Buff

Vallejo Buff - acrylic paint for dust, 17 ml

This is a modeling paint, not a kit. Buff belongs to the Vallejo Model Color range of flat, strongly pigmented water-based acrylic paints developed mainly for brush application. The paint is therefore thicker and has to be thinned with water or acrylic thinner for the airbrush. It comes in a 17 ml dropper bottle.

Buff is a pale, beige-gray: light, but unsaturated and dirty looking. And that is exactly why it is so popular in modeling: it is the classic color of dust. The difference from the shade Beige is fundamental: Beige is cleaner and warmer and serves as the color of a material (canvas, gear, interior), whereas Buff is grayer and more faded and looks like a layer of dust settled on the surface rather than the color of the object itself.

Use

• Dusting down vehicles: it is sprayed heavily thinned and unevenly, in light misted coats from the bottom upward.
• Dusty areas of dioramas, dirt tracks, suspension and the undersides of cargo beds.
• Desert camouflage and faded, sun-bleached shades.
• Canvas covers, tarpaulins, sacks and rigging, where the material is meant to look used.
• Lightening and dirtying other shades when mixing.

Application tips

For a dust effect the rule is: thin a lot, apply a little. Thin the paint to a very watery consistency and mist it lightly with the airbrush only where dust would really settle: lower areas, fender edges, around the running gear. Apply it unevenly, in several light passes, because an even coat looks like a resprayed model rather than a dusty one. With a brush, on the other hand, Buff is excellent for drybrushing edges.

Who the paint is for

For modelers of military vehicles and dioramas who want to take the factory cleanliness off a model.

The paint is water thinnable, yet airbrushing still creates an aerosol, so work in a well ventilated space or at a spray booth and protect your airways with a respirator. Keep out of the reach of children. Close the bottle carefully after use.