AK Interactive - WW2 US Army Air Force Colors RC5026

 I've seen ads for AK Interactive Paints and I've never tried them until now. There is only one shop close to me and they are quite pricey as a result. However, as of writing this post I'm building a Revell 1:72 B-17F Memphis Belle, and because the real Memphis Belle has been fully restored there is a lot of info on details of the aircraft. One mention was the Belle was painted with Olive Drab 41. And AK were one of the only companies that specifically make this paint.

Better still Olive Drab 41 comes in a boxed set with a underside Sky Grey, and Bright Green, for the splotches painted on the upper surface. All of this is perfect, and I managed to find the last box around for a while.

I've never used these paints before, but AK boast on their site that their paints are hardy and mix well with other thinners. I assumed that this boxed set was Acrylic, but the smell was awful and when I tried mixing with acrylic thinner the paint went grainy and mushy. So I cleaned out my airbrush and tried with Lacquer, and my did they paint put beautifully. Sadly no where on the box did they indicate that these were either lacquer or acrylics.

     Olive Drab 41 (RC259)               Neutral Grey 43 (RC261)                Medium Green 42 (RC260)

Neutral Grey 

Olive Drab 41

Medium Green 42

I have to say that AK really live up to their reputation of vibrant and lively colors. The pigments they use are very nice and bold. I do have some concerns about the Olive Drab 41 as it doesn't match the Memphis Belle and is quite a bit darker than I wanted. But it's a very sound and excellent looking Olive Drab.  In conclusion, I'm very pleased with the quality of these paints, and if I had easier access to them I'd be buying a lot more of these. They are easy to airbrush and clean and stick very firmly to the surface. I can see what all the AK fuss is about.