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I've looked at my finished minis and wondered several times now why the heck they look so far different than I remember them.
And it finally cought on. It's the varnish.
I usually do a zenithal (hah, spelled it right this time!) highlight and "antihighlight". Easy, good looking and fast and near impossible to screw up.
Now I tend to varnish my models after this stage for easier cleanup on missed strokes and stray paint.

I could definately see the varnish changing the colour of Zandri Dust when applied... it went from "zandri" to "near-ushabti" even with careful application of a gloss varnish (Vallejo by airbrush).
I reapplied the Zandri Dust, but I fear once I apply the next coat, it will be gone again with no possibly fix at that time...
I've noticed the same with my Techmarine where the Evil Sunz Scarlet and Wildrider Red got towned down significantly. The type of varnish doesn't seem to influence this effect, satin had the same, if maybe a bit more pronounced, effect.
Bummer. Really takes a good chunk on the optics of a mini.

Is there something I can do to preserve the colours without having chipping by just looking at the models in a weird angle?

Yes, varnish can change the look of a model and as you can tell, it can be rather annoying.

However, unless you are using the varnish for a particular reason (like before and oil wash), you don't really need it, even for gaming miniatures. If you prime them properly and allow the primer to fully cure and allow any subsequent layers of paint to do the same, the paint job is pretty darn resilient.

Isn't the basecolour really succeptible to chipping though? After all airbrushed layers are usually way thinner than hairbrushed layers.. So, to get them to be at least somewhat resilient, I'd need them to be treated just like the primer - multiple thin layers?

 Thairne wrote:
Isn't the basecolour really succeptible to chipping though?

Nope.

If you are dead set on using varnish, especially matte varnish, try making your highlights a little bit brighter to compensate for the dulling effects of the varnish.

Fair enough.
I'm not dead set on varnishing whatsoever... besides when using oil washes. Which is unfortunately exactly the technique I require to be able to clean up the wash without murdering the zenithal highlight. I'll have to reinforce the highlights after the varnish and live with the matt finish then.

I'll try with my next models and see where it goes. Obviously there is room to improve on my technique (especially keeping my grubby fingers off... Just "borrowed" some paper clips from the office supplies for mounting the models, something I should get used to rather sooner than later)

Different brands of varnish will have a different impact on colours and shading.

Testors Dull Cote is by far the best I've come across so far for minimising the colour shift and not killing highlights.

I've had issues with paint wearing away if handled in the same location, so I'd rather varnish than not.

I used to swear by dullcoat, I have a sizeable amount of models that received a layer of it and they all look/feel great with no noticeable discoloration. That has unfortunately changed in the last couple years, as every can of dullcoat I have bought has done little to matt the finish of my models. I get most of my hobby materials from a model train store and the regulars there say (and from what I've found on various forums) is that Testor's has changed their formula due to importing reasons. I've recently tested dullcoat yet again in addition to numerous other varnishes on about 20 test marines. All the marines were airbrushed with Vallejo primer and left to cure for a week and then airbrushed with a zenthal coat of red (BA style) which was also left to cure for nearly a week. Lastly as I use oils, all 20 were given a coat of Testor's glosscoat which is also useful for determining the effects of each of the forthcoming varnishes.

I tried two cans of dullcoat, one that was purchased about a year ago that did not give the finish I was expecting, and a second can that was bought new. Both cans were shaken very well, and sprayed indoors under a vented hood at room temperature, this is actually where I tested all the varnishes. Both cans gave me only a very slight matting, it wasn't even satin.

Next I tried Testor's Lusterless spray from their model master series. (http://www.amazon.com/Lusterless-Flat-Lacquer-Clear-Testors/dp/B004QPCLQG). This had absolutely no effect on the models. It was so bad that I'm planning on going back to the hobby store to exchange it as it must be some sort of fluke... they were that glossy.

Next I tried Vallejo's matt and satin varnishes in an airbrush, once each straight, once each mixed with some water and once each mixed with Testor's acrylic thinner (will get to that below).
The satin gave me a frosty finish each time, low PSI on the compressor, went on smooth, couldn't tell you why it didn't want to co-operate. Now that's not to say it was frosty like some of the posts occasionally posted here on Dakka but frosty enough to not get a pass. The matt varnish was much better but still had a little bit of a frost to it. Vibrant reds seemed dulled, and depending on the method, a little bit of frost could be seen. Both appeared to have a better result when used with the acrylic thinner.

Lastly I tried Testor's Model Master Flat (http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/tes/tes4636.htm) thinned with the acrylic thinner I mentioned (http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/tes/tes50496.htm). This was by far the best of all the varnishes I tried. The best result came from a 3:2 ratio, thinner to varnish. That being said, it still wasn't quite what dullcoat used to provide, but it was pretty close.

I've heard of people having good experiences with both golden and liquitex. I hope to test them soon.