RLM 78 (1942) – AIR

RLM 78 (1942) – an AK interactive acrylic paint

A bottled acrylic paint thinnable with water, for aircraft models. The year in the name is not a production date but a distinction of the period interpretation of the shade: under the same RLM number the manufacturer also keeps a variant from another year, because both the surviving samples and the regulations shifted over time. Choose one variant according to the period of the machine you are building and stick to it over the whole model; mixing two interpretations shows on a single surface.

Use

• RLM 78 is a shade for the lower surfaces, so it is almost always sprayed over a large continuous area. Move the airbrush smoothly from the wing root to the tip, overlap each pass by about half and do not stop over the model.
• The light lower color is applied first. Then mask the boundary with the color of the upper surfaces with a soft edge, for example a rope of modeling putty laid a little above the surface.
• For a large area prepare the thinned quantity all at once. Topping up and thinning halfway through the work is the most common cause of a visible difference in tone.
• Once dry, let the layer cure for long enough before you lay masking tape on it. Fresh acrylic comes away with the tape.

Who the paint is for

For builders of German aircraft of the Second World War who need the lower surfaces in a particular period variant and do not want to mix it themselves. The paint is a water-thinnable acrylic, not a lacquer, and it is neither mixed nor thinned with the lacquer ranges. You will find the same RLM number from the manufacturer in the Real Colors lacquer range as well, but that one calls for its own thinner.

Shake the bottle thoroughly before work. Spray in a ventilated space and with respiratory protection, close the bottle and protect it from frost. It is not a toy.