Mr. Color - FS26440 šedá

Gull gray in a semi-matte form

The two at the start of the number is no accident: in the federal standard of shades the leading digit gives the sheen and a two means semi-matte. The same light gray also exists in the standard in a gloss finish under a number that differs only in that first digit, and both versions have their own bottle in the range. When ordering it therefore pays to read the whole code, not only its end.

The shade itself is a light gray with a slight warm cast. It covered the upper surfaces of US Navy and Marine Corps machines from the middle of the 1950s for decades, usually in combination with white lower surfaces. Machines in service fade and get dirty quickly, so with this gray in particular weathering is almost obligatory.

A semi-matte surface is a pleasant compromise for a modeler: it looks more realistic than gloss, but decals lay down on it more easily than on a full matte. Even so, it pays to overcoat the places under decals with a gloss clear. To suggest weathered panels, try lightening the shade very slightly with white in random places.

The package holds 10 ml. The binder is lacquer based and it is thinned with the nitro thinner of the same brand, commonly in a ratio of 1:1 to 2:1 depending on the consistency of the paint. Water will not serve for thinning or for cleaning the gun. It is applied with an airbrush and the dried film is smooth, hard and ready for further layers.

The white underside is sprayed first and only then masked, because white practically does not cover over gray. The dividing line between top and bottom runs along the leading edges and along the sides of the fuselage, so set it out from a drawing, not by eye.