ingtaer wrote:
Most people don't use varnish on plastic and resin minis seemingly, but generally one would use a matte. Though a gloss can be used for effect as well (I tend to use it on engines glows and similar).

For decals, yep that's right. Worth getting microset/sol to soften the decal so it conforms better to the shape of where you are applying it. Especially on things like marine shoulder pads.

 ingtaer wrote:
Its a nomenclature thing. You will also find glaze. You want matte or GWs Lahmian.

 Big Mac wrote:
I would recommend using matte varnish and quick spray from 3 angles each about 1 second from 1-1.5 ft away; yes plastic and resin don’t chip like metal, but the main damage done is by your hands, every time you handle your minis, putting them away, playing games, the oil in our hands rub the paint off.

Edit: for decals, you don’t use a spray varnish; you want to think where you want the decals first, then use GW ard coat with a soft brush to go over where the decal lies, let dry evenly as possible, apply decal, no need to use Microsol if the area is flat like a sheet, use Microsol if there is any curve, you may need 2 coats, then let dry for 30 minutes(don’t apply lahmian medium right away otherwise you get a cloudy effect, redo everything)and apply GW lahmian medium, make sure it gets under any decal air bubbles, if there are any pockets, use xacto knife and poke a hole and apply lahmian medium again, let dry evenly as possible.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
its a posh word for name. lahmain medium is your best bet for what you're after, which i assume is for making glazes and layers.