Lets try this again—Painting Sequence

cwalker3

I put on the final matte finish after the tracks are done to seal in whatever weathering I've done to them.

 

But if you use pigments, a matte coat over them will tone them down significantly or even make a light dusting disappear altogether.

I put on the final matte finish after the tracks are done to seal in whatever weathering I've done to them.

Decals and washes are best applied over a gloss or semi gloss surface. If you can find your paint colors in either of those finishes, yes you can skip the gloss. But... have caution with your wash medium. The wash may attack the base coat, depending upon type, as most are solvent type and clean up with enamel thinners. Especially if you’re using enamels as your base. 

So that would be base coat —matte—decal, weathering, etc——matte—-mud

Can i skip the gloss and use matte and just go to decal, tools and weathering

I’m with Tojo and GM on their points. Washes are best applied over a gloss surfaces but dot filters over a flat surface. I don’t seal in my armor decals with a second gloss coat. This has the benefit of allowing them to catch discoloration from any washes and blend them into the surrounding area. You don’t want a bright clean decal on a faded discolored surface.

Also, don’t get too hung up on specific brand products like AK or Tamiya. The same effect can be achieved with oils, thinners, pastels, and pigments. Experiment and be creative. You never know what you might come up with. Don’t forget your basic time tested tried and true techniques of washes and dry brushing.

It all makes sense, but I usually dont put another clear coat on after the decal step on armor models, because the decals are minimal to almost non-existant.

Unless it is a very simple kit, the painting/building sequence is different on virtually every kit.  It is usually a case of paint a little, build a little. It also varies by genre.  Does it have a visible interior, engine?  It is very hard to paint interior detail after model is assembled.  Many folks do dry brushing, washes and filtering on these internal parts.

Sequence is mostly there.Oil dot filter is best done on matte I believe,otherwise it just wipes off when you stump it.

Same thing with streaking.