MRP-A031 RED BROWN RAL 8017

Red Brown RAL 8017, an acrylic modeling paint from Mr.Paint (Aqua line, 17 ml)

Red Brown RAL 8017, in German Rotbraun, is a muted red-brown. It is a water-thinnable acrylic paint from the Aqua line of the Slovak manufacturer Mr.Paint, in a dropper bottle with a capacity of 17 ml. It is intended for brush and airbrush alike and works best applied straight from the bottle, without thinning. It is thinned with water, or with the acrylic thinner of the same line, and never with cellulose or lacquer thinner. Once dry it keeps a tough, well-adhering film that will take masking tape.

One of the three colors of late German camouflage

RAL 8017 is not a random brown. It is one of the three components of the camouflage of German armored vehicles from 1943 to 1945. From 1943 onward vehicles were delivered in a factory dark yellow and the remaining two colors were sprayed on. The complete scheme is made up of:

• Dunkelgelb RAL 7028, the dark yellow factory base of the whole vehicle.
• Olivgrün RAL 6003, the olive green of the camouflage patches and stripes.
• Rotbraun RAL 8017, this red-brown, the second camouflage color.

This paint alone will not give you the scheme: without the other two shades you cannot put the camouflage together. Keep that in mind. The manufacturer has all three shades in the same acrylic line, so they match chemically and can be layered and mixed without worry.

Do not confuse RAL 8017 with RAL 8012. The camouflage red-brown is 8017; RAL 8012 is a primer red, the color of an undercoat, not of camouflage. Mixing them up means a markedly different, more brick-like tone.

Watch the period as well. The three-color scheme applies from 1943 onward. For earlier German vehicles the correct shade is the dark gray Tank Grey RAL 7021 (Dunkelgrau, panzergrau), not this brown.

Use and painting tips

• Camouflage patches, stripes and soft transitions on late-period German armored vehicles.
• Rusty and earthy tones, chipping effects, scuffs and dried mud.
• Wooden crates, leather items and brown details on figures and in dioramas.
• For soft patch edges lower the pressure and move the airbrush closer; apply thin coats.

Who it is for

For builders of German armored vehicles from 1943 to 1945 and for anyone who needs a muted red-brown to RAL in water-thinnable acrylic chemistry. Shake the bottle before use.

A modeling paint, not a kit. Keep out of the reach of children and close the bottle carefully after use. Work in a ventilated room and use a respirator when spraying with an airbrush, as the atomized paint mist should not be inhaled.