Hello,

simple question: do you seal and/or varnish your new X-Wing miniatures after unpacking them for protection? Or is that unnecessary?

unnecessary. The factory paint is much more resilient than the plastic miniatures.

If you decide to paint them I would recommend a varnish.

Welcome to X wing!

^ this guy knows!

I have had miniatures since the game launched in 2012. They have always been kicking around a plastic plano case, never in foam. I've taken them to tournaments, moved across the country, flown them in a checked bag to GenCon, etc and I have never seen the factory paint scratch off or get scuffed in these condiitons. Varnish/seal is unnecessary until you begin painting them yourself.

Which varnish or seal do you use after you start painting them. I've used acrylic. and I hate goopy look.

Also sometimes its slight-gloss or matte.

17 minutes ago, Blail Blerg said:

Which varnish or seal do you use after you start painting them. I've used acrylic. and I hate goopy look.

Also sometimes its slight-gloss or matte.

I'm using the Citadel Stormshield mixed almost 50/50 with water. Good coverage, soft surface, and only a tiny or near-invisible gloss. Better than the sprays I tried.

15 hours ago, Blail Blerg said:

Which varnish or seal do you use after you start painting them. I've used acrylic. and I hate goopy look.

Also sometimes its slight-gloss or matte.

^That's what I use. I associate the smell with finishing work on a ship.

I am too scared to use spray. I've seen too many spray fails to want to ruin my precious paint jobs, haha! I just use standard craft store matte coat, but I should probably invest in something a bit thinner. But for where I'm at skillwise it's fine.

18 minutes ago, Tervlon said:

I am too scared to use spray. I've seen too many spray fails to want to ruin my precious paint jobs, haha! I just use standard craft store matte coat, but I should probably invest in something a bit thinner. But for where I'm at skillwise it's fine.

I was scared to use brush. Be carefull, thin it and make a try on something trashable. Brush can leave visible strokes or a thick film on the model.