Hobby color - černá

A Basic Black from the Water-Thinnable Range

Black is among the shades that get used up fastest in modeling work. It is used on tires, on interior parts, on instrument bezels, on bases and as a component when mixing darker tones. This paint comes from a water-thinnable acrylic range, so it can be combined with water and does not call for extraction the way lacquer paints do.

Properties and thinning

The foundation is a water dispersion and the dried coat has a muted sheen. Thanks to the water base, water alone will do on absorbent materials, but on plastic the paint holds better once it has been thinned with the brand's own product. Do not mix it with the lacquer ranges of the same maker, because the binders do not get along.

Advice for work

• A pure black looks unnaturally hard on a model, so lighten it slightly for larger areas
• On tires it is worth adding a drop of gray or brown, because rubber is never entirely black
• The pigment settles at the bottom, so stir it before work and during it as well
• For brushwork, add roughly a quarter of the volume in drying retarder

As a component for mixing, black is treacherous, because even a small amount pulls a shade down markedly. Add it drop by drop and always check the result on an offcut, not straight on the model.

Where black gets used up most

• Tires, tracks and rubber elements, always with an admixture of gray or brown
• Interiors of cabins, instrument panels and bezels
• Bases and stands, where the surface is meant to be unobtrusive
• Shading and preshading areas before the covering color

In preshading, black is applied in thin bands along the panel lines and the covering color that follows only lets it show through. The procedure calls for patience, because a heavier covering coat hides the effect completely and the work goes to waste.