The Science of Coating

Saw another guy again at facebook who posted that he needs help on what top coat to use. I still haven't had my share of top coating so here goes:

I am going to use sinanju pictures for references cuz I think it's a really good way to show off the the top coats but mostly because it's a good kit.

I believe there are 3 Types of Top Coat you may use:

Flat Top coat

The one on the right. The price of this top coat at Ace Hardware costs P159.75 but I bought my own at my local hardware which costed me P100. Big difference. So for this, I personally recommend using Bosny Flat Clear as it has made wonders for me so far. I like flat finishes and this one has worked out well for me so far with no problems. 

Flat finishes will give you a much more realistic sense of the model kit and takes away its toy-ness and will give you a much more finer look at the kit.


I also came upon a blog who used Bosny flat clear on a mastergrade wing gundam. You can look for yourselves the finish it has achieved. Here is the site:
http://juniorgundam.wordpress.com/2010/07/04/wonders-of-bosny/

Also, here's a reference picture of what a flat finish is like.

Credits to chubbybots for the pink panther. Here's more of his works:
http://chubbybots.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/hguc-sinanju-completed/


Gloss Top Coat

Nothing beats a gloss coated sinanju and for those modelers out there who like their model kits like it just came out of a factory then gloss is the one for you. Here's a reference picture of a glossed kit.

Semi-Gloss Top Coat

If you want your finish to have a just a little hint of gloss but not gloss all the way then semi-gloss top coat would be best for you. I haven't heard of any semi-gloss industrial top coats so if you can suggest something other than using an expensive Mr. Hobby then please leave a comment below at this blog.


Here's a reference pic of a semi-glossed sinanju.

How to spray top coat?

Read my spray painting guide. It will tell you most of what you need to know about model kit painting and how to use and preserve spray cans.

When to spray top coat?

A hot dry day is very ideal for topcoating. NEVER! NEVER SPRAY TOP COATS DURING A RAINY DAY. The cold temperature affects top coats and it will form foams on the piece you are painting. Others argue though, that gloss coats aren't affected by weather. I personally haven't tried top coating on a rainy day so if you have tried spraying gloss coat during a rainy day and worked. Please leave a comment below and tell me your story, I'd love to hear it.


Which Top coat would be best to use?


It all depends on two things: Sense and Style. If you're a person who'd like to have a more realistic and mature look at the kit then I will suggest using a Flat Top Coat, but if you're a person who'd love to show-off and take photos of your kits then I will suggest using gloss coats (Flat and semi-gloss finishes are also good for photography it's just that gloss coated kits has more advantage in terms of photography obviously due to its glossy-ness ) But if you're a person who wants little of both and has the money to support it then use semi-gloss, it will work well for you.


Okay, so I guess this is all for top coats. If you have any recommendations, questions or if you want to share your story of top coating experiences please post that at the comments below, I'd love to hear and answer them.

Till my Next Post!!!