TAMXF9 - Tamiya - Flat Hull Red Acrylic - 10mL Bottle

TAMXF9 - Tamiya - Flat Hull Red Acrylic - 10mL Bottle

Tamiya XF-9 Flat Hull Red is a deep, dark brownish-red representing the anti-fouling paint applied to the below-waterline hull surfaces of warships and merchant vessels — the characteristic dark red-brown visible on the exposed hull of a ship in drydock or at the waterline. It is designated in Tamiya's original colour guide as "Bottom of the hull" for ships, making it the standard call-out for all warship waterline and full-hull model subjects across the Tamiya 1/350 and 1/700 range. Beyond its primary warship application, XF-9 also appears in figure painting formulas as a skin-tone shadowing agent and is the darker red component in Tamiya's documented RAF roundel red formula (10 parts XF-7 + 1 part XF-9 for BS381C:538 Post Office Red). It is a significantly darker, more brown-red than XF-7 Flat Red, making it useful as a deep shadow and darkening agent across a wide range of mixing contexts.

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.

• Warship hull bottom anti-fouling — the standard below-waterline anti-fouling paint colour on all WWII and modern warship subjects; Tamiya designates XF-9 as "Bottom of the hull" in the original colour guide and it is called out in kit instructions for the full range of Tamiya 1/350 and 1/700 Waterline Series warship kits including Yamato, Bismarck, Iowa, King George V, and destroyer and cruiser subjects of all nationalities; the characteristic dark red-brown anti-fouling colour is present on the waterline stripe and full hull of all major WWII combatants
• IJN warships — below-waterline hull colour on all Imperial Japanese Navy warships in the full Tamiya 1/700 Waterline Series; Yamato-class battleships, carrier subjects, cruisers, and destroyers all used the standard dark red anti-fouling paint on their below-waterline surfaces; XF-9 is called out in Tamiya's IJN warship kit instructions alongside XF-75, XF-77, or XF-87 hull grey for the complete above-and-below waterline scheme
• Royal Navy warships — below-waterline hull colour on HMS Hood, HMS Warspite, HMS Repulse, HMS King George V, and the full range of Royal Navy capital ships, cruisers, and destroyers; the Royal Navy used a similar dark red anti-fouling paint and XF-9 is the standard call-out for all RN subjects alongside XF-80 or XF-54/XF-25 combinations for the hull grey above the waterline
• Kriegsmarine warships — below-waterline hull colour on Bismarck, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Admiral Graf Spee in full-hull display configurations; XF-9 pairs with standard Kriegsmarine grey (XF-53 Neutral Grey mixes) for the complete two-zone hull colour scheme of German capital ships
• USN warships — below-waterline hull colour on Iowa-class battleships, Essex-class carriers, Baltimore-class cruisers, and Fletcher and Gearing-class destroyers in both 1/350 and 1/700 scale; US Navy warships consistently used the dark red anti-fouling coating and XF-9 is appropriate for all periods of USN warship construction through WWII and beyond
• RAF roundel red component — XF-9 is the darkening agent in the Tamiya-documented RAF roundel red formula: 10 parts XF-7 Flat Red + 1 part XF-9 Hull Red to produce BS381C:538 Post Office Red, the standard RAF Type A and B roundel red; the XF-9 addition prevents the roundel red from appearing too bright or orange against the dark upper surface camouflage colours
• Skin tone shadowing and figure work — used as a deep shadow colour in flesh tone mixes; a very small addition of XF-9 to XF-15 Flat Flesh deepens the shadow tones in recesses and under-eye areas on 1/35 and larger scale figure subjects; also used for the deep reddish shadow in naval and military figure uniform red garments

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