UA613 - italian Regia Marina Grigio Cenerino Chiaro

Grigio Cenerino Chiaro, the light ashen gray of the Regia Marina

Ashen gray is a name in the Italian naval palette that describes the shade quite precisely: Grigio Cenerino Chiaro is Italian for light ashen gray. Grigio Cenerino Chiaro is a Lifecolor acrylic shade from the group of colors of the Regia Marina, the Italian wartime navy, and it stands for the light position within it.

How the Italian naval grays differ

Italian vessels carried a gradation of gray of their own that differs from the German and the British approach in its cast. The light ashen position covered extensive areas of the sides and the superstructures on them and formed the base to which darker fields were added. On a model it is the most exposed tone of the whole vessel, because it takes up the largest share of the visible surface and determines how the whole will look.

What to watch out for

• a light area will reveal every unevenness of the surface; it pays to prepare it evenly
• apply the tone in thin steps and check the area against the light
• set out the boundary with the darker fields with masking tape, following the documentation of the vessel
• choose the weathering moderately, as it acts more strongly on a light gray than on a dark one
• keep the dark wash in the engraving fine, or it will stand out too much

Who the color is for

For builders of Italian warships who assemble a period scheme from a light and a darker gray, and for modelers looking for a light gray with an ashen rather than a blue character.