Scale Model Paint Guide: Everything You Need for WWII Aircraft

Introduction

Paint is where your model crosses the line from a grey plastic shape into something that looks like it actually flew. It’s also, without question, the part of this hobby that generates the most confusion, the most forum arguments, and the most moments of staring at a hobby shop wall thinking which one of these 400 bottles do I actually need?

I know the feeling. When I came back to modeling after 40 years away, the paint landscape had completely changed. Testors Model Master — the stuff I grew up with — was discontinued. Tamiya had become the dominant brand. Vallejo existed in a bewildering range of product lines. Something called “lacquer” was suddenly popular, and everyone on YouTube had an airbrush.

So I did what I always do: I researched. I bought too many bottles. I painted test strips. I made mistakes. And eventually, I figured out what actually matters.

This guide is everything I wish someone had handed me when I sat back down at the bench. It covers paint types, the major brands, how military colors actually worked during WWII, and the practical techniques you need to get paint on plastic in a way that looks right. Whether you’re brush-painting your first 1/72 P-51 Mustang or airbrushing a competition-level B-17 Flying Fortress, the fundamentals are the same.

No brand loyalty. No gatekeeping. Just what works.

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Paint Types Explained

Every model paint falls into one of four categories. Understanding how each one works — not just what the label says — will save you from most beginner mistakes.

Acrylics (Water-Based)

This is where most modelers start today, and for good reason. Water-based acrylics use water or alcohol as a carrier, with acrylic polymer resin as the binder. The water evaporates, leaving a thin film of pigmented plastic on the surface.

Pros: Low odor, easy cleanup with water (while wet), safe to use without specialized ventilation, forgiving for brush painting, and available in an enormous range of colors. Most military-specific paint lines (Vallejo Model Air, AK Interactive 3rd Gen) are acrylics.

Cons: Can be tricky to airbrush without proper thinning. Some formulations are sensitive to humidity. Adhesion to bare plastic isn’t as strong as lacquers — priming is recommended. Once fully cured, they’re harder to strip than enamels.

Cleanup: Water and soap while wet. Isopropyl alcohol or dedicated acrylic cleaner once dry.

Best for: General-purpose painting, brush work, airbrushing (with practice), and anyone who doesn’t want to deal with toxic solvents.

Major brands: Vallejo (Model Color, Model Air, Metal Color), AK Interactive (3rd Generation), Ammo by Mig, Hataka, Tamiya (technically acrylic but behaves differently — see below).

The Tamiya exception: Tamiya acrylics are alcohol-based, not water-based. They thin with isopropyl alcohol or Tamiya’s own thinner (X-20A), not with water. They spray beautifully, dry fast, and adhere better than true water-based acrylics. But they don’t clean up with water once dry. Many experienced modelers consider Tamiya the best all-around acrylic for airbrushing.

Lacquers (Solvent-Based)

Lacquers use strong solvents (typically acetone, toluene, or xylene) that evaporate extremely fast, leaving a hard, durable paint film. They’re the professional’s choice in much of Asia and increasingly popular worldwide.

Pros: Superb adhesion to plastic — often no primer needed. Extremely smooth airbrush finish. Fast drying. Very hard, durable surface that resists handling and masking damage. The best metallic finishes in the hobby are lacquer-based.

Cons: Strong solvent fumes. A proper respirator with organic vapor cartridges is mandatory, not optional. Good ventilation (spray booth vented to outside) is essential. Can attack underlying paint layers if sprayed too heavily. Not practical for brush painting.

Cleanup: Lacquer thinner (harsh solvent — use gloves).

Best for: Airbrushing base coats, metallic finishes (natural metal finish work), and anyone with a proper spray booth setup.

Major brands: Mr. Color / Gunze Sangyo (GSI Creos), Mr. Paint (MRP), Alclad II (metallics), Tamiya Lacquer (LP series), AK Real Colors.

Enamels (Solvent-Based, Slow-Drying)

The traditional model paint. Enamels use mineral spirits or white spirit as a solvent, with alkyd resin as the binder. They dry by solvent evaporation followed by oxidation — a slow process that gives them a long working time.

Pros: Self-leveling (great for brushing large areas), long working time, easily blended. Still preferred by many experienced brush painters. Excellent for washes and filters because the slow drying allows manipulation.

Cons: Strong odor (mineral spirits), very slow drying (hours to days), increasingly hard to find as manufacturers shift to acrylics. The Testors/Model Master enamel line — once the American standard — was discontinued in 2021.

Cleanup: Mineral spirits / white spirit.

Best for: Washes, filters, and modelers who prefer brush painting over airbrushing. Some Humbrol loyalists will never switch.

Major brands: Humbrol, Revell Enamel. Testors/Model Master (discontinued but still found on shelves and referenced in older kit instructions).

Oils (Artist’s Oils)

Not really “model paint” in the traditional sense, but oil paints have become an essential weathering tool. Artist-grade oil paints (from art supply stores, not hobby shops) are used for dot filters, pin washes, fading effects, and blending.

Pros: Extremely long working time (hours). Blendable on the model surface. Subtle, realistic effects impossible with other media.

Cons: Not for base coats. Require a sealed base coat underneath (gloss or satin clear). Very slow drying. Need odorless mineral spirits for thinning and cleanup.

Best for: Weathering and finishing techniques over a completed paint job.

Major brands: Abteilung 502, Winsor & Newton, any quality artist’s oil paint.

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Major Manufacturers Guide

Not all paint brands are equal, and each has a distinct personality. Here’s an honest profile of the brands you’ll encounter building WWII American aircraft.

Tamiya

The default recommendation and the most-referenced brand in kit instructions worldwide. Tamiya’s acrylic range (X-series gloss, XF-series flat) covers the colors you’ll need for almost any WWII subject. Their AS-series spray cans are pre-mixed for specific military colors — AS-12 Bare Metal Silver for natural metal P-51Ds, AS-6 Olive Drab for USAAF camouflage.

Price: Mid-range (~$3-4 per 10ml bottle). Spray cans ~$6-8 each. Best for: Airbrushing. The alcohol-based formula sprays beautifully and dries in minutes. Availability: Excellent — found at most hobby shops and online retailers. Quirks: The flat colors (XF series) are exceptionally flat, which is great for military finishes. Thin with X-20A thinner or isopropyl alcohol, NOT water. Some military shades lean slightly off — XF-17 Sea Blue has a notorious greenish tint that needs correction for accurate USN work.

See complete Tamiya color reference →

Vallejo

The Spanish paint giant, and arguably the most comprehensive range for military modelers. Vallejo offers multiple product lines, each designed for a specific purpose:

• Model Color (70.xxx): Thick, opaque, designed for brush painting. Over 200 colors.
• Model Air (71.xxx): Pre-thinned for airbrushing. Includes the best selection of military-specific colors with Federal Standard and ANA designations. This is where you’ll find paints like 71.016 USAF Olive Drab, 71.295 USN Sea Blue, and 71.137 US Interior Yellow Green — colors mixed to match actual military specifications.
• Metal Color (77.xxx): The best brush-on metallics in the hobby. Period. 77.701 Aluminium is what most experienced modelers reach for when painting landing gear and propeller hubs.

Price: Affordable (~$3-4 per 17ml dropper bottle — more paint per dollar than Tamiya). Best for: Brush painters (Model Color) and military-specific airbrush work (Model Air). Availability: Excellent online; less common in brick-and-mortar shops than Tamiya. Quirks: Model Color and Model Air are different formulas — don’t airbrush Model Color without significant thinning. The dropper bottles are great for mixing but can clog. Shake vigorously before every use — the pigment settles.

See complete Vallejo color reference →

AK Interactive (3rd Generation)

AK’s 3rd Generation acrylics are excellent paints that don’t get enough credit. Their Air Series includes WWII-specific color sets developed with historical color research — the USAAF set (AK11732) and USN set (AK11729) contain colors mixed to ANA specifications.

Price: Mid-range (~$3-4 per 17ml bottle). Best for: Military modelers who want historically researched color sets. Good for both brush and airbrush. Availability: Moderate — specialty hobby shops and online. Quirks: AK went through a numbering transition from 2nd Gen to 3rd Gen that created confusion. Look for AK11xxx numbers (3rd Gen). Their paint sets are curated for specific subjects, which takes the guesswork out of color selection.

See complete AK Interactive color reference →

Mr. Color / Gunze Sangyo (GSI Creos)

The gold standard for lacquer modelers, and the dominant brand in Japanese modeling circles. Mr. Color’s C-300 series provides the most comprehensive range of Federal Standard colors in lacquer formulation. If you spray lacquers, you almost certainly spray Mr. Color.

Price: Higher (~$4-5 per 10ml bottle), offset by excellent coverage. Best for: Airbrushing with a spray booth. Metallic finishes. Anyone who wants the hardest, most durable paint film. Availability: Specialty order in most of the US; readily available from Japanese hobby importers. Quirks: Requires a respirator and proper ventilation — this is not optional. The Super Metallic series (SM01-SM08) produces the most realistic bare-metal finishes available in a bottle. Their Aqueous Hobby Color line (H-series) is a water-based alternative for those who can’t use lacquers, but it doesn’t perform as well.

See complete Mr. Color reference →

Mission Models

An American company making polymer-based paints that are genuinely unique. Mission Models paints are water-based but use a polymer binder instead of acrylic, giving them properties closer to lacquers — excellent adhesion, smooth finish, and durability — without the toxic fumes.

Price: Mid-range (~$4 per 1oz/29.6ml bottle — generous quantity). Best for: Modelers who want lacquer-like performance without the health concerns. Excellent for airbrushing. Availability: Online and select hobby shops. Growing US distribution. Quirks: Requires their specific thinner (or a polyurethane-compatible thinner) for best results. The learning curve is real — Mission Models don’t behave like standard acrylics. But once you dial in the technique, the finish quality is exceptional. Their WWII US colors (MMP-091 USAAF Olive Drab 41, MMP-062 USN Sea Blue) are well-researched.

See complete Mission Models color reference →

Other Brands Worth Knowing

Ammo by Mig Jimenez: Founded by the weathering guru Mig Jimenez. Excellent weathering products (washes, filters, pigments). Their acrylic paint line is solid but less widely stocked than Vallejo or AK.

Hataka: Polish brand gaining a following for well-researched military color sets at competitive prices. Orange Line (lacquer) and Blue Line (acrylic) options.

Testors / Model Master (Discontinued): If you’re working from kit instructions printed before 2020, they’ll reference Testors or Model Master paint numbers. These paints are no longer manufactured. Use a cross-reference chart to find modern equivalents.

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WWII US Military Color Standards

This is where history meets your paint rack — and it’s what makes this site different from a generic modeling guide. Every color on a WWII American aircraft traces back to a specific military specification, and understanding those specifications is the key to painting your model accurately.

The ANA System

In September 1943, the US Army and Navy jointly published Army-Navy Aeronautical Bulletin No. 157, creating a unified color system known as ANA. Before that date, the Army Air Forces used their own numbering system (AAF Bulletin No. 41, with colors designated No. 41 through No. 49), while the Navy used Bureau of Aeronautics specification M-485.

ANA colors were designated with numbers: the 600-series for matte camouflage colors (ANA 601 through ANA 625) and the 500-series for glossy finishes (ANA 501 through ANA 515). These are the numbers you’ll see referenced in modeling books, paint bottle labels, and on this site.

After the war, the Federal Standard 595 system replaced ANA with five-digit codes. Most modern hobby paints reference FS numbers rather than ANA numbers — Vallejo Model Air 71.016 is labeled “USAF Olive Drab” with FS 34087, which corresponds to ANA 613.

USAAF Camouflage Schemes

Olive Drab over Neutral Gray (1941-1943)

The standard USAAF scheme from Pearl Harbor through late 1943: Dark Olive Drab No. 41 (later ANA 613) on all upper surfaces, with Neutral Gray No. 43 (later ANA 603) on all undersurfaces. The dividing line between the two colors was a soft, freehand spray boundary along the fuselage sides — not the crisp, straight line often shown in kit instructions.

This is the scheme for P-40 Warhawks, early P-47 Thunderbolts, P-51B/C Mustangs, B-17F Flying Fortresses, B-25 Mitchells, and every other USAAF combat aircraft built before late 1943.

An important detail that trips up modelers: Olive Drab varied significantly. The original No. 41 was mixed from seven pigments and had a distinct greenish-brown tone. As wartime production surged, manufacturers simplified the formula, and the color shifted between batches. On top of that, OD faded dramatically in sunlight — fresh paint was dark and greenish; after months in the Pacific sun, it could look almost khaki. So if you see two modelers arguing about “the right shade of Olive Drab,” they’re probably both correct — just modeling different points in the paint’s life cycle.

Natural Metal Finish (January 1944-1945)

In October 1943, with air superiority achieved over Europe, the USAAF ordered factories to stop painting combat aircraft. The decision saved roughly 300 pounds on a B-17 and added 6-8 mph of airspeed. Beginning in January 1944, fighters and bombers rolled off assembly lines in bare polished aluminum.

If you’re building a 1944 P-51D Mustang with a 44-xxxxx serial number, it should be natural metal — not Olive Drab. Only the anti-glare panel forward of the cockpit remained painted flat black, along with national insignia and unit markings.

Exceptions: Night fighters (P-61 Black Widow) were painted gloss black (ANA 622). Transports like the C-47 generally retained camouflage throughout the war. And the B-29 Superfortress was never painted — it was delivered in natural metal from the very beginning.

USN Camouflage Schemes

Navy schemes changed more frequently than USAAF schemes, following the evolving tactical situation at sea:

Blue Gray over Light Gray (August 1941 - January 1943): The scheme most USN aircraft wore at Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Guadalcanal. Non-specular Blue Gray on all upper surfaces with Light Gray undersurfaces. This is correct for early F4F Wildcats and SBD Dauntless dive bombers.

Tri-Color Scheme (February 1943 - late 1944): The iconic USN WWII scheme. Sea Blue (ANA 607) on upper fuselage surfaces, Semi-Gloss Sea Blue (ANA 606) on upper wing surfaces, Intermediate Blue (ANA 608) on fuselage sides, and Insignia White (ANA 601) underneath. This is the scheme for F6F Hellcats, mid-war F4U Corsairs, SB2C Helldivers, and TBF/TBM Avengers.

Overall Glossy Sea Blue (late 1944-postwar): From March 1944, USN fighters began transitioning to a single overall coat of Glossy Sea Blue (ANA 623). Late-war F6F-5 Hellcats, late F4U-1D and F4U-4 Corsairs, and the F8F Bearcat wore this scheme. Note: many torpedo and dive bomber squadrons retained the tri-color scheme until the end of the war.

Interior Colors

Cockpits and wheel wells are where modelers make the most avoidable mistakes — largely because “Interior Green” wasn’t one color. It was a family of related shades that varied by manufacturer and time period:

• Standard Interior Green (ANA 611): A dark yellow-green zinc chromate. The most common cockpit color across both USAAF and USN aircraft.
• Zinc Chromate Yellow: Brighter, more yellow. Common in early-war and on some internal structural components.
• Grumman Grey: Grumman used their own proprietary grey primer on ALL their aircraft — F4F Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, TBF Avenger cockpits are grey, NOT green.
• Vought Salmon: F4U Corsair interiors used a distinctive salmon/red-orange primer unique to Vought.

If your kit instructions say “paint the cockpit Interior Green” for a Hellcat or Corsair, they’re wrong. Check the actual manufacturer.

Read our full WWII Color Standards reference →

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Paint Color References and Swatches

Knowing that you need “Olive Drab” is only half the answer. The other half is: which Olive Drab, from which manufacturer, and what’s the product number?

That’s why we maintain detailed color reference pages for each major paint manufacturer. Each reference includes:

• Every paint in the product line with product number and official color name
• Visual color swatches showing approximate hex-based color representation
• Military references — which paints match specific ANA, FS 595, or other military standards
• Paint type and finish — whether it’s acrylic, lacquer, or polymer; flat, semi-gloss, or metallic
• Production status — whether the paint is currently available or discontinued

These references are designed for a specific workflow: you’re reading a kit review or instruction sheet that says “Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab” and you want to know exactly what that color is, what military standard it matches, and what equivalent you can use if you prefer a different brand.

Manufacturer color references:

• Tamiya Paint Colors — XF, X, AS, and LP series
• Vallejo Paint Colors — Model Color, Model Air, and Metal Color
• AK Interactive Paint Colors — 3rd Generation Air Series
• Mr. Color Paint Colors — GSI Creos lacquer range
• Mission Models Paint Colors — MMP polymer range

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Cross-Reference Charts

Here’s the scenario every modeler hits eventually: your kit instructions call for Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab, but you use Vallejo. Or you’re following a YouTube build that uses Mr. Color, but you don’t spray lacquers. What’s the equivalent?

Cross-referencing is the act of finding the closest match between different paint brands for the same real-world color. It’s not always a perfect 1:1 match — different manufacturers interpret military standards differently, and some brands offer purpose-made military colors that others don’t carry at all.

Our cross-reference system covers the five major manufacturers (Tamiya, Vallejo Model Color, Vallejo Model Air, AK Interactive, Mr. Color, and Mission Models) and includes match quality ratings: exact (same FS standard, very close), close (visually similar, minor differences), or approximate (same color family, noticeable differences).

For WWII US aircraft colors specifically, we’ve mapped every critical military color — from Olive Drab ANA 613 to Insignia White ANA 601 — across all five brands, with notes on which manufacturer nails each color and where you might need to adjust.

Browse the full cross-reference charts →

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Brush Painting vs. Airbrushing

This is the question that paralyzes new modelers. Let me give you the honest answer.

Brush Painting

A perfectly good way to paint a model. Full stop. You can build museum-quality models with a brush — modelers did it for decades before affordable airbrushes existed. For cockpit details, wheel wells, small components, and touch-ups, a brush is actually superior to an airbrush.

Where brushing works well: Small areas, details, interior components, markings, weathering applications, and flat-colored subjects where perfect smoothness isn’t critical.

Where brushing struggles: Large, single-color surfaces like fuselages and wings. Even with the best technique (thin coats, proper loading, consistent direction), you’ll see brushstrokes on a large panel. This is where an airbrush earns its keep.

Best paints for brushing: Vallejo Model Color (designed for it), enamels (self-leveling), and Tamiya acrylics thinned with a retarder additive.

Airbrushing

If you’re building WWII aircraft, you’ll almost certainly want an airbrush eventually. Not because brushing is “wrong,” but because WWII aircraft camouflage schemes — the soft demarcation between Olive Drab and Neutral Gray, the blended boundaries of the USN tri-color scheme, the subtle panel variation on natural metal finishes — are fundamentally airbrush applications. The real aircraft were sprayed, and the look is hard to replicate with a brush.

The learning curve is real. Your first few airbrushed models may not look better than your brushed ones. Thinning ratios, air pressure, spray distance, needle sizes, cleaning procedures — there’s a lot to learn. But once it clicks, you won’t go back for primary finishes.

What you need to start: A dual-action gravity-feed airbrush ($50-150 for a good starter), a compressor with a moisture trap and regulator ($100-200), and either a spray booth or a well-ventilated workspace. We cover specific recommendations in our Tools and Equipment guide.

The Realistic Path

Most aircraft modelers follow the same progression: start with brushes, realize they want smoother finishes, buy an airbrush, struggle with it for a few builds, then reach a point where they airbrush base coats and brush everything else. That’s the sweet spot. It’s not either/or — it’s both.

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Painting Techniques for Aircraft

Building a convincing WWII aircraft finish isn’t about one technique — it’s about a sequence of steps, each building on the last. Here’s the workflow from bare plastic to final finish, with links to our dedicated guides for each step.

Priming

Every good paint job starts with primer. It provides a uniform base color, reveals surface imperfections you missed during construction, and gives your paint something to grip. Grey primer is the most versatile; use white under light colors and black under dark or metallic finishes.

Read our priming guide →

Preshading and Post-Shading

Preshading means spraying dark lines along panel lines BEFORE your base coat, so they show through subtly. Post-shading means lightening the center of panels AFTER the base coat. Both techniques add visual depth that flat, uniform color lacks. On WWII subjects, post-shading mimics how paint faded faster at panel centers due to UV exposure.

Read our preshading and post-shading guide →

Masking for Camouflage Patterns

The OD/NG demarcation on USAAF aircraft was a soft, freehand spray line — don’t mask it with tape. The USN tri-color scheme had softer boundaries on some aircraft and sharper ones on others. D-Day invasion stripes need crisp edges. Knowing when to mask hard and when to freehand is critical for WWII subjects.

Read our masking techniques guide →

Natural Metal Finishes

Arguably the most challenging technique in aircraft modeling. A convincing NMF requires understanding that bare aluminum isn’t one shade — it’s a patchwork of different alloys, panel ages, and surface treatments. Products like Alclad II, Mr. Color Super Metallic, and Vallejo Metal Color each approach this differently.

Read our natural metal finish guide →

Panel Line Emphasis

After your base coat, making panel lines visible adds tremendous realism. Options range from pre-shading (done before the base coat) to pin washes (thinned enamel or oil applied into panel lines after a gloss coat) to dedicated products like Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color.

Read our panel line techniques guide →

Clear Coating Workflow

Clear coats serve multiple purposes: protecting your paint job, providing the right surface for decals (gloss), enabling wash application (gloss), and setting the final sheen (flat for WWII military subjects). The sequence — gloss coat, decals, washes, then final flat coat — is the standard aircraft modeling workflow.

Read our clear coating guide →

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Recommended Paint Sets for WWII US Aircraft

Rather than listing every paint you might ever need, here are the specific colors for the three most common WWII US aircraft schemes. These are the paints you’ll reach for on your first few builds.

Olive Drab / Neutral Gray (USAAF 1941-1943)

For a camouflaged P-51B, P-47D Razorback, or B-17F:

Color	Tamiya	Vallejo MA	Mr. Color	Mission Models
Olive Drab (upper)	XF-62	71.016	C304	MMP-091
Neutral Gray (under)	XF-53	71.051	C13	MMP-084
Interior Green	XF-4+XF-5 mix	71.137	C351	MMP-059
Flat Black (anti-glare)	XF-1	71.057	C33	MMP-047
Insignia Blue (markings)	AS-8 spray	71.091	C326	MMP-062
Insignia White (markings)	XF-2	71.279	C316	MMP-104
Insignia Red (markings)	XF-7	71.084	C327	MMP-101
Silver/Aluminum (gear)	X-11	77.701	C8	MMM-003
Tire Black	XF-85	71.315	C137	MMP-040

USN Tri-Color Scheme (1943-1944)

For a F6F Hellcat, mid-war F4U Corsair, or TBM Avenger:

Color	Tamiya	Vallejo MA	Mr. Color	Mission Models
Sea Blue (upper)	XF-17	71.295	C14	MMP-062
Intermediate Blue (sides)	XF-18	71.299	C366	MMP-071
Insignia White (under)	XF-2	71.279	C316	MMP-104
Interior Green (cockpit)*	see notes	71.137	C351	MMP-059
Silver/Aluminum (gear)	X-11	77.701	C8	MMM-003
Tire Black	XF-85	71.315	C137	MMP-040

Grumman cockpits (F6F, TBF) should be grey, not green. Use Tamiya XF-20 or Vallejo 71.050.

Natural Metal Finish (USAAF 1944-1945)

For a P-51D Mustang, late P-47D, or B-17G:

Color	Tamiya	Vallejo MC	Mr. Color	Specialty
Aluminum (base)	X-11 + XF-16	77.701	SM01-SM08 series	Alclad II ALC-101
Anti-glare Black	XF-1	71.057	C33	—
Interior Green	XF-4+XF-5 mix	71.137	C351	MMP-059
Insignia colors	see OD/NG table	see OD/NG table	see OD/NG table	—
Tire Black	XF-85	71.315	C137	MMP-040
Gun Metal (engine)	XF-56	71.072	C28	—

NMF tip: For a convincing multi-tone aluminum, use different metallic shades on different panels. Alclad II offers Aluminum (101), Duraluminum (102), Dark Aluminum (103), and Pale Burnt Metal (104) for exactly this purpose.

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This guide will continue to grow as we add technique articles, video tutorials, and expanded reference data. If you’re just starting out, pick a brand that’s available to you, grab the colors for your first kit, and start painting. The perfect shade of Olive Drab matters far less than the experience you gain by putting brush to plastic.

Every model you build teaches you something. Even the ones that don’t turn out the way you planned — especially those.

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