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I have finished a couple of my blood angels and I was wondering whether I should invest in some varnish to keep the paint on 'em etc.

How necessary is this, are there any tips or tricks you have for getting the best result, and what kind of varnish should I get?

You certainly should varnish any model you are going to play with.

There is also an argument for varnishing models to achieve effects such as making the decals blend in, jewels stand out, and so on.

Assuming you are doing wargame pieces I should first paint them with a light coat of acrylic gloss brush-on varnish. Acrylic will not affect any kind of paint on the model.

Then finish with a light coat of spray matt polyurethane. This is harder and tougher than acrylic.

Finally, you could touch up jewels and metallics with a dab of gloss to make them shine.

Some people like their figures with an all-over gloss finish. It's just an aesthetic choice. I've done some armies that way.

I also like to use satin varnish on vehicles.

I say very, very necessary. My hands are pretty oily (I paint with latex gloves) and my gaming table is made with sand, so I like to keep my models as protected as possible.

My method is to paint the model completely (duh), give it a full coat of Testor's Glosscote (a gloss varnish), let that dry over night, then give it two light coats of Testor's Dullcote (a matte varnish).

Common wisdom among the hobby holds that gloss coats are better at protecting the paint, and the Dullcote is to flatten out the sheen on the model after the Glosscote. A benefit is that whenever the Dullcote wears off in places or scratches, it leaves a glossy section so I know to hit it with my matte varnish.

How often do you play and how do you transport yoru miniatures?

If you only ever play at home a few times a month, you probably don't need to varnish that much. If you're playing all the time at clubs and you only have cardboard boxes for transport, then varnishing is more of a necessity

 Jordan wrote:
Common wisdom among the hobby holds that gloss coats are better at protecting the paint, and the Dullcote is to flatten out the sheen on the model after the Glosscote. A benefit is that whenever the Dullcote wears off in places or scratches, it leaves a glossy section so I know to hit it with my matte varnish.

This is pretty good advice. I can't attest to the quality of Testor's since it's been a long god-damned time since I painted anything (I hope to start doing it again here soon), but varnishing is important because it protects all that hard work you put into painting your models. It's a good idea for any models you paint, but especially ones you intend to game with for obvious reasons.

I wonder if this isn't why people dislike metal models so much, come to think of it...are there a lot of people that don't seal their models when they're done painting? If so then no wonder people hate metal so much, lol.

I highly recommend varnishing models, both for aesthetic (evens out variations in sheen of paintjob, due to glossier inks, different paints, etc.) and practical (protects the paintjob) reasons. I swear by Testors Dullcote for my final finish, but apply a coat or two of gloss spray beforehand. While I don't buy into the whole "gloss is appreciably stronger than matte" argument (at least not for our purposes and especially when people almost never bother distinguishing between acrylic sprays and lacquers), acrylic gloss is a heck of a lot cheaper than Dullcote, so I let it do the heavy lifting to save some money.

Not much in the way of tips and tricks for application. Just read the can and do a quick test on some scrap to make sure everything is going as it should. Common issues are most frequently encountered when the standard warnings (shake thoroughly, keep can warm, avoid humidity, etc.) are ignored.

 oadie wrote:
I swear by Testors Dullcote for my final finish, but apply a coat or two of gloss spray beforehand.

A lot of people are going to agree that Testors brand sprays are the best varnish for miniatures of almost all kinds. It's kind of expensive, but you might be able to find it at a local craft/hobby store rather than ordering if off the internet. Very much worth the price, I've *ruined* miniatures with other varnishes.

Put on a good thick gloss varnish, then get rid of the shiny look with the Dullcote varnish.

How about Future floor polish? I've read where people swear by that stuff. I just tried it on a valk prior to applying decals and I really like the hardened coat it gives the model. I also tried it on a IG sergeant and feel it gave it quite a nice hard shell. It does make it look very shiny/glossy so I'll probably hit them both with dullcote at some point.

Future polish is good for aircraft cockpit canopies and to give a nice flat surface to put decals on, and on top of the decals to protect them. It can be used as an overall varnish.