Mr. Hobby Mr. Color 10ml Lacquer Paint – Pro Japanese Model Paint

Mr. Hobby Mr. Color 10ml Lacquer Paint – Pro-Grade Japanese Model Paint

• 40+ Year Industry Standard for Scale Modeling – GSI Creos Mr. Color is the lacquer paint system that professional modelers and competition builders have used as their default workflow paint since the 1980s. Higher pigment density than most water-based hobby paints, dries to a harder cure that survives masking and handling, and lays down a smoother finish on first pass — the reason Mr. Color stays the reference paint that other brands get compared against.
• Curated Bestseller Selection from the 180-Color Mr. Color Range – This listing carries the most-requested colors from the full Mr. Color C-series catalog, organized to cover the most common modeling applications: Gunpla character colors, military aircraft RLM/FS shades, tank and armor palette, gloss primary colors, metallic finishes, and clear coats. Select the specific color you need from the variant dropdown above. Additional colors from the broader 180-color range can be ordered by request.
• Lacquer Formula — Requires Mr. Color Thinner (NOT Aqueous Thinner) – Mr. Color is a solvent-based lacquer paint and must be thinned with Mr. Color Thinner (T101–T104) or Mr. Color Leveling Thinner (T106/T108). Aqueous Hobby Color thinners and water-based acrylic thinners are NOT compatible and will damage the paint. If you are looking for the water-based version of this color line, see Mr. Hobby's Aqueous Hobby Color (H-series) instead.
• Airbrush-Optimized, Hand-Brushable for Small Details – Mr. Color is engineered primarily for airbrush application at a 1:1 to 1:2 paint-to-thinner ratio. The lacquer flashes off quickly, so hand-brushing works for small detail areas and touch-ups but is not recommended for large flat panels — use a brush-friendly paint like Aqueous Hobby Color or Tamiya Acrylic for hand-brush-heavy projects.

📝 Product Description

The Mr. Hobby Mr. Color line is a Japanese-manufactured lacquer paint system produced by GSI Creos (formerly Gunze Sangyo), used as the default airbrush paint for serious scale modelers across Gunpla, military aircraft, armor, ship, automotive, and figure modeling. The standard 10ml bottle is the most widely-sold paint format in Japanese modeling, and the C-series numbering system (C1 through C189, with extensions into C300+ for FS-coded military colors) has become a de-facto reference standard that other paint brands cross-reference in their conversion charts.

The chemistry distinguishes Mr. Color from the water-based hobby paint category. Lacquer paint contains pigment suspended in a solvent that flashes off quickly during application, leaving a durable cured surface that holds up to subsequent masking, decal application, panel-line wash, and clear-coat sealing without lifting. Water-based acrylics handle differently and cannot substitute for lacquer in workflows that depend on cure hardness — most masking-heavy multi-color builds, panel-line wash workflows, and competition-level finishes are built on lacquer paint specifically for this reason.

The trade-off is ventilation. Lacquer fumes require proper airflow and a respirator rated for organic vapors when airbrushing. Builders working in tight indoor spaces without exhaust ventilation should plan for spray-booth work or schedule painting sessions for outdoor weather. This is a professional modeling tool, not a casual hobby paint — the durability and finish quality come from a chemistry that demands respect.

🎯 Color Range Reference

The variants in this listing are organized by typical application. Select the specific Mr. Color SKU you need from the variant dropdown above.

Primary Gloss Colors: The bedrock palette every modeler needs — C1 Gloss White, C2 Gloss Black, C3 Gloss Red, C4 Gloss Yellow, C5 Gloss Blue, C6 Gloss Green, plus C33 Flat Black and C62 Flat White for matte applications. C156 Super White IV is the high-opacity white base coat used for car bodies and applications where a single-pass solid white is needed. These are the foundation colors used directly or as base coats for custom mixing.

Gundam / Mecha Character Colors: The Character series (C107 through C112+) is Mr. Hobby's dedicated palette for Mobile Suit Gundam and other anime mecha — semi-gloss finishes formulated to match official Bandai kit color call-outs. C107 Character White, C108 Character Red, C109 Character Yellow, and C110 Character Blue cover the core Federation mobile suit color scheme.

Aircraft Modeling Colors: Authentic Luftwaffe RLM-coded shades for German WWII aircraft — C36 RLM74 Gray Green, C114 RLM23 Red, C115 RLM65 Light Blue, C116 RLM66 Black Gray, C117 RLM76 Light Blue, C120 RLM80 Olive Green, and C123 RLM83 Dark Green cover the core Luftwaffe palette from early-war Bf 109 through late-war Fw 190 and Me 262 schemes. Add US Federal Standard military colors (C13 Neutral Gray, FS-coded specialty grays in the C300 series like C311 FS36622 and C338 FS36495) and RAF-pattern colors (C22 Dark Earth) for British WWII aviation builds.

Tank and Ground Vehicle Colors: C40 German Gray (Wehrmacht Panzergrau), C12 Olive Drab for US armor, C19 Sandy Brown for desert and Africa Korps schemes, C41 Red Brown for camouflage and weathering, C137 Tire Black for rubber components, and C29 Hull Red for ship hulls and below-waterline applications.

Metallic and Clear Colors: C8 Silver and C9 Gold cover the basic metallic palette, C28 Steel and C104 Gun Chrome handle weapon and mechanical detail, C159 Super Silver delivers a high-shine finish for show-quality builds. Clear colors (C46 Clear, C47 Clear Red) are used over metallic base coats for candy-color effects on car models or as tinted gloss coats over decals.

💡 How to Use

For airbrush application, thin Mr. Color with Mr. Color Thinner (T101) or Mr. Color Leveling Thinner (T106) at a starting ratio of 1:1, adjusting toward 1:2 for finer detail work and lower air pressure. Mr. Color Leveling Thinner contains a retarder that slows drying — preferred for glossy finishes, metallic paints, and humid environments where flash-off is too fast for smooth coverage. Standard Mr. Color Thinner is the daily-driver choice for everyday work.

For hand-brush application on small details, use the paint as-is from the bottle or thin only slightly. The lacquer flashes off too quickly for broad brushstrokes — limit hand-brushing to touch-ups, panel detail, and small areas under 1cm². For larger hand-brushed areas, use Aqueous Hobby Color or Tamiya Acrylic instead.

Drying and recoating: Touch-dry in 5-10 minutes. Fully cured for masking, handling, and recoating in 24 hours. Apply 2-3 light coats rather than one heavy coat — building color in thin passes prevents the lacquer from pooling in panel lines and gives a cleaner final finish. Always work in a well-ventilated area with a respirator rated for organic vapors. Lacquer fumes are not casual paint smell — they are genuinely hazardous in unventilated spaces.

For sealing and finishing, top-coat your completed paint job with a clear varnish — see our AK Interactive 3G Acrylic Varnish for matt, satin, or gloss finish sealing. Mr. Hobby's own Mr. Color top coats (C181 Semi-Gloss Super Clear, C182 Flat Clear, C183 Super Clear Gray Tone) are also compatible if you want to stay within the Mr. Color ecosystem — those are sold as separate Mr. Color Top Coat listings.

🔧 Why Modelers Choose Mr. Color

Common feedback themes from Mr. Color users at Gundam Planet, USA Gundam Store, Mecha Universe, and across the broader scale modeling community center on three points: finish quality on the first coat, cure hardness for masking-heavy builds, and color accuracy for reference-coded shades.

The first-coat finish is where Mr. Color separates from cheaper alternatives. Where many water-based hobby paints need 2-3 coats to reach full opacity and a smooth surface, Mr. Color routinely delivers an even finish in a single pass at 1:1 thinning ratio. For builders moving up from Vallejo, Tamiya Acrylic, or basic hobby paints, the difference in coverage and surface quality is the most-cited reason for switching.

The cure hardness matters most on multi-color masking workflows. Mr. Color's lacquer cure resists tape pull, masking film adhesion, and the inevitable handling that happens during a complex paint job. Water-based acrylics can lift under masking tape if not perfectly cured; lacquer paint at proper cure does not.

The color accuracy is why Mr. Color shows up as the reference standard in third-party paint conversion charts. RLM codes, FS codes, BS381C codes, and the Bandai-coordinated Character colors are all formulated to match the actual reference standard — not "approximately like" the color, but the documented spectrophotometric match.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Mr. Color and Mr. Color GX?
Mr. Color is the standard 10ml lacquer line — broad color range, everyday workflow paint. Mr. Color GX is the high-performance 18ml line with higher pigment density, smoother gloss finish, and a smaller curated color set focused on high-gloss applications. GX is preferred for car bodies, deep-gloss clear coats over decals, and any project where finish quality is the top priority. Standard Mr. Color is the better everyday choice for general modeling.

Can I use Mr. Color Thinner on Aqueous Hobby Color paints?
No. Mr. Hobby explicitly states the Mr. Color thinners (lacquer-based) are not compatible with the Aqueous Hobby Color or Acrysion lines (water-based). Each paint family needs its own dedicated thinner. Using the wrong thinner can damage the paint and ruin your project. If you need to thin Aqueous Hobby Color, use Aqueous Hobby Color Thinner (a separate product).

Will Mr. Color work over a Vallejo, Tamiya Acrylic, or other water-based base coat?
Yes, but only if the underlying base coat is fully cured and protected with a clear varnish layer. Lacquer applied directly over uncured or unsealed water-based acrylic can lift, crack, or dissolve the underlying paint. Best practice: prime with a lacquer-compatible primer (Mr. Surfacer), apply Mr. Color directly over the primer, and only mix paint chemistries with a sealing varnish layer between them.

Is Mr. Color the same thing as the Mr. Color Spray cans?
The chemistry is similar but the format is different. Mr. Color Spray is the same lacquer paint pre-loaded into aerosol cans for builders without an airbrush. The standard Mr. Color jars (this listing) are the airbrush-and-bottle format that gives you control over thinning ratio, color mixing, and application. Most serious modelers use the jars; the spray cans are a convenience option for quick or single-color projects.

Why is the bottle so small (10ml)?
10ml is the Mr. Hobby standard format and represents enough paint for several Gunpla kits or one large-scale aircraft when properly thinned for airbrush use. The smaller bottle keeps the paint fresh — lacquer paint can thicken over time as solvent evaporates, and a smaller bottle gets used up before that becomes a problem. For high-volume use cases, see the Mr. Color GX 18ml line or Mr. Color larger refill bottles (sold separately).

How long does an opened bottle last?
Properly capped and stored in a cool place away from sunlight, an opened Mr. Color bottle stays usable for years. The lacquer solvent eventually evaporates and the paint thickens — when this happens, add a few drops of Mr. Color Thinner to restore working consistency. Paint that has fully dried in the bottle cannot be easily revived; this is preventable by capping immediately after each use.

📐 Specifications

• Brand: GSI Creos / Mr. Hobby
• Product Line: Mr. Color (Standard C-series)
• Formula: Solvent-based lacquer
• Volume: 10ml glass jar (per variant)
• Application: Airbrush (primary) or hand-brush for small details
• Thinner Required: Mr. Color Thinner (T101–T104) or Mr. Color Leveling Thinner (T106/T108)
• Recommended Thinning Ratio: 1:1 to 1:2 (paint to thinner) for airbrush
• Drying Time: Touch-dry 5-10 minutes; fully cured 24 hours
• Reference Code Systems: Bandai Character colors, Luftwaffe RLM, US Federal Standard 595, British BS381C, Japanese IJN/IJA
• Country of Origin: Japan
• Hazard Classification: Flammable. Use in well-ventilated area with respirator rated for organic vapors. Keep away from heat, sparks, and open flame.
• Best For: Gunpla airbrushing, scale aircraft and armor modeling, masking-heavy multi-color builds, competition-grade finishes