gloss application versus futuring

[amin]

hello,

I am about to finish my first HOBBY BOSS kit a Hellcat late war over all dark sea blue gloss and i am trying to make up my mind,do i future or do i gloss before applying the decals and then seal again? what are the advantages and dissadvantages either way? the objective as usual is to avoid silvering and blending the decals to the surfaces.

[Joe Hegedus]

Not sure what you're asking. Most people who use Future are using it as the pre-decal gloss coat. I usually seal over the decals, either with another coat of Future if I'm doing gloss or a flat coat if otherwise.

[amin]

i mean can i use a gloss coat instead of future before decalling and what is the difference? I will then seal with another gloss coat since its a Hellcat late war.

Edited August 31, 2012 by amin

[galileo1]

Amin, Future is used as a gloss coat specifically for decaling. Are you asking whether you can use another brand of clear gloss instead of Future? If so, of course you can. There are plenty out there, both acrylic and lacquer based. You have Tamiya, Gunze, Alclad, Testors Model Master, Polly Scale, Windsor & Newton Galeria, Liquitex, etc, etc. Some are better than others but by most accounts, most people seem to use Future because it's good and it's cheap.

Rob

Edited August 31, 2012 by TOPGUN

[Joe Hegedus]

What Topgun said. Future is easy to use, readily available for many, and inexpensive. But any good brand of gloss finish will work.

[drhornii]

I personally like to use a top color that is gloss (Xtracrylix and Xtracolor for example) which saves me from using future.

[amin]

the above replies to my last post are what i was looking for.I have Klear "there is no future or Klear in switzerland" got it from the UK through a friend.Gloss is available here.Since this is my first gloss finish aircraft ever "all my previous WW2 work was flattened in the end except for the natural metal airplanes" i wanted to understand the argument in favour of one Future and two Gloss. I was always using future or equivalent for the clear parts only.In this case beeing a late war Hellcat MM dark sea blue with white decals i can decide one or the other before and after applying the decals.I dont intend to make it look like a museum exhibit so if i find it too glossy i might tone it down with satin.Thanks for the help chaps.

[DutyCat]

I personally like to use a top color that is gloss (Xtracrylix and Xtracolor for example) which saves me from using future.

Gawd.....heck no. That might work with something simple, but try doing a wraparound camo job with gloss paint. No thanks. You need flats because you physically have to handle the model all over and get about a half an inch (or closer) from the surface with the airbrush to get professional looking, tight lines. When doing that, the last thing you need is a gloss that takes six hours to dry.

[jfmajor60]

If I understand correctly, your color coat is already a gloss finish and your wondering if you should apply the decals directly over your color cooat or put down a a coat of future first correct?

[dmk0210]

hello,

I am about to finish my first HOBBY BOSS kit a Hellcat late war over all dark sea blue gloss and i am trying to make up my mind,do i future or do i gloss before applying the decals and then seal again? what are the advantages and dissadvantages either way? the objective as usual is to avoid silvering and blending the decals to the surfaces.

If you painted your kit with gloss paints, then you generally do not need to apply a gloss clear (Future or any other brand) before applying decals. You probably will want a gloss clear over the decals though, but even that may not be necessary if the decals conform nicely and you trimmed off or can't see the clear edge of the decal.

[drhornii]

Gawd.....heck no. That might work with something simple, but try doing a wraparound camo job with gloss paint. No thanks. You need flats because you physically have to handle the model all over and get about a half an inch (or closer) from the surface with the airbrush to get professional looking, tight lines. When doing that, the last thing you need is a gloss that takes six hours to dry.

The xtracrylics dry very quickly. The Xtracolor colors dry a little longer(about the time it takes a sloth to walk around the globe). After three days, that stuff still seems tacky which is why I like the acrylics version. There are times I do need to add a gloss coat (Future normally) just to get a smooth surface hence the whole reason this is done to prevent silvering.

[Neo]

I was using Humbrol Enamel Gloss before i switch to Future but it works OK and give a smooth finish but i was brushpainting it and had isues with the drying time.