I usually do 2 coats of varnish to seal the paintjob, and noticed that I can’t really get this stuff to come out of my AB properly with lower psi settings (15-20psi), it just won’t. Also, when it clogs, it seems to dry at the needles tip and suddenly spews varnish chunks when trying to clean it. Essentially the more glossy the varnish the stronger its protective qualities. Matt varnish alone offers almost no additional protection to your models. This is where you must understand the applications of all three varnish products to not just protect your figures but to get the desired results. Safety: Premium Color is not flammable, and does not contain solvents. Please see also certified safety information of the product on the Safety sheet. THEN you have what the varnish is made of. For modelling there are basically three types; acrylic, polyurethane (PU), and lacquer. In price, acrylic is cheapest, lacquer is most expensive. In terms of protection, acrylic is the worst, PU is very good, and lacquer is slightly better. In terms of toxicity, acrylic and PU aren't, and lacquer can be a bit toxic (it certainly smells!) Well acrylic varnish isn't useless; i have a whole ton of models from the 90's only covered in a double coat of acrylic varnish and they're fine. (the ones that weren't varnished, less so!). But then, they live in cases..It's just these days, it's one big advantage - being water based - has been superceded by PU water based varnishes that are basically better for virtually the same price. Yellowing is mainly an issue if you like to leave your minis in daylight for long periods (as in months or years), as it's UV light expsure that can do.it. I gifted some diorama pieces to my parents, oh, 20 years ago, and you can definitely see a bit of yellowing now because they've been on display.

So I suppose I should go with the Testors Medium/Satin coat, or whatever they call it. I am going to start experimenting with oil washes(as per Buypainted's tutorials) on my next batch, and it seems the satin wash is needed if you want the oil wash technique to work well. It appears his satin coats dont throw off his colors, if anything his minis are the best I've seen, and I had amazing results on my Dark Angles, other than the damned varnish circus. I have previously used Vallejo 70.510 Gloss Varnish but feel this is an inferior product on all accounts when compared to Galeria. Are you doing it for an effect, like a headlight? Then paint that iny area once you're done with spraying on the matte. Vallejo only sell acrylic and PU varnishes. I generally advise to avoid acrylic varnish. It can yellow over time due to sunlight. It's less protection. It's only real advantage is it's a bit cheaper, which only really matters when you're buying a *lot* of it. You'll note that the first 'matt varnish' you link is acrylic, so we can scratch that one.Oh and the sprayer bottle.. I doubt that it would work. The nozzle will get clogged very easily I fear. So far I have been pretty happy with the Vallejo one, though after the success of Galeria’s other products I will give theirs a go when my current supply has run out. Be very aware that using varnishes and other finishing products can change the colour and look of your miniatures. Those awesome models you see at high level painting events or found in the studios of some miniature manufactures have zero varnish on them. When you spend as long as I do looking at miniatures you notice the small changes in the colour and overall look that the varnish does. These never make the model look better (when applied as protective coats), so if you are painting models to the absolute of miniature perfection then varnish is something you want to avoid.

New formula acrylic colors with a satin finish, extra resistant and impact proof especially designed for airbrushing surfaces exposed to aggressive manipulation. The advanced formulation contains a revolutionary component which guarantees exceptional adherence on even the most difficult surfaces, and offers great resistance to rough handling, impact, friction, scratches, etc. Once dry, the Mecha surface looks the same as the original plastic of the model, while yet the smallest details of the original remain clearly visible. The color range includes primers as well as special varnishes – also with an exclusive formulation- and a series of colors for aging and weathering effects. It is recommended to apply the Mecha colors in several layers on the previously primed surface; a few hours after application the colors will have dried to form a homogenous coating of extraordinary strength and resistance. Mecha Color can be airbrushed directly or diluted with Vallejo Airbrush Thinner or Flow Improver, and the colors can also be applied by brush. The compressor adjustment recommended is 15 – 20 PSI o 0.5 to 1 kg. For best airbrush maintenance we recommend using the Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner. There are exceptions to the rule but this is the rule I follow and have, as I said never had a problem. Safety: Mecha Color is not flammable, and does not contain solvents. Please see also certified safety information of the product on the Safety sheet. I've had great results using matte coats on my minis. It's usually user error if it gets "frosty" .Edit edit - Another interpretation of what you mean is to paint over the gloss varnish by hand to add more detailing. Yes and no, see the comment above about the spray not getting into all the crvices. You can mitigate that somewhat by very careful spraying, but ultimately you're spraying a clear liquid and estimating ceverage is hard. I use the Vallejo products with no real issues. I do however use the correct thinners. Note that the gloss does have a blue/violet hue when you put it down, this is to aid seeing where you have been. It should clear as it dries. Especially with brush, how can we effectively avoid clouding/misting? And is there a way to correct a possible mistake? FYI you can use acrylic gloss(clear coat) spraypaint from a can to remove the frosting effect, but it leaves your miniatures VERY glossy, even if you try to tone down the gloss with several coats of satin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoBwMghF20A I might try a matte coat with a brush to bring down the gloss. I'm using Vallejo series of varnishes.

The matte finish on both is a bit superior to the standard PU varnish, as in it's slightly more matte, but also slightly more expensive than the standard PU varnish. Both are suitable for airbrush or brush use, and all vallejo varnishes I've used have been the same 'paint like' consistency. As mentioned previously there can be a degree of difference with some of these. The Vallejo Aerosol Satin is gloss, yeah it sounds stupid but it is so shiny it puts actual gloss varnishes to shame, and it also takes about 3 weeks to dry. What I have come to notice is that many hobbyists do not understand the qualities of the product they are using, or how to get the best use out of them. There are three types of varnish that most people are familiar with, gloss, satin and matt. The names reflect the finish left by the product but do not otherwise offer any information. I don't know what you mean by using it as a wash, it's a spray can. But I accidentally sprayed my Skyshield Landing pad with high gloss enamel paint. I thought I was utterly screwed, but three coats of properly applied matte spray, followed by another when I was done painting and you wouldn't know there had ever been any gloss paint near it.

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Well some say it's a good idea to spray a gloss coat on after your base coat, to protect from scrapes. It's supposed to be easier to rub off a mistake without damaging the base coat, and it makes oil washes flow really smooth in all the crevices. Then after you're all done finish up with a Satin or Matte coat. I'd tried the Gloss to Satin technique as I described, but my minis are extremely glossy still.

FWIW, I wouldn't put lacquer varnish through an airbrush. You can, but you definitely need good ventilation and an organic filter face mask, and you're not going to be popular with anyone else sharing the same space! So acrylic is definitely better under that circumstance! It's just modern water-based PU does it better yet... Now it does take a few coats to make sure that your miniature is well protected. i used to coat the entire model but have found that this varnish is not great for colour distortion so I recommend you only use it on spikes, edges, and other parts that get handled frequently or are likely to chip. Typically I use a single coat on plastics, two on resins and three on metals, you can add more and I have done up to 5 thin coats on some pointy bits I feared would chip, at five coats your miniature is next to bullet proof and will only be damaged if it takes a tumble off a table or gets stood on. The other very popular option is rattle can based, Testors Dullcote. Goes on extremely matte, and dries very tough, being a lacquer. Also stinks like the devil! This provides a smoother layer, which is what you want for the decals to fit on to on curved surfaces; it's less necessary for flat ones. Simply put, matt varnish of the same type as gloss has extra 'stuff' in it (a matting agent) which makes the surface slightly bumpy, which is also what makes it scatter light and thus look matt. Gloss varnish dries smooth, and thus, shiny.I've heard mostly Satin for doing the washes. Now that I think about it a bit more, it seems most of the remarks on applying varnish to facilitate the flow of washes was using a Satin Wash. I've been following Buypainted's tutorials on youtube for the most part, on the Dark Vengeances set(my first 40K minis) and first models since I was a kid. He does satin.... wash.... final highlights, then satin again. I was leaning towards the gloss because I'd read it somewhere, and the fact that my first 5 miniatures frosted pretty bad using my airbrush. I had to use a gloss coat to rescue them from the Simple Green(I'd already started 2 over).