Vantablack took black paint to a new level by absorbing 99.96 percent of visibly light. The paint can erase the features of three-dimensional objects, including the design lines of the BMW X6. The paint has unique applications in the aerospace and defense sectors, and the maker won’t supply it to private individuals. That has made an opening for other ultra-black paints like Musou Black that are nearly as effective as Vantablack.
Demonstrating the paint’s effectiveness is a new video from the DipYourCar YouTube channel, which uses the paint to completely cover a Mitsubishi Lancer. The result is stunning, with the Musou Black paint absorbing 99.4 percent of visible light, nipping at the heels of Vantablack’s absorption rate. The finer styling details, like the Lancer’s body creases and design lines, disappear in the deep black void as the paint fails to reflect any light, which would show those features. The car’s lighting elements and glass glean against the color.
Don’t go rushing online to buy a few gallons of Musou Black for your car, though. The paint isn’t designed for vehicular applications. It’s a water-based paint that’s prone to glossing and peeling with only light contact, making the coating very weak and prone to wearing off, which would be quite common on a road-going car. However, according to the video, the paint did evenly dry, and at ¥2,500 ($24 at current exchange rates), it’s not a bad deal even if it won’t last.
Paints like Vantablack and Musou Black have yet to make it mainstream in the automotive space, though they’d have to meet tough automotive industry standards first. For now, it’s a novelty paint color with wild attributes and specifics uses that certainly draws the eye. The black paint looks like an unnatural void, especially on a moving car, which we’re certain would turn heads in public.