Vallejo Model Color 500 ml Matt Acrylic Varnish

Product Information

For a final layer, you usually want a matt finish; though sometimes a satin finish is more suitable for tyranids or the like. This is purely personal preference, and some people even prefer a gloss finish (weirdos!) 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. So that leaves vallejo PU varnishes. They do a standard polyurethane, which is fine, or their 'premium' line. Lately, they've also introduced the mecha varnish. I'm 99% convinced the latter two are the same stuff, or at least very, very similar. The main difference is the paint line they're attached to - premium is marketed at airbrushed RC cars, mecha line at airbrushed gundam etc. Mecha varnish is available in a 17ml size, while the smallest premium bottle is 60ml IIRC. I've had great results using matte coats on my minis. It's usually user error if it gets "frosty" .

So at this point I’m open to suggestions, is it me that I’m using this stuff incorrectly? This doesn’t really happen with my Vallejo resin varnish when going through the airbrush, they seem to go much smoother without much thinning. Especially with brush, how can we effectively avoid clouding/misting? And is there a way to correct a possible mistake? Like I said, if it works for them, more power to them, but I wouldn't touch that technique with a barge pole. I still have 100 of mls of acrylic varnish but I've relegated it to craft project status, simply because considering the amount of effort and expensive paint (and the price of the models themselves!) that goes into these things, the cost of the varnish is piddling. But like, that's my opinion and I can afford to do so; YMMV. 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).Now most of us want our models to look the best we can make them. A gloss coated miniature looks out of place on the table and pales next to one with a more matt finish. So if you want to protect your miniatures and have them matt you need to use both products. If your spray from too far away the varnish can dry in the air before it hits the model and this can produce some unwanted results. As with all things I suggest you try this on a test mini first!

Are you doing it for an effect, like a headlight? Then paint that iny area once you're done with spraying on the matte. same configuration as before but with a drop of liquitex flow aid: less clogging but still happeningGenerally, we dilute varnish with water? Is is acrylic base so theoritically yes but is it effective? After how many coats is the mini safe? (referring to matt varnish) Safety: Premium Color is not flammable, and does not contain solvents. Please see also certified safety information of the product on the Safety sheet. Anyway, I've had some very bad experiences with varnish from my airbrush. In fact I've had ZERO good experiences with airbrushing varnish. They always frost. No amount of thinning, changing air pressures or changing the distance I spray, always frosting. 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. 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.

If you are spending many hours painting miniatures then protecting your paint work is part of the painting process. Plastic miniatures hold up well to repeat handling but metal and resin miniatures can often scratch or chip. To counter this unwanted damage many of us coat our figures in a protective layer of varnish. 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!) 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. Hey! I’ve been using this varnish (particularly, the Matt one) for a bit, and always had problems with it. It seems to like clogging my AB needle tip every time, after a few passes of varnish, no matter how much I thin it down. I tried different thinning ratios with the same results:Hello guys, I am new to the forum, nice to meet this active community. My apologies for any possible mistake, my english are bad :/ 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. 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.