TAMXF53 - Tamiya - Flat Neutral Gray - 10mL Bottle

XF53 - Tamiya - Flat Neutral Gray - 10mL Bottle

Tamiya XF-53 Flat Neutral Gray is a clean, balanced mid-grey with no meaningful warm or cool bias — designated in Tamiya's original colour guide as "Camouflage" for British aircraft and "Lower side of Army plane" for USAAF subjects. It sits close to USAAF Neutral Gray ANA 603 / FS 36270, the standard lower surface colour applied to USAAF fighters and bombers from 1941 through to the end of the war, and is called out directly in Tamiya kit instructions for USAAF Army aircraft lower surface work. It is equally used as a component in RAF Ocean Grey and Medium Sea Grey mixes, as a toning agent in USN Non-Specular Sea Blue corrections, and as a general-purpose neutral grey across warship hull light areas, vehicle surface detail, and figure equipment painting. Its tonal neutrality makes it one of the most versatile mixing greys in the range.

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.

• USAAF Neutral Gray ANA 603 lower surfaces — the standard lower surface grey on USAAF fighters and bombers under the Olive Drab over Neutral Gray scheme applied from early 1942 onward; used on P-40 Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-51B/C Mustang, B-17E/F/G Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell, and A-20 Havoc lower surfaces; Tamiya's original guide designates XF-53 as "Lower side of Army plane" and it is called out in kit instructions for USAAF aircraft subjects throughout the range
• USAAF fighter lower surface — lower surfaces of 8th Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts of the 56th, 78th, and 353rd Fighter Groups operating from English bases over occupied Europe (1943–44), and P-51B/C Mustangs of the 4th, 352nd, and 355th Fighter Groups escorting 8th Air Force heavy bombers to Berlin, Schweinfurt, and Regensburg; both types carried Olive Drab upper surfaces over Neutral Gray lower surfaces until the introduction of natural metal finish in mid-1944
• RAF Ocean Grey mixing component — XF-53 provides the light-grey element in the RAF Ocean Grey mix (1 part XF-18 Medium Blue + 2 parts XF-21 Sky + 2 parts XF-24 Dark Gray), the upper surface grey applied to Spitfire Mk.V through Mk.IX, Typhoon Mk.Ib, Tempest Mk.V, and Mosquito FB.VI in the standard Dark Green / Ocean Grey / Medium Sea Grey three-colour camouflage scheme from mid-1941 onward
• RAF Medium Sea Grey component — a contributing grey in Medium Sea Grey mixes for RAF aircraft lower surfaces from 1941 onward; Medium Sea Grey replaced Sky on the lower surfaces of many RAF day fighter types and is the correct lower surface colour for Spitfire Mk.V through Mk.XIV, Typhoon, and Tempest subjects from 1941–45
• USN Non-Specular Sea Blue correction — added in small quantity (1 part XF-53 to 6 parts XF-17 + 6 parts XF-8) to reduce the greenish cast in XF-17 Sea Blue and produce a more accurate Non-Specular Sea Blue ANA 607 upper surface tone for F6F Hellcat, F4U Corsair, and TBF Avenger tricolour scheme work
• Royal Navy light hull camouflage panel toning — mixed with XF-2 Flat White as a neutral lightening agent for Admiralty Intermediate and Light camouflage grey mixes on Royal Navy warship subjects, providing a tonally clean grey without the blue bias of XF-66 or the warmth of XF-20
• General figure and equipment grey — used for metal helmet interiors, steel tools, weapons, and equipment on figure subjects across all nationalities; its tonal neutrality makes it a reliable base for any metallic grey detail before weathering washes are applied
• Modern and post-war aircraft grey — approximates FS 36270 Neutral Grey used on a wide range of US and NATO aircraft in the 1950s–1970s period, and contributes to the Ghost Gray mixing family for modern USAF subjects alongside XF-19, XF-2, XF-24, and XF-66

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