CLEAR DOPED LINEN

Clear Doped Linen: AK interactive acrylic paint, 17 ml

The creamy beige shade imitates linen covering treated with clear dope. Despite the word in the name, it is a fully opaque paint, not a clear coat. It is a water-thinnable acrylic modeling paint from the Air Series aircraft range, in a bottle of 17 ml. The paint is ready for the airbrush and for brushing alike, has a satin surface and a durable film, and reaches full cure in roughly 24 hours.

What the shade imitates

The linen covering of First World War aircraft was treated with dope, which tautened the fabric and protected it. Where it was not overpainted with a protective finish, the covering took on the characteristic warm cream to straw tone familiar from lower surfaces and from all-fabric machines. The Clear Doped Linen shade reproduces that appearance as an ordinary opaque paint. The word in the name refers to the period technology, not to the properties of the paint, so it is neither a transparent clear coat nor a tinting medium. The effect of ribs and seams showing through is added later with shading and filters.

Use and thinning

• It is thinned with water or the same brand's acrylic thinner; lacquer and enamel thinners have no place in it.
• For the airbrush it usually needs no further thinning, and it handles fine lines and transitions after a light thinning.
• By brush it holds good covering power; let thin coats dry between applications.
• Shake the bottle thoroughly before use, as the pigment settles during storage.
• It holds best over a smooth base coat, and we recommend sealing the finished model with a clear coat of the sheen you want.

Who the paint is for

The paint is intended for modelers of First World War aircraft and of interwar machines with fabric covering. It also suits balloons, sails and other fabric elements in dioramas.

The paint is water-thinnable and non-toxic, yet still work in a ventilated space, use respiratory protection when spraying with an airbrush and keep it out of the reach of children.