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This might be an incredibly dumb question.

I'm making the leap to an airbrush. I currently use Krylon matte finish to dull coat and protect my miniatures but it is smelly foul stuff. Is there such thing as a water-based dull coat so that I can say goodbye to aerosol cans forever?

Thanks!

-Tad, Mpls, MN

my last batch i used the Krylon Clear Coat for a protective layer, then dulled it with Dull Cote. i read about the combo some where as it supposedly gives stronger protective layers. is this necessary, or overkill?

I always use a gloss coat first, followed by some matte finish. This gives much more protection.

For "armor clad protection" I give the finished model a coat of Future floor polish (acrylic) - brush or airbrush. This stuff is tough as nails and does a great job of preventing paint color rub off on the high points of details. To dull the finish, I use Polly Scale Clear Flat. It brushes on nicely. If you airbrush it on, it gives the most matte finish I've seen. I like Testors Dullcoat, but have too often seen paint colors "yellow" after this has been on the model for a while. It will tint white to a very "amber/yellow" color. This is because it is a lacquer based product. I have been using the Future/Polly Scale combo for years now and have had no problems. Give it a try. Also - the Future gloss coat just about eliminates the chance of decals "silvering" when applied over it. It you put a decal over a flat finish, the carrier film will reflect air trapped under it because of the "rough surface" of the flat coat and appear to have silver speckles in it. A gloss coat of Future before decal application eliminates this because the smooth surface of the gloss doesn't allow air to be trapped under the carrier film.