and civilian equipment, aircraft in gray camouflage schemes, and light and white surfaces, where a darker or brown wash would look as if you had simply dirtied the model. A brown wash would warm the surface, a deep gray one would darken it needlessly — a neutral gray one only gently defines the panel lines and leaves the shade as it was. If you need stronger contrast, the Deep Grey Wash from the same range is made for you.

Use

• Shake — settled pigment must go back into suspension, or the shade will come out weaker.
• Drip it onto a palette and work it in with a brush into the engraved lines and recesses of a cured gloss varnish.
• Let it act, so the wash flows in on its own by capillary action.
• Wipe off the excess with a damp brush or cloth, before it dries.
• Build it up in layers — a subtle effect is better tightened gradually than overdone in one pass.

Who It Is For

For modelers of aircraft in gray schemes, modern and civilian equipment, ships and any models with light surfaces, where the wash needs to bring out detail but must not change the color.

Modeling chemistry. Ensure ventilation, use respiratory protection when spraying, and keep out of the reach of children.