XF-15 Flat Flesh 10ml

Tamiya XF-15 Flat Flesh, a matte enamel paint, 10 ml

A Tamiya modeling paint from the Color Enamel range in a bottle holding 10 ml. The XF designation means a matte (flat) surface, which is essential with skin, because glossy skin looks unnatural. It is a solvent-based (synthetic) enamel thinned with Tamiya X-20 thinner; it is not the X-20A intended for acrylics. Tamiya also offers the shade with the same number in an acrylic, water-thinnable version, so this item is the enamel and should not be confused with the acrylic XF-15. Note that it is a paint, not a kit.

Use

• A basic flesh shade for figures: faces, hands, the neck and other uncovered areas.
• A starting color for shading skin: on its own it serves as a mid tone on which both shadows and highlights are built.
• As a secondary use for wooden grips, straps and other features calling for a light beige base.
• Enamels are the classic medium for washes and picking out panel lines, applied over a cured acrylic coat that they do not attack.

Thinning and application

It is applied with a brush and with an airbrush; for spraying, thin it with X-20 thinner, and the manufacturer recommends roughly 2 parts thinner to 10 parts paint. A tip for realistic skin: a flesh color applied cleanly looks flat and plastic. You achieve realism by rubbing a thin glaze of a darker tone into the folds, the eye sockets and under the chin once the base tone has dried, and by lightly brightening the raised places such as the nose, the cheekbones, the forehead and the finger joints with a lighter shade. The slow drying of an enamel is an advantage here: the paint can be blended on the surface for a long time and merged softly. Under decals (on figures or vehicles, for example) use a gloss varnish so that the decal does not silver, and finally even the surface out with a matte varnish.

Who the paint is for

For modelers and collectors who paint figures, crews, soldiers or busts and want a proven flesh base in an enamel medium with a long open time.

The paint is flammable and contains organic solvents. It irritates the airways, so work in a well ventilated space and use protection for your airways when spraying. Keep out of reach of children and away from open flame and sources of heat.