Lacquer metallics differ from other metal paints in how little they leave on the surface. The solvent flashes off fast and the metal particles stay behind in a continuous layer thin enough to read as actual sheet metal rather than as silver paint. That is why this type is the usual choice for bare metal airframes, for panels that need to differ slightly in lustre, and for machined metal parts. A natural metal airframe is rarely one shade: individual panels masked off and sprayed in slightly different metals are what stops the finish reading as silver paint, and the tapes and films for that are in masking supplies. Other metal types, including the kind buffed up by hand, are in metallic model paints, and the bare metal subjects that reward the trouble in aircraft model kits.
