MRP-A024 Burnt Metal Blue

Burnt Metal Blue — Blue-Toned Burnt Metal, Mr.Paint Acrylic Metallic (17 ml)

This is not a kit, but a modeling paint. The shade belongs to the Aqua line by the Slovak manufacturer Mr.Paint, that is, the acrylic, water-thinnable line — not the lacquer (nitro) line the brand is known for. Volume 17 ml, a dropper bottle, the paint is ready to spray undiluted; it is thinned with water or acrylic thinner from the same line.

What burnt metal is and why it should be blue

When steel is heated, a temper color layer forms on it: the surface runs from straw and gold through purple and violet to blue and finally gray. This is exactly the effect you see on exhausts, jet engine nozzles, exhaust manifolds, gun barrels and other heat-stressed metal surfaces. The blue burnt tone corresponds to the part of the transition where the metal was hottest.

The key to a realistic result is layering. A single shade gives a flat blue area that looks more like paint than red-hot steel. Real modelers apply several burnt tones over each other and let them blend smoothly. That is why Mr.Paint also offers a Burnt Metal Violet variant (a violet tone) — only by combining the blue and violet burnt shades, possibly supplemented with a straw or lighter burnt metal tone, do you get on a nozzle the convincing color transition you are buying this paint for. It is worth getting both and spraying them over each other in fine, thinned passes.

What to watch out for

• The metal pigment is heavy and settles to the bottom. Without thorough mixing you mostly apply clear binder with no metallic effect — for burnt shades that ruins the whole transition.
• Exhausts and nozzles paint best on a smooth, finely sanded, ideally glossy base; every scratch stands out in the metallic shine and gives the plastic away.
• Metallic paint oversprays and masks poorly — tape can pull the metal layer off. Spray it last, and it is better to paint parts separately and glue them onto the model once finished.
• Matte varnish ruins the metal effect. Burnt metal has its own characteristic shine — overcoating it with matte varnish takes that away.

Who it is for

For builders of jet aircraft, automotive modelers working on exhaust manifolds, builders of military equipment, and anyone who wants heat-colored metal to look convincing rather than simply colored blue.

A modeling paint, not a kit. Ventilate and protect your airways when airbrushing. Keep out of the reach of children.