"What do you think of gloss finishes?" Topic

Another post about varnishing figures got me thinking about this. I plan on posting this discussion on several of the Yahoo groups as well as here on TMP.

A few years back I bought some 6mm ground figures on eBay that had a gloss finish. I was going to dull coat them but over time they have grown on me. A friend said that painting figures in a gloss finish was popular in the UK at one time.

I collect toy soldiers (54mm variety, Britains, etc.) and deplore the newer flat finish figures.

What do you guys/gals think about gloss finish figures? I suspect that most comments will be negative but that is OK.

Al

P.S. Im thinking about doing this to all my land, sea, and air miniatures.

good on cars, bad on figures

I gloss all mine (to give them a strong, protective coating) and then spray them with matt varnish. This seems to be the best of both worlds, and my figures seem to suffer little or no damage as a result.

I usually dip mine (minwax polyshades tudor satin) which leavees a slightly shiny surface. I think it looks quite nice.

I always used a semi-gloss spray finish. I have never gone for full gloss, but I, too, hate a really flat finish…why I quit using Armory sealer after they changed their formula.

I hate them, unless they're painted with enamels.

Gloss is bad, bad, bad in my view. But in depends on your approach, gloss might be fine if it provides you with a bit of nostalgia for toy soldiers of years past. However if you strive towards a realistic approach, real soldiers aren't glassy and shiny. Admittedly we submit to a whole raft of abstractions in wargaming, but a gloss finish is something we can get arround. I gloss all my figures for protection, but they all get a coat of matt after that.

Not a gloss fan.

I detest a gloss finish on everything but my Arachnids.
I generally like a good flat finish.

Good on 'glass' and certain leather.

Bad on the rest of the fig.

This is just personal opinion, I do not like gloss finishes, just matts. In very few cases like some finishings with NMM you could use some gloss varnish. Enamels or oils for 54mm figures can have a semi-gloss effect mimicking skin areas and sweat, but never with varnishes.

Gloss finish is a real pain in the nether regions when you trying to photograph figures under strong light. You end up with so many reflected highlights that it can ruin the whole session.

I like flat finish on most of my figures but a gloss coat on really old school stuff is fine.

I can't describe when figures are old school but know when I see 'em.

I suppose its a matter of taste. Certainly all the older books have picture of figures with glossy coats. I used to suspect that flat finishes simply weren't available back in the sixties and seventies, but now I'm starting to understand that this was how people liked it back in the day.

Personally, I think the shine makes it look like a little toy, instead of a miniature soldier. I like the finish as flat as can be.

Andrew

I am not a fan of either highly glossy or matte finishes. I prefer degrees of something in between. I used to always finish them matte, but I just find them unfinished looking now, whereas semi-gloss seems to tie everything together for me. Besides, I hate the feel of handling purely matte figures. It's like handling chalk.

Ditto what baccus said about glossies and photos, though. A real pain.

"I think the shine makes it look like a little toy, instead of a miniature soldier."

Spot on! well said that man!

I agree, makes them look like toys instead of historical miniatures.

Works for natural metal aircraft though.

It varies with the application. Not on WWII, but there are some "old school" games with toy-soldier style figures where a gloss finish is spot-on.

I quite like it on my 54mm plastic Napoleonics since they definitely have an "old school" nostaligic feel. I also delberately block painted them for the same reason.

Incidentally these were "toys" when I was 10 and played soldiers with them, but now at age 40 I have painted them and play wargames with them. So are they now "historical miniatures" or "toys"? That line is blurry for me. I still play with them after all.

Dave

I hate the shiny finish of gloss, but I like the hard protective finish it gives. I don't like how dull coat isn't as hard of a finish and can rub off over time. So I always give two coats of gloss coat, followed by two light applications of dull coat. Works great for me. For certain aspects of figs I will go back with a brush on gloss coat after the dull coat; like eye balls, teeth, saliva, fresh blood, tongues, and any metal that I really want shiny.

Personally I dislike glossy finishes. A matter of personal taste I am sure.

I like a flat final finish, no gloss.

My son does his Warhammer stuff in a semi-gloss. He wins painting contests with figures prepared like this all the time.

Personally I like stuff on the flat side. I spray with Varathane (does not yellow) and before it is entirely dry, I spray with Dull Coat. As noted above, the best of all worlds.

mjc

I am currently doing some 1/300 WWI aircraft and some 28mm SF Hydrissans. Think I will try one glossy and one flat of each type and see what looks best to me after a couple weeks. I was being lazy asking this question because I really did not want to have to do a couple of each and then (horrors) make a decision. I was leaning toward the shiny coat but I am afraid that your comments voice my inner fears. Monsters from the Id so to speak.

I prefer flat. As others have noted, I've always understood that wargaming in the UK started with 54mm toy soldiers which, being toys, if prepainted had gloss coats, and consequently those painters developed a preference for that look which carried over into their other miniatures painting.

I am one of those who does 1-2 coats gloss for protection, then follows with matt for the look I prefer, with if needed some brush spotting with gloss where necessary.

To each his own, of course! I prefer dead flat for miniatures of people, with exceptions for glass or metal where appropriate. For a science fiction vehicle, I could go either way, depending on the project and my mood.

I varnish them with Marabu Gloss Coat to protect them, and then I varnish again with Marabu Matt Coat, to dull the shine and left them matt. Simply I like a matt finish.

Gloss on all my Daleks. Matte on everything else.

I think it looks good on the collectible toy soldiers but not so good on wargames miniatures.

Gloss coats do tend to be a harder, more protective finish. To my eye however, the look like garbage unless then hit with a final matt coat.

I dislike gloss.

So, if you owned the Hope Diamond, would you hit it with a coat of testor's spray on matte before displaying it?

picture

I imagine that I will hear cries of "apples and oranges!" but I am an old time toy soldier collector, and, while I have no problem with matte, I enjoy the "jewel look" as well.

If the real thing is shiny, paint it shiny. If the real thing is dull, paint it dull.

Works for me!

2 coats gloss for protection
1 coat matte to dull them down.
ymmv,
R.

Dip, then matte spray.

They still look like little toys. I like them not glossy too though.

Pure gloss – no. I find that you lose detail in the reflections, even on the tabletop.

I like a satin/semi-gloss finish – it really brings out the colours, especially on metallics, while still retaining the sharpness of the detail.

For historicals, except those in armour, I tend towards a matte or very slightly satin finish. It seems more apprpopriate.

But as mentioned above, a smooth gloss finish is durable – so I'll spray on a gloss coat, then spray satin or matte to the desired result.

Don't care for them.

Used to be strictly flat but lately have ended up with lots of gloss coated figures which will eventually become matte (I think). I've found that I like both.

Rich

Glass suits the OSW trend – Peter Gilder showed how good they could look, with black lining, creases etc. The gloss added a form of highlight. It also "deepens" the clours somewhat, whereas matt makes colours look rather lifeless.

But the current trend is for hyper realism, so gloss isn't seen too often. Stokes is doing gloss on his OSW project and they look nice.

Me, I use Liquitex Acrylic Matte Medium as a varnish for my (soft) plastic figures, and that dries a variable shade of satin, which gives me the best (or worst) of both worlds. I don't get too hung up on it though – they are only toys, and that big manhole cover covered with yard brush and pond scum that they are mounted on tends to grab the eye/distract far more than varnish ever can. And in very few cases do I see any effort made for gamers to match their manhole covers (sorry, bases) with their table of choice (Phil Olley excluded here – gawd bless you Guv,nor!)