LP-15 IJN gray Yokosuka Arsenal

The color

A gray listed under the designation LP-15 IJN gray Yokosuka Arsenal from the Tamiya LP lacquer line. The abbreviation IJN refers to the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the qualifier to the Yokosuka Arsenal. This way of naming has its reason: Japanese naval grays differed according to which arsenal or which works mixed the paint, and the differences between them are clearly visible on a model. Take the shade, then, as a specific tone tied to one source, not as a universal Japanese gray.

Working with a lacquer paint

• Stir the bottle properly before use, as the pigment settles at the bottom
• Thin it with the lacquer thinner of the same line; neither water nor acrylic thinner is suitable for this paint
• The paint dries quickly and forms a thin, hard film that will take masking and further coats
• Spray onto bare plastic with care, and preferably over a base coat, as a lacquer paint is more aggressive to plastic than a water-thinnable one
• Work in a ventilated room or at an extraction booth

Painting tips

Gray on a large area quickly goes lifeless and the model then looks like a casting from a single block. It helps to play it about with light: lighten the middle of larger areas very slightly, leave the edges darker and keep the transition soft. A uniform base coat under the final layer pays off, or the differing absorbency of plastic, filler and sanded joints will show up in the very first pass. Always compare the actual tone against references for your own subject, because the real paint was changed by age, weather and repairs.

Terms of supply

The paint alone is supplied. Thinner, primer, a final varnish and brushes are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.