RLM Colour Guide — Vallejo, Tamiya & AK Interactive Paint Matches

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Paint Reference

RLM Colour Guide — Vallejo, Tamiya & AK Interactive Paint Matches

Luftwaffe paint colours 1933–1945 · Vallejo, Tamiya & AK Interactive 3G matches from stock

Every RLM colour matched to Vallejo, Tamiya & AK Interactive 3G — all in stock at Wheels & Wings

Looking for Vallejo RLM colours, Tamiya RLM paints, or AK Interactive RLM matches? This guide covers every modelling-relevant RLM number with dedicated matches across all three brands stocked at Wheels & Wings Hobbies. RLM (Reichs-Luftfahrt-Ministerium) colours are the official German aviation paint standards used on Luftwaffe aircraft from 1933 to 1945. Vallejo Model Air, Tamiya XF acrylic and LP lacquer, and AK Interactive 3G Air Series are listed side by side so you can choose the brand and formula that suits your workflow.

The AK Interactive 3G Air Series is the standout brand for RLM accuracy — it stocks period-specific variants that no other manufacturer offers. RLM 65 in 1938 and 1941 formulations, three versions of RLM 76, two each of RLM 78 and 79, and three versions of RLM 81 are all individually stocked. Where multiple AK variants exist, each is shown with its period badge. For RLM 01, 21, and 22 (silver, white, black), the closest AK 3G General Series matches are listed.

Scale effect note: A direct RLM match will often appear too dark at 1/72 or 1/48. Adding 5–10% White to any upper surface colour is a common starting point for smaller scales.

RLM numbers covered 25 modelling-relevant + 8 rarely modelled

Vallejo source Official Historical Reference Guide

Tamiya mixes Community-compiled ratios

AK 3G variants Period-specific where available

How to read this guide

Dedicated match: A paint named directly for that RLM number. Most accurate starting point for any brand.

XF vs LP (Tamiya): LP lacquers preferred for airbrushing; XF acrylics for brush painting.

Community mix: Where no single Tamiya paint is close enough, a community mix is provided with ratios by volume.

For full aircraft-specific notes on every AK 3G Air colour, see the AK 3G Air Series guide.

Jump to: Pre-War & Early War (RLM 01–63) | Mid-War (RLM 65–77) | Late-War & Tropical (RLM 78–83) | Rarely Modelled Numbers

Pre-War & Early War — RLM 01 to RLM 63

From the formation of the Luftwaffe through to 1940. RLM 01 Silber was the original overall metallic silver finish. RLM 21 (White) and RLM 22 (Black) were used for markings throughout the entire war. RLM 61/62/63 were the pre-war and Legion Condor era camouflage.

RLM	Name	Period	Aircraft & Subjects	Vallejo	Tamiya	AK Interactive 3G ↑ back to top
RLM 01	Silber	Pre-War	Overall silver metallic finish 1933–1936. Standard factory finish before camouflage was introduced. RLM 01 Silber was applied to all Luftwaffe aircraft before camouflage colour standards were established.	VLJ77701MC Aluminium — Metal Color VLJ70997MC Silver — Model Color	TAMXF16XF Flat Aluminum TAMLP38LP Flat Aluminum	AKI11207 Aluminium AKI11209 Silver
RLM 02	Graugrün	Universal	Universal primer throughout the war. Cockpit interiors (until 1944), wheel wells, engine bays, and continuation camouflage alongside RLM 70/71 from 1940.	VLJ70886MC Green Grey RLM02	TAMXF22XF RLM Gray Community mix 1 pt — RLM Gray 1 pt — Khaki 2 pt — White	AKI11811 RLM02 RLM Grau 1938 AKI11812 RLM02 RLM Grau 1941
RLM 04	Gelb	Universal	Theatre identification yellow. Eastern Front cowling bands and rudders from June 1941. Mediterranean theatre wing bands. Fuel filler cap markings throughout the war.	VLJ71078MA Gold Yellow	TAMXF3XF Flat Yellow TAMLP80LP Flat Yellow	AKI11813 RLM04
RLM 21	Weiß	Markings	White for national insignia, winter camouflage overspray on Eastern Front aircraft, and training aircraft markings. Applied as winter whitewash over standard schemes from 1941 onwards.	VLJ70951MC White	TAMXF2XF Flat White TAMLP35LP Insignia White	AKI11001 Intense White AKI11230 Titanium White
RLM 22	Schwarz	Markings	Black for national insignia Balkenkreuz outlines, Hakenkreuz (swastika) markings, propeller blade anti-glare treatment, night fighter overall schemes, and blackout paint on navigation lights.	VLJ70950MC Black	TAMXF1XF Flat Black TAMLP3LP Flat Black	AKI11029 Black
RLM 23	Rot	Markings	Red for formation leader markings and some national insignia components.	VLJ70817MC Scarlet	TAMXF7XF Flat Red	AKI11092 Matt Red
RLM 61	Dunkelbraun	Pre-War	Pre-war dark brown upper surface. Legion Condor (Bf 109B/C, He 111B — Spain 1937–39). Paired with RLM 62 in the pre-war splinter scheme.	VLJ71042MA Camouflage Black Brown	No dedicated match Community mix 4 pt — Brown 1 pt — Black	AKI11814 RLM61
RLM 62	Grün	Pre-War	Pre-war medium green upper surface partner to RLM 61. Legion Condor: Bf 109B/C, He 111B. Early Luftwaffe training types (Ar 66, He 72, Fw 44) 1936–38.	VLJ71104MA Green RLM62	TAMXF65XF Field Grey	AKI11815 RLM62
RLM 63	Lichtgrau	Pre-War	Light grey undersurface for pre-war aircraft. Bf 109B/C/D, He 51B, Ar 68. Predates the RLM 65 Hellblau undersurface standard introduced in 1938.	VLJ71260MA Light Grey	No dedicated match Community mix 1 pt — Lt Sea Gray 1 pt — White	AKI11816 RLM63

Mid-War — RLM 65 to RLM 77

The defining colours of the Battle of Britain, Eastern Front, and Mediterranean. RLM 65 Hellblau was the standard undersurface blue 1937–1941, replaced by RLM 76 from mid-1941. The RLM 70/71 splinter upper scheme dominated 1939–1942, transitioning to RLM 74/75/76 from 1941 onwards.

RLM	Name	Period	Aircraft & Subjects	Vallejo	Tamiya	AK Interactive 3G ↑ back to top
RLM 65	Hellblau	Mid-War	Standard light blue undersurface 1937–1941. Bf 109E (JG 2, 26, 51, 53 — Battle of Britain), Bf 110C/D (ZG 26, 76), He 111H (KG 26, 53, 55), Do 17Z, Ju 88A-1, Ju 87B/R. Replaced by RLM 76 from mid-1941.	VLJ71255MA Light Blue — RLM 65	TAMXF23XF Light Blue More accurate tone 1 pt — Light Blue 1 pt — White	AKI11817 RLM65 1938 AKI11818 RLM65 1941
RLM 66	Schwarzgrau	Universal	Cockpit interior dark grey from 1941 on all Luftwaffe aircraft. Bf 109F/G/K, Fw 190A/F/D, He 219A, Do 335A, Me 262A, Ta 152H. Replaced RLM 02 as cockpit standard.	VLJ71055MA Black Grey — RLM 66	TAMXF63XF German Gray TAMLP27LP German Gray	AKI11819 RLM 66 1938 AKI11820 RLM66 1941
RLM 70	Schwarzgrün	Mid-War	Dark black-green upper surface. Bf 109E (JG 2, 26, 27, 51, 53 — Poland, France, Battle of Britain), Bf 110C/D, He 111H (KG 26, 53), Do 17Z, Ju 88A-1/4, Ju 87B/R. Paired with RLM 71. Standard for propellers from 1942.	VLJ71021MA Black Green RLM70 VLJ70897MC Bronze Green — approx.	TAMXF27XF Black Green	AKI11821 RLM70
RLM 71	Dunkelgrün	Mid-War	Dark green splinter partner to RLM 70. Same aircraft as RLM 70 — always paired. Fw 190A-1/2/3 (JG 2, 26 — Channel 1941–42), He 111H, Do 217E, Ju 88A-4.	VLJ71015MA Olive Green — RLM 71	TAMXF81XF RAF Dark Green 2 TAMLP28LP Olive Drab	AKI11822 RLM71
RLM 72	Grün	Maritime	Maritime patrol aircraft upper surface. He 115B/C (Küstenfliegergruppe 106, 406 — North Sea), BV 138C-1 (SAGr 125, 130 — Atlantic), Fw 200C Condor (KG 40). Paired with RLM 73.	VLJ71263MA Green RLM72	No dedicated match Community mix 1 pt — Deep Green 1 pt — Field Gray	AKI11823 RLM72
RLM 73	Grün	Maritime	Maritime second upper surface colour. He 177A-3/5 (KG 40, KG 100 — anti-shipping 1943–44), Fw 200C-4/6 (KG 40 — Atlantic), BV 138C.	VLJ71256MA Green RLM73 VLJ70896MC German Camo Extra Dark Green — approx.	No dedicated match Community mix 2 pt — Dark Gray 3 pt — Black Green 1 pt — White	AKI11824 RLM73
RLM 74	Graugrün	Late-War	Grey-green upper surface for mid/late-war 74/75/76 scheme. Bf 109F/G/K (JG 3, 52, 53, 54 — 1941–44), Fw 190A/D (JG 2, 26, 54), He 219A (NJG 1), Bf 110G-4 (NJG 1, 4).	VLJ71258MA Gray Green — RLM 74	No dedicated match Community mix 3 pt — Dark Gray 2 pt — Black Green	AKI11825 RLM74
RLM 75	Grauviolett	Late-War	Grey-violet upper surface partner to RLM 74. Same aircraft as RLM 74 — always paired. Bf 109F/G (JG 52 — Hartmann), Fw 190A/D (JG 2 Richthofen), Do 335A-1, He 219A (NJG 1).	VLJ71259MA Grey Violet — RLM 75	No dedicated match Community mix 5 pt — Dark Gray 1 pt — Field Blue 2 pt — White More accurate than XF-22 alone	AKI11826 RLM75
RLM 76	Lichtblau	Late-War	Light blue-grey undersurface replacing RLM 65 from mid-1941. Bf 109F/G/K, Fw 190A/F/D, Bf 110G-4, He 219A, Me 262A. Three period versions: use AKI11827–11829 for maximum accuracy.	VLJ71257MA Light Blue — RLM 76	No dedicated match Community mix 7 pt — White 1 pt — Light Blue 2 pt — Light Gray More accurate than XF-23 alone	AKI11827 RLM76 Version 1 AKI11828 RLM76 Version 2 AKI11829 RLM76 Late War Variation
RLM 77	Hellgrau	Late-War	Light grey on some late-war aircraft. Rare — limited production documentation. He 162A-2 (JG 1 — 1945), some late-war experimental types.	No dedicated match	TAMXF80XF RN Light Grey Community mix 3 pt — White 1 pt — RN Lt Gray	—

Late-War & Tropical — RLM 78 to RLM 83

Tropical and desert colours (RLM 78, 79, 80) for North Africa and Mediterranean subjects, and the late-war three-tone scheme (RLM 81, 82, 83) for Me 262, Fw 190D, Ta 152, and He 162. Note on RLM 83: historical research identifies this as Dunkelblau (dark blue) — AK Interactive correctly labels it as such.

RLM	Name	Period	Aircraft & Subjects	Vallejo	Tamiya	AK Interactive 3G ↑ back to top
RLM 78	Himmelblau	Tropical	Sky blue tropical undersurface for North Africa and Mediterranean. Bf 109E/F/G Trop (JG 27 — Marseille, Gazala), Bf 110D/E (ZG 26), Ju 87D (StG 3). AK 3G stocks two period variants (AKI11830–11831).	VLJ71101MA Blue — RLM 78	No dedicated match Community mix 4 pt — Light Blue 1 pt — Field Blue	AKI11830 RLM78 1941 AKI11831 RLM78 1942
RLM 79	Sandgelb	Tropical	Sand yellow base coat for tropical aircraft. Bf 109E/F/G Trop (JG 27, JG 53 — North Africa 1941–42), Ju 87D (StG 3), Ju 88A (Mediterranean). AK 3G stocks 1941 and 1942 variants (AKI11832–11833).	VLJ71278MA Sand Yellow — RLM 79	TAMXF59XF Desert Yellow TAMLP76LP Yellow Brown DAK 1941 Community mix 3 pt — Desert Yellow 1 pt — Red Brown	AKI11832 RLM79 1941 AKI11833 RLM79 1942
RLM 80	Olivgrün	Tropical	Olive green mottle applied over RLM 79 base coat. Bf 109E/F/G Trop (JG 27), Bf 110D/E (ZG 26), Ju 87D (StG 3). Never used as sole upper surface colour — always in combination with RLM 79.	VLJ71265MA Olive Green — RLM 80	TAMXF58XF Olive Green TAMLP29LP Dark Green Straight from bottle 1 pt — Olive Green	AKI11834 RLM80
RLM 81	Braunviolett	Late-War	Brown-violet late-war upper surface replacing RLM 70. Me 262A (JG 7, KG(J) 54), Fw 190D-9 (JG 3, 4, 26), He 162A-2 (JG 1), Ta 152H-1 (JG 301). Three production versions due to no official paint samples from RLM. AK 3G stocks all three (AKI11835–11837).	VLJ71264MA Brown Violet — RLM 81 VLJ71043MA Olive Drab Braunviolett — RLM 81 alt.	TAMXF90XF Red Brown 2 TAMLP57LP Red Brown 2 Community mix 3 pt — Khaki Drab 2 pt — Red Brown	AKI11835 RLM81 Version 1 AKI11836 RLM81 Version 2 AKI11837 RLM81 Version 3
RLM 82	Lichtgrün	Late-War	Light green late-war upper surface paired with RLM 81. Me 262A (JG 7), Fw 190D-9 (JG 3, 4, 26), He 162A-2 (JG 1), Ta 152H-1 (JG 301), Bf 109G-10/K-4 late production.	VLJ71022MA Camouflage Green — RLM 82	No dedicated match Community mix 4 pt — Olive Drab 1 pt — White	AKI11838 RLM82
RLM 83	Dunkelblau	Late-War	Dark blue per primary source documentation (Test Order E2-45/31, 1943; Sammelmitteilung Nr.2, 1944). Proposed for maritime use alongside RLM 72/73. Rarely applied in production. Most paint manufacturers incorrectly label this as green.	No dedicated match	No dedicated match Historical (dark blue) 2 pt — Blue 1 pt — White Per primary source documentation Manufacturer charts (green) 1 pt — Green 1 pt — Yellow Per most commercial paint references	AKI11839 RLM83

Rarely Modelled RLM Numbers

These RLM numbers exist in the official record but are either not camouflage colours, were discontinued before WWII began, or appear on subjects so rarely kitted that dedicated paint matches are not practical to list.

RLM	Name	Why it's not in the main guide
RLM 00	Wasserhell	Transparent varnish and primer. Not a paint colour.
RLM 03	Silbergrau	Silver-grey used before September 1939. Almost never modelled specifically.
RLM 05	Elfenbein	Ivory. Used on gliders and experimental aircraft before 1936.
RLM 24	Dunkelblau	Dark blue marking colour, early 1930s. Removed from military use before 1936.
RLM 25	Hellgrün	Light green marking colour, early 1930s. Not a camouflage colour.
RLM 26	Braun	Brown marking colour, early 1930s.
RLM 27	Gelb	Yellow marking colour, early 1930s only.
RLM 28	Weinrot	Maroon. Fuel system markings and pre-war identification.

Stocking Vallejo, Tamiya & AK Interactive RLM colours at Wheels & Wings

All paints in this guide are stocked at our Toronto store at 1880 Danforth Ave and available online with shipping across Canada. For full colour guides by brand, see the Vallejo Model Air guide, Tamiya XF Acrylic guide, and AK 3G Air Series guide.

Browse all Vallejo, Tamiya, and AK Interactive paints in our online store.

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Apr 22, 2026 Wheels & Wings Hobbies

RLM Colour Guide — Vallejo, Tamiya & AK Interactive Paint Matches

RLM Colour Guide — Vallejo, Tamiya & AK Interactive Paint Matches

Every RLM colour matched to Vallejo, Tamiya & AK Interactive 3G — all in stock at Wheels & Wings

How to read this guide

Pre-War & Early War — RLM 01 to RLM 63

Mid-War — RLM 65 to RLM 77

Late-War & Tropical — RLM 78 to RLM 83

Rarely Modelled RLM Numbers

Stocking Vallejo, Tamiya & AK Interactive RLM colours at Wheels & Wings

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