Hey, I've been working a bit on my Bulldog tank, spraying some odds and ends with Tamiya flat clear. But, it just doesn't seem very "flat" to me. I've tried it twice-once thinned with Tamiya 20A, and then another try with Mr.Color thinner. Both results were about the same. Both look sort of shiny instead of dead flat.
My other flat choice is Model Master flat clear acrylic but because it always has had a bit of sheen when dry, I'm trying to save what little I have for airplane builds. I've used this Tamiya flat clear before but don't recall having this issue. Could the age of the product cause it to look a bit shiny?
Last edited by Gary Brantley on Fri Nov 18, 2022 9:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
I don’t think it’s the age, I think it’s the product itself. I went through a bottle of Tamiya Flat Clear this year and was not overly impressed with the stuff. I tried with thinning with Tamiya Thinner, Mr Levelling Thinner, and Home Depot generic Lacquer Thinner. In every case it had just the slightest sheen to it. I even tried adding Clear Flat Base to Flat Clear, and while that did flatten it out, it also gave dusty/frosty look to the stuff. I’m not going to be buying another bottle of the stuff except as perhaps a last resort. I had similar experiences many years ago with Gunze Aqueous Flat Clear as well. My next try will be with AK Real Color, as their paints dry dead flat, so I’m hoping their flat clear will also. I’m also looking at giving Micro Flat another shot, but I’ll need to experiment with that stuff on a paint mule, as my first experience with it was not good. I do love Humbrol Matt Clear, but that stuff has been hard to come by since I moved to AZ. I tend to use what the local shops carry, and not mail order my paints.
"Surely I have made my meaning plain? I intend to avenge myself upon you, Admiral. I have deprived your ship of power, and when I swing 'round, I intend to deprive you of your life."
Yall are gonna think I'm crazy, but I still use the old rattle can of Testors Dull Coat. I run a smooth swipe about 10-12" from the figure, then immediately hit it with an old hair dryer on high heat for a few seconds to speed up the drying process. Then I drop it down to low heat. It's been working for me like this for years, no major issues.
I've long ago given up on other dull coats, none have worked worth a hoot other than the old rattle can. Take a close look at my figures, they are flat in appearance.
Give Blood, Play Rugby, cause everyone knows football is for wimps!
Testors rattle can gloss and dull coats are great for the short term. But the stuff has turned somewhat amber on my older builds, and also shown staining interactions over the years with decal solutions. The stains were not there at at completion or for some time, but eventually appeared over several years. Between those two issues, I’ll never use that stuff again.
"Surely I have made my meaning plain? I intend to avenge myself upon you, Admiral. I have deprived your ship of power, and when I swing 'round, I intend to deprive you of your life."
I found when i used it i had to lower the PSI on my airbrush just a little. It did still take 4 or 5 heavy coats to get it flat though.
You can learn all the math in the 'Verse, but you take a boat in the air that you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
I'm still in the search for a good flat coat. Right now I am using Model Master Flat Acryl. It is good for a satin finish but susceptible to frosting (color looks greyish when viewed at certain angles) when I push for a more dead flat finish. Some of the flats that I've tried but moved on from are: Tamiya Clear Flat, Alclad Klear Kote Flat, Alclad Aqua Gloss + Tamiya Flat Base, Testors Dullcote, Ammo Ultra Matt, among others.
I really only use Krylon's matte rattle can from the local Fleet Farm/hardware store/JoAnn Fabrics. I especially like getting it at JoAnn's with a coupon.
Have used it for years, and because it is a big can I can usually go 7 or 8 projects before needing to get a new one. It looks dead flat to my eyes after it cures.
aka Robert
"I can't get ahead no matter how hard I try, I'm gettin' really good at barely gettin' by"
Something to think about with flat coats… you want to spray them on from a little bit of a distance and make sure that they do not go on wet. If they go on looking wet then the little particles that create the flat finish will be allowed to float and then they lay flat instead of at various angles so that the light doesn’t reflect off the surface. I mist on the testors, although I do decant it out of the spray can and put it in the airbrush from there.
I’m of a similar opinion to all these guys in that I’ve never been able to get it as flat as other brands. My go to is a MCW lacquer and I have great luck with that.
Thanks for all the great replies! You've given me some things to ponder and perhaps some new products to try as well. I may give the Tamiya flat one more try, maybe I did lay it on too "wet"? Anyway, it's sure worth another go at it. It seems that finding a good, reliable clear flat isn't as simple and straight forward as it should be, right?
