Model Color - Basic Color USA Set

A universal palette you can mix almost anything from

Most of the themed sets in this range are built around a single period or a single army. This one is built the other way round - so that anybody can use it. The selection follows the basic tones of the color wheel and adds the shades that run out fastest no matter what you happen to be building.

The mixing backbone is made up of Lemon Yellow, Flat Red and Flat Blue together with white and black. From those five you can get anywhere, it just takes time. To make it take less, the package already holds ready-mixed Flat Green, Purple and Azure, that is the shades whose hand mixing tends to be the least reliable.

The earth part is represented by Yellow Ochre, Buff and Flat Brown. The ocher and the sand tone serve for dust, ropes, wood and desert surfaces, while the brown is the basis for the shadows of anything organic. Faces are covered by Flat Flesh, and a darker green for vehicles and vegetation is supplied by Reflective Green.

Clear Orange holds a special place - a translucent color used to tint lights, rust streaks or the glass of orange beacons. Over a silver coat it gives the impression of brass without using a metallic pigment. Metal surfaces are otherwise handled by Gold and Silver.

The paints are acrylic, they thin with water, they dry matte and they are intended mainly for the brush. The sixteen-piece range makes the package a sensible start for somebody who does not yet know which subject they will settle on.