AK Interactive 3rd Gen Acrylic RLM 65 (1941) (AK11818)

By 1941 the Luftwaffe had quietly revised its underside blue — a slightly greyer, more subdued take on the original Hellblau, likely down to wartime pigment shortages and factory variation. This is that later shade, the one you want for undersides on aircraft built or repainted from 1941 onwards, right up until RLM 76 took over later in the war.

Best for

• Undersides on mid-war Luftwaffe aircraft where the greyer 1941 shade is documented
• Weathering and fading studies alongside the earlier RLM 65 (1938) shade
• Airbrushing clean, consistent undercoats before panel-line and pin-wash work

The subtlety between the two RLM 65 shades is exactly the kind of detail that separates a good build from a competition one — worth getting right if accuracy matters to you.

Water-based, for brush or airbrush. Find the earlier 1938 shade and the rest of the range in our AK 3rd Gen Acrylics collection, or browse brushes to suit.