Acrysion - matná černá

The black that throws no highlights

Flat black is the number one working color on a model. It is used on tires and treads, inside landing gear bays, on barrels, on the frames of instrument panels, in the gaps between panels and as a base coat under metallic shades, which only gain depth over a dark base. Few other bottles get opened so often in the workshop.

The Acrysion range is water-based and was developed to give off as little smell as possible while you work. It is thinned with water, but the manufacturer also offers its own thinner, which evens out both the flow-out and the drying. According to the manufacturer the paint is intended mainly for spraying with an airbrush, not for brushwork; it has to be stirred well before use, because the flattening agent sinks to the bottom.

The proven method is to spray the thinned paint in two or three light coats instead of one heavy one. A flat surface fills in easily under a heavy layer and loses its velvety look. Clean your tools right after the work, while the film is still fresh; a dried layer already holds firmly and will take a clear coat.

On a finished model, flat black also serves for fine shading into corners and recesses, where a dark wash would leave unwanted edges.

When mixed with other shades, black works as a cautious spice. Add it to green and brown tones drop by drop, because even a small amount pulls the color toward gray and the area loses its brightness. To darken shades most modelers therefore reach for dark brown or blue instead and leave black where something really should be black: on rubber, on the soot around exhausts and in deep shadows.