Pacific Blue

Vallejo Pacific Blue — a more saturated blue for open water

It is not a paint for models but a texture gel: a thick translucent compound from which a water surface is built in a diorama. Compared with the lighter tones of the same range this shade is more saturated, so it suits the open sea and deeper water rather than shallows near the shore. That is exactly why it makes sense to work with it as a concentrate of shade — you govern the depth of the color by how many layers you apply and how dark the bottom beneath them is.

Use

• you can interleave the tinted gel with layers of the clear version of the same range when the shade is too saturated
• seal the bed under the surface while the gel is still liquid; it will pass through even a hairline gap
• apply the first layer thin, so that it flows into all the detail of the bottom and no bubbles are left under it
• add further layers only once the previous one has cleared
• add white wave crests and the wake behind a ship onto the finished surface with a separate paste, not by mixing into the gel
• work the edges of a ship's hull at the waterline last; that is where most small mistakes arise

Who it is for

For modelers of ships and seaplanes who are building a water base, and for builders of dioramas with an open surface. It also serves well for combined scenes that move from dark depth to a lighter shore. It comes into its own on smaller cabinet bases too, where it is only a few square centimeters of surface around a hull.

A water-based acrylic product. Close the container carefully after work and wash the tools with water while the gel is fresh. Work in a ventilated space; the product does not belong in the hands of small children or for consumption. Protect from frost.