US OLIVE BASE UNIFORM – FIGURES

US Olive Base Uniform - FIGURES (AK interactive, 3rd Generation line)

A modeling acrylic paint in an approximately 17 ml dropper bottle. The 3rd Generation line is a water-thinnable acrylic - it is thinned with water or with the acrylic thinner from the same manufacturer, not with nitro or lacquer thinner. Watch the sub-line: this is not a shade for vehicles but the FIGURES line - paints intended for figures. They are finely pigmented, blend well under a brush and mix easily with one another, which is crucial on figures. This is a modeling paint, not a kit.

It is a base, not the final color

The name says it outright: Base. This olive shade is the base tone of an American uniform, the starting point of all the work that follows - it should never stay the last coat. A uniform painted in one flat coat looks like a plastic shell: the folds disappear and the figure loses its volume.

The right procedure on a figure works in layers: (1) lay down an even base in this shade; (2) run a darker glaze (a darkened tone or a dark wash) into the folds and shadows, where it flows into the recesses; (3) apply a lighter tone to the raised places - shoulders, knees, elbows, the edges of pockets - and soften the transitions. Only this contrast gives the fabric depth and legibility in scale. The manufacturer itself places the shade in a set of paints for American uniforms, where the base is accompanied by the shades that follow on from it (further greens and ocher tones of the uniform, leather, canvas) - if you are building a whole figure, it pays to get them together or to reach straight for the set.

Use

• The base olive tone of American uniforms - from the Second World War to modern figures.
• The starting coat for shading and highlights; on its own it is not a final color.
• It mixes with the other shades of the line for smooth transitions between highlights and shadows.
• Ideal for a brush; for an airbrush, thin with water or with the manufacturer's acrylic thinner.
• Apply it in thin coats, so that the fine relief of folds and buttons is not lost.

Who it is for

For modelers of figures and dioramas with American soldiers who want uniforms with volume rather than flat color. Suitable for beginners learning to layer and for advanced painters who mix the tone into transitions of their own.

A water-thinnable acrylic, non-toxic, non-flammable. Even so, work in a ventilated room and use respiratory protection during longer airbrush sessions. Shake thoroughly before use. Keep out of the reach of children.