What's the difference between Tamiya mica paint & Tamiya metallic paint?

[Monty]

I assume the metallic has a smaller flake, but I've never used the stuff (yet). I'm asking partly because I don't want to end up with bass-boat metal flake paint, but also because I notice Tamiya carries TS-19 Metallic Blue, TS-54 Light Metallic Blue, TS-53 Deep Metallic Blue as well as TS-50 Blue Mica & TS-64 Dark Mica Blue.

[MikeMc]

The Mica seems to be more of a pearl rather than a flake This Nova is Mica blue and silver

this 50 is not Tamiya but Duplicolor metallic...I have found Tamiya colors do look scale...some of the new testors one coat lacquers have larger flake than scale

Edited February 5, 2012 by MikeMc

[Monty]

^{Here's an answer I received on another forum. It may prove informative.}

^{Metallic particles only bounce light in 1 direction. Mica chips, being crystals, bounce the light in multiple directions at once giving a different kind of "sparkle" or glow. Also, mica chips can be ground finer than metallic flakes giving us modelers a more in-scale effect.}