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Hey Guys,

I am looking for advice for protecting my miniatures. I have spent a great deal of time painting my current army & I noticed that they have some wear from being handled. I've been told to use a matte or glass varnish. Years ago I used one of those (Can't remember which) and it made the model all shiny & more or less ruined what I was going for. Is there any sort of protective product that will not impact the appearance/quality of my models but also prevent paint from chipping off etc? What do you use?

Thanks for your time

Gloss medium or gloss varnish will increase the shine of your miniatures. Matte medium or matte varnish will reduce it. Gloss varnish gives a stronger bond so protects your minis more, so a common practice is to gloss varnish your minis, then to matte varnish them on top of that to remove the shine.

You must have used a gloss varnish before. A matte varnish won't have that problem, even if applied over a gloss varnish.

 Yonan wrote:
Gloss medium or gloss varnish will increase the shine of your miniatures. Matte medium or matte varnish will reduce it. Gloss varnish gives a stronger bond so protects your minis more, so a common practice is to gloss varnish your minis, then to matte varnish them on top of that to remove the shine.

You must have used a gloss varnish before. A matte varnish won't have that problem, even if applied over a gloss varnish.

Thanks for the reply. I will give that a shot. I'll apply a gloss varnish then matte varnish & see how that turns out. Do you just apply it like you normally would a wash? Just a quick once over?

No, you apply it like paint.

Keep in mind that not all matte varnishes are totally matte.
For the totally matte look you need to use Testors Dullcote, Vallejo Premium Matt Varnish (preferably applied with an airbrush) or the like.

Steelmage99 wrote:
No, you apply it like paint.

Keep in mind that not all matte varnishes are totally matte.
For the totally matte look you need to use Testors Dullcote, Vallejo Premium Matt Varnish (preferably applied with an airbrush) or the like.

I have Vallejo products at a independent gaming store near me. If applied via brush would the quality turn out poorly? Most of these models are already based with grass etc. I've never used a airbrush before but I assume the result of me being a novice with airbrush, trying not to apply it to base at the same time might yield bad results. Does GW also carry matte/gloss varnishes or are they not recommended?

Regarding the application with a brush you said you just apply it like paint. Do I need to water it down? Sorry for all the questions. Its just that in my head the way I envisioned it was apply gloss varnish to all painted areas of the model, then do it once more with the matte varnish & done.

Forgive me if this all seems trivial to you guys. I'm no golden demon painter. I've painted a fair amount but this procedure is something I am not familiar with & don't want to do incorrectly. I spend about 8-12 hours painting each guardsman.

http://www.wampstore.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&manufacturer_id=49&product_id=763

Very matte and cheaper than most other varnishes too.

Tamiya TS-80 (Flat Clear) spray apparently works well. My mate Asuryan swears by it.

What about Satin ones?

Here are a couple examples of Vallejo Satin varnish.

Brush on -


Spray on -


Spray-on tends to be a bit shinier. Hope this helps.

 albinoork wrote:
Here are a couple examples of Vallejo Satin varnish.

Brush on -


Spray on -


Spray-on tends to be a bit shinier. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the pictures. Regarding the application of Vallejo sating varnish, how do you go about it with a brush? Paint it thinly over the entirety of the model? Spray seems like it would be much easier, but I am concerned that if the spray got on the grass I used to base the model it would look bad.

Commissar Benny wrote:
Thanks for the pictures. Regarding the application of Vallejo sating varnish, how do you go about it with a brush? Paint it thinly over the entirety of the model? Spray seems like it would be much easier, but I am concerned that if the spray got on the grass I used to base the model it would look bad.

I used a thin coat of satin varnish over the entire model. Don't let varnish sit on your palette for very long. Once it starts to dry it gets difficult to spread in thin layers. Thicker layers tend to cloud-up. If the varnish does become cloudy than just apply a layer of gloss varnish and than reapply satin.

For both models I applied varnish first than static grass later. I have spray varnished models after applying static grass and its been about 50/50 between no problems and clumps of varnish sticking to the grass (it looks like a very heavy dew).

Good luck.