Few paint names carry a century of history in a single word. Khaki — from the Urdu for "dust-coloured" — went from colonial improvisation to the defining colour of the twentieth-century soldier, and Humbrol No. 26 is the modelling standard for it: a matt earth-brown drab that covers uniforms, webbing, packs and soft-skinned vehicles across generations of military subjects. When a figure or vehicle kit's paint guide calls for "26", this is the tin.

The Soldier's Colour

No. 26 earns its keep anywhere military kit needs painting: infantry uniforms and greatcoats, canvas tilts and tarpaulins, webbing and equipment straps, and the drab workhorses of army motor pools. Matt is the operative word — field kit has no shine, and this finish delivers the dead-flat surface that makes miniature fabric and canvas read convincingly. It also serves as a mixing base, shifting readily toward green, brown or sand with other colours in the range for unit and weathering variations.

Classic Solvent-Based Enamel

The traditional fast-drying Humbrol formula: high-density pigment, strong single-coat coverage — a genuine virtue when painting dozens of figures — and a durable matt film. It adheres to most plastics, wood, glass, ceramics, metal, cardboard and sealed surfaces (test a small area first on anything unusual), with a 14ml tinlet covering roughly 0.3 square metres.

Brush or Airbrush

Brush straight from the tin — two thin coats beat one thick one, and matt colours keep their texture best when applied thin. Airbrush thinned with Humbrol Enamel Thinners at 2 parts paint to 1 part thinner. Matt is touch dry in 20–40 minutes and hard dry within 24 hours; recoat after 6 hours minimum, preferably overnight. Clean brushes and airbrush with Humbrol Enamel Thinners.