TAMXF85 - Tamiya - Flat Rubber Black Acrylic - 10mL Bottle

TAMXF85 - Tamiya - Flat Rubber Black Acrylic - 10mL Bottle

Tamiya XF-85 Flat Rubber Black is a flat, slightly warm brown-black representing the characteristic colour of synthetic rubber — specifically formulated for the rubber tyres, road wheels, track pads, and rubber-faced components visible on AFVs, aircraft, and vehicle models. It is distinct from XF-1 Flat Black in having a slightly warmer, slightly browner undertone that reads as natural or synthetic rubber rather than pure painted black. On operational AFVs, rubber tyres and road wheel tyres do not appear as pure black — sunlight, dust accumulation, and oxidation give them a characteristic brown-black tone that XF-85 replicates directly out of the bottle. It removes the need for mixing XF-1 with XF-52 or XF-64 to achieve this rubber appearance and is particularly valued for its convenience across the full range of WWII and modern AFV, aircraft, and vehicle subjects at any scale.

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.

• AFV rubber-tyred road wheels — the primary use for XF-85; the rubber tyre surfaces on all road-wheeled WWII and modern AFV subjects including M4 Sherman bogie wheels, Panzer IV and Panther road wheels, T-34 road wheels, M1 Abrams road wheels, and M2 Bradley rubber track pads; at 1/35 and smaller scales, the slight warm brown-black of XF-85 reads more convincingly as rubber than pure XF-1 black under normal viewing light
• Aircraft tyres — the flat rubber black on all aircraft undercarriage tyre surfaces at any scale; main gear and tail wheel/nose wheel tyres on Spitfire, Hurricane, P-51 Mustang, B-17, Lancaster, Zero, and the full range of WWII and modern aircraft kits; the slightly warm character of XF-85 distinguishes tyre surfaces from painted black areas on the aircraft, adding visual differentiation without extra mixing work
• AFV rubber track components — rubber chevron pads and rubber block components on M4 Sherman T54/T62 rubber-blocked tracks, M3 half-track rubber tracks, and the rubber track pad inserts on modern AFV track systems; XF-85 applied over XF-84 Dark Iron or XF-56 Flat Metallic Grey track base coats adds the rubber component before metallic dry-brushing
• Vehicle rubber seals and hose components — rubber antennae mounts, hydraulic hose coverings, waterproof gaskets, and external rubber fittings visible at 1/35 scale on detailed AFV and vehicle kits; differentiating rubber-coloured fittings from painted black areas requires XF-85's specific warm tone
• Motorcycle and wheeled vehicle tyres — all rubber tyre surfaces on 1/35 motorcycle, car, and truck kits including Tamiya's German motorcycle range (Zündapp KS750, BMW R75) and the full range of wheeled soft-skin vehicle subjects; XF-85 out of the bottle requires no additional mixing for convincing operational tyre appearance
• Rubber boots and equipment — rubber Wellington boots, gas mask bags, and rubberised equipment on infantry and vehicle crew figure subjects; XF-85 provides a specifically rubber-toned base distinct from painted leather (XF-10 Flat Brown) or painted black surfaces (XF-1), adding material differentiation to figure detailing without mixing
• Scale differentiation from painted surfaces — the key modelling benefit of XF-85 over XF-1 is the visual distinction it provides between rubber surfaces and black paint on the same model; using XF-85 for rubber and XF-1 for painted black areas produces the subtle but clearly readable material differentiation that separates detailed builds from single-black painted models

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