Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Paint Reference

Tamiya LP Lacquer Paint Guide for Scale Modellers

LP Series · By Vehicle, Theatre & Time Frame

Jump to:  WWI 1914–18  |  Spanish Civil War  |  Finnish Air Force  |  Norwegian Campaign  |  Battle of Britain  |  Kriegsmarine & Atlantic  |  North Africa & Mediterranean  |  Eastern Front  |  Pacific — IJN & IJA  |  Pacific — US Navy & USMC  |  Italy & NW Europe  |  Korean War  |  Vietnam & SEA  |  Arab-Israeli Wars  |  Cold War NATO  |  Gulf War  |  Modern Era  |  JGSDF  |  Natural Metal Finish  |  Figures & Crew

WWI 1914–1918

Western Front aircraft and armour, Royal Navy Grand Fleet, and early tank operations. LP lacquers provide a durable, fast-drying base coat ideal for airbrushing large surfaces like ship hulls and tank chassis before detail work in enamels.

RFC & RNAS Aircraft — PC10 & PC12 Khaki Schemes

SE.5a (No.56 Sqn RFC — Arras, Ypres 1917–18), Bristol F.2B (No.48 Sqn RFC), Sopwith Camel (No.3 Sqn RNAS — Dunkirk 1917). Upper surfaces in PC10 Protective Khaki.

Royal Navy — Grand Fleet Battleships & Cruisers

HMS Iron Duke (Battleship — Jutland flagship 1916), HMS Lion (Battlecruiser — Jutland), HMS Invincible (Battlecruiser — sunk at Jutland). Standard Admiralty grey. LP lacquers are ideal for large ship hull areas with their fast-drying, durable finish.

Spanish Civil War 1936–1939

Legion Condor Bf 109B/C and He 111B in early RLM schemes, Soviet-supplied Republican aircraft and armour. LP lacquers excel as base coats for airbrushed camouflage — the fast cure time allows masking within minutes for tight camouflage lines.

Legion Condor Aircraft — Bf 109B/C, He 111B

Bf 109B-1 (1.J/88 — Brunete 1937), He 111B-1 (K/88 — Guernica April 1937). RLM 61/62/63 pre-war scheme. LP lacquers pre-thinned for direct airbrush application.

Soviet-Supplied Republican Armour — T-26, BT-5

T-26 Modelo 1933 (1st Tank Regiment — Señeña October 1936), BT-5 (Soviet tank crews — Brunete 1937). Overall 4BO Green.

Finnish Air Force (Ilmavoimat) — Winter War & Continuation War 1939–1944

Finnish aircraft in light grey-blue schemes, German aircraft types with Finnish markings. LP lacquers build durable base coats that handle the multiple masking passes needed for Finnish winter whitewash schemes over standard grey.

Brewster B-239 & Bf 109G-6 (Finnish)

B-239 Buffalo (LeLv 24 — 36 pilots, 457 victories; Juutilainen flew B-239 for 34 kills), Bf 109G-6 (LeLv 34 — Karelia front 1943–44). OD upper / grey underside on B-239; RLM 74/75/76 on Bf 109G with Finnish roundels.

Norwegian & Scandinavian Campaign 1940

Kriegsmarine surface operations, Luftwaffe maritime patrol, and Royal Navy Home Fleet. LP lacquers are particularly effective on large ship models where coverage and durability matter more than blend-ability.

Kriegsmarine — Blücher, Königsberg & Invasion Fleet

Cruiser Blücher (sunk Oslofjord April 1940), Cruiser Königsberg (sunk Bergen by FAA Skuas), Cruiser Lützow (torpedo damage off Norway). Standard Kriegsmarine medium grey.

Royal Navy Home Fleet — HMS Warspite, HMS Renown

HMS Warspite (Queen Elizabeth-class battleship — Second Battle of Narvik April 1940), HMS Renown (Battlecruiser — action vs Scharnhorst and Gneisenau March 1940). Home Fleet dark grey scheme.

Battle of Britain — July to October 1940

RAF Fighter Command versus Luftwaffe over southern England. LP lacquers excel for airbrushing tight camouflage demarcation lines on Spitfire and Hurricane upper surfaces and for the smooth undersurface coats that define this period.

RAF Fighter Command — Spitfire Mk.I & Hurricane Mk.I

Spitfire Mk.I (No.19 Sqn Duxford, No.54 Sqn Hornchurch, No.92 Sqn Biggin Hill), Hurricane Mk.I (No.501 Sqn, No.303 Sqn Polish — Northolt, No.249 Sqn). Dark Green / Dark Earth upper, Sky undersurface.

Luftwaffe Jagdgeschwader — Bf 109E-1, E-3, E-4, E-7

Bf 109E-1/3 (JG 51, JG 52, JG 53 — Pas de Calais), Bf 109E-4 (JG 26 — Galland; JG 2 — Mölders). RLM 70/71/65 scheme, transitioning to RLM 74/75/76.

Luftwaffe Kampfgeschwader — He 111H, Do 17Z, Ju 88A

He 111H-2/3 (KG 26, KG 53 — night raids on Britain), Do 17Z-2 (KG 2, KG 3 — daylight raids), Ju 88A-1 (KG 51, KG 54 — Bristol, Midlands). RLM 70/71/65.

Kriegsmarine & Battle of the Atlantic 1939–1945

LP lacquers are the ideal formula for large warship builds. The fast-drying, durable finish handles the large hull areas of capital ships without tip dry or coverage issues. The LP-27 German Gray is one of the most accurate Kriegsmarine grey matches available.

Bismarck & Tirpitz — Battleship Schemes

Bismarck (sunk Atlantic May 1941), Tirpitz (Norwegian fjords 1942–44, sunk November 1944). Baltic trials, Atlantic operational, and Norwegian camouflage variants.

Prinz Eugen, Scharnhorst & Gneisenau

Prinz Eugen (Atlantic sortie with Bismarck; Channel Dash February 1942), Scharnhorst (Battle of North Cape, sunk December 1943). Standard and camouflage variants.

U-Boats — Type VIIC, Type IXC, Type XXI

U-96 (Das Boot — 7th U-boat Flotilla), U-505 (captured intact June 1944), U-2540 (preserved Bremerhaven). Dark grey with weathering from long Atlantic patrols.

North Africa & Mediterranean 1940–1943

LP lacquers are especially effective for desert subjects — the fast cure time allows sand and dust filter coats to be applied over a cured lacquer base without reactivation. LP-76 and LP-77 are the most colour-accurate DAK shades available in any format.

Deutsches Afrikakorps — Panzer III, Panzer IV, Sd.Kfz.251

Panzer III Ausf.J (15th Panzer Division — Tobruk 1941; 21st Panzer — Gazala 1942), Panzer IV Ausf.F2 (15th Panzer — El Alamein 1942). Gelbbraun (Sand Yellow) RAL 8020 base coat — LP-76 and LP-77 are dedicated DAK shades.

Luftwaffe Tropical Aircraft — Bf 109E/F Trop, Bf 110D/E

Bf 109F-4/Trop (JG 27 — Marseille scored 17 kills in one day, 1 September 1942), Bf 110D/E (ZG 26 — Mediterranean). RLM 79 Sand Yellow with brown-green mottle.

Commonwealth Desert Armour — Crusader, Matilda II, M3 Grant

Crusader Mk.I (7th Armoured Division — Operation Crusader November 1941), Matilda II (4th Armoured Brigade — Operation Battleaxe June 1941), M3 Grant (1st Armoured Division — Gazala May 1942). Middle Stone base.

Eastern Front 1941–1945

The largest land campaign in history. LP lacquers are particularly well-suited to Eastern Front subjects — the Dunkelgelb and Russian Green base coats cure hard enough to handle the aggressive chipping and weathering techniques Eastern Front vehicles demand.

Soviet Armour — T-34/76, T-34/85, IS-2, ISU-152

T-34/76 Model 1942 (3rd Guards Tank Army — Stalingrad 1942), T-34/85 (5th Guards Tank Army — Kursk July 1943; 1st Guards — Berlin 1945), IS-2 (2nd Guards Tank Corps — Berlin 1945). Overall 4BO Protective Green.

German Armour Early — Panzer III, Panzer IV in Panzergrau

Panzer III Ausf.F/H (3rd Panzer Division — Barbarossa June 1941), Panzer IV Ausf.D/E (4th Panzer Division — Moscow approach 1941). Overall Panzergrau RAL 7021.

German Armour Late — Panther, Tiger I, Tiger II, Jagdpanther

Panther Ausf.D/A/G (II.SS-Panzer-Korps — Kursk July 1943), Tiger I (sPzAbt 503 — Kursk; sPzAbt 502 — Leningrad), Tiger II (sPzAbt 506 — Hungary 1944–45). Dunkelgelb base with three-tone from February 1943. LP-55/56/57 are the dedicated LP equivalents of the three-tone system.

VVS Aircraft — IL-2, La-5FN, Yak-9

IL-2 Shturmovik (7th Guards Ground Attack — Kursk 1943), La-5FN (2nd Guards Fighter — Kozhedub, 62 victories), Yak-9T (9th Guards Fighter — 1944). AMT-4/AMT-7 green/blue scheme.

Luftwaffe Aircraft Eastern Front — Bf 109F/G, Fw 190A

Bf 109G-6 (JG 52 — Barkhorn 301 kills; JG 3 — Stalingrad), Fw 190A-8 (SG 2 — ground attack Kursk to Berlin). RLM 74/75/76.

Pacific Theatre — Imperial Japanese Navy 1941–1945

The LP lacquer range has the deepest and most accurate IJN ship grey coverage of any paint brand. LP-12 through LP-15 replicate the four distinct arsenal greys used across the IJN fleet — Kure, Sasebo, Maizuru, and Yokosuka — differences that are visible on finished 1/700 and 1/350 models.

IJN Carrier Aircraft — A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val (Early War)

A6M2 Zero Model 21 (Hiryu, Soryu — Pearl Harbor December 1941; Midway June 1942), B5N2 Kate (Akagi, Kaga — Pearl Harbor torpedo attack), D3A1 Val (Shokaku, Zuikaku — Coral Sea May 1942). LP-33 IJN Grey Green is the definitive lacquer match for A6M2 upper surface Hairyokushoku.

IJN Carrier Aircraft Late War — A6M5, D4Y3, B6N2

A6M5 Zero Model 52 (343rd NAG — Saipan 1944), D4Y3 Suisei (601st NAG — Philippine Sea), B6N2 Tenzan (652nd NAG — Marianas June 1944). Dark green upper schemes dominate late-war carrier types.

IJN Capital Ships — Yamato, Musashi, Shokaku, Zuikaku

Yamato (Combined Fleet — Leyte Gulf; Operation Ten-Go April 1945), Musashi (sunk Sibuyan Sea October 1944), Shokaku, Zuikaku (1st Carrier Division — Coral Sea through Philippine Sea). LP-12 Kure Grey is the standard for Yamato and most Combined Fleet heavies.

IJN Destroyers & Cruisers — Fubuki, Akagi, Mogami Classes

Fubuki-class destroyers (throughout Pacific campaign — Guadalcanal, Solomons), Mogami-class heavy cruisers (Midway; sunk Surigao Strait October 1944). Use arsenal-specific greys for historically accurate builds.

Pacific Theatre — US Navy & USMC 1941–1945

USN carrier aviation from Pearl Harbor through the Fast Carrier Task Forces of 1944–45. LP lacquers give clean, even coverage on large carrier hull areas and smooth base coats for the complex Measure 12/21/22 camouflage schemes.

USN Carrier Aircraft — F6F Hellcat, F4U Corsair, SBD Dauntless

F4F-3/4 Wildcat (VF-6 Enterprise — Midway), F6F-3/5 Hellcat (VF-9, VF-15 — Marianas June 1944; VF-80 — Leyte Gulf), F4U-1A Corsair (VMF-214 Black Sheep — Bougainville). Tri-colour transitioning to Glossy Sea Blue overall.

USS Essex, Iowa & Fast Carrier Task Force Warships

USS Essex CV-9 (Task Force 38 — Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf 1944), USS Iowa BB-61 (TF 38 flag, Tokyo bombardment July 1945). Measure 12, 21, 22 and 32 camouflage schemes.

Italy, Normandy & Northwest Europe 1943–1945

Allied and German armour from Sicily to Berlin. LP lacquers produce the most durable Dunkelgelb base coats available — essential when the three-tone masking process requires each layer to cure fully before the next colour is applied.

German Armour — Panther, Tiger I, StuG III — NW Europe

Panther Ausf.G (Panzer Lehr — Villers-Bocage; 9th SS Hohenstaufen — Arnhem), Tiger I (sPzAbt 101 — Villers-Bocage, Wittmann; sPzAbt 503 — Normandy). LP-55/56/57 three-tone system.

Allied Armour — M4 Sherman, Cromwell, Churchill

M4A1 Sherman (2nd Armored Division — Cobra breakout; 3rd Armored — Falaise), Cromwell Mk.IV (7th Armoured Division — Villers-Bocage), Churchill Mk.VII (6th Guards Tank Brigade — Rhine crossing). Olive Drab and Bronze Green with D-Day invasion stripes.

RAF 2nd TAF & USAAF — Typhoon, P-47D, P-51D, B-17G

Typhoon Mk.Ib (No.182 Sqn, No.257 Sqn — Falaise gap rocket attacks), P-51D (4th FG — Blakeslee; 354th FG — Pioneer Mustang Group), B-17G (91st BG — Memphis Belle; 100th BG — Bloody Hundredth). Dark Green/Ocean Grey RAF, OD/NMF USAAF.

Korean War 1950–1953

First jet war and last major use of WWII-era piston aircraft. LP-38 Flat Aluminum is the ideal lacquer base coat for NMF jets — the durable finish polishes cleanly for realistic bare metal effects.

USAF & UN Aircraft — F-86 Sabre, F-80 Shooting Star, B-29

F-86A/E/F (4th FIW — Jabara 15 kills, McConnell 16 kills; 51st FIW — Gabreski), F-80C Shooting Star (49th FBW — ground attack, close support), B-29 (19th BG, 307th BG — strategic bombing 1950–53). NMF throughout.

UN Ground Forces — M4A3E8, M26 Pershing, M46 Patton

M4A3E8 Easy Eight (1st Marine Tank Battalion — Inchon, Chosin Reservoir), M46 Patton (6th Tank Battalion — 1951–53). Overall Olive Drab.

Vietnam & Southeast Asia 1964–1975

SEA three-tone camouflage on USAF jets, OD helicopters, and grey naval vessels. LP lacquers are ideal for the tight masking work required for SEA camouflage — each colour can be masked and oversprayed within minutes of application.

USAF Aircraft — F-4C/D/E Phantom, F-105 Thunderchief, B-52D

F-4C/D (8th TFW Ubon — Olds’ Wolf Pack; 555th TFS Triple Nickel), F-105D (388th TFW Korat — Wild Weasel; 355th TFW Takhli). SEA three-tone: Dark Green / Medium Green / Tan upper, Light Grey undersurface.

US Army Helicopters & Ground Vehicles — UH-1, M48A3, M113

UH-1B/D (229th Aviation Battalion — Ia Drang 1965; air cavalry throughout), M48A3 Patton (1st Battalion 69th Armor — Hue 1968), M113 ACAV (throughout Vietnam). Overall Olive Drab.

Arab-Israeli Wars 1967–Present

IDF armour and IAF aircraft in distinctive Israeli sand-grey schemes. LP lacquers provide a durable, chipping-resistant base coat ideal for the aggressive weathering techniques that bring IDF Merkava and Centurion models to life.

IDF Armour — Centurion Sho’ot Kal, Magach, Merkava

Centurion Sho'ot Kal (7th Armoured Brigade — Golan Heights, Yom Kippur 1973), M48A5 Magach 6 (190th Armoured Brigade — Sinai, Yom Kippur 1973), Merkava Mk.1 (7th Brigade — Lebanon 1982). Israeli Sand Grey base coat.

Cold War & NATO 1950–1990

LP-58/59/60 are the dedicated LP NATO tri-colour set — matching LP-67/68/69 in the XF range. For large 1/35 vehicles where coverage and masking speed matter, LP lacquers produce crisper camouflage boundaries than acrylics in a fraction of the time.

NATO Tri-Colour Armour — M1 Abrams, Leopard 2, Challenger 1

M1 Abrams (1st Armored Division — REFORGER exercises, West Germany), Leopard 2A4 (1st Panzer Division Bundeswehr), Challenger 1 (7th Armoured Brigade — British Army of the Rhine). NATO three-tone green/brown/black.

USAF Cold War & European Aircraft — F-4E/G, F-111, A-10

F-4E (36th TFW Bitburg — Europe), F-111E/F (20th TFW Upper Heyford), A-10A (81st TFW Bentwaters — anti-armour). European One camouflage scheme.

Gulf War 1990–1991

Desert Storm coalition sand repaints and grey air superiority jets. LP lacquers cure fast enough that field-repainted CARC sand vehicles can be fully masked and weathered the same session — replicating the hasty repaints that characterised real Desert Storm vehicles.

Coalition Armour — M1A1 Abrams, Challenger 1, AMX-30B2

M1A1 (1st Armored — Battle of Medina Ridge; 3rd Armored — 73 Easting), Challenger 1 (7th Armoured Brigade — Al Basrah). CARC sand base coat.

USAF & Coalition Aircraft — F-15C/E, F-117A, A-10A

F-15C (33rd TFW — 34 air-to-air kills), F-15E (4th TFW — Scud hunting), F-117A (37th TFW — Baghdad first night), A-10A (354th TFW — anti-armour). Ghost Grey, overall black, and Gunship Grey schemes.

Modern Era — Afghanistan, Iraq & Contemporary 2001–Present

LP-36 and LP-37 Ghost Grey are the standout paints of the LP range for modern subjects. No other paint brand has dedicated lacquer Ghost Grey shades — making LP the default choice for F-22, F-35, and F/A-18E/F builds.

USAF & USN Modern Jets — F-22A Raptor, F-35A/B/C, F/A-18E/F

F-22A Raptor (1st Fighter Wing — Langley; 3rd Wing — Elmendorf; 49th Wing — Holloman), F-35A (388th FW Hill AFB; first operational 2015), F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (VFA-115, VFA-122 — throughout). LP-36/37 are the definitive lacquer Ghost Grey match.

Modern Armour — M1A2 Abrams, Leopard 2A6, CF-18 & Leopard C2

M1A2 SEP (3rd Infantry Division — Baghdad 2003; 1st Cavalry — Fallujah 2004), Leopard 2A6 (Bundeswehr; various NATO deployments), Canadian Leopard C2 (Royal Canadian Dragoons — Kandahar 2006–11). CARC Tan and NATO three-tone variants.

Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) — Modern

LP-25, LP-26, and LP-64 are dedicated JGSDF lacquer colours — the LP equivalents of the XF-72/73/74 acrylic set. For large JGSDF builds at 1/35 the lacquer versions deliver faster coverage and crisper masking than acrylics.

Type 74, Type 90, Type 10 MBT — JGSDF Three-Tone

Type 74 (1st Tank Battalion, 7th Division — Hokkaido), Type 90 (7th Armoured Division — Hokkaido), Type 10 (1st Armoured Division — modern MBT from 2012). JGSDF three-tone: brown / dark green / olive drab.

Natural Metal Finish — WWII & Post-War Aircraft

LP lacquers are the best Tamiya formula for NMF builds. The hard, polishable surface allows buffing for realistic bare metal sheen — a technique not possible with acrylics. LP-38 Flat Aluminum and LP-70 Gloss Aluminum give two distinct metal tones for panel variation.

USAAF & USAF NMF Aircraft — P-51D, B-29, F-86

P-51D (357th FG — Yeager's "Glamorous Glen III"; 4th FG — Blakeslee), B-29 (509th CG — Enola Gay, Bockscar), F-86A/E (4th FIW — Korea 1950–53). Natural bare aluminium alloy finish.

Figures & Vehicle Crew

LP lacquers as base coats for 1/35 and 1/16 figures. The fast-drying formula is particularly useful for uniform base coats where multiple colours need to be applied quickly before detail work in enamels or acrylics.

WWII German, Allied & Soviet Crew Figures

Panzer crew (black uniform), Luftwaffe pilot (Fliegerbluse blue-grey), Wehrmacht infantry (Feldgrau), US Army (Olive Drab), Soviet tanker (black coverall).