In the pot, Clear Red reads as a warm red, mid-tone and vivid. For highlights, the next step up in the AK Interactive range is Clear Orange. This color is somewhat distinctive: 1 brand offers a strong same-finish match, Vallejo Red Wash closest at 84 percent. Any substitute is a mixing base rather than a drop-in, so tune it on the model.
Clear Red equivalents and near misses
Fair warning: nothing matches AK Interactive Clear Red cleanly. The options below are the least bad, and every one of them drifts.
Closest Vallejo equivalent: Vallejo Red Wash, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.1).
From The Army Painter: The Army Painter Carmine Dragon, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 7.9).
Scale75's closest color: Scale75 Anger Crimson, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 5.8), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
Nearest in the Two Thin Coats catalog: Two Thin Coats Evil Eye Red, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 6.2), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
The honest caveat: Vallejo Red Wash dries slightly darker than Clear Red, so expect recess shading and edge highlights to shift with it.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Vallejo
The Army Painter
Scale75
Two Thin Coats
Green Stuff World
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Pairs well with
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Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to AK Interactive Clear Red?
The closest same-finish match is Vallejo Red Wash at 84% color similarity.
What is Clear Red used for?
Clear Red is a wash that flows into recesses and pools in shadow. Common uses: warm crimson glazing; deepen recesses and panel lines.
What do I highlight and shade Clear Red with?
The next step up for highlighting Clear Red is Clear Orange in the AK Interactive range. Nothing sits directly below it in the same lane, so reach for a wash to shade.