I think the Apples look best when they are painted to match the tank they are installed on. When they are left in their unpainted BLACK state, they really stand out like a sore thumb and look like a foreign object that doesn't belong on the model. Only practical reason I can see for leaving them unpainted and black is so the same apple can be swapped around on different tank models. Maybe most people that run them black have one apple that they use with several different models? I would paint them at least a base color that matched most of my models, like dark yellow or olive drab green, if I was trying to make due with one apple. Just my thoughts on the matter.. Or maybe paint it like a MacIntosh apple
