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I am just finishing up painting my Tyranids (finally!). But cold and wet weather has set in where I live so spray seal is out of the question.

I want to use a gloss seal because I want my Nids to have slimy/bug shell vibe to them. I see a lot of paint on sealers at the hardware and craft store but don't know how well they will do on minis.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a gloss sealer that can be used indoors and any recommendation on paint on sealant (I have never used it before on minis)

GW gloss varnish. Or try army painter dips.

I wouldnt try anything from the hardware store without doing a lot of tests first. Could be a disaster.

Liquitex gloss and matte acrylic varnishes can be brushed on. There is also Windsor Newton uv resistant varnishes and even the craft store polyeurethane sealers from companies like folk art and delta ceramcote should do just fine. And of course there's the giant last forever bottle of future floor polish you can probably find set target or walmart, goes by Pledge with future, makes an excellent and glossy clear coat sealer.

Hope this helps.

I second the people who suggest using floor polish, such as Future (I think it has been renamed "Pledge with Future shine" but is otherwise unchanged).



It's tough, you can thin and clean up with water, you can probably get it at the supermarket, and a bottle that costs you $6 will last a lifetime. The bottle I bought in 2006 is still 90% full.

heavybolter wrote:
Liquitex gloss and matte acrylic varnishes can be brushed on. There is also Windsor Newton uv resistant varnishes and even the craft store polyeurethane sealers from companies like folk art and delta ceramcote should do just fine. And of course there's the giant last forever bottle of future floor polish you can probably find set target or walmart, goes by Pledge with future, makes an excellent and glossy clear coat sealer.

Hope this helps.

Future huh? That would be a lot cheaper than anything else, I have to try it on a test model. For some reason the idea of using floor wax on my minis scares me

I've only used Vallejo matte and gloss varnishes. They both work well applied by brush and airbrush and you can mix them to get a matte/gloss ratio that works for you. I cannot comment on how they compare to other products though, so Ouze may be correct in suggesting bottled Dullcote if he's compared products.

I would never suggest a GW non-miniature product, other than *maybe* a small selection of their paints cherry picked. Their utility products such as glues, brushes, varnish, mediums are at best relabeled other products with a substantially higher price tag.

Zookie wrote:

heavybolter wrote:
Liquitex gloss and matte acrylic varnishes can be brushed on. There is also Windsor Newton uv resistant varnishes and even the craft store polyeurethane sealers from companies like folk art and delta ceramcote should do just fine. And of course there's the giant last forever bottle of future floor polish you can probably find set target or walmart, goes by Pledge with future, makes an excellent and glossy clear coat sealer.

Hope this helps.

Future huh? That would be a lot cheaper than anything else, I have to try it on a test model. For some reason the idea of using floor wax on my minis scares me

Do a google search on it and you will see that it's been a staple in the military modeling community for many years. It's commonly used for giving a gloss finish to plane canopies, as a clearcote sealer and even used to make washes. It's literally just a liquid acrylic medium with a vast amount of uses. And yes it's very cheap, you can find it anywhere, even on amazon, and it lasts a LONG time.

 Yonan wrote:
I cannot comment on how they compare to other products though, so Ouze may be correct in suggesting bottled Dullcote if he's compared products.

I edited that out - I originally misread the OP. Brush on dullcote is definitely awesome situationally but I didn't initially realize he wanted a gloss coat.

I have personally used Future for many years and never had any problems with it, I can highly recommend it for your gloss coating needs.

Ahh k, yeah I missed that part too.

@OP - consider using a gloss varnish on the carapace, but a matte or satin varnish on the flesh. It gives a great contrast and helps visually distinguish the two different material types. Think a polished tortoise shell compared to leathery tortoise skin.

Good call on that as well.