UA503 - Luftwaffe Hellblau RLM 65

Lifecolor UA503 Hellblau RLM 65 — acrylic paint 22 ml

A water-thinnable acrylic modeling paint from the Italian brand Lifecolor in a bottle of 22 ml, the manufacturer's part number UA503. In the German system of aircraft colors the Hellblau shade carries the designation RLM 65. The manufacturer lists it in a set devoted to the Luftwaffe, where it complements the green and gray shades of the upper surfaces.

Where the shade is used

RLM 65 is the light blue of German aircraft undersurfaces. You will meet it most often on machines from the turn of the thirties and forties and from the first half of the war: on early versions of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, on the Bf 110, on Heinkel He 111 bombers and on Stukas. Dark green shades were paired with it on the upper surfaces; later it was gradually displaced on the underside by the light grays of the late war. How high the blue rose onto the fuselage sides differed between individual aircraft manufacturers, so it pays to follow a photograph of the particular machine.

Use

• Shake the bottle thoroughly; settled pigment gives an uneven tone.
• For the airbrush thin the paint with water or with the thinner of the same brand; use it unthinned for a brush.
• Spray light blue shades over a light base coat; over a dark base more coats are needed.
• Run the transition between the blue underside and the upper camouflage color freehand at low pressure, not over a hard mask.

Who the paint is for

For builders of German aircraft of the Second World War in all the usual scales. A water-thinnable acrylic is almost odorless, so it can be worked with even in a living room.

The paint is supplied in the stated volume. Thinner and tools are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.