Abstract: A clear top coat composition comprising a film-forming acrylic polymer having a plurality of cross-linkable functional groups, a volatile organic liquid diluent capable of carring the film-forming polymer, a cross-linking agent for the film-forming polymer, and internally cross-linked polymer microgel particles stably dispersed in the mixture of the film-forming polymer, the diluent and the cross-linking agent. The composition is applied wet-on-wet a metallic color base coat having a similar composition containing the microgel particles and a metallic flake pigment, and cured simultaneously with the base coat.

Abstract: A dispersion stabilizer for dispersing solid particles into a liquid medium, which comprises resin particles bearing a zwitter-ionic group in the molecule, said resin particles each having substantially an average particle size of not more than 1500 .ANG. when measured by electron microscopic observation.

Abstract: A clear or colored top coating composition containing internally cross-linked microgel particles is disclosed. The microgel particles are produced by emulsion-polymerizing a monomer mixture of ethylenically unsaturated monomers including at least one cross-linking monomer and have a refraction index which is equal or close (.ltoreq.0.05) to that of a surrounding film-forming polymer fully cured with a cross-linking agent.