In the pot, French Blue reads as a neutral grey, dark and muted. It builds a smooth gradient with Ijn M3 (N) Nakajima Interior Green underneath and Raf Extra Dark Sea Grey Bs381C/640 on the highlights, all in the AK Interactive line. This color is somewhat distinctive: 2 brands offer a strong same-finish match, Humbrol Dark Admiralty Grey closest at 83 percent. Any substitute is a mixing base rather than a drop-in, so tune it on the model.
French Blue equivalents and near misses
Fair warning: nothing matches AK Interactive French Blue cleanly. The options below are the least bad, and every one of them drifts.
Closest Humbrol equivalent: Humbrol Dark Admiralty Grey, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.3).
From Revell: Revell Gunship Grey USAF/Geschützgrau USAF, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 3.5).
Citadel's closest color: Citadel Mechanicus Standard Grey, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 4.1).
Nearest in the Scale75 catalog: Scale75 Modesty Black, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 4.1).
The drift here is spread thinly across hue, lightness and saturation rather than leaning one way, so the mismatch reads as a general haze at delta E 3.3 rather than an obvious shift.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Humbrol
Revell
Citadel
Scale75
Vallejo
P3 Paints
Two Thin Coats
Monument Pro Acryl
Tamiya
Green Stuff World
The Army Painter
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Match difficulty
Found in 2 other brands with a same-finish match.
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to AK Interactive French Blue?
The closest same-finish match is Humbrol Dark Admiralty Grey at 83% color similarity.
Is there a Citadel equivalent of French Blue?
Yes. The closest Citadel option is Mechanicus Standard Grey at 79%, a same-finish match.
What color is French Blue?
French Blue is a dark muted grey with a neutral cast (hex #47504F).
What do I highlight and shade French Blue with?
Highlight French Blue toward Raf Extra Dark Sea Grey Bs381C/640 and shade it down into Ijn M3 (N) Nakajima Interior Green, both AK Interactive paints in the same finish family.