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I need to know if over the years if every day particles over a long period of time will effect and ware my models in any way if i have them sitting on a shelf with no cover or any thing... Or do you people generally always keep your models in a box or some sort of casing even if you're not transporting them around?




So i feel over a long amount of time micro particles ( deodorant/fly spray etc etc ) might effect them or does the acrylic paint protect them well enough if i leave them with no varnish, or am i wrong?



Thanks.

No. Unless you keep them in a chemical plant. I keep most of mine in a cabinet, which I dust every now and then using a soft brush. My larger models I keep out in the open and again dust every few weeks.

Oh really, and you never varnished yours???


Cheers.

I have models I painted 15 years ago that to this day don't look any different other than general wear and tear (mainly the edges from playing. These are not varnished.

Storage wise, most stay on a shelf, a handful were still in their case (I stopped playing for like a decade). No noticeable difference other than dust. A quick blast with some compressed air fixed that.

The real killer of your paintwork is sunlight. If you have them on a shelf that gets exposed to sunlight for part of the day, those colours will fade. I found it doesn't take that long either - a month or so in sunlight and you notice a marked difference. Metallics hold up better.

 Stormatious wrote:
Oh really, and you never varnished yours???


Cheers.

Most of mine are varnished but I still think the difference is negligible, varnish is mostly for the finish.

Why not varnish your models anyway? It's best practice and will give them an even finish.

 Stormatious wrote:
Oh really, and you never varnished yours???


Cheers.

Our group uses matte finish and nothing else. We also try to only pick up miniatures by the base.

I really recommend to varnish the miniatures, at least as long as they will be played. The best you can do is to put gloss varnish first, he is much durable than satin/matte varnishes. Then go with satin/matte for the second coat. The best is polyurethane varnish (e.g. Vallejo acrylic polyurethane). Even if they will laying on shelves most of time, it's better to have them secured, for easier dust off and sunlight protection.