LC08 - Pale Blue FS35182 Matt

Lifecolor Pale Blue FS35182 Matt

Light shades are the only group for which the usual advice to lighten the paint on a model stops holding. Pale Blue FS35182 Matt is a matte acrylic paint from the Lifecolor brand with a matte degree of surface and the number of the American Federal Standard color standard given in the name. It is a tone that already lies high in lightness, and that changes the rules of the game.

Where lightening has its limit

Lightening a shade according to scale works because it makes up for the missing layer of air between the viewer and a real machine. But that layer does not only lighten a shade; it also shifts it toward blue and reduces its saturation. With dark and saturated colors, lightening is therefore a good shortcut. With a pale blue, which is light and low in saturation straight from the bottle, the shortcut fails: lightening it further pulls it toward white and the area loses its tone completely. The model then does not look distant but faded. The practical guide is that the lighter the starting shade, the smaller the adjustment the scale calls for. With a pale blue, in 1:48 and larger scales it is right to leave it as it is and to deal with the difference of scale by playing up the surface rather than by shifting the whole tone. Only in 1:144 and smaller does a slight lightening make sense.

How to work with it

• A matte pale blue with the Federal Standard number given in the name.
• In medium and large scales leave it without lightening.
• Deal with the difference of scale by playing up the surface, not by shifting the whole tone.
• Beside white areas a pale blue looks stronger than beside gray ones; count on that when putting a palette together.

Who it is for

For modelers of aircraft who need a light blue tone for undersurfaces and interiors, and also for builders of military vehicles and dioramas, where it serves as a cool counterweight to warm earth shades.

Keep out of the reach of children. When spraying, work in a well-ventilated space.