TAMXF83 - Tamiya - Flat RAF Med Sea Gray 2 Acrylic - 10mL B ottle

TAMXF83 - Tamiya - Flat RAF Medium Sea Gray 2 Acrylic - 10mL Bottle

Tamiya XF-83 Flat Medium Sea Grey 2 (RAF) represents BS381C:637 Medium Sea Grey — the standard lower surface and fuselage side colour applied to RAF fighters, fighter-bombers, and many bomber types from approximately 1941 onward. It is the third and lightest colour in Tamiya's dedicated RAF BS381C family alongside XF-81 Dark Green 2 and XF-82 Ocean Grey 2, completing the out-of-the-bottle solution for the full RAF three-colour camouflage scheme (Dark Green / Ocean Grey upper surfaces + Medium Sea Grey lower surfaces and fuselage sides) that became standard across RAF Fighter Command and 2nd TAF from mid-1941 through the end of WWII. Medium Sea Grey is a medium, cool, neutral grey — lighter than Ocean Grey (XF-82) and distinctly lighter and cooler than Neutral Gray (XF-53) — providing the clean, light grey undersurface appearance characteristic of RAF WWII aircraft in the three-colour scheme. XF-83 is also a widely used component in multiple USAF aircraft grey mixing formulas including Dark Gull Gray (FS 36231) and Aggressor Gray approaches.

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.

• RAF standard lower surfaces and fuselage sides — BS381C:637 Medium Sea Grey applied to the undersurfaces and fuselage side panels of Spitfire Mk.V/IX/XIV, Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib, Hawker Tempest Mk.V, de Havilland Mosquito FB.VI/PR variants, and the full range of RAF Fighter Command and 2nd TAF aircraft from mid-1941 through the end of WWII; XF-83 completes the three-colour scheme when used alongside XF-81 and XF-82 on the same subject
• Spitfire Mk.IX lower surfaces — the Medium Sea Grey undersurfaces on the most widely built and modelled Spitfire variant; Spitfire Mk.IXs of 611, 331 (Norwegian), and 303 (Polish) Squadrons in the Fighter Command role (1942–43) and 2nd TAF Spitfires over Normandy and Northwest Europe (1944–45); XF-83 is the direct call-out for these subjects' lower surface colour
• RAF Coastal Command maritime patrol — Medium Sea Grey undersurfaces on Bristol Beaufighter TF.X and Short Sunderland maritime patrol aircraft operating from Coastal Command bases in Northern Ireland, the Hebrides, and Gibraltar; these aircraft often appeared overall grey-green (Dark Green upper / Medium Sea Grey lower) without Ocean Grey
• Fleet Air Arm subjects — British naval aircraft operating from Royal Navy carriers frequently used the RAF standard three-colour scheme; Fairey Firefly, Supermarine Seafire, and Fairey Barracuda subjects operating with 800, 801, and 827 Naval Air Squadrons in the British Pacific Fleet (1944–45) used Medium Sea Grey undersurfaces
• USAF Dark Gull Gray FS 36231 mixing base — XF-83 is the primary component in the documented Dark Gull Gray formula (1 part XF-83 + 1 part XF-66 Light Grey + 1 part XF-54 Dark Sea Grey + 3 parts XF-2 Flat White), the two-tone upper surface grey applied to F-15C/D Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons in the standard USAF tactical grey scheme of the 1980s–90s
• USAF Aggressor Gray and neutral grey mixing — XF-83 used as the base for USAF FS 36251 Aggressor Gray (3 parts XF-83 + 1 part XF-2 Flat White) and FS 36270 Medium Gray (9 parts XF-83 + 1 part XF-2 Flat White); its particular cool-neutral character makes it a versatile base for the full family of modern USAF tactical grey schemes on F-15, F-16, A-10, and B-52 subjects
• Post-war RAF and Commonwealth aircraft — BS381C:637 Medium Sea Grey remained in use as a standard RAF colour well into the 1950s and 1960s; applicable to post-war Meteor F.8, Vampire FB.5, Venom FB.1, and Hawker Hunter F.1/F.6 subjects in standard RAF day fighter schemes before the introduction of the later two-tone grey schemes

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