Micro-Mark Air Depot Buff Paint, 20ml
SKU
- Muted tan-yellow inspired by historic railroad depots and maintenance equipment
- Pre-thinned for smooth airbrush application—no thinning or clogging
- Perfect for wooden structures, MOW cars, and platform details
- Pairs well with Caboose Red, Reefer Yellow, and Engine Black for classic railroad palettes
- Made in the USA
Description
Air Depot Buff provides the same historically rich tone as standard Depot Buff (Item #29375), now in a ready-to-spray airbrush formula. This soft, sun-faded yellow-beige was used on railroad buildings, signal sheds, and work cars throughout the late 1800s and early 20th century. Ideal for aging wood or steel surfaces in a single pass, this color gives off a time-worn, utilitarian look that defines early American railroading.
Color Description
A warm, medium buff tone with a matte finish, Air Depot Buff reflects the aging paint of depot walls and tool sheds exposed to years of sunlight, dust, and coal smoke. It is equally useful as a base color for structures or as a highlighter for faded rolling stock.
Historical Background: Railroad Depot Paint Schemes
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, railroads adopted buff colors for practical and aesthetic reasons:
- Durability: Oil-based buff paint resisted dirt and UV damage better than bright whites
- Visibility: Provided subtle contrast against darker trim like black, brown, or red
- Standardization: Railroads like Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Chicago & North Western used buff tones across station buildings, utility sheds, and MOW rolling stock
This color became a symbol of the workaday side of railroading—less flashy than locomotives, but essential for operations.
Modeling Use Cases
• Depot exteriors, platforms, and trim
• MOW boxcars, bunk cars, and cranes
• Tool sheds, signal towers, and yard offices
• Wooden fences, sheds, and loading docks
• Weathered wood paneling and faded architectural elements
Airbrushing Tip
Spray at 15–25 PSI. For sun-bleached wood, drybrush with Reefer White after spraying. Combine with Caboose Red for depot wall-and-trim schemes or apply sepia washes to simulate dust, age, or soot buildup.
Micro-Mark Acrylic Airbrush Thinner if needed for custom blending. Air Depot Buff is available in the Airbrush Railroad Acrylic Paint Set.
Product specifications
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Instructions
Shipping & Returns
We hope you will be completely satisfied with your order...but, if an item does not meet your expectations, you may return it in as-new condition within 30 days of delivery for a replacement, exchange or refund of the purchase price.
More Information:
Micro-Mark Acrylic Paints include brush-on and airbrush paints. These paints have been specially formulated for painting miniatures, models, and figures of all sorts. The brush-on line includes primers, a multitude of colors, thinner, cleaner, and retarder.
Painting and finishing are key components to almost every project. With 96 years of experience in the hobby/maker space, Micro-Mark has time-tested expertise in providing the best and most innovative paints, brushes, airbrushes, finishing supplies and painting equipment to our customers. Recently, the demand for quality paint products has exceeded supply and as a solution to this issue, Micro-Mark is pleased to introduce the Micro-Mark Acrylic Paint Line.
The Micro-Mark Acrylic Paint Line has been developed and tested by our expert in-house team to give model builders, miniaturists, figure artists and other makers a new option when choosing paint for their projects. Featuring the most widely requested selection of basic colors, our matte-finish acrylic paint sets provide consistent color, solid coverage and smooth application in both brush-on and airbrush formulations. Additionally, we also offer white, gray and black primer for brush-on and airbrush use, plus our own thinners, acrylic paint cleaner, airbrush flow improver and retarder medium, giving you a complete paint system for reliable results every time. Our water-based acrylic paint products are non-toxic and proudly made in the USA.
