TAMXF52 - Tamiya - Flat Earth - 10mL Bottle

XF52 - Tamiya - Flat Earth - 10mL Bottle

Tamiya XF-52 Flat Earth is a warm, mid-tone reddish-brown designated in Tamiya's original colour guide as "British and Italian tanks" — representing the standard earth-brown colours used on British Army and Italian Regio Esercito armoured vehicles in the Western Desert campaign (1940–43) and beyond. It is the closest out-of-the-bottle approximation to British SCC 2 (Service Colour 2) Brown, the standard base colour applied to 8th Army vehicles in North Africa including the Matilda II, Valentine, Crusader, and early M3 Grant before the introduction of SCC 15 Olive Drab. It is equally appropriate for Italian Nocciola Chiaro ("light hazel") vehicle colour used on Carro Armato M13/40, M14/41, and L3/35 tankettes in North Africa. Tamiya's own Spitfire kit instructions call out XF-52 + XF-64 Red Brown (1:1) for RAF Dark Earth camouflage, making it essential for British aircraft subjects as well. It also serves as the primary base in Tamiya's documented weathering formulas for Normandy Dust (5:3:2 with XF-2 and XF-64) and Road Dirt (6:3:1 with XF-1 and flat base).

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.

• British 8th Army desert vehicles — SCC 2 Brown base on British and Commonwealth armoured vehicles in the Western Desert and Tunisian campaigns; applied to Matilda II infantry tanks of the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiments at Sidi Barrani and Beda Fomm (1940–41), Valentine tanks of the 23rd Armoured Brigade at El Alamein (October–November 1942), and Crusader cruisers of the 7th Armoured Division ("Desert Rats") throughout the North African campaign, 1941–43
• Italian Regio Esercito armour — Nocciola Chiaro overall colour on Italian AFVs in North Africa; applied to Carro Armato M13/40 and M14/41 medium tanks of the Ariete Armoured Division at El Gazala (May–June 1942) and Carri L3/35 and AB41 armoured cars serving with the Corpo d'Armata di Manovra; also used straight for Italian campaign vehicles in Sicily and mainland Italy (1943–44)
• RAF Dark Earth camouflage — the primary component in Tamiya's kit-sourced Dark Earth formula (1 part XF-52 + 1 part XF-64 Red Brown), producing the standard upper surface brown applied to RAF aircraft from the Battle of Britain through to mid-war: Spitfire Mk.I/II/V, Hurricane Mk.I/IIb, Bristol Blenheim, Bristol Beaufighter, de Havilland Mosquito, and Hawker Typhoon in the standard Dark Green / Dark Earth upper surface scheme
• South African and Australian desert vehicle colours — the earth-brown finish used by South African and Australian formations in the Western Desert; 1st South African Division vehicles at Tobruk (1941) and 9th Australian Division Matildas at El Alamein (1942) wore SCC 2-equivalent brown base coats appropriately matched by XF-52
• WWI British vehicle and artillery brown — appropriate for the earth-brown finish of British Mark IV and Mark V tanks, artillery limbers, and wheeled transport operating on the Western Front, 1917–18; the warm mid-brown tone reads well for the faded, mud-weathered appearance of Great War AFVs
• Normandy Dust weathering formula — the primary base in Tamiya's documented Normandy Dust mix (5 parts XF-52 + 3 parts XF-2 Flat White + 2 parts XF-64 Red Brown), used as a dry-brush or airbrushed dust accumulation effect on any wheeled or tracked vehicle in summer European theatre operations
• Road Dirt weathering formula — base component in Tamiya's Road Dirt mix (6 parts XF-52 + 3 parts XF-1 Flat Black + 1 part flat base), applied to lower hull, running gear, and track accumulation effects on all vehicle subjects across European and Mediterranean theatre diorama work
• Diorama ground work — a highly versatile base colour for earthwork terrain, dried mud surfaces, dirt roads, exposed soil in craters and foxholes, and groundwork in European and desert dioramas; XF-52 provides a warmer, richer earth tone than XF-57 Buff and a more red-brown character than XF-59 Desert Yellow

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