(Man does varnish sound weird. I had to google it to make sure I wasn't making up a word)

Anyway, what it says in the title? I'm guessing matte is the way to go for X-wing minis but any favorite brands/varieties?

Testors Dullcote is the industry standard.

Testor's Dullcoat doesn't really give much protection, all it does is give it a dead matt finish.

What I do is give it a coat of Gloss first (any will do, I usually use GW cause it's easy to get) for protection, and when that is dry I give it a coat of Testor's dullcoat for a matt finish, then I usually pick out the cockpit and any windows/viewports or stuff like that with a brush on Gloss

Testor's Dullcoat doesn't really give much protection, all it does is give it a dead matt finish.

What I do is give it a coat of Gloss first (any will do, I usually use GW cause it's easy to get) for protection, and when that is dry I give it a coat of Testor's dullcoat for a matt finish, then I usually pick out the cockpit and any windows/viewports or stuff like that with a brush on Gloss

That's my scheme too, thoguh I use Winsor & Newton matt as testors isn't easy to get here.

It's probably overkill for x-wing but there we go.

Also, GW is hideously overpriced. Any spray on gloss clear coat will do in a pinch, and be a LOT cheaper.

Testor's Dullcoat doesn't really give much protection, all it does is give it a dead matt finish.

What I do is give it a coat of Gloss first (any will do, I usually use GW cause it's easy to get) for protection, and when that is dry I give it a coat of Testor's dullcoat for a matt finish, then I usually pick out the cockpit and any windows/viewports or stuff like that with a brush on Gloss

That's my scheme too, thoguh I use Winsor & Newton matt as testors isn't easy to get here.

It's probably overkill for x-wing but there we go.

Also, GW is hideously overpriced. Any spray on gloss clear coat will do in a pinch, and be a LOT cheaper.

Nah the spray on can go misty on you I've had that issue before, brush on is the way to go.

Vallejo Matt / Satin Varnish

Vallejo Matt / Satin Varnish

This is what I grabbed off the shelf tonight. Will try it later this week.

Testor's Dullcoat doesn't really give much protection, all it does is give it a dead matt finish.

What I do is give it a coat of Gloss first (any will do, I usually use GW cause it's easy to get) for protection, and when that is dry I give it a coat of Testor's dullcoat for a matt finish, then I usually pick out the cockpit and any windows/viewports or stuff like that with a brush on Gloss

That's my scheme too, thoguh I use Winsor & Newton matt as testors isn't easy to get here.

It's probably overkill for x-wing but there we go.

Also, GW is hideously overpriced. Any spray on gloss clear coat will do in a pinch, and be a LOT cheaper.

Nah the spray on can go misty on you I've had that issue before, brush on is the way to go.

If the flat "frosts" when applied it usually means relatively high humidity. Try warming the model a bit with an incandescent light. This can be touchy due to some small cross section pieces like the guns on the Z and X-Wings. These can warp badly if heated too quick or too warm. A cardboard box with a low wattage bulb makes a convenient drying oven.

You can also try warming the model before spraying with Dullcote.

Warming the paint in a bath of warm water before spraying can also help, especially if it's cold or humid or both.

And you can often fix frosting by re-spraying in better conditions.

Just don't do what I did many winters ago .. after spending days painting the best model I have ever painted. In eagerness to apply the matte varnish, paint on the gloss to take some photos, I took it outside at night time .. shook my varnish and sprayed a few light coats. Something wasn't right. Is it frosting? A few light coats more to see. Oh bother .. I had grabbed my skull white primer in my enthusiasm.

Despite lots of TLC and repainting .. my heavily converted and wonderfully painted Malus Darkblade on a cold one was never the exact same colouring on both sides again.

Just don't do what I did many winters ago .. after spending days painting the best model I have ever painted. In eagerness to apply the matte varnish, paint on the gloss to take some photos, I took it outside at night time .. shook my varnish and sprayed a few light coats. Something wasn't right. Is it frosting? A few light coats more to see. Oh bother .. I had grabbed my skull white primer in my enthusiasm.

Despite lots of TLC and repainting .. my heavily converted and wonderfully painted Malus Darkblade on a cold one was never the exact same colouring on both sides again.

Reminds me of the time we swapped a guy's spray deodorant out for the rosin spray that receivers use so they can hang on to a thrown football. We thought it was hilarious. Him, not so much.

Just don't do what I did many winters ago .. after spending days painting the best model I have ever painted. In eagerness to apply the matte varnish, paint on the gloss to take some photos, I took it outside at night time .. shook my varnish and sprayed a few light coats. Something wasn't right. Is it frosting? A few light coats more to see. Oh bother .. I had grabbed my skull white primer in my enthusiasm.

Despite lots of TLC and repainting .. my heavily converted and wonderfully painted Malus Darkblade on a cold one was never the exact same colouring on both sides again.

Reminds me of the time we swapped a guy's spray deodorant out for the rosin spray that receivers use so they can hang on to a thrown football. We thought it was hilarious. Him, not so much.

Haha .. Despite sounding like a gag from an Adam Sandler movie ... I'd pay to see that!