Marc0514 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) I am working on a 1:48 scale F-4D Phantom of the Minnesota ANG in the ADC Gray scheme. I used MM Acryl Aircraft Gray (The only game in town), but in my opinion, it is really too glossy for this scale. I plan on giving it a clear coat of future to seal the decals. Then I want to try spraying it with an acrylic semi-gloss topcoat to take the edge off of the gloss. My reasoning is that this method typically works well when using a flat clear coat for finishing flat camoflage paint scemes. Anyone else face this dilemma? Would this work in creating semi-gloss/satin finishes? Edited April 14, 2015 by Marc0514 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mlicari Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 My main collection I'm building is 1/72 US Navy and Marines aircraft. As a result, a lot of my builds are in the overall glossy sea blue scheme, but in 1/72 I think that high gloss sheen is too much. After the decals and remaining parts are on, I finish each with an overcoat of semi-gloss to tone things down so the planes aren't so shiny. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Adam Baker Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Check out the Vallejo range of acrylics, they've got a semi gloss clear in their collection. I just used the flat/matt clear a couple weeks ago, and absolutely loved it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Marc0514 Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 Thanks. I've finally found a local shop that carries Vallejo paints, so I'll see if they have the semi gloss clear. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Netz Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 You can always hit it with some fine steel wool (new pad), it'll keep a hard finish and knock down the gloss. Curt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 You can always hit it with some fine steel wool (new pad), it'll keep a hard finish and knock down the gloss. Curt Curt, I've used steel wool to rub out stains and varnishes on wood, but there is always a ton of steel wool shavings that get everywhere and are a pain to completely using a tack cloth. When you use steel wool on a model do you have this issue as well? Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 (edited) Tamiya's X-35 Semi Gloss Clear acrylic is brilliant. Edited April 17, 2015 by Crazy Snap Captain Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plastic-stasher Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 You might add some of Tamiya's X-21, Flat Base to your Future coat before spraying. This will reduce the gloss effect to either a satin or a matt effect depending on how much you add. A bit of experimenting first will help you judge how much to add to get the result you want. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
compressorman Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Try using a scuff pad. Those things are great for models. Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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