The clear coat you can use without holding your breath. Mr. Top Coat is water-based, which means it sits over whatever you've already done instead of attacking it — acrylics, lacquers, decals and bare plastic all survive it. No crazing on a clear part, no decal edges lifting, no top coat that reactivates the paint underneath and turns a finished model into a lesson. For Gunpla builders in particular, this is the sealing coat that just works: spray it over waterslides, Gundam markers and panel lining without the anxiety a lacquer clear brings.

Gloss is the tough end of the range. It's the most protective of the three finishes, the right look for anything meant to shine, and — most usefully — the working coat that makes decals behave. Decals silver because air catches under the film against a matt surface; over gloss they sit down and vanish. It's also the surface panel-line washes and weathering need to flow and wipe back cleanly rather than staining. At 88ml this is a small, precise can, better suited to models and figures than to large panels.

• Water-based: safe over acrylics, lacquers, decals and bare plastic
• No crazing on clear parts, no lifting decal edges
• The essential base under waterslide decals and panel-line washes
• Toughest of the three Top Coat finishes
• Low odour — usable where a lacquer clear isn't

How to use it: Shake it thoroughly, warm the can in hand-hot water, and make sure the paint underneath is fully cured — not just dry to the touch, particularly over enamel washes. Then build thin coats rather than one wet pass. Water-based clears spit if they're cold or under-shaken, and that shows up as speckle on a finished model.

The trade-off, stated plainly: being mild is the whole point, and it's also the limit. Mr. Top Coat is less hard-wearing than a lacquer clear. For a display model, that's irrelevant. For something handled constantly, a lacquer like Mr. Super Clear will outlast it — at the cost of everything listed above.

Which one do I need? Gloss (B-501) for shine, durability, and as the base under decals and washes. Semi-gloss (B-502) for a realistic in-service sheen. Flat (B-503) for military subjects and anything that shouldn't reflect. And choose Top Coat over Mr. Super Clear whenever decals, clear parts or delicate paint are involved — safety first, hardness second.

Specifications

Brand: Mr. Hobby (GSI Creos / Gunze Sangyo)
Item No.: B-501
Type: Water-based (aqueous) top coat, aerosol
Finish: Gloss
Volume: 88ml
Suitable for: Painted plastic, decals, clear parts, bare plastic
Safe over: Acrylics, lacquers, waterslide decals
Use in: Well-ventilated area