Gloss clear recommendations?

[stevep944]

Afternoon all,
What's the best clear gloss varnish for airbrushing 1/24 (typically) model cars?
Currently playing about with Vallejo and Tamiya without huge success.
Is it a case of patiently building up coats? Any recommendations on thinning etc?
Or is a good gloss paint a better solution, if so, which?
Thanks

[dr_gn]

stevep944 said:

Afternoon all,
What's the best clear gloss varnish for airbrushing 1/24 (typically) model cars?
Currently playing about with Vallejo and Tamiya without huge success.
Is it a case of patiently building up coats? Any recommendations on thinning etc?
Or is a good gloss paint a better solution, if so, which?
Thanks

How come you’re not using gloss paint for bodywork? I know Zero paints dry flat, and need a gloss coat, but I’ve only ever had problems with those paints.

I’ve used Tamiya TS-cans, with the paint decanted into the airbrush. Only used white and purple (Jaguar XJR-9), but it worked really well. I used TS- gloss clear to overcoat and seal the decals, again decanted into the airbrush.

Also used 2K gloss on a McLaren MP4/6, but I wouldn’t use it again - too many potential health problems. It did dry very glossy and hard though.

[stevep944]

Thank you,
I have used gloss paint but it's not what I'd call really glossy so far.
Also tried matt which covers well and then gloss clear over it.
This is me still learning the airbrush, first time I'm trying a car body.

[dr_gn]

stevep944 said:

Thank you,
I have used gloss paint but it's not what I'd call really glossy so far.
Also tried matt which covers well and then gloss clear over it.
This is me still learning the airbrush, first time I'm trying a car body.

Is it a colour that Tamiya do in their TS range?

[stevep944]

Probably, I haven't looked.
It's only the little Tamiya Lotus Seven, I'm doing it dark green, but really just using it as an airbrush practice kit anyway so I'm only going with what I have.
It's all good experience!

[dr_gn]

stevep944 said:

Probably, I haven't looked.
It's only the little Tamiya Lotus Seven, I'm doing it dark green, but really just using it as an airbrush practice kit anyway so I'm only going with what I have.
It's all good experience!

TS-9 (British Green) is the colour in the instructions.

The thing about decanting it into the airbrush is you can get thinner coats, and because it’s spray paint it’s already thinned perfectly. You might find you don’t need a gloss coat because I believe the spray cans are synthetic lacquer rather than water based acrylic. The lacquers seem to give a glossier finish.

If you decide to give it a go, don’t apply the lacquer over X or XF acrylic paints. It would safer to strip to bare plastic and apply over Tamiya white fine surface primer (spray can).

[stevep944]

Thanks for all the helpful info and taking the time to reply.
I have looked at decanting from the spray can for using in the airbrush. This will be the way to go I think as I'm trying to get away from using rattle cans indoors!
Couldn't have picked a more tricky body shape to start with but I happened to have the kit lying around half started.

[MBBlat]

Winsor & Newton Gallaleria Gloss. Sprays fine through the airbrush without thinning, can be thinned with water if required. Usually available at the Range.

[dr_gn]

stevep944 said:

Thanks for all the helpful info and taking the time to reply.
I have looked at decanting from the spray can for using in the airbrush. This will be the way to go I think as I'm trying to get away from using rattle cans indoors!
Couldn't have picked a more tricky body shape to start with but I happened to have the kit lying around half started.

A good way of decanting is to get some pipettes off Amazon for a few quid:



Then chop one up as shown. You can adjust the taper cut so that it’s a snug fit over the nozzle spigot:



This way you can spray it directly into the airbrush cup, and it won’t go everywhere. It will bubble a lot during this process, so take it easy and allow a bit of time for it to de-gas.

When the tube eventually gets a thick coat of paint on the inside, take it off and roll it between your fingers - the paint chips off and falls out leaving it just like new.

I hardly ever use Tamiya cans without using this method - saves over spray, it’s perfectly thinned, and it gives a very fine coat without obscuring details. Good luck.

[clockworks]

You can't beat automotive 2k for a high gloss finish. You need a decent spray booth and suitable mask.

However, I don't think it looks "scale" - too glossy and toy-like on smaller models.

I'm just getting back into scale modelling. I'm using Tamiya LP paints (lacquer jars) thinned with Mr Hobby levelling thinner, over Mr. Surfacer 1500 primer. Looks pretty "scale" to my eyes, without a clear coat.
I just use my X and XF paints for detailing now, over LP paints for the main colour. Added bonus, X paints are easily removed (with isopropyl) if I make a mistake, leaving the LP base colour untouched.

Having said that, I will need to find a good gloss clearcoat for heavily decalled car bodies that looks "scale".

[dr_gn]

I think gloss or even satin on scale model aircraft looks terrible, but on cars it’s obviously required. For some reason, even a very high gloss finish on a 1:43 car looks good to me, so long as it’s not so thick it looks like treacle. I’ve seen a few where people have gone for a ‘scale gloss’, where it’s on the satin side, but to me they often look like the modeller just can’t paint properly. Personal opinion obviously!

[tangerine_sedge]

dr_gn said:

I think gloss or even satin on scale model aircraft looks terrible, but on cars it s obviously required. For some reason, even a very high gloss finish on a 1:43 car looks good to me, so long as it s not so thick it looks like treacle. I ve seen a few where people have gone for a scale gloss , where it s on the satin side, but to me they often look like the modeller just can t paint properly. Personal opinion obviously!

I somewhat agree, but also think that over-glossy cars don't look scale to me. I admire the skill and effort to get a good glossy finish, but in my eyes, that tends to make them look like models.

[Gary29]

I swear by Mr Hobby GX112 UV, I did dabble with 2K for a bit, but not worth the risk to my health (it used to set my mainly dormant asthma off terribly, even with decent safety gear). The GX112 dries hard and can be sanded and polished after a good few days to cure, I think it looks more 'scale' than 2K as well, here is an example of my output:

[clockworks]

Gary29 said:

I swear by Mr Hobby GX112 UV, I did dabble with 2K for a bit, but not worth the risk to my health (it used to set my mainly dormant asthma off terribly, even with decent safety gear). The GX112 dries hard and can be sanded and polished after a good few days to cure, I think it looks more 'scale' than 2K as well, here is an example of my output:

Looks good, and it does get great reviews.

Shame that Jadlam don't seem to stock it...

[dr_gn]

I always worry about compatibility - after some Zero lacquer caused a crazy paving effect on a Honda S2000 I d spent ages building (base was Citadel silver paint because the grain size on the Zero stuff was a joke). It was great for a year or so, then the next time I looked at it was like some strange camo pattern.

With the 2K I used it was from the same suppler as the base. Also Tamiya/Tamiya has been fine.

Before:





After 😂 :





It was still probably the best car model I’ve ever built, but such is life…

Edited by dr_gn on Tuesday 25th November 13:34

[stevep944]

Thanks for all the recommendations guys, lots of options to play with!