Gloss Finishes

mist on future to desired brillance.

Is this a model that's going to have decals on it? Because if it is, then they are going to to adhere far better to a gloss finish, which means you are going to have to apply them after a gloss overcoat to the flat finish, then coat it again with gloss to get the finish of the paint and decals to have the same degree of shine to them. Since you've primed it already, that's a minimum of four coats of paint you are talking about, and at that point I'd be concerned about surface detail getting lost due to the two gloss overcoats, plus the underlying flat finish and primer. Flat finishes and primers tend to have a rough surface on them as they dry, and that won't help things from the detail point of view either once you start applying the transparent gloss finishing coats either. By going with a gloss finish over the primer, you can at least save one paint coat if you use decals on it, and if it doesn't need decals avoid the transparent overcoating as well.

Pat

in article snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com, Pat Flannery at snipped-for-privacy@daktel.com wrote on 1/10/08 9:41 PM:

OTOH, gloss paint tends to go on thicker than flat paint, so you may end up with the same amount of stuff either way. Another consideration is whether or not the shade you want is available in gloss -- there are a whole lot more choices with flats. I'd say you can go either way as long as you're careful to apply stuff in thin coats, especially the glosses (paint and/or clears).

Pip Moss

It would help a lot to know what the model in question is of. If it's a car or 1/144 airliner, then a little extra paint thickness isn't a problem, if it's a civil or military aircraft, that's a different story, as there will be considerable surface detail unless it's a desktop display model.

Pat

I opted to go Tamiya flat black first and then Tamiya semi-gloss black. I always feel more confident spraying flats. I then sand and polish with 4000 and 8000 grit polishing cloths, paint flat again, sand and polish again and then paint the gloss or semi-gloss, apply the decals and then another coat to seal the decals. I always wonder though if I've added too many steps (and coats as Pat points out) by not starting with gloss or semi-gloss to begin with.

Thanks for your opinions on this.

Art

They don't have as much tendency to run as gloss paint, that's for sure.

This sounds like a car model or airliner model. is that the case?

Pat

If it is to be a semi-gloss or not super glossy finish, I'd recommend the gloss paint. Unless you take great pains to get a super gloss, ordinary gloss paints generally to not look superglossy. Gloss overcoats DO create a very high gloss.

You might also try Xtracolor paints (from the UK). They are glossy, and don't seem to be quite as thick as a lot of other gloss colors I've used. If you're airbrushing they thin very well with Modelmaster thinners. I've also found that even when brush painting them they tend to be less "streaky" than many other gloss paints. Just my $.02.

I may try Xtracolor some day. It is one of the few I've never tried and they are readily available in Atlanta. However, I have over 200 bottles of paint now and need to work the inventory down a bit. I'll use my Tamiya paints this time.

Thanks,

Art

Testors makes a super high gloss transparent finish that works well.

Pat