TAMXF2 - Tamiya - Flat White Acrylic - 10mL Bottle

TAMXF2 - Tamiya - Flat White Acrylic - 10mL Bottle

Tamiya XF-2 Flat White is one of the two most essential colours in the Tamiya acrylic range — alongside XF-1 Flat Black, it appears in more kit painting instructions and custom mix formulas than any other colour in the line. A clean, neutral, non-optical-brightener white with a dead-flat finish, it serves three distinct and equally important roles in scale modelling: as a standalone white for markings, insignia, and white camouflage surfaces; as the universal mixing agent for lightening, desaturating, and applying scale-effect corrections to virtually every other colour in the range; and as the primary white called out in Tamiya's original colour guide for the lower surfaces of US Navy aircraft. Its flat finish means it can be used directly over base coats without the glare issues of gloss whites, and it takes washes and overpaints well once cured.

Tamiya Acrylic paints are a hybrid acrylic formula built on water-soluble resin — they can be thinned with water, isopropyl alcohol, or lacquer thinner, and clean up easily with water before curing. When thinned with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner, the paint lays down faster, dries harder, and bonds more aggressively to the substrate. The hybrid resin chemistry means the paint film remains slightly soluble after initial drying — subsequent brush strokes can reactivate and lift the layer below if applied without restraint. For this reason, airbrushing is strongly recommended for large surface coverage. Brush painting is workable for detail and touch-up work, but requires a gentle, deliberate stroke and a fully cured base layer. See our Tamiya Acrylic vs. Enamel vs. Lacquer guide for a full breakdown of paint type differences.

• USN tricolour scheme undersurface (Non-Specular White ANA 601) — lower surface white on F6F Hellcats, F4U Corsairs, SBD Dauntlesses, SB2C Helldivers, and TBF/TBM Avengers under the 1943–44 tricolour camouflage scheme; Tamiya's original colour guide specifically designates XF-2 as "Lower side of the Navy plane"; applied over the full lower fuselage, wing undersides inboard of the fold, and horizontal stabiliser undersurfaces
• USAAF Insignia White markings — the white bars of the US national insignia (star-and-bar) adopted in June 1943, painted on the fuselage sides and wing upper and lower surfaces of all USAAF and USN aircraft from 1943 onward; at all scales XF-2 is the standard call-out for this application
• Luftwaffe RLM 21 Weiss — overall white or lower surface white on early-war Bf 109 E/F-series and He 111 H-series aircraft operating over Britain during the Battle of Britain (1940) and on the Eastern Front through winter 1941–42; also the standard white for Luftwaffe wing tips, undersurface demarcation bands, and theatre identification markings
• Winter whitewash camouflage base — applied as the overall white or zenithal whitewash on German AFVs (Tiger I, Panzer IV, StuG III), Soviet T-34s, and Allied vehicles operating in winter conditions on the Eastern Front (1941–45) and in the Ardennes (December 1944–January 1945); in winter whitewash applications XF-2 is typically airbrushed thinly over the base colour rather than applied as solid coverage
• IJN Hinomaru (roundel) white outlines — the white border ring applied around the Hinomaru markings on IJN and IJAAF aircraft from 1942 onward; specifically required on Nakajima-built A6M Zeros from the introduction of the two-colour camouflage scheme (July 1943 directive) and on the majority of late-war IJAAF and IJNAF types
• RAF Insignia White and roundel white — the white segment of RAF Type A1 and C1 roundels applied to the upper wing surfaces of Spitfires, Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Tempests throughout the European theatre, 1940–45; also used for the white fuselage bands identifying Allied aircraft during the D-Day landings (Operation Overlord, June 1944) in combination with XF-1 Flat Black
• Scale effect lightening — XF-2's single most-used application across the entire hobby; added in small amounts to virtually every camouflage colour to compensate for scale effect (the tendency of colours to appear too dark at reduced scale); standard additions range from 5–15% for 1/35 AFV colours to 10–20% for 1/72 aircraft subjects
• Highlight mixing — added progressively to base camouflage colours for modulation and zenithal highlighting on AFVs, aircraft, and ship models; the foundation of graduated highlight passes in two-tone and three-tone figure painting; also used to lighten flesh tones for cheekbone and nose bridge highlights on 1/35 and larger figures

For full Tamiya paint colour references and modelling compatibility charts, visit our Tamiya Paint Colour Chart — Complete Guide for Scale Modellers.

Thin and airbrush with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner, Mr. Color Thinner, or Mr. Color Leveling Thinner.

• 10ml glass jar
• Part of the Tamiya Acrylic paint range