My usual process for finishing a figure involves a layer of protective clear coat, then a matte coat to take off the shine of the clear coat.
Clear coating can be done with just about any product. I prefer Krylon Crystal Clear, I have not had any of the yellowing that some clear coats are said to produce. Other times, when I used the Army Painter dip, I didnt bother with a clear coat.. the dip does a good job on its own.
Following that, I usually use Testors Dull Cote (Link to TheWarStore). When digging through my box of spray cans, I found a can of The Armory Matte Sealer (Link to Paizo). I do not recall why I purchased this, but decided to give it a try since my dull cote was nearly out.
I proceeded to coat an army of Huns I had just finished for DBA. While there is a pleasant vanilla smell when you spray the stuff, the coat went on thick in some places, thin in others, and produced a 'frosted' look when it dried. I could tell right away that something was not right, but wanted to let them dry fully to see if it went away. An hour later, they looked worse, having a frosted look under close light. Even with regular room lights, the frosted look was still there on several models.
When I had finished a single contractor figure (posted in a previous blog) I had a similar problem. I did several layers of the matte, and finally just hit it with dull cote to fix it. Not sure why I thought it would be better this time, but the same thing happened.
A week later I hit them all with a quick spray from the Testors Dull Cote, and the problem was fixed. I am willing to accept that it might of been a bad batch from the Armory, but I dont think I am going to take a chance on another can. The Dull Cote is in a much smaller can (3oz vs 12oz) and about the same cost ($5.00-$6.00), but thats going to be the Matte I use for my figures from now on.
The last picture lets you see the difference. Plain, untreated miniature on the left. Huns that were hit with the Dull Cote after the armory. Then just the Armory. The frosting is really visible on the static grass, but the whole figure just looks coated to me. The camera didnt pick up how readily visible it was. You can even see in the first picture how it was still shiny through the matte.
Clear coating can be done with just about any product. I prefer Krylon Crystal Clear, I have not had any of the yellowing that some clear coats are said to produce. Other times, when I used the Army Painter dip, I didnt bother with a clear coat.. the dip does a good job on its own.
Following that, I usually use Testors Dull Cote (Link to TheWarStore). When digging through my box of spray cans, I found a can of The Armory Matte Sealer (Link to Paizo). I do not recall why I purchased this, but decided to give it a try since my dull cote was nearly out.
I proceeded to coat an army of Huns I had just finished for DBA. While there is a pleasant vanilla smell when you spray the stuff, the coat went on thick in some places, thin in others, and produced a 'frosted' look when it dried. I could tell right away that something was not right, but wanted to let them dry fully to see if it went away. An hour later, they looked worse, having a frosted look under close light. Even with regular room lights, the frosted look was still there on several models.
When I had finished a single contractor figure (posted in a previous blog) I had a similar problem. I did several layers of the matte, and finally just hit it with dull cote to fix it. Not sure why I thought it would be better this time, but the same thing happened.
A week later I hit them all with a quick spray from the Testors Dull Cote, and the problem was fixed. I am willing to accept that it might of been a bad batch from the Armory, but I dont think I am going to take a chance on another can. The Dull Cote is in a much smaller can (3oz vs 12oz) and about the same cost ($5.00-$6.00), but thats going to be the Matte I use for my figures from now on.
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| 'Frosted' Huns |
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| Close up of 'frosting' |
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| Painted Hun - Dull Cote - Armory Matte |
The last picture lets you see the difference. Plain, untreated miniature on the left. Huns that were hit with the Dull Cote after the armory. Then just the Armory. The frosting is really visible on the static grass, but the whole figure just looks coated to me. The camera didnt pick up how readily visible it was. You can even see in the first picture how it was still shiny through the matte.
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