MRP-A066 RLM 76 Blaugrun

RLM 76 Blaugrün, a Mr.Paint acrylic paint, Aqua line (17 ml)

A paint for models in a dropper bottle with a volume of 17 ml. It comes from the acrylic Aqua line of the Slovak maker Mr.Paint: the binder is water-thinnable, the paint can be applied with a brush or sprayed with an airbrush and it is thinned with the acrylic thinner of this line or with water. It is not a kit, it is a model paint.

Do not confuse the lines. Mr.Paint became known for its lacquer (nitro) line with completely different chemistry and a different thinner. This shade does not belong to it. The manufacturer lists the same shade names in both lines and the numerical designation differs between them, so the name of the line decides, not the number.

Why there are two RLM 76 shades

This product is the second variant of RLM 76, alongside the light blue Lichtblau, which exists as a separate shade. Both carry the same RLM number, yet they look different, and that is the whole point. RLM 76 was used on the undersides of later German aircraft (roughly from 1941) as the counterpart of the RLM 74 and RLM 75 camouflage above. During the war, though, the paint was mixed by several makers, batches differed and in the late period missing raw materials were substituted. The result was a spread of shades: alongside the purely blue variant there were coats shifted markedly toward blue-green and even turquoise, which is exactly what Blaugrün is. Part of the literature uses the unofficial designation RLM 84 for these greenish late coats, but the period regulations do not know it and researchers do not agree.

Which variant to choose is not decided by a general rule but by the documentation for the particular machine or by the instructions of the kit. Blue tones tend to be associated with older coats and greenish ones with late coats, but that is no certainty, which is why the manufacturer offers both.

Use

• The greenish blue variant of the undersides of German aircraft of the later war years.
• Airbrush and brush; thinned with the acrylic thinner of the Aqua line or with water.
• Shake thoroughly before use; apply in thin coats, ideally over a primer.
• Flush the tools right after you finish spraying, as dried acrylic is difficult to remove.

Who the paint is for

For modelers who build late German aircraft and want to capture the real shift of the shade toward green-blue instead of the textbook light blue. It will also suit those who want to set both variants of RLM 76 side by side and choose according to photographs and sources.

A model paint, not a kit. Use in a ventilated area, out of the reach of children; close the bottle carefully after work.