ATOM Modern US Navy Ships colors Set

A gray with more shades than it seems

Postwar and contemporary ships of the US Navy look at first sight to be one color. In reality several close gray tones alternate on the hull, the superstructures and the decks, and it is precisely the difference between them that makes a model convincing. A modeler who makes do with one can of gray gets a toy; one who works with two or three gets a ship.

What is in the set

The package brings together four shades of the ATOM range. Three of them cover the gray scale from a dark tone through a medium shadow to a very dark gray-black, and the fourth is a red intended for the underwater part of the hull and for warning features. The combination makes it possible to set the sides, the decks and the shadowed areas apart without mixing your own blends.

The qualities of the range

ATOM is a water-thinnable acrylic range from AMMO of Mig Jimenez. The paints are intended for both an airbrush and a brush, and the maker's own thinner from the same range is used for thinning and for cleaning tools. They dry matte, which is what is wanted on ship models – a sheen shows up on a gray hull at once.

Recommended procedure

First an overall base, then the lightest tone, then progressive darkening of the shadowed areas and finally the red waterline. That is masked off with tape only after the gray has dried, or the edge will bleed. The last coat should run vertically, that is in the direction in which water ran down the real side.

Large uniform areas

The sides of the hull of a warship are extensive and smooth even in smaller scales, so every transition between individual passes of the gun shows on them. Spraying is therefore done in thin coats that overlap from different directions, so that the edges add up into an even surface instead of visible stripes.