Finishing help

[snacktruck67]

I put down a Duplicolor primer coat, then Humbrol Acrylic spray coat of gold, then a Duplicolor metallic final coat.  All turned out quite well, but I was wondering what is the best clear coat to put on.  I never use  a clear coat, I have always wet sanded and polished my models.  I want to put the best possible clear coat that I can without loosing the quality finish that I now have.  Any help would be appreciated. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

That question is going to get you at least a half a dozen different answers, but I'll give you my input on my experiences.

Testors "Wet Look" clear will most likely give you the best "initial" shine & a lot of guys will swear by it.

Most of my experiences were positive with it but I did have a few negative experiences so I no longer use it.

It's probably the slowest curing of the several I've used & also goes on heavier than others, so multiple coats are a little sketchy.

My go to clear is now Duplicolor "Perfect Match" clear.

It goes on much thinner so multiple coats are possible.

I use as many as 5 coats without hiding any detail.

I doesn't shine as well right off the bat requiring a good polishing to bring out the shine.

It's also much hotter than Testors, so you have to be careful about what you're spraying it over.

A new one that's showing some promise for me is Duplicolor "Paint Shop" clear.

The nice thing about this is, it comes in a quart can already thinned for spraying so it's very economical.

It shines nicely right out of the can & doesn't smell too bad, but it is a little thicker so detail hiding could be an issue again with multiple coats, although it's still better than Testors.

So far I've only used it on a couple of builds, but so far I've had pretty good luck with it, but the jury is still out on that one.

I've also used Testors enamel clear in the past.

It will give you a great shine, but plan on no more than a single coat & be cognoscente of the "yellowing" issue.

It will yellow over time, so I would use it only on very dark colors.

Plus, it's enamel so I would not plan on doing any polishing on it for at least a couple of months!

Over all, I would not recommend enamel

Anyway, just a little something for you to contemplate until the stronger opinions start flooding in.

 

Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

What he said (though I haven't sprayed the non-aerosol Duplicolor clears yet, Steve's work speaks for itself, and he has me convinced...and I'm not easily convinced of anything).

[Ramfins59]

I'd go with Duplicolor clearcoat since you used Duplicolor paint for the final colorcoat.

[snacktruck67]

How does Tamiya's clear stack up to the others?  BTW, after seeing lots of Steve's work, I trust in what he says.

 

 

[Snake45]

I still like Model Master Clear Top Coat enamel (airbrushed) on any color where the slight yellowing isn't going to be a problem (reds, medium or darker blues and greens, bright yellow, black, etc.). Goes on easy, rubs out great, fabulous gloss for years.

[crazyjim]

Nason 2 part urethane.