Mr. Color - tmavě šedá (1)

A dark neutral gray

Dark grays are among the most versatile colors in a palette. They are used on naval schemes, on parts of landing gear and engines, on tires after lightening and as a component in mixing. This tone is neutral, with no shift toward blue or brown, so it can be combined with practically anything. The figure in brackets distinguishes this variant from the other dark gray shades in the same range.

Properties and thinning

Chemically it is a synthetic lacquer, and water would only curdle the binder. For thinning, only the thinner of the same brand is suitable, with the dose adjusted to how it behaves in the gun. The bottle holds 10 ml. The dried layer is hard and takes masking and later washes.

Working with a dark gray

• On a large area it pays to modulate the shade, otherwise it looks flat
• Drybrushing with a lighter gray picks out edges and rivets
• As a component in mixing it pulls the shade down quickly, so add it drop by drop
• Stir it again in the middle of the work as well

If you are building to particular documentation, check which of the dark gray variants matches your subject. The differences between them are visible on a finished model, above all when several pieces stand side by side.

Where a dark gray comes into its own most

• Naval schemes of ships and carrier aircraft
• Landing gear legs, wheel hubs and parts of engines
• Tires after lightening and adding a brown cast
• Mixing your own dark shades

A neutral gray is rewarding as the color of a base or a stand as well, because it does not compete with the model and lets its own coloring show. A strongly colored base, by contrast, plays the model down visually.