UA607 - U-Bootwaffe Schiffsbodenfarbe III Grau DKM 23

Schiffsbodenfarbe III Grau DKM 23, the gray below the waterline

The lower part of a ship's hull never got the same color as the side above the water, because it served a quite different purpose. The German name Schiffsbodenfarbe means literally ship's bottom paint, and Schiffsbodenfarbe III Grau DKM 23 is its gray variant from the Lifecolor submarine palette.

Where the shade finds use on a model

• the area of the hull below the waterline on submarines
• the parts that are meant to be clearly distinguished from the gray above the water
• dioramas and cutaways, where the bottom of the hull is visible
• models on a stand, on which the whole hull is exposed

How to work with it

From a modeling point of view a submarine hull is the smoothest large area you can meet. It has no panels, rivets or divisions, so even a slight difference of tone and every trace of uneven application shows on it. The boundary between the lower and the upper color moreover runs along the whole length of the hull and it is the most conspicuous line of the whole model. It pays to set it out with masking tape and to check as you go that it runs parallel to the keel; a view from the side will reveal even a small deviation. The gray itself only needs to be applied in thin steps, letting the area even out.

Who the color is for

For builders of German submarines who want the underwater part of the hull faithfully distinguished, and for modelers working with dioramas and cutaways, where the bottom of the vessel is on view. It will also serve as a subdued gray everywhere an area is meant to look inconspicuous and technical.