Tyran Blue is genuinely hard to match: no other brand has a same-finish equivalent close enough to swap, and the nearest color anywhere, The Army Painter Tidal Wave at 83 percent, is a different finish. Tyran Blue sits in the blue family: mid-tone in tone, vivid in saturation, cool in cast. For a true match, stick with the original; cross-brand substitutes will read as a different color.
Tyran Blue equivalents in other ranges
Tyran Blue is awkward to replace. Treat the matches below as starting points for a mix rather than straight swaps.
Closest The Army Painter equivalent: The Army Painter Tidal Wave, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 3.5).
Nearest in the Vallejo catalog: Vallejo Blue Wash, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 6.3).
Best Tamiya option: Tamiya Clear Blue, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 6.8).
From Two Thin Coats: Two Thin Coats Relic Blue, a swap nobody spots at arm's length (delta E 1.9), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
Check it on a spare model first, because The Army Painter Tidal Wave sits slightly darker than the original and the difference grows over large flat panels.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
The Army Painter
Vallejo
Tamiya
Two Thin Coats
Humbrol
Scale75
Revell
Monument Pro Acryl
About this color
Color profile
Pairs well with
Try any paint in the scheme toolMatch difficulty
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to Citadel Tyran Blue?
The closest same-finish match is The Army Painter Tidal Wave at 83% color similarity.
What is Tyran Blue used for?
Tyran Blue is a wash that flows into recesses and pools in shadow. Common uses: cool metal and cloth shadows; deepen recesses and panel lines.