The show finish. Mr. Super Clear is a lacquer, and that changes what's possible: it goes on harder, flows out glassier, and cures into a genuinely tough film that a water-based clear can't match. More importantly, it can be cut and polished. Compound a lacquer gloss coat back and you get the deep, wet, mirror finish that concours car models are judged on — try that on an aqueous top coat and you'll go straight through it.

That hardness is also real protection. On a model that gets handled, transported to shows, or gamed with, a lacquer clear is the difference between a finish that survives and one that wears at every edge. It self-levels as it goes off, filling the micro-texture that makes paint look flat, so even without polishing it reads deeper than a water-based coat over the same paint. 170ml — nearly double the Top Coat cans, and sized for car bodies and large subjects.

• Lacquer hardness — the most durable clear coat available
• Cuts and polishes to a true mirror finish
• Self-levelling for glass-like depth straight from the can
• Superb base under decals and panel-line washes
• 170ml — sized for car bodies and large models

Read this before you spray it. Lacquer is strong, and strength cuts both ways:

• Never on clear parts. It will craze canopies, windscreens and visors. Use a water-based top coat there instead.
• Mist first, always. Two or three light dust coats, a few minutes apart, before any wet levelling coat. A heavy first pass can soften acrylic paint underneath or lift decal edges. The mist coats seal everything; after that you can flow it on properly.
• Ventilation is not optional. This is a solvent lacquer with the odour to match — outdoors or a spray booth, and wear a respirator. It's not a spray-it-in-the-lounge product.
• Test first over unfamiliar paints, particularly craft acrylics and hand-brushed enamels.

Tip: If you want to polish, leave it a week. Lacquer feels dry in an hour and keeps hardening for days — cut it too early and you'll drag the finish rather than level it. Patience is most of the technique.

Which one do I need? Super Clear Gloss for car bodies, show finishes, polished results and hard-wearing protection. Mr. Super Clear is also made in semi-gloss and flat for the same durability at lower sheen. Choose Mr. Top Coat (B-501 gloss, B-502 semi-gloss) instead whenever clear parts, delicate paint or decals make lacquer too risky — milder, water-based, far more forgiving.

Specifications

Brand: Mr. Hobby (GSI Creos / Gunze Sangyo)
Item No.: B-513
Type: Solvent-based lacquer clear coat, aerosol
Finish: Gloss
Volume: 170ml
Suitable for: Painted plastic, metal, resin
Not suitable for: Clear parts — will craze
Polishable: Yes, once fully cured
Use in: Spray booth or outdoors; respirator required