Lately, I’ve been experimenting a lot with varnishing models with an airbrush. But all the ultra matte and matte varnishes I tried were either TOO matte or TOO glossy. Don’t fret, here comes my solution for the perfect matte finish.
The problem
My problem was that I tried various airbrush ultra matte varnishes, but they were all a bit too matte and too easy to scratch, and also too matte compared to my models varnished with Mr Hobby Topcoat Premium Flat spray can. But when I tried regular matte varnishes for airbrushing instead, I found them too glossy.
As far as I know, the idea for the following hack goes back to Vince Venturella. One of my Patreon supporters, or YouTube commentators, I’m not completely sure, drew my attention to it. Post in the comments if it was you!
The solution
The solution is to mix 3 parts ultra matte varnish with 1 part matte varnish. I used AK Interactive Ultra Matte Varnish and Vallejo Mecha Color Matt Varnish. Both products have the perfect airbrush consistency, so you don’t have to dilute them and are water-based, so they don’t dissolve delicate paints like The Army Painter Speedpaint. Instead of AK Interactive Ultra Matte Varnish, you can also use Green Stuff World Maxx Matt, which I find slightly more resistant and easier to apply evenly. However, I still had a bottle of the AK varnish left and wanted to use it up.
You can see the result with this Tyranid Warrior. Nice and matte, but not totally flat, the colours have depth and even metallics don’t become completely dull. The finish also goes very well with my other models, which I varnished with my favourite spray paint Mr Topcoat Premium Flat.
By the way, you can find a list of my top recommendations for varnishes here:
I hope this ToP tip has encouraged you to try varnishing with an airbrush yourself. The advantages of spray cans are better control and a finer spray pattern. Feel free to write in the comments if you have tried my mix or if you have your own experiences with airbrush varnishing. See you next time, and happy hobbying!
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Do you think I could use 3 parts Ammo by Mig Ultra matte with 1 part Vallejo Mech Matt to achieve the same thing? Would love a video on this? 🙂
Yeah I think so, the idea is to take an ultra matte varnish and slightly knock down the mattness with a regular matt varnish 🙂
That’s a cool mix! For those that just don’t own an airbrush, is this mix suitable for brush-on?
Yes, but be sure to give the varnish a good shake as ultra matte varnish has a lot of matting agents that need to be evenly distributed for a perfect result.
Impressive ! What do you prefer between this solution and Mr Hobby premium topcoat ?
Spray cans for ease of use and a stronger protection, airbrush for a super fine spray pattern and more control 🙂 I’d probably use the airbrush mix for character models, while using the spray can for larger units and vehicles.
Thanks ! The basic recipe looks really good. I suppose we can get variations by using 1 part Mecha Satin Varnish instead of Mecha Matt.