Clear-coating a finished model

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

Hey all,

I’ve seen some comments regarding applying clear coats to models once completed. I have a couple questions regarding this.

Firstly, is it expected that you apply a coat to the entire model?(every nook and crany) I’m also curious what the desired effect is aside from protecting the surface.

I’m aware of applying it under and over the decals, so I assume part of it is to help with that.

Finally does it cause a glossy appearance; and if so, is one better off using a dull coat as a final action? I suppose it will depend on the model itself but I don’t know exactly how bad glossing is when clear coats are applied.

2

depends if you are using future floorwax, thats’s glossy, unless you mix it with tamiya flat base.

cover every nook and cranny with several light coats, rather than 1 heavy drippy coat.

depending on your model, chances are it’s flat unless it’s a slick model like a racer, or car. tanks are almost always flat.

3

There are different types of clear coats you apply to a model depending what stage you are up to in construction. In general they are:

  1. Clear gloss coat prior to applying decals to prevent silvering.
  2. Clear gloss coat after applying decals to protect them from the weathering process.
  3. Clear matt coat (depending on your subject) to seal in the washes and pastels etc that you have used in the weathering stage.

Most people seem to choose Future floor polish (or local equivalent) for gloss and my weapon of choice for the matt coat is Polyscale acrylic flat.

Cheers
Darren

4

It is better to apply the clear coat to the entire model so that the sheen, whether it be flat, semi-gloss, or gloss, will be uniform throughout (will not look uneven or blotchy). Unless you’re replicating dissimilar panels, covering every nook and cranny with the desired coat is the norm.

For your second question, as you may know by now, there are three more or less distinct kinds of clear coats: flat, semi-gloss (aka satin), and gloss. As you said, what type you will apply depends on the model you’ll be finishing. So, you don’t have to worry about glossing unless it is really a gloss coat that you’ll be applying and that this is the effect that you’re after.

5

Thanks guys.