I agree with the comments above on the Winsor & Newton.
I have been using clear flat spray on figures since Dullcote first came out. I have been painting wargame figures since at least the early 60s. The cans kept getting smaller and the price higher.
Then some years ago I started having trouble with it not always drying flat. People attributed that to temperature (too high or too low), too much humidity, too thick of a coat, too soon after my gloss clear coat, too soon after my paint job, and to a change in formula due to meeting EU standards.
Other people said it always worked for them.
I tried a number of others, just about every other clear flat spray with only mixed results.
Then I tried Winsor & Newton Professional Matt Spray Varnish. I started using it at least as early as 2017.
Here are the results after spraying 100s of figures and lots of vehicles, buildings, earthworks and other terrain pieces.
Temperature in the 40s F – dried flat.
Temperature in the low 90s F – dried flat.
Humidity 92 per cent – dried flat.
Thick coat – dried flat.
Thin coat – dried flat.
Sprayed clear gloss (Krylon or Rustoleum) at 1:30 pm and W/N Matt at 4:00 pm, same day, – dried flat.
It has never, ever failed me.
My experience with clear sprays made in the US is that "matt" or "matte" usually means semi-gloss or satin. W/N is made in Britain and matt means perfectly flat.
I buy it from from Dick Blick. The price is very good with their standard discount. Whenever I have compared it to Dullcote, W/N was always much cheaper per ounce.
Here is a link to the product at Dick Blick:
link
Don't be put off by the warning that the paint has to dry for at least 6-12 months before applying the product to the paint. That may be for artists oils which take an extremely long time to thoroughly dry unless a drier is added. I do it within hours of my gloss coat which I put on the day after I finish my painting.
I sent Winsor & Newton an email asking about shelf life as I intended to buy six cans at a time. The response indicated that the question was interpreted to mean a can that had been started. The answer was that there was no known shelf life limitation. What I bought in April of 2020 is still fine.
If you try it, I hope your results are as good as mine.
***Note. Winsor & Newton also makes a General Purpose Matt Varnish. It is a different product. Cheaper it seems. My experience is only with the Winsor & Newton Professional Matt Spray Varnish.
Tom
